Sonitrol Security

Verified Electronic Security

Call us now!

Contact Us today

 

1.888.SONITROL

866-331-7146

MySonitrol

Login

TotalGuard Is A Convenient Small Business Security Solution

By Leave a Comment

Our new product, TotalGuard, consists of impact-activated audio detection, glass break analytics, motion detection, video verification, and wireless connectivity. It is an all-in-one, stand-alone solution. That already sounds pretty convenient, but what truly makes it the ideal security solution for small businesses is that all Sonitrol technology is verified. Here’s how it works.

TotalGuard Is A Convenient Small Business Security Solution

TotalGuard Uses Verified Technology

You might be surprised to find out that 98% of alarms are false. A multitude of causes can trigger a false alarm including employees and cleaning crews who have full access to your building. Even more surprising? It’s been estimated that the average security alarm’s reliability is between 2 and 6 percent. The good news is that’s not the case for Sonitrol customers.

Our highly trained operators monitor properties 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They work hand-in-hand with local law enforcement departments and officers to ensure each individual threat is verified and addressed immediately and that police are dispatched accordingly.

Our impact-activated audio surveillance assures that there is an operator monitoring the property at all times when the system is on. This adds the element of human intelligence that is unmatched in the process of dispatch and response of other security companies.

Bruce Winner, Director of the Sonitrol brand says, “with impact-activated live-audio, our operators are able to verify a threat to a property as the event is happening. In addition to giving us the ability to provide police with as much information and detail as possible, we can even supply responding officers with a live audio feed to discreetly listen in on the situation currently taking place at the property. Police are able to approach situations more tactically and are ultimately safer and more confident in responding to our alarms. At Sonitrol, we dislike false alarms as much as police do.”

A growing trend around the country is officials required the verification of an actual intruder before police are dispatched. This trend will only continue to grow as budgets are tightened. Below are the steps of verification in the event of an intrusion.

How Sonitrol Verification Works

When your alarm is triggered, an alarm signal with a video clip is transmitted to one of our monitoring systems. Then, our trained security professionals immediately review the alarm signal and video to verify an intrusion, contact law enforcement for police dispatch, and will contact you to give an update on the situation.

Once you’re notified of the situation, you can view recorded and live footage through the mobile app to see everything that happened. Ultimately, police will respond with higher priority and arrive on scene faster. This enhances the probability of an apprehension and reduce businesses losses from theft and damage.

When our audio and video solutions are paired (as in TotalGuard), police response time is improved, false alarms and fees are reduced, and apprehensions are increased.

Read more about TotalGuard and sign up for a free assessment here.

An In-Depth Look At TotalGuard

By Leave a Comment

We introduced our new product, TotalGuard last week. Read our quick intro to the product here before continuing on for an in-depth look at the product. We also feature a case study where TotalGuard is installed at a CrossFit gym to showcase the product in action and how it differs from our competitors.

In-depth Look at TotalGuard

The Who, What, When, Where, and Why of TotalGuard

TotalGuard is a standalone, all-in-one IoT security solution for small businesses. The product features impact-activated audio detection, glass break analytics, motion detection, video verification, and wireless connectivity.

Additionally, there is the option to add a 24-hour operational hold-up (panic) button application where one or more multi-sensors can be positioned in front of store clerks or bank tellers, providing our monitoring station video verification based on an alarm from the hold-up button that’s wired to the camera.

The glass break detection feature is ideal for areas such as bank ATM’s, high merchandise areas in retail locations, and gas stations. Thermal detection and verification of human presence is great for locations that lack protection of expensive copper or remote locations with fenced perimeters.

The Sonitrol mobile app and the Sonitrol Central Station software are also included in this comprehensive product. Because of the IoT capabilities, TotalGuard is considered lightweight meaning that there are lower upfront hardware and installation costs.

Through the app, you can view video surveillance footage and remotely arm/disarm the system. Central Station communication is established via the cloud which means that there is no IT investment required from the end-user.

Many small businesses utilize DIY security solutions that are self-installed and self-monitored. TotalGuard was built with this in mind and provides what users expect from a DIY system (quick installation) as well as services that come with modern intrusion solutions (verified monitoring and responses and cloud connectivity).

Other companies who have similar products all lack an intrusion based, Central Station verified solution that does not require additional hardware or software from a third party. We are proud to have a product that provides an end to end solution only requiring interaction with Sonitrol product and services.

TotalGuard is for anyone who values:

  • Visibility into your facility
  • Employee safety
  • Protecting your assets 24/7

See TotalGuard In Action

Below is a Case Study featuring TotalGuard in a small business CrossFit studio. The owners decided to invest in TotalGuard when several nearby businesses were broken into and personal items were stolen. From installation to training, it was a quick and easy process.

Contact us to let us know your security needs and to see if TotalGuard will be the best fit.

TotalGuard: Sonitrol’s New Security Product For Small Businesses

By Leave a Comment

We are excited to announce our new, all-in-one security product, TotalGuard. TotalGuard combines many of the cornerstones of our business security system, like audio and video, into one streamlined system. This is the perfect system for smaller businesses with under 5,000 employees.

TotalGuard

The Perfect Security Solution For A Small Business

TotalGuard features the following and more:

  • Video verification
  • Impact-activated audio
  • Glass break detection
  • Wireless support
  • Mobile app access

Small businesses usually don’t have a large surplus of funds dedicated solely to a security system. The costs of running a business are high and a business owner is already juggling the costs of renting their space and paying employees and insurance. A security system shouldn’t be added financial stress.

TotalGuard presents an affordable way to obtain monitored security for your property and people. It can also be easily integrated with other solutions like access control to provide

TotalGuard also allows the entire Sonitrol franchise to have an advantage over popular DIY security systems. This system is verified just like all of our products which are monitored 24/7 by security experts who immediately verify threats and notify the proper responders.

How TotalGuard Works

When an alarm is triggered via audio, breaking glass, or motion, event details, along with real-time streaming video and audio, are instantly sent to the monitoring station where our trained security experts can verify the threat to police and determine the appropriate action.

In a recent press release, Julie Beach, Vice President of Sonitrol said, “Sonitrol is excited to launch the innovative TotalGuard ™ solution to our current customers while also opening the door for us to serve the small to medium business market with a cost-effective and scalable solution. With TotalGuard’s ™ verified alarm detection, video surveillance, and mobile app capabilities paired with our other access control and fire monitoring services, our clients will have a complete protection against intrusion and security events.”

Stayed tuned to our blog and social sites for more information on TotalGuard and contact our office to learn how you can get TotalGuard in your office.

Employer Responsibilities Regarding Wildfires

By Leave a Comment

It seems as if we just published a series on how to protect people and property in the event of a wildfire, but wildfire season is here already and fires have been spreading at a pace that far outdoes the rate from last year. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, “more than 1,000 wildfires have been sparked in a one-week period in July — that’s more than three times the average of 250 or 300 that begin each week at this point in the season.”

Since they’re spreading faster, it means that tens of thousands of more acres have burned across the state this year than at this point last year, which was one of the most destructive fire seasons in state history. Every summer seems to set new record high temperatures throughout California causing the already dry brush and grass to become drier and cause the fires to explosively spread.

forest fire California wildfire

Employer Responsibilities Regarding Wildfires

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) states that “each employer is responsible for the safety and health of its workers and for providing a safe and healthful workplace for its workers.”

More specifically, employers are required to protect workers from “anticipated hazards.” Since we live in the state of California, we can consider seasonal wildfires to be anticipated and therefore something we can and should plan and prepare for.

How Employers Can Prepare For Wildfires

An evacuation plan during a wildfire is imperative as it will help avoid confusion and prevent injuries. If your workplace doesn’t have an evacuation plan in place, we’ve narrowed it down to three steps:

  1. Determine evacuation procedures and emergency escape route assignments
  2. Implement a clear chain of command and designation of the person authorized to order an evacuation
  3. Create procedures to account for all employees after an emergency evacuation

After the evac map is in place, you may also want to consider the need for escape hoods or gas masks. It doesn’t stop at just planning. Part of a complete evacuation map is planning regular trainings on emergency procedures to keep them fresh in employee’s minds.

For more information on how to prepare, survive during, and stay safe after, check out this FEMA resource. Below are several other topics business owners and employers should know about fire:

Why You Need Panic Buttons in Your School

By Leave a Comment

School safety is the number one focus in education systems nationwide. Parents want to know that when they send their child to school every day that they are safe and will be protected from harm. Dangerous situations happen unexpectedly and in an instance. It is important to keep not only the students in these schools safe but, also administrators, teachers, and all staff members.

Sonitrol Security offers a way to combat potential personal harm from dangerous situations. Panic buttons, also called hold-up buttons, are a solution that we provide to protect schools in the case of these emergencies. In this blog we will break down the application, uses, and where to install your panic button for optimal effectiveness.

Panic Button Application

In situations of distress and danger, it is crucial to have the resources at your fingertips to provide safety to those in harm’s way. When pressed, panic buttons immediately send signals to the systems control experts who alert EMS officials for medical assistance or local authorities.

Unlike a traditional phone or cell phone, panic buttons provide a faster way to contact assistance. If a school staff member is in the middle of a dangerous situation whether it be an intruder in the building or a medical emergency, they may be unable to easily access a phone to make a call for help. The panic button does this for them with a press of the button, saving precious time.

Combining a panic button with Sonitrol’s video surveillance and audio technology will ensure your safety needs are met more quickly.

panic button

Location of your Panic Button

Our panic button provides a virtually silent response when used. This make it a safer tool to use in emergencies when being discrete is crucial. The location of your panic button in your school or educational facility is important for prime accessibility.

We recommend having more than one located in your building. For obvious reasons, a dangerous occurrence could happen anywhere throughout the school. It wouldn’t be effective to only have one panic button in the school administrators’ offices for a teacher on the other side of the school needs to access it.

For this reason, it is recommended to have a panic button in every classroom in a school to guarantee all students are safe at all times. Other places around the building where a panic button would be beneficial is the administrators’ offices, cafeteria, library, hallways, and gym.

Our panic button technology is wireless making them available wherever they are needed. Teachers and staff members of the school can place their panic buttons underneath desks, tables, or chairs. For mobility purposes, school staff members can even carry their panic buttons on the go.

A couple ways to carry a panic button safely where it is not accidentally pushed is clipped onto a belt or around your neck on a lanyard. It is important to inform students of any panic buttons located around them and how to use them. In the instance that a teacher or staff member was unable to press the panic button when needed, students should know when and how to use one.

For more information on the panic button technology we offer at Sonitrol, check out our latest blog. If you’re interested in learning more about the value of adding panic buttons to your security systems, schedule a free security assessment.