When you think of the security industry, home security is probably the first thing that comes to mind. This is well earned top-of-mind awareness as the home security industry has grown by leaps and bounds in the recent innovations and technology they have implemented for their customers. Smart doorbells, locks, and surveillance cameras can be controlled wherever you are through an app on your phone.

Are commercial security companies competing against home security companies? Will our industry eventually become obsolete? Our answer: not anytime soon! Last week we wrote about what the future of business security might look like and why we’re excited about what’s to come. While last week’s blog focuses on the future, we want to come back to the present and focus on where the commercial security industry is and all the exciting changes that are currently taking place.

Kimberlite Corporation Featured In Security Magazine

In last week’s blog, we mentioned Security Distributing and Marketing (SDM), which is a magazine dedicated to all things in the security industry. We are extremely proud that our very own Joey Rao-Russell, President & CEO of Kimberlite Corporation, the largest independent Sonitrol franchise, was not only featured in an article in March’s magazine, From Chaos to Opportunity, she was also featured on the cover as well!

The article, State of the Market: Security and Monitoring 2018, discusses how “technology changes, major shifts in the market, and evolving customer expectations bring a wealth of opportunity the commercial and residential security markets.” In the article, Joey states that “more and more people do not want to manage things for themselves. Their IT people are doing too much already. This is the greatest opportunity as an industry that we have right now. There are lower installation costs on technology such as access control with a cloud-based service attached. It is a win-win all the way around.”

While the greatest opportunity is working with companies who want to out-source security, one of the biggest trends in commercial security is integrating security devices and technologies. This is something that we are proud to say we have been doing for a long time and meant we were able to apprehend 1,421 criminals in 2017. This integration of technology saves lives and enhances our ability to detect threats, apprehend criminals, and prevent break-ins and property theft and damage.

To read the full article, click here.

Commercial Security Trends 2018

We talked about why we’re excited about the future of business security last week, but these are the reasons we are currently excited to see what’s happening in the industry!

It’s a growing, competitive industry. Residental security dealers have been increasingly coming into the small commercial security space likely driven by “competition and pricing pressure from MSOs and DIY players, as well as small commercial owners looking for the same connected and interactive services they now enjoy at home.”

More well-rounded and interactive services are being offered. Joey says, “customers want these interactive services that help them manage their business as well as their security.” These interactive services have a surprising number of benefits. They protect your property, your people, and can also help you achieve end business goals such as becoming a greener company.

Security technology can help business owners in their never-ending desire to minimize costs and maximize profits. For example, surveillance cameras can monitor areas where employees might leave unnecessary lights on when they close down for the evening. Technology advances in commercial security mean that you can now manage energy consumed throughout your daily operations and adjust energy used.

As mentioned earlier, we are excited about the opportunity to partner with many new clients this year as outsourcing security increases. Few companies have the luxury of being able to support an in-house, full-time security team. You shouldn’t be expected to either. Outsourcing your security is easier than you might think. Start with a free business security assessment and let our security professionals take it from there.

If you read our recent blog on our 50-year partnership with local law enforcement, you know that we originally started out as a pest control company. Now, we are a part of a national security company, which is a leading influencer in verified security technology.

Every year, the Sonitrol National Dealer’s Association (SNDA) announces Sonitrol’s internal National Achievement Awards. Winners were announced on February 5th and we are proud to present 5 of our employees who were nationally recognized!

Our National Achievement Award Winners

When you work for a leading company in verified electronic security systems, you have to walk the walk and talk the talk. We are proud to employ members who truly care about creating safer communities and bring an incredible work ethic to our locations every day.

We are happy to announce that 5 of our employees have been nationally recognized as the following:

1. Charlie Arnold: Central Station Top Operator

2. Grant Van Meter: Fresno Technical Shining Star

3. Casey Trujillo: Fresno Tech Shining Star

4. Enrique Martinez-Truso: Sales Warrior

5. Steve Rocha: Central Station Shining Star

Spirit of Competition

SNDA along with the National Achievement Committee come together every year to recognize the company’s most dedicated employee’s. It’s always exciting to be a part of a national organization that values every employee and creates an opportunity that allows a spirit of competition and recognition among the top Operators, Technicians, and Support personnel.

Our Central Station is the top station in the country in terms of assisting law enforcement officials with the most apprehensions. Since our inception as a security company, we have documented 178,024 apprehensions since 1997. We look forward to further recognizing and celebrating these employees at the upcoming Sonitrol National Dealers Convention in a couple of weeks.

We have locations in 180 cities throughout the United States and Canada and we are the third largest commercial security company in North America. See more about our leading verified electronic security system here.

As you know from our Bowling For A Cause blog we wrote earlier this year, we value community service and giving back to our local community. We have been protecting corporations in California’s Central Valley for over 30 years and not only do we want to continue protecting your businesses and people, we want to help better the community by volunteering our time.

This past holiday season we focused a lot of time on giving back to our community. The events we were apart of and lives we touched empowered us and hopefully empowered those on the receiving end as well. The holidays can be hard for many and we hope we helped to brighten the lives of many over the holidays. This is how we were involved:

Our Empowering Month Of Holiday Giving

We were recognized on December 7th at Hayward Police Department’s annual holiday party for being a leader in the community for local law enforcement support. We also delivered over 100 toys to support HPD’s Cops For Kids Toy Drive! Thank you to everyone who donated toys to help make a child’s holiday a little brighter.

On December 12th, we partnered with Blackhawk Networks and Vistar Foods to help feed and clothe over 300 people in need in San Franciso.

We teamed up with the Clovis Police Department, California and on December 19th we held a winter coat drive for kids. It was a great success. We collected new and gently used coats to give to a local child in need of a coat to stay warm this winter. Thank you to everyone who donated a coat and helped make this event so successful.

On January 2nd, we sponsored a 1st-grade classroom of 20 plus kids at Jefferson Elementary School, which is part of Sanger Unified School District. We had the name of each child and their wish list, which were dispersed among our employees from our Fresno, Bakersfield, and Manteca offices who stepped up to ensure each child received their wish list.

Our last event for the holiday season was on January 9th when our team delivered baskets to 50 law enforcement agencies from the Bay Area to the Valley to Bakersfield and everywhere in between to show appreciation for our local law enforcement! The 9th also happened to be National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, which we do everyday, but were happy to show our appreciation especially on the 9th by delivering the baskets. You can read more about the day and see a video of pictures on our Facebook page.

Thank you to everyone who donated toys, time, coats, and more to help make these events so successful. We know these things were given sacrificially and we are so appreciative. We truly care about our community and hope that was evident at each event. More information and pictures can be seen on our Facebook and Twitter. You can also search the hashtag “#teamSonitrol” to see other posts about events we participate in and other ways we give back throughout the year.

As one year ends and another begins, it’s a good practice to look back on the highlights from the past 12 months. Looking back on 2017, we shared some pertinent information about a variety of safety-related topics. Here are a few of our most popular blogs from 2017 that we wanted to reshare in case you missed them.

Sonitrol’s Top Five Blogs of 2017

6 Holiday Office Party Tips

First up is an article outlining some tips to have a safe holiday office party (or any company-sponsored event). Give these tips a try to safeguard yourself, employees, or students from drinking-related accidents, sexual harassment, and more.

1) Remind Employees/Students of Policies – to avoid issues BEFORE they happen

2) Lead by Example – to demonstrate responsible behavior during the festivities

3) Designate Monitors – to keep tabs on potential problems and prevent mishaps

4) Drink Responsibly – to reduce the risk of injury or misconduct

5) Invite the Family – to add to the fun and decrease the likelihood of inappropriate activities

6) Secure the Venue – to make sure you are providing a safe and well-suited location

Sonitrol National Dealers Association Convention (SNDA)

One event that we enjoyed in 2017 was the Annual Sonitrol National Dealers Association (SNDA) Convention and Awards Banquet on April 26-29th, hosted by leading Sonitrol dealer, Kimberlite Corporation. Sonitrol personnel from throughout North America attended this meeting in San Francisco, CA. During the event, we participated in training, education sessions, certification classes, and an awards banquet. Fun was safely had by all!

How Safety Increases with Business Security Camera Systems 

We know that protecting your business with the right tools is a top priority of business owners. Employing business security camera systems that monitor continuously 24/7 is useful in preventing and detecting criminal activity on your property. And verifying any alerts to the system before dispatching the police is just another way Sonitrol has your best interests in mind. Here are a few more benefits you can enjoy when you have Business Security Camera Systems in place: monitor loiterers, detect theft, and increase employee safety.

Common Safety Mistakes in the Workplace 

One of the most important jobs as a business owner is ensuring that your employees have a safe place to work at all times. Most people already know about liability accidents like trips, falls, or repetitive stress injuries. However, there are many other common workplace safety risks that you may not have thought about yet. Some of the risks that can be easily overlooked until a problem arises include: fire hazards, unsafe use of electricity, inadequate security measures in place or not educating employees on how to properly use your security system.

How can you benefit from a panic button?

We all know that having a security system is a great way to protect your home, business, or school property from theft and vandalism while you’re away. But what about those incidents that occur while you’re at work, school, or just relaxing at home? Panic Buttons exist to protect people from personal harm. They can provide an instant alert to the monitoring company when the user feels they are in danger and need immediate emergency assistance.

All throughout 2017 Sonitrol continued to be a leader in monitored security systems for businesses. We expect this to continue into 2018 and beyond. If you would like to start your new year off with the peace of mind that comes with an all-inclusive security system, contact us for an audit of your existing safety measures or a quote on a new security system.

Maintaining consistent temperature and humidity levels in your server room are two of the most important steps you can take in keeping your equipment, people, and data safe. If there is too much fluctuation in climate levels, irreparable damage could be done.

It is suggested that server rooms be kept in a controlled temperature environment between 68 to 72 degrees so the computers don’t overheat. It is also possible for computers to react to being in too cold of an environment as well. The humidity level also plays a role in safe server rooms and should be kept between 45%-55%. We’ve created a checklist on how to keep your server room physically secure, which provides 8 in-depth checkpoints to ensure your server room, people, and property are kept safe. Below are the potential risks you could face if your server room is too hot and even too cold.

What Happens When Your Server Room Is Too Hot

If the central processing unit (CPU) of the computer becomes overheated (between 85-90 degrees) and remains at that temperature for several minutes, the CPU could potentially blow and data will be lost. The equipment could melt or start a fire. In the case of fire, not only is the equipment going to be damaged, but your people and facility could be damaged as well.

Ways to prevent overheating include:

• Knowing where the cooling fans are located
• Maintaining a proper level of air flow in the room
• Don’t leave an empty space on the server rack as it will reduce air flow. Fill empty spaces with blanking panels
• Invest in technology to monitor the temperature, like our Fire Alarm System

What Happens When Your Server Room Is Too Cold

It is possible for server room equipment to be damaged when temperatures fall below 50 degrees. This will likely only happen if the electricity were to go out during the winter, but maintaining a consistent temperature inside while the temp drops dramatically outside during the winter can prove to be challenging.

If the electricity were to go out overnight, you might not realize it until the morning when damage has already been done. Cold temperatures create dry air, which can lead to static electricity buildup. The hard drive of computers are very susceptible to static electricity and if zapped, could be damaged. Computers are ultra sensitive to electricity. For example, damage can be done to a computer’s hard drive or microchip at 10 volts, whereas humans can’t perceive static electricity until it has reached 1,500 volts.

Sonitrol’s Certified Solution To Regulate Climate In Server Rooms

Rapid changes in temperature can cause condensation buildup in computers, which will also cause damage. Maintaining consistent temperature is considered even more important than keeping a low climate level to ensure the safe operation of server equipment.

The single best way to ensure a stable climate in your server room is by investing in Sonitrol’s Fire Alarm System, which provides for smoke and heat detection, water flow and sprinkler monitoring, and most importantly for server rooms, temperature monitoring. All of these features and more are monitored by our expertly trained security staff 24/7. Download our checklist to make sure you are doing everything in your power to keep your equipment, data, and people safe.