Demanding an open-architecture alarm industry

Feb 1, 1997 12:00 PM, By MARC S. BERGERON

History repeats itself. We have all heard the complaints about and the justifications and pros and cons of proprietary alarm systems. But for years, many users have accepted being locked into one alarm equipment vendor. In the security industry, the word proprietary can be described in two ways.

* A system is proprietary when it is not possible to interface with other vendors' products, and expanding the system size or features must be accomplished with the original vendor. The opposite is an open architecture platform, which allows integration of multiple vendor systems, providing an integrated solution.

* When a customer chooses to monitor and respond to alarm activity within the facilities rather than outsourcing to a commercial central station, the customer has chosen proprietary monitoring. It all started in the late '70s and early '80s. Customers who needed security features above and beyond the basic dial-up panel developed partnerships with proprietary alarm system providers. As these organizations grew and merged and the larger ones acquired the smaller ones, the systems became segregated. The once-tidy security control center became cluttered with proprietary and non-proprietary equipment from multiple vendors. Because the systems could not communicate with each other, additional staffing was needed. Eventually, the security managers who had been committed to proprietary systems became frustrated. Open architecture is imperative for true system integration. As we approach the millennium, the need for system integration and open architecture connectivity is a top priority when shopping for security solutions. Unfortunately, some organizations are sacrificing security for such integration. In the days of cost-cutting and budget-crunching, users often make decisions based on up-front cost alone. Vendors often use a cost-based sales approach rather than identifying the weakness that can result in loss. They should focus on customers' needs and offer value-added solutions. What about the small guy? Often, only large corporations with the need to protect remote facilities can justify installing and staffing a proprietary alarm monitoring center. This leaves smaller organizations with few choices when it comes to alarm protection. But these days, by taking advantage of your organization's Wide Area Data network and selecting a system that offers open architecture connectivity, such sacrifices are not necessary. Many customers such as Trans Financial now recognize the need to keep their options open so they can grow with technology, instead of always playing catch-up.

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© 2012 Penton Media Inc.

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