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DGA’s Supervised Opening and Closing service is the watchdog that oversees our customers' intrusion systems. If the intrusion alarm is not armed at closing or disarmed outside of the schedule provided to us, our Monitoring Center will contact the appropriate person to confirm that the action is authorized. In the event of an unscheduled disarming, if we cannot obtain a valid verification code, we will notify the appropriate authorities and follow the customer provided instructions.

Holdup Buttons are discreet buttons that can be used to alert your monitoring center to an emergency. They silently send a signal to the monitoring center, which will immediately notify the police of the emergency. Due to the serious nature of a Holdup Button alert, the monitoring center will not contact you to check for a false alarm. Your security systems provider will work with you to find a location in your business that allows for the most discretion and convenience.

Thermal cameras are intrusion devices that detect and capture thermal radiation emitted by objects and individuals. Unlike traditional cameras that rely on visible light, thermal cameras use thermal imaging. Thermal cameras detect and measure the heat energy emitted by objects and convert it into a visual representation called a thermogram. Thermal cameras excel in challenging lighting scenarios, including near darkness or adverse weather conditions such as fog, smoke, or haze. This capability makes thermal cameras particularly valuable in applications such as outdoor perimeter surveillance.

A Door (or window) Contact Sensor is a two-part device mounted on a door or window that causes an alarm condition when the intrusion alarm is armed and the door is open. This alert typically causes an alarm condition and signals the monitoring center to take the next steps.

Glass break sensors are audio sensors that trigger an alarm when they detect the sound of glass being shattered. Glass break sensors work by listening for sound patterns and frequencies of breaking glass, and multiple sensors should be installed to cover the target window area. They are especially popular among businesses that showcase high-value merchandise in a window display such as jewelry stores, luxury retailers and art galleries, which tend to attract “smash and grab” style break-ins. For these types of businesses, their business insurance provider would likely require glass break sensors as part of their comprehensive business security system.

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is a trusted resource known around the world for product safety and service certification. Since being founded in 1894, UL examines and tests devices, systems, and material to determine how their performance affects life, fire, casualty, hazards, and crime prevention.

Integration in security refers to the interactivity between different parts of a security system. Here are some examples of what you can accomplish with an integrated security system.

When it comes to door/window contact sensors used in business security systems, the most common mistake we see is either overuse or underuse of these devices. Sometimes we see a contact sensor installed on every door and window regardless of location – which likely increased the installation cost without adding additional security benefit. Other times, we see doors and windows that are easily accessible from the outside missing a contact sensor, making the business vulnerable to potential intrusion attempts.

When we are designing business security systems, we sometimes get pushback from clients about whether they really need motion sensors in addition to door/window contacts. At other times, we get pushback from our clients’ architect who asks us: “Do we really need a motion sensor in that spot? Can you move it to a more hidden location?”

Modern electronic glass break sensors are smart devices that are highly effective at detecting a breaking glass window. But the truth is glass break sensors can be tricky in a business security alarm system. High-pitched noises from outside can cause false alarms. Furthermore, some glass window types don’t shatter in a way that can be picked up reliably by these sensors.

When a business is temporarily closed or is rarely visited, it’s even more critical to make sure your business security and fire systems are working properly. Here are the top seven tips on how to optimize your business security and fire systems to keep your business assets protected — even when you are stuck at home.

What were the top security tech trends at this year's ISC West? Read more to find out.