It is not a secret that most departments within corporations and governments including local, state, and federal have been asked to reduce their budgets by a certain percentage every year since the economy took a turn for the worse. This has been a challenge – especially for security departments. How do you maintain the level of security needed today with less to work with?
One item that is frequently reviewed is the maintenance of security and related systems including emergency communication systems. Maintenance contracts for security systems are often scaled back or even illuminated to help reduce costs. The thought process is that the systems are used every day, so if a door does not unlock or a camera stops working, they can simply place a call to the integrator to repair the problem.
That works most of the time, but there are some drawbacks. What if an emergency door or emergency communication device that is never used is also never tested? How will you know if it works or not until an incident takes place? There are also some integration companies that may tell you since you are not a contract customer they will get to you as soon as they can. You could wait for days if this is the case.
More importantly, the security management systems of today require continued maintenance, especially with regards to the “head-end” servers and software. Some manufactures will not provide support unless the system is up to their current revisions and a support services agreement is in place through an integration company. There is no doubt that maintenance contracts can be expensive; however if the time is taken to discuss options with an integration company, they can be scalable to fit into most budgets.
NFPA recommends that all fire alarm systems be checked on a regular basis. Why not have the security systems checked as well? They both could save lives.
Plan. Protect. Prosper.
Protus3 specializes in security system design, security consulting, corporate investigations and other investigative services. Partner with Protus3 and we will examine each situation to identify threats and develop solutions for your best outcome.