Colin Walters, Security Monitoring Centres (SMC) Managing Director, pictured, discusses what’s new in alarm monitoring and ARCs (alarm receiving centres).
Colin has extensive industry experience – having started his career on the tools, as he calls it, as an electrician, installing alarms and associated technologies before working his way through SMC, eventually taking the top job. He is proud of SMC and its reputation in terms of its technical expertise and dedication to delivering the very best in customer service.
“The secret to our success has always been our ability to recognise that monitoring is an integral part of our customers’ business needs. That’s why we work 24/7, 365 days a year. We see ourselves as part of their team – we’re fully invested in them, their business, and what they do.”
For Colin, being ‘just another security provider’ is not enough. The business has high expectations and standards regarding what it expects of its people, its technology and its service.
“Our two UK NSI Gold Alarm Receiving Centres (ARCs) are amongst the most modern in the world. Both accommodate state-of-the-art communications technology and operate virtual call-centre environments. For customers, this promises reliability. When businesses work with us, they know that they can rest assured, safe in the knowledge that we will respond immediately when an alarm goes off.”
SMC does not rely on a single ARC to monitor and respond to alarm triggers. Its two ARCs deliver service on a global scale, something Colin believes is the real future of ARC services. He says: “We have the means to be resilient in every eventuality. From emergency power generators that kick in if we suffer a power outage, to twin ARCs that can cover each other, we must consider every risk factor and mitigate it. That’s why we’re here.
“We understand how important it is for customers to feel safe and secure around the clock. They should not worry about whether their security partner is there to respond. Instead, they should focus on the day job and put their energies into what’s most important to them.”
“It’s this ability to plan for every eventuality, alongside our investment in cutting-edge technology, that makes us a market leader for ARC integration.”
While alarm receiving is a fundamental part of SMC’s makeup, it’s also looking to marry CCTV surveillance and intruder alarms. Blending these two takes hard work and thinking – something Colin has seen the team at SMC achieve over many years.
“As technologies evolve, so have the tools and responses we deploy to respond to threats. We’ve invested heavily in automation – so that CCTV and alarms can work together in harmony to provide holistic security monitoring that is reliable and covers all bases.”
Data capture and reporting have also kept evolving – something Colin sees as vital for his team and their customers as part of their learning process.
“We can now capture, track, and analyse data via remote monitoring technologies. Our TOUCH software will relaunch in the coming weeks and has been redesigned to give installers the power to see all of their information contained in a single dashboard. This, combined with many new features, will allow customers to complete a deep dive into what is happening with their systems and provide a whole new world of self-serve options.
“By combining the power of SMC Custodian, which monitors alarms, with the intuitive nature of SMC Vision and cutting-edge tools such as CheckMyCCTV, we can deliver the complete package and make security accountable for customers. We can then see the greatest threats and risks for their business and work with them to mitigate these.”
Also required are partnerships. SMC adopted SafeZone – a lone worker app developed by the software firm CriticalArc. The app allows workers to raise an alarm via a smart device the second they detect a threat, which is received by SMC’s ARCs before alerting the emergency services.
Colin says: “Lone workers need to know that they’re safe – whether that’s NHS staff, security guards or front desk operators in high-rise buildings. SafeZone is a great example of how technology has made responding to security threats easier and quicker. It can save lives and minimise loss – so we’re delighted to be able to add it to our ever-growing list of solutions. It’s another example of how we’re always thinking with the customer in mind.”
SMC continues developing its relationship with Yorkshire-based Mentor Business Systems, which develops field service management software for remote work. By adopting Mentor’s CASH software, security installers can streamline their businesses by serving information to engineers on the go. Engineers can also load information into CASH remotely, with companies able to manage their field operations in one place.
As for changes outside of any business’s control, the UK is undergoing one of the greatest telecoms upgrades ever. The All IP project is UK-wide and will remove the century-old copper cable infrastructure in favour of faster full-fibre connectivity.
Colin says: “The official switch to full-fibre is underway and is due to conclude by 2025 when technologies that currently rely on the traditional copper cable infrastructure will become defunct,”
This switch will shape alarm monitoring, creating greater capacity, increased speed and added complexity for ARCs. These form the drivers for volume-based low-level automation of non-essential signals. Something that is essential if the service is to remain economically viable for all users, Colin feels. He’s a stickler for detail. Ensuring a continuity of service as during the covid pandemic is what it’s all about for Colin and the team. Colin does worry about an increase of non-accredited service businesses entering the market – not because of their threat to SMC, but because of their threat to industry reputation.
“Businesses that don’t hold the necessary accreditations to do what we do, are entering the market more frequently. Often, when an alarm is triggered, these businesses will call a key holder rather than contact the police in the way our ARCs do. This compromise in customer service is a threat to the reputation of our industry, and the last thing we want is for businesses to lose their trust in security monitoring. What we do is entirely built on trust.”
He is also keeping a close eye on the growth of serviced offices and shared working spaces – which present fresh challenges to the security industry.
“Instead of having one company in a building that can be contained and protected, there are now situations where multiple companies occupy the same space – so how does security work in these situations? Who is responsible? How do you stop threats emerging between co-working businesses? New and emerging threats are an inherent part of our industry, and these are just some of the plates we need to spin and keep a close eye on as things move forward.”
For Colin, focusing on what SMC can control and being mindful of changes is all they can do. “We have over 90 years of know-how in our DNA. You cannot buy that level of experience, and that’s why businesses trust us.
“I always say that you get what you pay for, and you cannot put a price on security. People want to feel safe – it’s a natural human need – and we’re here when no one else is, and we always will be. It’s time for businesses like ours to embrace the future of alarm monitoring and adapt – the same way we have over the last 90 years.”
