Business and home security systems are experiencing a sort of technological renaissance as the focus turns to “smart” devices, cloud services, and automation. With the widespread development and use of wireless and internet-connected devices, it’s easier than ever to protect your work or household with a comprehensive security solution.
Unfortunately, many people conflate “easy to purchase/put in” with “comprehensive protection.” The rise of “do-it-yourself” security options have led to a number of lower-quality devices being installed in homes and businesses–devices especially vulnerable to hacking. Additionally, the “DIY comprehensive protection” fallacy encourages installation by people not trained in the intricacies of installing a functional, complete security solution.
Ultimately, there’s a limit to when “doing it yourself” should give way to “paying to have it done right.” In today’s ever-changing and sometimes dangerous world, professional engineered, installed, and monitored security systems are more essential now than ever before.
Criminals are smart—and they’re not going anywhere.
Career criminals have systems that work. They target homes during the day and businesses at night. They target small, easy-to-move goods that have high resell values on the streets. If they break into a vulnerable target once, they’re apt to do it again with the benefit of inside knowledge. They’ll search for unlocked doors and windows and ring doorbells to ensure no one is home.
With exceptions, violent crime rates have steadily declined over the last few decades but property crimes are far more common. Items that never used to be targets—phones, for instance—are now hot commodities, given how easy they are to conceal and how high they are in value. Prescription pills can sell higher on the streets than flat screens. Guns, frequently bought for a home’s protection, are highly coveted and thus frequently stolen.
Fighting burglars who commit crime for a living requires a solution by security experts who protect property for a living. Keeping up with the latest in security system products, installation, and maintenance is impossible for a single person. Those unfortunate business and homeowners who have gone the “do-it-yourself” route have found that criminals are smarter than they used to be. Criminals know workarounds to cheap or poorly encrypted security devices and programs. A professional security company knows there can be no shortcuts in securing property and lives, so the security systems they provide don’t take use them.
More houses are empty for longer during the workday.
The number of two-income households has risen dramatically in the last few decades in response to the rising cost of living. In years gone by, at least one parent often stayed home in some capacity and acted as the eyes and ears if something raised suspicion around the house. Nowadays, with parents working and kids in school, houses often site empty for the bulk of the daylight hours, making the midday hours the prime time for burglars to line up their break-ins.
On the most basic level, a professionally installed and monitored security system provides a line of defense against criminals. If a burglar forces open a door or breaks a window, a monitored security system will send a signal to the designated monitoring center, who will then follow procedure to notify the homeowner and the authorities. Additionally, motion detectors can be installed to pick up uninvited guests for added layers of protection.
With modern technology, a security system can do more than react. Affordable home security cameras allow homeowners to check in on their furry friends or check to make sure they closed the front door with the use of a smartphone, desktop, or tablet. Smart home security systems can alert homeowners as to whether their children set the system as they arrived from school, providing both solid home security and the comfort of peace of mind.
Data and security theft are on the rise.
Personal documents are among the most coveted targets by burglars. With the right documents, burglars can sell banking information, open credit cards, or even steal an identity, all of which can be financially devastating to the victim. Whereas much of this information was relegated to a locked safe or filing cabinet somewhere in the home, most computers, phones, or tablets contain some amount of private information that can expose vital data if stolen in a burglary.
The digital age creates new risks—specifically, cyber attacks and hacking. Hacks such as the one that exposed millions of people’s personal information at Target happen so often that media attention to such events has become jaded. And hacking isn’t limited just to big corporations. Anything with an internet or wireless connection is vulnerable to hacking, as many do-it-yourself security providers have recently discovered.
These threats create a two-pronged need for serious, professional security. Firstly, your physical property and information must be protected and monitored to minimize the risk of exposing irretrievable data. Secondly, your personal information must be protected by any companies who are using it—especially the company providing your business or home security.
We are less encumbered by technological limitations.
Over the last century, technology has become more advanced, smaller, and cheaper. The first surveillance cameras were large, grainy, and too expensive for most businesses. Now, high-end digital surveillance cameras are not only affordable, they’re en vogue, with business owners and homeowners alike installing high-definitions cameras throughout their property. Camera storage is moving from hard drives to the cloud, allowing more footage than ever before to be saved for later use. Batteries for wireless security devices last longer than their predecessors, and internet and cellular signals are growing in strength, allowing for greater flexibility and security in electronic security equipment.
Within just the last decade, the widespread adoption of smart devices has transformed the security industry. Security systems have shifted fundamentally from static fixtures that are installed and largely forgotten. The ability to remote secure doors, turn off lights, view camera footage, and check security logs from a smart phone application has revolutionized both the user’s experience with their systems and the nature of security systems in general. Instead of simply securing a building, modern smart security systems can integrate seamlessly with the user’s lifestyle and improve it by allowing for greater control and peace of mind.
The advantage of professional security systems
Security systems used to be expensive, intrusive, and clunky, creating a myth that pervades even to this day. The reality is that a modern security system provided by a professional security company has never been more affordable, user-friendly, or comprehensive in its security features. For example, EPS Security works with the best security manufacturers in the business, negotiating lower prices on best-of-breed products and passing the savings along to the customer. Our technicians undergo extensive in-house training on the way to receiving various certifications, giving our systems consistent excellent quality in every installation. Our Monitoring Center and offices are local, allowing us to better service our communities. We better protect our customers’ personal information and data by managing their accounts and billing ourselves, not passing the responsibility along to a third party.
Protecting your home or business is a full-time job and you’re too busy to moonlight. Enlist EPS Security in defending what matters most to you and discover the benefits of a professional security solution firsthand.