What's Integration?

Over the last year or so, Tommy's Lock and Alarms has been growing. We've hired new people, and they're helping the company do things that it couldn't do before. "Integration" is one of them. But what's that mean, and why do you care? Well, we'll explain that.

Over the past several years, security devices have gotten more sophisticated. Lots of you are aware that some burglar alarms can send you text messages or e-mail when there's a problem. Lots of you know that we provide security cameras, and that our camera products can be viewed remotely over the Internet.

What some of you might not realize is that we can tie those systems together and add an access control system that lets allows entry via a key code or thumb print that opens a door. Anytime that happens, your camera system will take a picture of the person who came in. And if it happens at a time when the building should be empty? You get a text message, so you can log in remotely to check out what's happening at home, at your vacation house, or at your office.

When we tie systems together like this, it's called integration. And it's a big deal for you because integrated security systems are more effective at their jobs. That extra effectiveness lets you squeeze more value out of a system by checking for suspicious events and notifying you in real time. This way, the camera footage is evidence for the authorities; the automated system lets you respond to the event by automatically calling them, and by notifying you when a problem occurs instead of forcing you to review hours of footage to try to figure out when it happened.