How Social Media Posts Of Your Holiday Travels Can Impact Home Security

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Social media is a great way to keep in touch with family and friends around the world, especially during the holidays. However, even though you may set the privacy settings, they can only do so much to limit what others can see and learn about you via your social networks.

According to AAA, 107.3 million Americans will take planes, trains, automobiles and other modes of transportation to travel over the river and through the woods to grandmothers’ house for the holidays.

If you’re planning to join them, be aware that using social media could put your holiday safety and home security at risk. How so? Well, your friends and family may not be the only people paying attention to your posts. Smart thieves are watching not only your house but also your social media channels.  So your Facebook live broadcast of your holiday travels, or a photo of your vacation could signal a savvy burglar that it’s safe to probe your home’s security vulnerabilities. Read more →

How to Protect Your Home or Condo Complex from Holiday Package Thieves

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

This year in the 25 days between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, UPS says it will deliver over 750 million packages to its customers. In fact, UPS says this record-breaking seasonal global delivery volume is approximately 5 percent above last year’s holiday peak shipping season volume.

FedEx, which also anticipates another record peak holiday shipping season, estimates it will deliver between 380-400 million packages. In the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, the U.S. Postal Service also expects to deliver 850 million packages, which is more than a 10 percent increase compared to the same period last year. Read more →

Business Security: 7 Common Security Measures Too Often Overlooked

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

As a business owner or manager, you know that security is critical to protecting your building and its occupants as well as maintaining your peace of mind.

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, security can be compromised, especially if you overlook important elements of your risk mitigation plan.

We’ve put together a list of seven common security oversights commercial property owners and managers often make to help you avoid them. Read more →

How Businesses Can Prevent Third-Party Data Breaches

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Data breaches are making headlines nearly every day. As technology continues to advance faster than ever, organizations large and small are increasingly concerned about cybersecurity.

Getting to the root of a cyberattack is complicated and extremely costly for a business, which is why breaches can affect the economy significantly.

Everything from HVAC systems, environmental controls/energy management, and wireless networks are potential entry points for hackers to attack. Read more →

Security Tips for Apartment Property Managers

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Modern apartment buildingsAs a property manager you have a lot of people who depend on the safety and security of the apartment building you oversee.

Every day you have to deal with a number of challenges, including building maintenance, equipment inspection, handling residential complaints, hiring and maintaining qualified staff, and handling residents’ complaints. Read more →

Business Security: 10 Tips to Prevent Shoplifting

/1 Comment/by American Alarm Blogging Team

In 2016, the average inventory shrink rate, increased to 1.44 percent, up from 1.38 percent in 2015, according to the National Retail Security Survey 2017. Shoplifting by outside customers, accounted for 37% of retail inventory loss, followed by 30% in employee theft, 21% in administrative errors and 5% in vendor fraud. This loss cost retailers about $48.9 billion worth of inventory, a National Retail Federation survey found.

Items most commonly stolen include clothing, books, music, jewelry, watches, tires and car parts. “Everyone thinks about little Johnny stealing a pack of bubble gum, but there are also professional gangs that target stores and steal billions of dollars every year,” says Joseph LaRocca, an adviser for the National Retail Federation, in the article. Read more →

Tips to Improve the Physical Security of Credit Unions

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

closeup on security CCTV camera or surveillance system in local cash dispenser

Cyberattacks against credit unions are on the rise. As such, protecting their networks is top of mind for security managers.

It’s just as critical for credit union facility managers and/or security managers to pay attention to the physical security of their buildings.

Here are some tips to help you protect your employees, your members and your assets:

    • Install a burglar alarm system that includes perimeter alarms to detect an attempted intrusion into your facility, vault, safe, night depository and ATM.
    • Install IP video surveillance as it is one of main tools a credit union can employ to help detect internal fraud as well as help police investigate a robbery. Internet Protocol (IP) cameras offer resolutions many times higher than analog cameras, enabling you to get clearer images from wider angles. IP cameras also cover more ground in one shot, which means you can save money because you can install fewer cameras to monitor your facility. Install the cameras in strategic locations, including lobbies to monitor people entering and exiting your building as well as moving around inside; behind the teller area to better capture people’s faces; and outside the building. You should also install a purpose-built ATM surveillance camera.

Read more →

Environmental Hazards: Protecting Your Home and Business

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Learn how to better protect both your home and business from environmental hazards such as floods, carbon monoxide/toxic gasses and extreme weather conditions.


Read more →

Best Practices for Commercial Access Control Systems

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Fingerprint Access Control SystemPart of your job as a business owner or facilities manager is to make certain that the occupants of your building – as well as the building itself – are safe and secure.

A key part of a commercial building’s physical security system is the access control system.

Thanks to today’s advanced technologies access control systems not only control physical access, they also provide security badge options and track specific employee, visitor and equipment movements in and out of your building as well as restricted areas within your facility. Read more →

Caught in The Act: Video Verified Alarm Systems Improve Police Response Time to Business Burglaries

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Try typing “how to break into a store with an alarm” into Google search, and you’ll be startled to see almost 15 million results.

Businesses without alarms are 4.5 times more likely to be burglarized than those that do have them. But even a great alarm system won’t always stop the most tenacious burglars from trying.

The good news is, business security systems that protect retail, dealerships, schools, warehouses, construction sites, mom and pop shops, residences, and more, are evolving. And modern technology is leading to higher apprehension rates, fewer false alarms, and more comprehensive protection.

Read more →