ARM enters American monitoring market

LAS VEGAS--Active Response Monitoring, a division of Canadian security solutions provider Voxcom, made its American debut here at ISC West yesterday. Active Response Monitoring, which features a wholesale dealer program, employs SecureNet, a monitoring, notification and video services platform developed by Infinity Systems, a software development company based in Australia. Russell Keddie, vice president of business development at Active Response Monitoring, said "Technology is changing. The convergence of high-speed Internet, cell phones and security systems are all coming together to provide a better solution for the end user. The folks at SecureNet realized that and built this software" to accommodate that growing trend. With ARM, which "operates with any existing type of IP camera, the suite of services the dealer can offer to the end user expands dramatically," said Keddie. Some of these services include enhanced notification with customized alerts and video features, live video notification, which will allow customers to check in on their home or business through their computer or mobile device, and the capability for dealers to run reports on customers, perform administrative functions, including billing and customer support. "ARM services can be branded by the dealer," said Keddie, demonstrating on a flatscreen computer in his company's booth. Alarm signals are first reported to the end user, who may disarm from their mobile phone in the case of a false alarm. Currently, Voxcom services 122,000 accounts, mostly in Canada. According to Keddie, Voxcom is hoping that ARM's debut at ISC West will change that by expanding their footprint in the U.S. "The feedback so far has been fantastic," said Keddie from the crowded ISC show floor. The company is in the process of hiring sales staff throughout the United States to support security dealers and partners who sign up to use the service. ARM's operations in the U.S. will be based in Denver. For more on this story, see the May issue of Security Systems News.