No Communication No Security – Whilst security equipment is part of the solution, it is vital to understand that security hardware and software is NOT THE ENTIRE SOLUTION. Your Security Hardware should be able to communicate with you.

Hardware is only part of the solution

Security is not just the cameras, fences, alarms and so on. These aspects form part of the security structure, however, it cannot function on its own. In school, we learned that a system consists of various components that work together to create a functioning system. The same applies to a security system. The equipment is a small, albeit important, part of security.

The biggest mistake

The biggest mistake people make is to forget about the communication component in the security system. Security fails because there is no communication. The security system needs to be able to communicate with you in order for you to take the necessary action.

An alarm, for example, is a great asset, IF it is managed correctly.

A while back, I was working at home and a house alarm went off. It was my neighbour’s alarm across the street. The alarm sounded for the first time at 08:30, and by the time I went to go fetch my children from school at 14:00, the alarm was still going crazy. No responding units came to investigate, the homeowner was nowhere to be found.

Now I wonder, what was the use of this alarm, apart from driving me crazy?

Anything could have happened

There are a variety of scenarios that could have happened, for one, they could have left a window open or someone could have broken in, the person in the house could have been attacked, or the criminals could have tested the alarm to see who responds and how fast.

The sad part about this is that no one was notified. No one came to see what is going on. Besides, if an armed response unit came to inspect, they would not have been able to get onto the property because there is no way of accessing the gate, apart from climbing over the fence.

Criminals are smart

Criminals now know that no one responds to an alarm and they also know that the homeowners don’t have a communicator on the alarm. They might trip the alarm a few more times just to make sure and maybe to convince the owners that the alarm system is faulty, and then they strike.

This is why criminals succeed. The alarm system is good; trust me, it’s loud, but at the end of the day, all it did was to give the criminals information. Even if it was an open window, the fact of the matter is that everyone in the neighbourhood now knows that no one responds.

What’s the use?

I ask again, what is the use? Yes, it might wake you at night and perhaps chase the criminals away, for the first and maybe the second time. But, by the third time, they will know that no one is coming to help, and they will take advantage of the situation. The same applies to cameras and other security hardware and software.

If it does not communicate with you and if it is not managed, it’s there simply to make a noise and to look secure. Criminals see through this.

Written by Andre Mundell.