We know that when it comes to selecting their Security provider, customers hold value in high regard, but another variable that goes into their choice is convenience. As with many buying decisions, what is most convenient – or rather, what is going to make your every day life more convenient – is a crucial factor when it comes to decision making. People want the most intuitive and user-friendly phone, the highest efficiency appliances, and of course the cool gadgets like voice-automated virtual assistants to help with organization, or robotic vacuums to assist with cleanup around the house. The security industry is no different. People don’t want to be bogged down with thick user manuals or have to undergo a class just to understand how their security devices operate and work together. In addition to the value of services offered by security companies, the convenience and elegance with which their devices work is an understated benefit to the end user.

Everything Connected

Technology is changing at an incredibly fast pace, and with it the way we interact with everyday implements. The growing ubiquity of the Internet of Things (IoT) has seen something as innocuous as a lightbulb redefine itself and the way we interact with it. The majority of these technological improvements have a similar goal in mind: to make things more convenient for the end user. While this isn’t a new concept (the Clapper sought to achieve a comparable goal in 1996) it seems like there’s a bit of an arms race when it comes to devices being released today. There are three major voice-activated virtual assistants alone, and no shortage of IoT devices hitting the market every day. With so many of these products flooding the market, it’s no surprise that the security space has started to follow suit.

Convenience Starts at Home

It’s easy to see how convenience focused devices have started to enter the home security space. There are dozens of smart-locks which are accessed remotely using an app on your phone, Alarm.com offers a selection of compatible doorbells and cameras which connect to your smartphone via an app that lets you keep an eye on your property when you aren’t around, and even something as commonplace as a thermostat can now alert you via push notification if there’s a dangerous issue with the furnace in your house. Most of these devices are DIY centric, and don’t offer the level of security that a commercial or industrial space requires. This is not to say that customers who are looking to install or improve security systems in their buildings aren’t concerned with convenience.

Devices Should Work Together

One is reminded of the now several year-old argument in favour of purchasing a suite of Apple products. A common answer when asked why someone would purchase an iPhone, Mac computer, and iPad despite prices that were often higher than their competitors was that ‘everything just works together.’ It’s easy to forget, but not that long ago, the concept of several different devices communicating with each other seamlessly was not so typical. Today, it’s entirely understandable that someone looking to outfit their business with different security devices would want them all working together.

The security space can be intimidating, as the devices used to ensure the safety of your business and assets are intricate and sophisticated. Traditionally, these devices weren’t the most user-friendly, but recent years have seen improvements in interface, easier to understand controls, and more streamlined commands. Not to mention, we are starting to see more devices that work in tandem, and work with the devices they’re carrying with them all the time. It’s inconvenient to be woken up in the middle of the night with a phone call alerting you that an incident is occurring at your building. It’s far more convenient to be able to receive update notifications on your mobile device and check in on video footage remotely.

The Security Industry Association (SIA) 2018 Megatrends asks, “Has anyone ever reviewed the operating manual for an iPhone? They don’t want to know what the equipment is – they want to know how it can help them save energy, automate daily functions, or allow for remote access and other conveniences.” Similarly, the benefits of a security system should not be buried in its lengthy user manual. Instead, it should be immediately visible that the devices will alleviate a user’s stress and make their every day operations more convenient. As technology continues to improve, the value of security devices will be in how easily they communicate with one another, and the ways in which they make the users’ life more convenient.

For further information on Alarm.com technology, feel free to contact us using the form below, or give us a call at 1-888-789-3473 and we’ll direct you to one of our Alarm.com certified system design specialists.