Business premise security is one of the most important aspects of practicing sound crime prevention tactics. Burglary is a big business and to help prevent it, good locking, lighting and alarm systems play a crucial role in protecting the business’ assets. The latest crime figures available from the FBI show that four burglaries occur every minute of every day. It is no wonder then that many homeowners and business owners are considering electronic alarm protection. Unfortunately, there are some people in the burglar alarm industry who are out to take advantage of the anxious alarm buyer. Therefore, the selection of a proper alarm system is not always a simple matter. The needs of each individual homeowner and business owner are different.

Some questions that should be answered when selecting an alarm system include:

• What is the system going to protect? - Identify the target of the thief.
  
• Where are the possible points of entry? - Doors, windows, roofs, etc.
  
• What are the locations and types of sensors needed? - Motion detectors, glass break detectors, hold up switches, etc.
  
• How will the alarm notify the authorities? - Through a direct telephone dial, a local annunciation device, central monitoring station, etc.
  
• What type of monitoring is needed? - Is it connected to a central monitoring station?
  
• Who will be operating the system? - The type and complexity of the user control board.

An alarm system should be simple to operate, designed to fit the lifestyle of the homeowner or the daily operating procedures of the business, and be easily adaptable to any foreseeable changes. An alarm system that does not fit your requirements will undoubtedly end up causing excessive false alarms, and will likely no longer be used.