The roots of the alarm industry can be traced back to the time when direct wire was used to guard and protect notable establishments such as banks and jewelry stores. As the industry grew, the transmission methods changed from direct wire to digital communicators. In the past few years, the phone industry has started to transition to SIP trunks that use compression called VoIP and, in some cases, this has caused issues with the effectiveness of the communication of alarm panels. The alarm industry has reacted by selling various IP transmission systems as a protective measure; however, these come with a higher cost of purchase as well as higher cost of ownership.
While all of this has been taking place in the industry, in the past three years DICE Corporation, a leader in the alarm industry, has started to offer its hosted infrastructure to alarm companies through the cloud or an application service provider (ASP) environment. Being an infrastructure provider of centers means that DICE is able to provide all the software, PBXs, receivers, telecom lines and ISP connections needed to run an alarm center. In the past, DICE would provide all these things to an alarm company within their own alarm center; however, now that is rarely done, as DICE has its own UL listed data centers and simply sells the alarm center a platform and the tools it needs to run its business. The industry has welcomed it with such open arms that UL has even provided a specific standard for what DICE has build in its cloud center and the industry players have moved over two hundred thousand (200,000) accounts in this year alone. DICE is projecting to have over one million accounts in its center within the next 24 months.
The industry is justifiably concerned about VoIP issues. DICE Corporation’s cloud center takes IP signals and cellular signals while being distinguished as the industry's only cloud based service to provide a rock solid method of handling the legacy alarm panels on the telco industries new VoIP networks. DICE will continue to provide this type of support well into the foreseeable future. In order to accomplish this, DICE required control of the telecom communication path all the way from the central office source to the center where the receivers are located. DICE built software that monitors the quality of signals and is able to determine which telecom is responsible for any errors of alarm signals along the route. Further, DICE partnered and invested in an exclusive relationship with a telecom provider and built its own communication network within the telecom industry. The alarm center is now able to to view and control signals of legacy alarm panels all the way from the central office source to the center using this new telecom expertise.
DICE built a system where alarm company owners are able to run their centers without a significant up-front investment in networked computers, software, PBXs, alarm receivers, or any of the other items that are required to run an alarm center. The only investment an alarm company needs to make today is to employ alarm operators and have PCs and (soft or hard) phones to connect to DICE’s browser-based automation software. As existing clients and new alarm companies have transitioned to the DICE hosted or ASP center, they are finding that cost of ownership is at zero startup and their monthly cost to operate an alarm company is cut by as much as eighty (80) percent. In addition, attrition has been cut by an average of fifty (50) percent. These reductions are a result of the DICE technology that has diminished the communication issues that have been plaguing monitoring companies; causing their clients to cancel their services due to lack of confidence in alarm protection services.
New entrances into the alarm industry, along with older alarm companies who want to cut costs and move forward with modern technologies, are finding cloud alarm centers such as DICE to be the best way to increase products and technologies without a large investment in systems. Cloud services are expanding all over the industry, allowing modern-day alarm centers to offer many products and services they wouldn’t have been able to afford in the past. The zero capital model of a cloud center is changing the landscape in the monitoring business. Those who are early adopters are gaining market share now rather than waiting and are becoming the leaders in the industry today.
DICE Corporation provides monitoring, event and incident management software and end-to-end business management solutions. The DICE monitoring, event and incident management software has a myriad of feature flags built into it, allowing the system to be extremely flexible and able to serve many different types of businesses without the need for customizations. Our software is designed to fit our clients’ needs by creating the ideal monitoring and event management system, specific to the goals of the organization.
Our Matrix software includes the Matrix iPBX, Matrix Service and Installation Manager, Matrix Customer Relationship Manager, Matrix Mobile Sales Manager and Matrix Service Manager. We also offer Matrix applications including fire inspection and end user apps that allow cancellation of alarms without assistance from alarm center personnel. DICE also provides disaster recovery services and telecom services. All of our solutions can be hosted or fully owned.
DICE’s automated monitoring and business solutions are designed to streamline your monitoring and business efficiencies, ensuring that you produce the highest quality monitoring and service--resulting in the fewest number of employees needed to handle the job. This reduces your company’s operating costs and increases your bottom line. Additionally, DICE continues to provide new ways to streamline your business efficiencies and add new RMR sales.
