In Portugal, only 5% of homes are equipped with alarm systems, a significantly low percentage compared to the 15% to 20% viewn in other European countries and in the United States. This disparity points to the existence of considerable potential for growth in the private security business in our country, particularly through the use of solutions in which communications and information technologies already play a crucial role.
One of the leaders in this market in Portugal is Prosegur, a multinational company present in 17 countries and which has been in Portugal for 40 years, with 7,000 employees and 19 branches throughout the country. Through its Prosegur Alarms division, this company offers integrated security solutions, increasingly supported by advanced technology.
According to Carlos Vaqueirinho, the company's general manager in Portugal, "we always try to keep up with the latest trends and invest in technology, such as new equipment and mobile applications, in order to improve service conditions at customer and to be faster and more responsive with our solutions."
Technology is key for private security
In fact, information and communication technologies are already essential for optimising the effectiveness, efficiency and safety of operations, and are fundamental tools for meeting the challenges of this sector. In this context, advanced communications solutions using IoT (Internet of Things) technology are playing an increasingly important role in the integrated solutions that Prosegur Alarms presents on the market.
"To provide our customers with security solutions, we can install hubs on the sites to be protected that have 4G connectivity and communicate with our IoT cloud," explains Carlos Vaqueirinho. "In this way, we can monitor the status and performance of the installed sensors, as well as when there are alarm events/signals," he says.
In these situations, "Prosegur's Security Center, which operates 24 hours a day, is able to respond in less than 20 seconds, combining our experience of more than 40 years of providing services with the speed that technology brings us," he concludes.
Internet of Things to manage security systems
In order to provide these solutions, Prosegur Alarms needed, according to Carlos Vaqueirinho, "a connectivity solution with wide national coverage that would allow us to manage our systems in an agile and integrated way. The IoT Connect solution from MEO Empresas was the answer," he says. Through this platform, Prosegur Alarms is now able to centrally and rigorously monitor more than 100,000 active alarms nationwide.
These systems, which can have detection, intrusion, video surveillance, location or remote assistance functions, are equipped with SIM cards. Through the IoT Connect service, the systems are managed through a single, simple and intuitive self-care portal.
"This portal allows us to carry out different actions, such as changing the status of SIM cards (active/suspended) and obtaining their geo-location, checking communications made, detecting connectivity anomalies and monitoring alerts that automatically act on the cards when necessary," he says.
In addition, "the app provided with the system allows employees in the field to check and configure SIM cards, according to their profile, from anywhere, all with total autonomy, simplicity and security," says Carlos Vaqueirinho.
Platform provides efficiency gains and reduces costs
For him, "thanks to the IoT Connect platform we have been able to reduce costs, make our operation more efficient, gain more control and agility, greater coverage and more robustness, all aspects that make our operations much easier, while fulfilling our objective of guaranteeing the safety of our customers".
This line of investment in technology will continue to be followed by the Prosegur Group and Prosegur Alarms. According to the managing director, "we are committed to state-of-the-art technology and offer customised security equipment to meet the individual needs of each customer".
For example, "Prosegur already offers a complete 360º protection solution, which covers physical security in homes, personal security and digital security," he says.
Increasingly intelligent security
A recent example of integrating new features into security systems is the introduction of cameras with intelligent recognition and pet-compatible alarm systems with "PetReady" technology.
In addition, according to Carlos Vaqueirinho, "our high-tech alarm systems are connected to the Security Center 24 hours a day, with a link to the police authorities, and we also offer additional services, such as sending security guards and managing the alarm system via mobile phone", he concludes.
Source: Jornal de Negócios