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Over the past few decades, schools have needed to branch out from their primary focus on reading, writing, and arithmetic, and the reason why is clear: The kids — and the wider educational environment — are not alright. Though the National Institute of Justice notes that, “nationally, school crime rates have decreased since the early 1990s,” the actual numbers paint a more sobering picture. The Institute of Education Sciences’ 2019 “Indicators of School Crime and Safety” report revealed that, for the period from July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017, 42 people died violently on a school property and 836,100 in total suffered from theft or non-fatal violence at school.

Such stark numbers and a spate of highly publicized school shootings has led administrators and school boards to ask about ways to improve school security and to seek out technology to keep schools safe. This post will highlight some of the most popular and effective public and private school security systems, as well as additional considerations that decision makers should know about. Read More about 4 Vital Features Any School Security System Should Have »

The topic of business theft makes many managers automatically focus on retail theft. It’s not hard to understand why. The 2019 National Retail Security Survey noted that the average shoplifting incident resulted in a loss of $546.67 and the average robbery cost companies $2,885.15. Those are significant numbers.

However, it’s worth remembering that many other types of business also face substantial theft risks. Citing statistics from the National Equipment Register, Construct Connect reports that the annual value of stolen construction equipment ranges from $300 million to $1 billion. Similarly, BSI’s Annual Cargo Theft Report shows that the median cargo theft amount in North America was $80,000, and eight such incidents occurred every day. And that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when discussing business-equipment theft. Read More about Equipment Security: 7 Tips to Properly Protect Business Equipment »

When people consider security systems, they usually think about security cameras. It’s easy to see why. The scope of video surveillance has become nearly ubiquitous the world over because of its track record of deterring crime and helping manage its aftereffects. GOV.UK, the official website created by the United Kingdom’s Government Digital Service, stated that video surveillance footage “plays a major role in responding to incidents, investigating crimes and prosecuting those responsible. Such footage is useful in both low level crime cases and high profile incidents – it’s captured the movements of terrorists such as the culprit of the attack at Manchester arena in 2017 and helped to identify the suspects of the Salisbury Novichok poisoning in 2018.” Read More about 7 Video Surveillance Applications to Fully Safeguard Your Business »

The data is in, and there’s no doubt about it: Security systems help deter crime. A 2009 study by Rutgers University revealed that “neighborhoods in which burglar alarms were densely installed have fewer incidents of residential burglaries than the neighborhoods with fewer burglar alarms.” Newer research seconds that conclusion. In 2016, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology published a study stating that more than eight out of 10 burglars would attempt to determine if a property had a security system prior to attempting to gain entry. If they realized that a property was safeguarded by a security system, about half of thieves would always stop the robbery with another third breaking off at least some of the time. Read More about Security Systems: Wired or Wireless? »

Residents love to hate homeowners’ associations. The internet positively teems with tales of HOAs run amok. Consider the 2018 tale of a resident who suffered a heart attack while desperately trying to install sod to avoid a fine. Or an HOA that got uppity over the color of a child’s playhouse. Or a resident who ended up with $19,000 in fees after planting a plot of pansies.

But despite those oh-so-popular horror stories, most homeowners’ associations want only the best for their residents — and that’s particularly true when it comes to security. Wondering what some of the best low-cost security solutions for HOAs are? Read on to learn what we recommend.

Read More about 8 Best Security Solutions for Homeowners Associations »

Why do people break in and steal? It’s an old question, and for centuries, societies seemed to deal more with punishing thieves than preventing them. For instance, during medieval times, thieves could have their hands or ears cut off — if they weren’t hung outright. Today, though, most business managers and property owners simply prefer to avoid theft altogether. But how do you focus on theft prevention?

Recent studies have provided an unsurprising answer: High-tech security systems help. For example, research published by The University of North Carolina at Charlotte Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology found that roughly two-thirds of burglars would immediately avoid a property due to the presence of an alarm. This perimeter protection guide will provide you with important points regarding the first thing your security system should seek to safeguard — namely your property’s perimeter. Read More about Perimeter Protection: Everything You Need to Know »

New expenses aren’t exactly something that most small businesses welcome. Though the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy notes that small businesses comprise 99.9 percent of all American firms, they face existential struggles year after year. One out of five small businesses fail within 12 months of their founding, and only half make it to the five-year mark. 

Those aren’t exactly heartening statistics, so the suggestion that a business needs to spend money on something more might sound suspect. But that’s exactly what we’d like to do. If your small business has vehicles regularly coming and going on your property, we’d like to urge you to consider a gate access control system. Why? Well, the best gate access systems not only protect businesses from theft, they can also lower operational costs. Read on to learn more.   Read More about Gate Access: 4 Compelling Reasons Why Your Business Needs One »

During this time AT&I Systems remains open for business during normal business hours, we are available to assist in locking down access controlled areas. Please call (954)-727-1724 or email service@atisecuritysystems.com if we can be of assistance.

As we carefully monitor the global situation, our team has gathered information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). With these guidelines, we’ve educated our employees and made thoughtful adjustments to promote the highest standards of health and safety in our facilities. We’ve asked all employees to review guidelines on practical precautions they should take, such as increased hand washing, practicing social distancing, staying home if they are ill, recognizing symptoms of the virus, and so much more. Keeping our entire team informed on best health practices is of the utmost importance at this time. In order to maintain heightened safety measures, we’ve ramped up cleaning services at our branches and added alcohol-based hand sanitizers for our clients and employees.

Access control systems address one of humanity’s oldest needs: how to keep certain people out of a particular space while allowing others in. Guards, dogs, high walls, fences, tripwires, and simple pin tumbler locks once fulfilled that role. Today, though, businesses and residential areas more commonly turn to access control systems. Read More about How Do Access Cards & Fob Systems Work? »

Few business owners or enterprise managers have a hard time understanding the idea behind access control. At its most basic, access control involves keeping people without the proper credentials out of sensitive areas. Everyone knows that you can’t have an interested interloper entering your property at any time, and access control helps safeguard against that. The real questions start when clients begin to wonder which configuration or system is best. Read More about What is the Best Type of Access Control? »