According to Ken Francis, CEO of Actuate, a provider of cloud-based AI-enabled alarm monitoring solution, “When video analytics software first entered the market—and later also became embedded in cameras—there was widespread optimism that what the industry called ‘intelligent video’ would finally overcome the longstanding shortcomings of alarm monitoring. Each generation of analytics brought worthwhile improvements, but none fully resolved the core issues. Instead, these tools primarily enabled systems to scale by supporting larger numbers of cameras. The fundamental nature of alarm monitoring remained unchanged.”

Central station alarm monitoring has served as the backbone of security for small and medium-sized businesses and residential properties for decades. There are now over 13,000 monitoring stations in the U.S. providing surveillance and alarm monitoring for both residential and commercial applications.

Across those 15 decades of alarm monitoring, four persistent shortcomings have challenged the security monitoring industry, according to Francis:

• High false alarm rates (not a real incident)—false positives
• Missed real incidents due to limited incident detection capabilities—false negatives
• Limited or no contextual understanding of the alarm event
• Operator stress and fatigue from total (true and false) alarm volume and time-critical response pressure

Alarm Monitoring Breakthrough

Fortunately, new AI models have emerged that are now fundamentally changing the nature of alarm monitoring. Properly applied, advanced AI-enabled video analytics can transform monitoring centers into high-tech command centers and remote guarding services into AI-augmented services.

This technological leap comes at a critical moment, as a growing trend in the U.S. and Canada is to require some form of video (or audio/human) verification before police will respond to intrusion alarms.

Historical shortcomings are pushing remote monitoring beyond alarm verification, toward proactive solutions, where not only fast response but contextual awareness of the incident can be critical. Even in an active shooter incident where a weapon may not become visible until it is fired, the seconds that follow can have a critical impact on the life-safety effectiveness of both on-site responders and police arriving on scene. This is just one example of the high value of alerting that includes AI-based rich contextual data—which can provide near-instantaneous situational awareness coupled with ongoing updates as the incident unfolds. These recently emerged AI monitoring capabilities enhance incident response through:

• Alerting with rich contextual alarm data
• Automated security system responses
• Human-in-the-Loop enablement and engagement
• Adherence to critical response protocols
• Audit trails that document not only the manual and automated actions taken but also the situational rationale behind them

Video-verified alarms not only meet emerging legal mandates but often ensure faster police response as departments prioritize calls with visual or audio confirmation of criminal activity.

Breakthrough AI-based Alarm Monitoring Examples

For the first time in the history of the physical security industry, high-caliber security monitoring is now feasibly available to all properties who desire it, not just for Fortune-500 sites. Two companies provide excellent examples.

Actuate: Going Beyond Object Classification for Extreme Accuracy and Response

The Actuate cloud-based AI video analytics platform transforms monitoring centers into high-tech command centers and remote guarding into AI-augmented services. It detects intruders, weapons (99% accuracy), fires (earlier than sensors), critical crowd formations and more, integrating with most cameras, NVR and VMS products, and monitoring platforms.

Measurably Better False Alarm Reduction

Typical object classification analytics (detecting motion or people/vehicles) prioritize the avoidance of missed threats, which causes high false positives. Actuate’s AI models and scenario-focused AI training excel in context-aware event processing, reducing false positives by 95%+ while maintaining virtually no missed threats, backed by a $10,000 reimbursement policy for missed detections.

This reliability allows staff to manage more sites with less stress and focus on real threats. The result is improved job satisfaction, lower turnover, and the ability for existing staff to manage more accounts without sacrificing quality. One monitoring center reported a 57% reduction in per-site alerts—over 400,000 fewer per month—thanks to highly accurate false alarm suppression.

Actuate developed and trained its own AI models using more than 1.5 million images captured from security scenario video. No third-party training or external processing is involved. Ultra-fast event confirmation is achieved by analyzing each video frame and routing it to the most appropriate AI models, selected based on the event scenario, camera type (e.g., high-res, low-res, infrared), and image content. Additional speed and precision come from an approach called “slicing,” where high-resolution images are intelligently divided into smaller segments for parallel and specialized processing. This allows for early detection of events at long distances—particularly valuable at sites like car dealerships, campus perimeters, logistics yards, and construction zones.

Actuate’s detection pipeline uses multiple sequential layers, each combining AI models and machine learning processes. These layers work like overlapping slices of Swiss cheese: if a detection slips past one layer, it is caught by the next. This layered architecture supports Actuate’s high-performance guarantee, backed by a $10,000 reimbursement policy for missed slicing detections.

Camera Health Monitoring

Actuate also performs proactive Camera Health Monitoring—designed to ensure consistent reliability and operational integrity of video systems. It continuously checks the health of each camera and provides insights enabling fixes before issues affect performance. This includes detecting outages, image degradation, misalignment, and obstructed views that may otherwise go unnoticed.

Broad Compatibility

Uniquely for a monitoring platform, Actuate accommodates both live video streaming from cameras and NVR/VMS setups, as well as workflows where edge AI in cameras or recorders sends images via email—using Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)—based on scene or object motion detection. Supporting both streaming and edge AI email alerts is crucial because some sites cannot stream video due to bandwidth limitations, and some have workflows built around email alerts. Actuate’s AI models apply the same stringent processing to video images, clips, and continuous streams, achieving uniform accuracy across all monitoring station customers.

• Beyond Object Classification: AI-Enabled Precision and Real-time Response
• A Technologist’s Guide for Alarm Monitoring Professionals: Comparing and Selecting AI Video Analytics Platforms

Deep Sentinel: Fortune 500 Caliber Video Surveillance & Response for Smaller-Scale Deployments

The Deep Sentinel  remote guarding service delivers AI-powered remote guarding capabilities, coupled with site surveillance and response technology, that were once only practical for Fortune 500 companies—overcoming the cost and complexity barriers of earlier high-end systems while avoiding the design and capability constraints that have often limited small business and residential solutions. Recent advances in security technology, coupled with game-changing AI capabilities, have made that possible, enabling a remote guarding service tailored for residential homes, apartments, small-to-medium businesses, and commercial and retail environments.

At its core is an on-premises edge computing and connectivity Hub: built using an AMD or Intel NUC mini-computer, a small form factor computer that represents a significant advancement in compact, high-performance computing. The Hub connects cameras and other devices and is a point of device integration. It runs all the AI at the edge—analyzing live video feeds from cameras in real time.

Once a potential threat is identified, the system streams the event to a live specially-trained security guard who can engage directly—using two-way audio, activating built-in sirens, or even deploying FlashBang deterrent options (e.g., smoke bombs, pepper spray, strobe lights) to actively stop intruders.

Deep Sentinel also offers physical duress buttons as part of its SentinelNow service. If an employee feels unsafe, notices suspicious activity, or wants an extra set of eyes—such as before heading to the dumpster or parking lot—they can press the button to instantly connect with a Deep Sentinel guard. Within seconds, the guard reviews the live camera feed, provides verbal support when appropriate, and escalates to emergency services if needed. In such cases, the guard can relay real-time details to first responders, including suspect descriptions, visible weapons, crime information, and known medical needs.

The Deep Sentinel Gen V Hub typically supports up to 20 cameras, providing flexibility for both residential and small enterprise deployments. This design prioritizes low latency, proactive deterrence, and consistent operation even in smaller-scale settings.

Deep Sentinel’s stated objective is to deliver real-time intervention at the highest standard in the industry. Underscoring that commitment is the response time profile defined in its business and residential Service Level Agreements (SLAs):

1. AI detection: ~5–7 seconds
2. Streaming to guard: ~2–8 seconds
3. Guard viewing & intervention onset:
   1. Business: within 30 seconds from event start for 10 common business events, and 60 seconds after hours for Trespasser, Auto-loitering and Door loitering
   2. Residential: within 30 seconds from event start for 10 common residential events, and 60 seconds after hours for Auto-loitering and Door loitering

Although Deep Sentinel offers its own small line of affordable cameras, it also provides a third-party camera partner program, called a Bring Your Own Camera (BYOC), enabling customers to connect existing IP or PoE cameras, ensuring seamless integration with current systems.

A New Standard for Monitoring

AI is transforming alarm monitoring from a reactive process into a proactive, intelligence-driven service. By dramatically reducing false alarms, accelerating response times, and providing real-time situational awareness, AI is addressing the core challenges that have long plagued the industry. AI-enabled alarm monitoring is emerging as the new industry standard—reshaping expectations for both security providers and the clients they serve.

Ray Bernard, PSP, CHS-III, is the principal consultant for Ray Bernard Consulting Services (RBCS), a firm that provides security consulting services for public and private facilities (www.go-rbcs.com). In 2018 IFSEC Global listed Ray as #12 in the world’s top 30 Security Thought Leaders. He is the author of the Elsevier book Security Technology Convergence Insights available on Amazon. Ray has recently released an insightful downloadable eBook titled, Future-Ready Network Design for Physical Security Systems, available in English and Spanish.

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