Key to Using the SDM 100

Click here to see aggregate figures from SDM 100.

The 2012 SDM 100 ranks U.S. companies that provide electronic security systems and services to both residential and non-residential customers. This ranking is based on information provided to or, in few cases, estimated by SDM. Ranked companies were asked to submit either an audited or reviewed financial statement, or a copy of their income tax return showing total gross receipts for the stated period. The vast majority of the firms ranked are privately held.

The main table ranks 100 firms by their recurring monthly revenue (RMR) of December 31, 2011. The firm with the highest RMR is ranked as No. 1, and so on. For each of the 100 companies, the following information is provided, from left to right:

• Current year rank, which is based on December 31, 2011, RMR.
• Prior year rank.
• Company name, as used in the marketplace, and headquarters location.
• Amount of RMR billed on December 31, 2011.
• Indication of whether the RMR amount increased, decreased or stayed the same as RMR of December 31, 2010.
• Number of subscribers (recurring-billable customers) at year-end 2011.
• Amount of sales revenue from residential system installations in 2011.
• Amount of sales revenue from non-residential system installations in 2011.
• Total gross revenue in millions of dollars. This number represents total revenue in calendar-year or (the company’s) fiscal-year 2011 from security system sales/installation, service, leasing, and monitoring.
• Number of full-time employees.
• Number of business locations, including headquarters.

Note: An e following the figure indicates it is an SDM estimate.

SDM 100: Its Purpose & Approach

The SDM 100 has been published since 1991. Its primary objective is to measure consumer dollars gained by alarm companies, in order to present an account of the size of the market captured by the 100 largest security providers. SDM 100 firms are ranked by their recurring monthly revenue. RMR is the amount of contractually recurring revenues due from customers, for such services as monitoring, contracted service and system maintenance, and leasing of security systems. It is the revenue associated with the contractual agreement between an alarm company and its subscriber — derived from customer billing for services such as monitoring, contracted service, managed solutions, and leasing of security systems — and is typically the basis for valuation of an alarm company. RMR is the language of alarm company executives and is meaningful in comparative analysis among industry peers. Of the 100 security dealers ranked, 35 of them earned more than $1 million in RMR in 2011.

How to Purchase the SDM 100 Directory

Wouldn’t it be useful to have more information about each of the 100 firms ranked here? The 2012 SDM 100 Directory includes contact names, mailing addresses, telephone numbers, Web site URLs, branch office locations, product buyer names, installation data, revenue sources, and more. The SDM 100 Directory comes in Microsoft Excel format. To order the SDM 100 Directory, contact Heidi Fusaro at (630) 518-5470 or by e-mail to fusaroh@bnpmedia.com.