An important function of alarm association membership is that members stay informed about important issues and practices that affect them. It is a widely accepted fact that our industry trade associations have as members only 10 percent of all of the security companies in the U.S. and Canada. The fact is, the only effective way to reach the other 90 percent of companies is through the third-party monitoring arm of the industry — and that is exactly the mission that many of these companies have taken on.
Many of the 90 percent are small companies and many don’t have the resources to produce professional end user materials and some may not even have a website. Third-party providers are stepping up and providing such services, especially when it comes to literature or online availability of information.