Alarm Monitoring Services

What Alarm Monitoring Services does

Alarm Monitoring Services (AMS) is a privately held wholesale central station operator founded in 1980 and headquartered in Metairie, Louisiana. The company monitors alarm accounts on behalf of alarm dealers and alarm companies across the United States, deliberately avoiding direct competition with its dealer customers. It has been UL Listed as an Alarm Monitoring Station since 1992 and holds state security licenses in at least nine states (AL, AR, LA, MS, MI, TN, VA, FL, and TX, including separate burglar and fire credentials in Texas). Operations run 24/7/365 from a hardened facility with dual 100kw diesel generators, UPS bridging, and redundant communication paths across AT&T, CenturyLink, EarthLink, Level 3, and MetTel.

The company's core technology is the Stages platform, a proprietary system that comprises a Dealer Portal (for subscriber data entry, account management, and reporting), a Subscriber Portal (typically view-only for end users), and a mobile application on iOS and Android. Signal handling software distinguishes test signals from genuine trouble conditions, generates daily activity reports, and includes runaway-account detection. AMS supports eleven alarm communication platforms (AES, Alarm.com, AlarmNet, Connect24, DMP, Alula, Napco, SecureNet, Starlink, Telguard, and Uplink) and offers monitoring across IP, cellular, radio, and landline paths.

AMS generates revenue primarily through recurring monthly monitoring fees priced per account with volume quantity breaks, supplemented by monthly fees for radio/cellular/IP path monitoring, answering service delivered in the dealer's name, web portal access, and per-signal charges for opening/closing activity. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven: direct sales outreach via dedicated phone lines, a Dealer Services Department for account management, participation in industry events (GSX, TNSI, MSA, LLSSA), and a financing referral partnership with Alarm Financial Services. The company remains founder-led under CEO Rick Jolet and CFO Dera DeRoche-Jolet, with a staff of 11–50 employees including SIA/APCO and Monitoring Association certified operators.

Name

Alarm Monitoring Services

Legal name

Alarm Monitoring Services, Inc.

Website

https://monitor1.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Alarm Monitoring Services (AMS) is a UL Listed wholesale central station founded in 1980 in Metairie, Louisiana, that provides 24/7 alarm monitoring, dealer administrative services, and an answering service to alarm dealers across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Central Station Alarm Monitoring

NAICS

Security Systems Services (except Locksmiths) (561621)

SIC

Telegraph & Other Message Communications (4822)

akta.pro primary industry

Central Station Monitoring (Third-Party Wholesale Monitoring) (BPAKAFAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Commercial & Industrial Alarm Monitoring (BPAKAFAB), Fire Alarm Monitoring & Dispatch (BPAKAFAC), Medical Alert / PERS Monitoring (Emergency Response) (BPAKAFAD)

Keywords

• Wholesale alarm monitoring
• Central station services
• Alarm dealer services
• PERS monitoring
• Video monitoring services

Headquarters

HQ city

Metairie

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Alarm Monitoring Services: Monthly monitoring fees for alarm dealers. Pricing based on number of accounts with quantity breaks. Additional charges for accounts receiving opening and closing signals. Alternate communication methods (AlarmNet, Telguard, Uplink) have separate pricing.
2. Radio/Cellular & IP Monitoring: Fees for monitoring radio/cellular/IP devices and panels with separate pricing sheet.
3. Answering Service: Monthly fee for answering service where company answers phone in dealer's company name and delivers customer service to subscribers.
4. Web Portal Access: Monthly fee for web portal access for dealers and end users.
5. Dealer Services: Administrative services including data entry, subscriber information management, and account setup verification. Dealer Services Department handles all data input verification.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Alarm Monitoring Services operates a UL Listed wholesale central station providing 24/7 alarm, video, radio/cellular/IP, fire, and PERS monitoring on behalf of alarm dealers across the United States. The company augments core monitoring with dealer-facing administrative services, an answering service delivered in the dealer's brand, and a proprietary Stages platform (web portals and mobile app) for account management. Backup and after-hours monitoring is also offered to dealers who operate their own central stations.

Product overview

Alarm Monitoring Services (AMS) operates as a wholesale monitoring company with a unified platform-based architecture. The core offering is its UL Listed alarm monitoring station (established 1992) providing 24/7 monitoring services across multiple communication paths. The product portfolio centers on the Stages platform, which includes the primary Quality Alarm & Video Monitoring service, Radio/Cellular & IP Monitoring, and Personal Emergency Response (PERS) as foundational monitoring products. Supporting modules include an Answering Service, Dealer Services (data entry, account management), and Backup/After Hours Monitoring for dealers operating their own stations. The Stages platform is extended through web-based dealer and subscriber portals (Stages Dealer and Stages Customer) plus a mobile application for iPhone and Android. A financial services partnership with Alarm Financial Services provides dealer funding programs. The company focuses exclusively on serving alarm dealers rather than end customers directly.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Quality Alarm & Video Monitoring UL Listed 24/7 central station monitoring covering burglar, fire, video, asset tracking, elevator, boat, gated community, guard tour, and government facility signals. Designed for alarm dealers across the United States that need outsourced monitoring for their residential and commercial subscribers.
• Radio/Cellular & IP Monitoring Wireless alarm monitoring across radio, cellular, and IP communication paths, supporting a broad integration ecosystem (AES, Alarm.com, AlarmNet, DMP, Alula, Napco, SecureNet, Starlink, Telguard, Uplink). Built for alarm dealers that need flexible, landline-free alarm signaling for their subscriber base.
• Personal Emergency Response (PERS) Monitoring Life safety and personal emergency response monitoring for subscribers requiring care and emergency response. Delivered through AMS's UL Listed central station for alarm dealers that sell PERS solutions.
• Answering Service Live telephone answering service staffed by AMS operators who answer calls in the dealer's own company name, dispatching and delivering customer service to the dealer's subscribers on the dealer's behalf.
• Dealer Services Administrative and account-management support for alarm dealers, including subscriber data entry, account setup verification, signal handling procedure configuration, and ongoing account maintenance. AMS positions this as an extension of the dealer's own back office.
• Backup & After Hours Monitoring

Quantifiable outcome

• No service interruption during power loss - UPS bridges to generator activation within seconds
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration16 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UL (Underwriters Laboratories)coreOthersUL is a global safety certification company. AMS has maintained UL Listed status since 1992, indicating compliance with UL standards for alarm monitoring stations regarding facilities, equipment, staffing, and operational procedures.
• National Electronic Security Alliance (NESA)minorOthersIndustry association for electronic security companies. AMS maintains affiliation with NESA.
• Security Industry Association (SIA)minorOthersLeading trade association for security equipment manufacturers and service providers. AMS maintains affiliation with SIA.
• Louisiana Life Safety and Security Association (LLSSA)minorOthersRegional industry association for life safety and security companies in Louisiana. AMS maintains affiliation and participates in LLSSA events and regional meetings.
• AT&TminorOthersAT&T provides communication paths for alarm traffic and IP alarm traffic. AMS has redundant communication paths through AT&T, CenturyLink, EarthLink, and Level 3.
• MetTelminorOthersMetTel provides internet services for IP alarm traffic. Part of AMS's redundant communication infrastructure.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Security Central Inc. Wholesale monitoring central station serving independent alarm dealers in the US. Closely aligned with AMS on third-party wholesale positioning, redundant infrastructure, and tiered dealer pricing.
• National Monitoring Center (NMC): Wholesale central station providing UL Listed alarm monitoring to alarm dealers. Directly comparable service portfolio (intrusion, fire, PERS, dealer services) and dealer distribution motion.
• COPS Monitoring: The largest wholesale/central-station alarm-monitoring company in the US, serving alarm dealers nationwide. Directly comparable to AMS on third-party wholesale monitoring model, UL-listed infrastructure, and multi-protocol alarm signal handling.
• IPSA (Independent Protection Security & Alarms) / United Central Control: Wholesale alarm monitoring company focused on independent alarm dealers, with comparable dealer portal, redundant infrastructure, and Tier III central-station capabilities.
• Rapid Response Monitoring: Wholesale central-station operator serving independent alarm dealers across the US. Comparable in dealer-only business model, redundant infrastructure, and UL Listed operations; competes head-to-head with AMS for dealer accounts.
• AvantGuard Monitoring Centers: Wholesale alarm monitoring company operating UL Listed central stations serving alarm dealers. Same wholesale third-party model, integrated platform, and 24/7 operator services as AMS.
• Dynamark Monitoring (formerly Security Monitoring Center): Wholesale central station specifically serving independent alarm dealers — highly comparable business model, dealer-services orientation, and UL Listed operations.

Broad incumbents

• Brinks Home Security: National alarm-monitoring incumbent with its own central station and retail dealer/affiliate network. Competes with AMS indirectly by offering dealers in-house monitoring rather than outsourcing.
• ADT: Largest US alarm company operating proprietary monitoring centers. A broad incumbent and channel competitor — ADT's retained monitoring of its dealer/customer base shrinks the addressable wholesale market that AMS serves.

Emerging players

• DICE Corporation: Provides software/automation platforms (e.g., Matrix) used by many wholesale central stations and dealers; an emerging ecosystem competitor that could either partner with or disintermediate players like AMS on technology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alarm Monitoring Services