Southern Monitoring Services
Southern Monitoring Services is a UK Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) and Remote Video Response Centre monitoring 100,000+ intruder, CCTV, lone worker, and vacant property devices for security installer partners across the UK and Ireland.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1983
- HeadquartersWaterlooville, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Southern Monitoring Services does
Southern Monitoring Services is a UK-based Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) and Remote Video Response Centre (RVRC) founded in 1983 and operating as a trading style of Securitas Security Services (UK) Limited, with a registered headquarters in Milton Keynes and an operational facility in Waterlooville. The business provides 24/7 intruder alarm, CCTV, lone worker, and vacant property monitoring to over 100,000 connected devices, holding NSI Gold, BS5979, BS8418, and BS8484 accreditations that gate entry into the UK police-response monitoring market. It operates an ECHO-connected platform that enables direct police dispatch from verified alarm events, and has layered AI-based false alarm filtering through a partnership with Calipsa.
Southern Monitoring Services firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Southern Monitoring Services
- Legal name
- Securitas Security Services (UK) Limited
- Website
- https://smon.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1983
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Southern Monitoring Services is a UK Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) and Remote Video Response Centre monitoring 100,000+ intruder, CCTV, lone worker, and vacant property devices for security installer partners across the UK and Ireland.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Southern Monitoring Services industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Alarm Receiving Centre (Security Monitoring Services)
- NAICS
- Security Systems Services (56162), Security Systems Services (except Locksmiths) (561621)
- SIC
- Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services (7381)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Central Station Monitoring (Third-Party Wholesale Monitoring) (BPAKAFAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Commercial & Industrial Alarm Monitoring (BPAKAFAB), Residential Alarm Monitoring (Burglar/Intrusion) (BPAKAFAA), Fire Alarm Monitoring & Dispatch (BPAKAFAC)
Keywords
Where Southern Monitoring Services is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Waterlooville
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Southern Monitoring Services business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Remote Monitoring Services: Monthly subscription fees for 24/7 alarm receiving centre monitoring services. Services include intruder alarm monitoring, CCTV monitoring, fire alarm monitoring, and lone worker device monitoring. Revenue is recurring in nature based on monthly monitoring fees.
- Equipment/ Hardware Sales: Sale of security equipment including alarms, CCTV systems, and related hardware. While the source mentions hardware costs are kept separate from monitoring fees, the company appears to facilitate equipment provision through installer partners.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Remote Monitoring from £20 per month |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Southern Monitoring Services product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Southern Monitoring Services operates two NSI Gold-accredited Alarm Receiving Centres providing 24/7 remote monitoring of intruder alarms, fire alarms, CCTV systems and lone worker devices for professional security installers across the UK and Ireland. Its offering combines subscription-based ARC monitoring with value-added services including video verification, AI-driven false alarm filtering (Calipsa), ECHO-connected police dispatch, CSL-secured router transmission and integrated smart security via Alarm.com, monitoring over 100,000 connected systems.
Product overview
Southern Monitoring Services is a UK-based Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) and Remote Video Response Centre (RVRC) providing a comprehensive portfolio of professional security monitoring services. The core offering centers on 24/7 monitoring for intruder alarms, fire alarms, CCTV systems, and environmental alarms (flood, temperature). The service architecture combines a central alarm handling platform with specialized add-on modules including Video Verification & Audio Challenge (for visual alarm confirmation), Calipsa AI False Alarm Filtering (for intelligent CCTV analytics), Remote Security Management (for virtual guarding), Lone Worker Protection, and Professional Keyholding. The company operates two geographically separated NSI Gold-accredited ARCs monitoring over 100,000 connected devices, with ECHO connectivity for direct police dispatch and integration with Alarm.com for smart home/business security management.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CCTV Monitoring Remote monitoring of CCTV systems including BS8418 and non-BS8418 configurations for police and/or keyholder response, delivered in accordance with BS EN ISO 9001:2015 and BS5979:2007 by SIA-accredited operators. Provided to security installer partners and their commercial end customers across the UK and Ireland.
- Intruder Monitoring Core ARC monitoring service for security system intruder and personal attack alarms, with tailored dispatch and communication procedures to reduce false alarm rates. Available to all customers regardless of size via security installer partners.
- Fire Monitoring Specialist fire alarm monitoring with priority handling via dedicated alarm handling software to ensure high-priority fire alarms receive immediate attention. Provided to security installer partners and their commercial and residential end customers.
- Remote Security Management
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 4 minutes faster police response through ECHO connectivity
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Southern Monitoring Services
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Southern Monitoring Services technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
AI capability8 records
Feature4 records
Southern Monitoring Services partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- CalipsacoreSouthern Monitoring partnered with Calipsa to embed AI-powered False Alarm Filtering technology into their CCTV monitoring services. The partnership allows installers to add Calipsa analysis to their CCTV monitoring offering at the ARC level without requiring any additional hardware or software development. Calipsa uses AI and deep learning to accurately detect genuine security events while filtering out false alarms caused by animals, lighting changes, foliage, or weather.
- ECHO (Electronic Call Handling Operations)coreECHO is the UK's electronic call handling system enabling Alarm Receiving Centres to send digital police despatch requests directly to police control room despatch desks. Southern Monitoring is ECHO-connected, enabling faster police response times (up to 4 minutes improvement) compared to traditional phone-based alarm reporting. Only certified systems provided by approved installers can deliver ECHO-connected services.
- CSLcoreSouthern Monitoring became the first UK ARC to offer a secured CSL router commercial service with private, secure links. The CSL secure router service enables reliable transmission of CCTV footage and alarm signals from remote sites to the ARC via secured connections, supporting areas previously difficult to connect.
- Alarm.comcoreSouthern Monitoring is partnered with Alarm.com, a leading smart home and business security application platform. The partnership enables customers to access their security systems via mobile phone application, putting all business security systems in their pocket.
- Securitas Security Services (UK) LimitedcoreSouthern Monitoring Services operates as a trading style of Securitas Security Services (UK) Limited, part of the global Securitas group. This corporate parent relationship provides backing from one of the world's largest security organisations.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Southern Monitoring Services competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Banham: Established London-based security installer and monitoring provider with in-house ARC; broader incumbent operating own installer base alongside monitoring services comparable to SMS.
- ADT UK: UK arm of one of the world's largest monitored security providers, operating in-house ARCs and a full installer/residential customer base; broader incumbent that overlaps with SMS's commercial and residential monitoring.
- Verisure UK: Large UK/European monitored alarm specialist with owned ARC and direct-to-consumer installer model; broad incumbent competing for the same end-customer monitoring wallet as SMS installer partners.
Others
- CSL Group (CSL DualCom): Critical technology partner to SMS (first-to-market CSL secure router service) and a leading UK provider of dual-path signalling for ARCs; adjacent infrastructure provider whose products underpin SMS's ARC connectivity.
Emerging players
- Texecom: UK alarm panel manufacturer increasingly offering cloud and app-based monitoring integrations; emerging player whose connected panels and Texecom Cloud may eventually bypass traditional wholesale ARCs.
Direct peers
- Bold Communications: UK provider of ARC software platforms (Manitou, Gemini) and operates its own monitoring services for installer partners; competes head-to-head with SMS for ARC technology and monitoring contracts.
- Custodian Monitoring: UK NSI-accredited ARC providing 24/7 intruder, fire and CCTV monitoring on a wholesale basis to installers; comparable scale and channel-partner GTM to Southern Monitoring Services.
- National Monitoring Centre (NMC): UK central monitoring station serving independent installers and integrators with intruder, fire and CCTV monitoring; comparable wholesale ARC model and NSI-style accreditation.
- Fenix Monitoring: UK-based Alarm Receiving Centre offering wholesale intruder, fire, CCTV and lone worker monitoring to security installers — directly comparable wholesale ARC business model to Southern Monitoring Services.
- Emizon (now part of CSL): UK IP-based alarm signalling and monitoring service (now under CSL) offering dual-path communication to ARCs; directly competes in the IP/PSTN-replacement monitoring signalling layer where SMS also operates.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Southern Monitoring Services social profiles
Digital presenceSouthern Monitoring Services compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Southern Monitoring Services financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Southern Monitoring Services leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Southern Monitoring Services funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Southern Monitoring Services M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Southern Monitoring Services
What does Southern Monitoring Services do?
Southern Monitoring Services operates two NSI Gold-accredited Alarm Receiving Centres providing 24/7 remote monitoring of intruder alarms, fire alarms, CCTV systems and lone worker devices for professional security installers across the UK and Ireland. Its offering combines subscription-based ARC monitoring with value-added services including video verification, AI-driven false alarm filtering (Calipsa), ECHO-connected police dispatch, CSL-secured router transmission and integrated smart security via Alarm.com, monitoring over 100,000 connected systems.
Is Southern Monitoring Services a public or private company?
Southern Monitoring Services is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Southern Monitoring Services founded?
Southern Monitoring Services was founded in 1983. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Southern Monitoring Services based?
Southern Monitoring Services is headquartered in Waterlooville, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Southern Monitoring Services make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Remote Monitoring Services are the primary driver. The others are equipment/ Hardware Sales.
Who are Southern Monitoring Services's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Banham, ADT UK and Verisure UK. CSL Group (CSL DualCom) is listed as an others. Texecom is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Bold Communications, Custodian Monitoring, National Monitoring Centre (NMC), Fenix Monitoring and Emizon (now part of CSL).
Does Southern Monitoring Services have an API?
No public API is recorded for Southern Monitoring Services.
What industry is Southern Monitoring Services in?
Southern Monitoring Services's product category is Alarm Receiving Centre (Security Monitoring Services). Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAKAFAI, Central Station Monitoring (Third-Party Wholesale Monitoring), with a secondary code of BPAKAFAB, Commercial & Industrial Alarm Monitoring. Its NAICS code is 56162 and its SIC code is 7381.