Home InnovAlarm – Web-based security and health monitoring

InnovAlarm – Web-based security and health monitoring

One of the more ambitious and
innovative Web apps I’ve heard of recently is InnovAlarm, a Web-based platform for security,
safety and health monitoring services
. Although their website has little information
about the product, InnovAlarm CTO David Albert sent me more details. He told me their aim
is “to ‘Skype’ the security monitoring and home monitoring businesses.”

The overall goal for InnovAlarm is to create a large Internet community around free
PC-based security, safety, and health monitoring services. As for the technology behind
this vision, the disruptive part is Voice over IP telephony, which InnovAlarm
thinks has the potential to usurp traditional alarm communication methods.

InnovAlarm is currently pre-beta – their beta testing will start in the Sept -Oct
timeframe. The service roll-out is slated for Q1 2007.

InnovAlarm will get a cash injection of $10 million in Series B fund in Q4 2006, so
they have money to spend on their big plans. One of their target markets, residential
security monitoring, is a big one – with $7 billion in revenue in 2006 according to their
estimates. $4 billion of that goes to ADT, the largest security monitoring company in the
world. InnovAlarm estimates that, due to demographics, most of the 40 million homes with
security systems have broadband. So they see a way to connect security services to the
Internet.

How does it work?

You install a small, Internet-downloadable application on your home PC, which then
communicates with InnovAlarm’s monitoring center servers. The trick is that your PC must
be turned on for the monitoring to take place. The “Sentry” app monitors for alarm sounds
and communicates to the central servers – which sends email and text message alerts to
selected recipients. When there is an alarm detection, the Sentry application initiates a
call via a free VoIP service (from Skype, Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, or AOL). This then
leads to an audible alarm to:

  • The homeowner
  • Family Safety Circle designated persons
  • Central Monitoring Station

Aggressive Marketing

InnovAlarm will deploy a wide-ranging marketing schedule for their product, including
attempting to get it installed by manufacturers on new PCs (e.g., Dell, HP, Lenovo,
Gateway, etc.). They’ll also look to distribute the app via viral marketing, partner
bundling and the establishment of the concept of Family Safety Circles. So potential
partners include portals (Yahoo, Google, etc.), retail companies (First Alert, Kidde,
etc.), insurance companies, etc.

Summary

As I mentioned, InnovAlarm is definitely ambitious. Their goal is to have more
residential and small business accounts monitored than the current security monitoring market
leader, ADT (6 million as of now). They don’t say what their goals are in the health
monitoring market.

I think we’ll see a lot more ‘real world’ applications of Web technology in the coming
months. Monitoring the security of your home and the health of your body are obviously
very important matters, so it’s great to see Web-enabled solutions beginning to
appear.

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