Several years ago, a Vancouver client was very persistent in asking that we take over the alarm service & monitoring of their Whistler home. We obliged and quietly accepted a few more requests like that one.

What began as a favour for one long-standing client  has grown into Provident serving several dozen Whistler clients who already rely on us to provide exceptional service to them in Vancouver.

In order to do that, we have worked closely with Dow Security, a local Whistler company, who have provided alarm response service and emergency service for alarm systems on our behalf.

We’re proud to announce that on August 31^st, we purchased Dow Security Inc., which will soon be re-branded as Provident Security (Whistler) Corp.

Purchasing Dow made a lot of sense for us. Not only did Dow provide sub-contracted services for Provident in Whistler, they also looked after several dozen other Provident clients directly. They have a similar client base to our Vancouver clients and a similar customer service philosophy.

With the integration of Dow, Provident is now Whistler’s largest home security company… and the only Whistler based firm with its own 24/7 central monitoring station.

In addition to the ‘basic’ alarm monitoring & response services, we will be rolling out several other services tailored specifically to Whistler homes. For example, integration of thermostats to allow for remote control of heating/cooling from an iPhone or Blackberry. This means you can start heating your home (or driveway) in Whistler while you pull out of your garage in Vancouver on Friday afternoon.

We will also be expanding our HomeWatch service to include patrols of  homes to meet clients’ insurance requirements and to ensure that everything that is supposed to happen (or not happen) is happening.

We are excited to have a permanent Provident home in Whistler. While there are many changes to be implemented (such as our key control, response reporting, paperless processes and other systems), we are fortunate to be adding a great company, with a great group of people, to the Provident team.

We’re excited to announce that Bob Stevenson has joined the Provident team as Lead Developer.

In this role, he leads our software development team and is responsible for Provident’s IT infrastructure, including all alarm monitoring servers and database management.

In short, Bob is responsible for all of our software systems that enable us to guarantee a five-minute alarm response, know exactly where every client’s house key at any moment as well as tracking and managing the thousands of custom Homewatches we provide for our clients to make sure that their plants get watered, cats get fed, dogs walked, lights altered and garbage taken out… just the way they want it done.

It’s a big job. But we know Bob is up for the challenge.

Prior to joining Provident, Bob was with ADT for eight years. Originally starting as a Senior Programmer Analyst responsible for ADT Canada, Bob was promoted several times, eventually becoming a Software Engineer with responsibility for both ADT Canada and ADT USA.

In his most recent role, Bob led several major IT initiatives including creating an automated billing system used by several million customers. In addition, Bob was also responsible for developing web & desktop applications used by both ADT employees and clients. He was also involved in designing systems used to integrate databases after ADT’s acquisition of Broadview Security (formerly Brinks Home Security) in 2009.

We’re proud to have Bob on our team.

After the success of an installed NightOwl Remote Video System at an Abbotsford construction site a few weeks ago, one of the neighbouring construction sites that had been relying on a Security Guard to patrol their site had us install NightOwl for them as well.

It took less than a week for the system to pay off. On July 21st, the NightOwl system send us video alarms showing three suspects trying to gain access to the construction site through the front gate. Our Kerrisdale Operations Centre team immediately dispatched the Abbotsford Police, who were able to respond and apprehend the suspects before anything was stolen or damaged from the site.

Click below to see what the video alarms looked like…

Click here to view the embedded video.

It’s important to note that the resolution of the NightOwl video alarms is intentionally low. That’s because the system is completely wireless and is optimized to be able to detect unauthorized activity and send a video clip to us in the shortest possible timeframe. We only need the video to be clear enough to confirm that a human is in an area that they are not supposed to be so that we can dispatch the Police to a verified crime in progress.

Over the past few months, we’ve installed NightOwl systems throughout the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley. NightOwl does not require electricity, telephone lines, an internet connection or any other infrastructure to work. It is a completely self-contained system that we can set-up and monitor anywhere.

We rent NightOwl on a week-to-week basis, making it an incredibly easy way to maximize security for a construction site or any place requiring temporary security.

Do you have a site where NightOwl could help? Let us know… we’d be happy to set-up a demo and show you how simple it is to get started.

Our last ‘Preventing Burglary’ seminar of 2010 will be held on Tuesday, November 16th at 7:00pm in our Kerrisdale Showroom at 2309 West 41st Avenue (at West 41st Avenue and Vine Street)…

During the seminar, you will learn:

• Exactly how burglaries happen on Vancouver’s Westside;
• Why most burglar alarms fail to offer the protection that you may think they do;
• How to ‘five minute proof’ your most important belongings; and
• Specific, actionable steps that you can take to immediately improve your security (without spending any money).

Come by anytime after 6:30pm for some wine and Benton Brothers cheese … the presentation will start promptly at 7:00pm and will last about an hour. Afterwards, we’ll lead a tour of our 24/7 Operations Centre.

This seminar always fills up… and a common comment that we get afterwards from attendees is that the presentation was ‘much more entertaining than I thought’.

Whether you are already a Provident client or not, you will leave the seminar with specific tips that you can immediately put to use to increase your home security.

Click here to RSVP.

Click below to watch a clip from a past seminar that explains why most alarms do not offer the protection that people think they do…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Our next ‘Preventing Burglary’ seminar will be held on Tuesday, June 22nd at 7:00pm in our Kerrisdale Showroom at 2309 West 41st Avenue (at West 41st Avenue and Vine Street)…

During the seminar, you will learn:

• Exactly how burglaries happen on Vancouver’s Westside;
• Why most burglar alarms fail to offer the protection that you may think they do;
• How to ‘five minute proof’ your most important belongings; and
• Specific, actionable steps that you can take to immediately improve your security (without spending any money).

Come by anytime after 6:30pm for some wine and Benton Brothers cheese … the presentation will start promptly at 7:00pm and will last about an hour. Afterwards, we’ll lead a tour of our 24/7 Operations Centre.

This seminar always fills up… and a common comment that we get afterwards from attendees is that the presentation was ‘much more entertaining than I thought’.

Whether you are already a Provident client or not, you will leave the seminar with specific tips that you can immediately put to use to increase your home security.

Click here to RSVP.

Another video clip from AreYouPayingEnough.com talking about our Kerrisdale showroom…

Our next ‘Preventing Burglary’ seminar will be held on Thursday, May 27th in our Kerrisdale Showroom…

Come by anytime after 6:30pm for some wine and Benton Brothers cheese … the presentation will start promptly at 7:00pm and will last about an hour. Afterwards, we’ll lead a tour of our 24/7 Operations Centre for anyone who is interested.

This seminar always fills up… and a common comment that we get afterwards from attendees is that the presentation was ‘much more entertaining than I thought’.

A shocking but true fact that we have learned: people assume that a home security seminar will be dry, boring and/or a sales pitch.

Ours is none of those things.

Come by on the 27th and we guarantee that you will leave with some new information that you can put to immediate use to improve the security of your home. Much of what is discussed are tools/tricks that are either free or very inexpensive… you do not need to be a Provident client, or even an alarm owner, to get value from attending.

Home security does not have to be boring.

We hope to see you on the 27th to prove it!

As of today, we’ve got 30 21 15 seats left… please RSVP by clicking here

Our next Preventing Burglary seminar will be held on Thursday, April 8th at 6:45pm in our Kerrisdale Showroom.

Click here for more details and to RSVP.

We’ll have a wine & cheese reception before hand and then start promptly at 7:00pm. Afterwards, we’ll lead a tour through our 24/7 Operations Centre for anyone interested in seeing what happens behind the scenes when an alarm trips.

Our seminars always fill up … RSVP today to ensure that we’ve got a space for you on the 8th.

Here’s a clip from a recent seminar discussing ‘Five-Minute Proofing’ and why it is the most important home security tactic…

Here are a few of the comments that we have received about past seminars…

“The presentation was interesting, flowed, Mike clearly demonstrated expertise…there was a substantial emphasis on basic security.”

“[as a result of attending the seminar] I have a far better understanding of how one protects their home and that really it starts with the homeowners.”

” getting even more confidence in Provident”

“I particularly liked reiteration of the information about how to delay a burglar for 5 minutes. The tour of the operations facility was very interesting and confidence building”.

“I felt at ease. Information was useful.”

“I found it interesting and informative and I’m sure others would as well …. whether they have a system or not. It helps to stay current with crime trends and security options.”

“with all the home security advertising, I think it can be somewhat confusing for people and your session helped to clear up some issues.”

Our next Preventing Burglary seminar will be held on Thursday, November 26th at 6:45pm in our Kerrisdale Showroom.

Click here for more details and to RSVP.

We’ll have a wine & cheese reception before hand and then start promptly at 7:00pm. Afterwards, we’ll lead a tour through our 24/7 Operations Centre for anyone interested in seeing what happens behind the scenes when an alarm trips.

Our seminars always fill up … RSVP today to ensure that we’ve got a space for you on the 20th.

Here’s a clip from a recent seminar discusses ‘Five-Minute Proofing’ and why it is the most important home security tactic…

Here are a few of the comments that we have received about past seminars…

“The presentation was interesting, flowed, Mike clearly demonstrated expertise…there was a substantial emphasis on basic security.”

“[as a result of attending the seminar] I have a far better understanding of how one protects their home and that really it starts with the homeowners.”

” getting even more confidence in Provident”

“I particularly liked reiteration of the information about how to delay a burglar for 5 minutes. The tour of the operations facility was very interesting and confidence building”.

“I felt at ease. Information was useful.”

“I found it interesting and informative and I’m sure others would as well …. whether they have a system or not. It helps to stay current with crime trends and security options.”

“with all the home security advertising, I think it can be somewhat confusing for people and your session helped to clear up some issues.”

Our next Preventing Burglary seminar will be held on Tuesday, October 20th at 6:45pm in our Kerrisdale Showroom.

Click here for more details and to RSVP.

We’ll have a wine & cheese reception before hand and then start promptly at 7:00pm. Afterwards, we’ll lead a tour through our 24/7 Operations Centre for anyone interested in seeing what happens behind the scenes when an alarm trips.

Our seminars always fill up … RSVP today to ensure that we’ve got a space for you on the 20th.

Here’s a clip from a recent seminar discusses ‘Five-Minute Proofing’ and why it is the most important home security tactic…

Here are a few of the comments that we have received about past seminars…

“The presentation was interesting, flowed, Mike clearly demonstrated expertise…there was a substantial emphasis on basic security.”

“[as a result of attending the seminar] I have a far better understanding of how one protects their home and that really it starts with the homeowners.”

” getting even more confidence in Provident”

“I particularly liked reiteration of the information about how to delay a burglar for 5 minutes. The tour of the operations facility was very interesting and confidence building”.

“I felt at ease. Information was useful.”

“I found it interesting and informative and I’m sure others would as well …. whether they have a system or not. It helps to stay current with crime trends and security options.”

“with all the home security advertising, I think it can be somewhat confusing for people and your session helped to clear up some issues.”

Click below to watch the clip from today’s Living Vancouver segment on CBC where I talk about how just about every residential burglary happens.

One of the key points of the clip is the fact that the value of a monitored alarm system can only be realized after you’ve already taken a number of simple physical security measures such as locking your gates, installing double sided locks and five minute proofing.

The mistake that a lot of people make is thinking that home security is as simple as finding the cheapest alarm provider they can find and assuming that that’ll be enough.

I was interviewed for a story about home security… and specifically about how to prevent becoming the victim of a burglary… for Living Vancouver on CBC.

The segment will air today on Channel 3 at 3:00pm… It will also be available on Living Vancouver’s website