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If you’ve spent some time in the security industry, you’ve probably heard of UL 2050. Being UL certified is a great way to show compliance and a dedication to high industry standards. But it also requires a fair amount of effort to earn and maintain. Therefore, it’s worth finding out precisely what UL 2050 is, and what it means for your alarm company.
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is a third party safety inspection firm that verifies the following in the business operations and products that it inspects:
UL 2050 is the name given to the qualifying standard for monitoring, signal processing, investigation, servicing, and operation of alarm systems. The United States Department of Defense (DoD) recognizes the standards set forth by UL, and backs this certification.
When you go to the grocery store and pick up an apple that has a “USDA Organic” sticker on it, you know that it was grown and harvested without the use of pesticides. Similarly, a UL 2050 certification lets both property owners and service providers know that the company they are working with has been inspected and meets the industry standards they expect.
Who Needs to be UL 2050 Compliant?
With so many players in the security industry, you may be wondering, “Who needs to have a UL 2050 certification? Is it for central stations or alarm dealers?” The answer: alarm dealers.
AvantGuard holds UL certifications CRZM and UUFX which recognize that we are compliant with UL standards for signal monitoring, retransmission, record keeping, and reporting as a monitoring company. This is important because alarm dealers cannot become UL 2050 certified without being monitored by a DoD approved monitoring station.
Getting certified is quite a process initially (the time frame for clearance alone being 90 days) and requires a company to undergo annual inspections in order to stay certified, but it’s worth the undertaking. Local UL certified alarm companies can be found using Underwriters Laboratories “Alarm Finder” tool.
What if an Alarm Company is not UL 2050 Certified?
For anyone interested in offering security solutions for Closed Room or Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIF), being UL 2050 is more than just good practice, it’s imperative.
Contracting with an uncertified alarm company can be a costly mistake for a Facility Security Officer looking for accreditation. If a problem is found with the system during their own certification inspection, then they may be forced to have all of their equipment removed and be reinstalled by a UL 2050 certified security company.
Meeting and maintaining UL 2050 standards may seem overwhelming as an alarm dealer, but doing so is a great way to let your subscribers know that your company is one that can be trusted. And, it can even open the door to new markets that require UL 2050 certification, like high-paying government contracts.
