Alarm Monitoring Services Moves into New Facility after Katrina Flooding

Oct. 17, 2005
New Orleans-area company was able to be up and running just 28 days after Katrina's landfall

Metairie, Louisiana – Alarm Monitoring Services (AMS) went live at their new Monroe, Louisiana facility just 28 days after Hurricane Katrina's landfall.

Due to a mandatory evacuation of the Metropolitan New Orleans area on August 29, AMS was forced to relocate their operations from their home base in Metairie. AMS implemented phase four of their disaster recovery plan and transferred their telephone and receiver lines to DICE Corporation Disaster Recovery Center in Bay City, Michigan.

As the devastation caused by the flooding in the New Orleans area began to set in, the alarm industry reached out to its colleagues affected by the storm. AMS negotiated use of the telephones and computers at the facilities of CenturyTel Security Systems, in Monroe, LA. DICE's SIA certified staff assisted AMS in answering calls and dispatching by day, while AMS staff logged in remotely to monitor alarms at night. The Disaster Recovery Center allowed them to continue monitoring alarm signals for their nationwide dealer base while completing the build-out of their new Monroe facility.

'With the help of Cassandra Ivy of CenturyTel and Amy Condon of DICE Corporation, we were able to continue monitoring for our clients,' said Dera DeRoche-Jolet, President of AMS. 'The amazing thing is that we were able to set up and move into our new building in less than 30 days.'

'This has been a testament to the fact that it is necessary for business continuity to have a disaster recovery plan and a backup central where you can run your business if anything happens to your main headquarters,' said Clifford V. Dice, CEO of DICE Corporation. 'AMS should be commended for the superior planning that kept their business active during such a devastating emergency situation.'

Alarm Monitoring Services, Inc. (www.monitor1.com) has provided quality monitoring to its alarm dealers for 25 years. Founded in 1980, AMS offers its 24-hour UL listed monitoring services nationwide.