Smart alarm management is about balancing integration and innovation

To David Pfeifer, Head of Solutions of the DACH region at Ascom, alarm management is the strategic optimization of alarm systems. “It’s all about timely, accurate alerts to improve safety, efficiency and decision-making across operations. It’s crucial for workplace safety, but also makes a big difference to operational efficiency, compliance, cost reduction and data utilization.”

What is the best approach to alarm management? What are the common challenges? What new technologies and ideas are emerging? These are some of the questions addressed by Pfeifer. He is a recognized expert in the field, with over 20 years of experience in alarm management. A highly innovative thinker with a passion for solving even the most complex issues.

What are the biggest challenges you see for large companies?
“One of the biggest problems we see for large organizations: silos. If a company has five divisions, they often have five infrastructure systems or applications doing almost the same thing. This redundancy drives up costs, in some cases five-fold. On top of that, if you consider my example, the maintenance needs potentially increase by five times. You don’t want that!

Solutions and workflows need to be integrated across the entire company, not just within a single location, department or team. Looking holistically is key to making good decisions and building effective solutions.”

Do you prefer a single vendor or vendor-agnostic approach?
“When you’re committed to holistic thinking, there can only be a vendor-agnostic approach. Being able to integrate a wide range of best-in-class systems, rather than relying on a single proprietary one. Yes, single-vendor solutions often offer volume discounts and convenience, but unfortunately lead to much higher costs over time due to lack of leverage and the need for costly replacements as technology evolves, and they don’t.”

Can you give an example?
For workplace safety, on-site workers might need Wi-Fi or even paging systems, while remote workers might rely on 5G or other cellular networks. Redesigning everything is impractical, so it’s essential to work within the customer’s existing budget and infrastructure. It’s almost never about starting from scratch but rather, integrating and optimizing existing systems. Often, minor adjustments can significantly improve overall system efficiency.”

So, you wouldn’t recommend switching to a new system?
“Switching to a completely new system is almost always challenging and time-consuming. The whole workforce must try and adapt to something new. They’re already busy working flat-out on their day-to-day tasks and this is yet another thing to cope with. They’ll be a lot happier with an evolution rather than a revolution.”

What do you want to achieve with proper alarm management?
“Large-scale businesses can precisely measure the consequences of fast or slow reaction times. They know the exact costs when production slows down or stops altogether, ranging from hundreds to thousands of euros every minute. So, they rely heavily on alarm management.

However, if a machine breaks down, you don’t want to send an alarm to every technician. You want the nearest qualified person with the proper tools to respond. Only a system that truly integrates all the information can make that decision.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the reality for many businesses. You can imagine how irritating it is to deal with an overwhelming number of nuisance alarms. Many operators are working under a great deal of stress due to alarm overloads. This can lead to operator errors or missed critical alarms. It’s estimated that poor alarm management costs the global industry about $20 billion in lost production and productivity every year.”

What does Ascom offer the industry?
“What we’re doing is not based on one single project, it’s our whole strategy. We are continuously looking into trends in the market. If there’s a new proven protocol, we will integrate that into our portfolio. Our goal is to consistently deliver the most innovative and trustworthy solutions to our customers.”

Can you give an example of a creative solution?
“We had a customer who needed to orchestrate all the trucks on a campus. Each truck required a specific device handed over upon entry and returned upon exit - a time-consuming task. We came up with and implemented something totally unique. A fully automated system that reset itself whenever the trucks arrived and left. The drivers didn’t even need to leave their trucks. It was like a drive-through for devices.”

The latest technology or certified products?
“Of course, it’s important to be at the forefront of new innovations but we will never ever recommend any product or solution that isn’t properly certified. Without certification there’s no guarantee that an update will work or even be compatible. It’s an incredibly big risk for businesses. Many startups take this gamble because they don’t have the resources, time or manpower for proper certification. And unfortunately, almost all regret it later. Uncertified technologies may fail to integrate or function over time, posing fundamental challenges for these companies.”

What are the latest trends in the industry?
“The biggest development at this moment is the mobilization of just about everything. From high-bandwidth technologies like 5G to low cost, low energy alternatives like Bluetooth-based solutions, which make it easy to get data from even the most remote locations with just a sensor. Pretty cool, when you think about it. However, it’s combining these technologies, that’s where the real magic happens.”

Is 5G more a buzzword than a benefit?
“When 5G was launched in 2019, everyone was talking about it, but nobody knew what to do with it. However, that’s no longer true. There are numerous use cases demonstrating how 5G has improved real-time monitoring and response, enhanced connectivity and reliability, and provided support for more devices with advanced features. In fact, the 5G industry experienced almost a 10% expansion in 2023.”

Do you think AI will take over the alarm management business?
“AI is certainly set to revolutionize alarm management, much like it has in other industries. While not all benefits are clear yet, some are obvious. For example, ease of use. AI is super simple; you don’t need to be a tech expert or specialist in the field to benefit. And it's the same with all the other technology that has been around for a couple of years now. They are accessible and usable for pretty much everyone.

AI will help organizations make more efficient decisions by evaluating vast amounts of data and being flexible and unbound by rigid rules. The adoption of AI is moving at a fast pace. According to a recent Forbes survey, over half the respondents were already using AI tools for cybersecurity and fraud management.”

Lastly, what is your most important takeaway?
“Our approach begins with a customer workshop. We ask them to forget for a moment their existing processes and past limitations and tell us exactly what they want. Their ideal world. This is always the best starting point. In many cases, with some clever additions and aggregations, customers reach or come very close to their overall goals.”

Ascom is a global solutions provider, renowned for over 50 years of expertise in healthcare and enterprise communication technology, driving innovation and setting industry standards.