Word on the street is that ESA member Alarm.com and The North Pole have been in cahoots over the past several months, and they have created a way to see Santa. That’s right folks … Santa is real, and there’s proof: Santa Security! I went straight to the head communication elf himself for the scoop.
“Santa Security is the result of close collaboration between Alarm.com and the world’s largest surge logistics operation, the North Pole,” Chris Basso, director, public relations and corporate communications at Alarm.com, says.
Alarm.com’s millions of smart home customers use their systems to monitor deliveries and allow delivery people to make unattended deliveries inside their property. So, the great collaboration began.
“Putting our collective strengths to use, together, we developed this special extension of the 24/7 awareness Alarm.com offers as a way to make the magic of Christmas come alive for every child and help make believers out of us all,” explains Basso.
Last year, more than 150,000 Santa sightings were captured and reported by Alarm.com customers.
“We expect even more this year, given the continued growth of our domestic and international partner networks and end-user base,” Basso predicts.
The “holiday magic” of literally seeing Santa lies in Alarm.com’s video analytics team, who designed the custom Santa-capturing algorithm.
“Just as Santa’s elves are encouraged to ‘Always be Cobbling,’ [why yes, that is a reference to SNL!] our team stays laser-focused on finding new and innovative ways that our pioneering video analytics and AI architecture can be used to help people monitor what matters most,” Basso says. “When it comes to kids and Christmas, there are few things that matter more than knowing if Santa made it down the chimney to put presents under the tree.”
To pull something off as magical as this, true partnership was essential.
“Santa and his troupe of elves were really easy to work with,” Basso reminisces. “They wanted to make sure they had unfettered access to the expansive base of Alarm.com-powered smart homes around the world. Santa agreed to wear a red delivery outfit with a white sash and black boots. This distinctive wardrobe and shape made it really simple for our video analytics scientists to design an algorithm that would confirm Santa’s presence in the home.”
Alarm.com is able to report back to the North Pole’s logistics team on Santa’s location and delivery progress as he visits the homes of good boys and girls. And, when alarm.com customers “put their heads down for a long winter’s nap,” they can rest easily knowing that only Santa is permitted to enter their homes.
“Santa Security helps our partners deliver the gift of joy and magic to children around the world,” Basso points out. “For anyone who’s ever tried and failed to stay up long enough to see Santa, Santa Security answers that age-old question: ‘Does he really exist?’”
(Yes, of course, he does!)
“Plus, it’s a fun way to spread awareness of the capabilities of an Alarm.com-powered system that stretches the imagination of our team,” continues Basso. “Not only does it help increase user engagement with the system, but it also generates great content that customers can share with their family and friends.”
Are you looking to make the holidays magical for your customers and clients? Basso mentions these companies — who are on Santa’s “good list” and are spreading holiday cheer — for some inspiration:
Guardian Protection, an ESA Member Company
Power Technics, Inc, an ESA Member Company
Select Security, an ESA Member Company
Vector Security, an ESA Member Company
Happy Holidays from ESA!
