This problem concerns me. It concerned me to the point that I contacted the premises authorized individual and assisted them in getting this corrected. This left them very vulnerable.
Here’s some of the background. Small business working in a residential/commercial mix. Their service is delivered to their customers and their products made and stored on site…high end’ish. They have a security system with only a
phone line as their main communication to their security alarm monitoring provider. (separate issue, they’re going to speak with their provider about back-up communications – another blog post for another day)
Construction in area severs their existing underground phone line. Phone company responds and within hours immediately installs a temporary fix for the phone communications. The provider (supplier) or at least the provider’s approved contractor installed the new phone line from the street connection along the ground, around the top of the decorative fence post, to the next and subsequently two more after that, along the edge of the garden along the building, tie strapped it to the down spout, along to the back of the building and into where the main connection is inside.
Couple major concerns come to mind and not just security.
First, if there is an active alarm and the line is somehow severed again, alerting the monitoring station won’t occur. That will delay a police, fire or ambulance response.
Secondly, the impact to the business if that line gets severed without knowledge could be very detrimental to that business surviving. Clients can’t call to place orders, make payments, suppliers can’t give updates on deliveries and so on.
In the minutes I was there, several kids ran over the line on their bikes, one kid used the phone line as a hurdle. Pretty good jump I might add. If the jump wasn’t successful and assuming the kid didn’t get hurt but your phone line is severed, how will it get re-installed this time.
Sure the contractor was a phone contractor and not a security alarm contractor. A simple explanation and request that the phone not be put it in this fashion because of its dual purpose would have meant a little more work for the contractor but potentially many risks avoided on the part of the client/user. It would have also shown that the provider cared about this business continuing which would in turn lengthen their healthy relationship.