Alarm companies that monitor in Canada can partner with Bold Group to comply with ULC’s new Redundant Site Requirement.
May 12, 2025
Bold Group is proud to announce that its data center in Mequon, Wisconsin has achieved ULC certification and is now a ULC Listed Hosted Signal Receiving Centre (HSRC). This milestone underscores Bold Group’s commitment to help Central Stations and Monitoring Centers that monitor in Canada stay compliant with evolving standards.
New Redundant Site Requirement Ensures Continuity of Alarm Operations
The Underwriters Laboratories of Canada (ULC) is an independent organization that sets recognized standards for product testing, certification, and inspection. The latest ULC standards for Signal Receiving Centres (CAN/ULC-S301) and Fire Signal Receiving Centres (CAN/ULC-561) introduced a new requirement that Canadian Central Stations and Monitoring Centers must have a secondary, redundant location as a backup to their primary site in order to maintain their ULC Listing.
ULC made this change to ensure that a Central Station’s alarm handling operations can continue in the event its primary site is unable to process alarm signals. Central Stations can comply with the requirement in one of four ways:
- Building out a new site to serve as a secondary Central Station
- Owning and operating infrastructure within another company’s ULC Listed Signal Receiving Centre (SRC)
- Moving their infrastructure fully into the cloud by partnering with a ULC Listed Hosted Signal Receiving Centre
- Securing backup in the cloud by partnering with a ULC Listed Hosted Signal Receiving Centre that is also their ULC Listed Automation Software Provider
Commitment to Industry Standards
To achieve certification as an HSRC, Bold Group went through an intensive process of evaluation, planning and construction. Bold Group built a separate data center with a 2-hour fire rating to meet the standard’s rigorous criteria for fire detection, fire separation, redundancy, backup power, and controlled access.
“As a leader in the industry, it’s vital that we update our solutions and infrastructure to support new standards and help our customers comply with new requirements,” said Shaun Blair, Bold Group’s Head of Technical Support. “Bold Group is committed to offering seamless, cost-effective solutions for Canadian and North American markets.”
Cost-Effective and Convenient Compliance Solutions
By partnering with Bold Group, Central Stations can meet the redundant site requirement without incurring the significant costs and logistical challenges of building out and maintaining their own secondary site or infrastructure.
“Building a site or purchasing new equipment is cost-prohibitive for many Monitoring Centers and so they’re having to make tough business decisions about whether to sell or close their business,” said Bill Brousseau, Bold Group’s VP of Technology. “We’re giving Central Stations of all sizes an easy compliance solution that works within their budget and supports their existing infrastructure and business priorities.”
As a security software and infrastructure company, Bold Group is dedicated to helping customers stay ahead of industry changes and regulatory requirements. With its own data center in Mequon, Wisconsin now certified by ULC as a Hosted Signal Receiving Center (HSRC) and its alarm monitoring and automation software already ULC Listed in the Signal Receiving Centre Automation Software category, Bold Group provides cloud and hybrid solutions that are accessible, convenient, and cost-effective.
For more information, please contact Bold Group’s sales team at [email protected]
