Much like Santa, Amazon’s innovative Echo technology is always watching… er, listening. As such, Amazon plans to implement a few new changes in Alexa’s skill set in order to boost your home security.
The new upgrade is called Alexa Guard. Once you tell Alexa that you’re leaving the house, Alexa can launch your security system, monitor for sounds of a break-in, and even randomize lights to make it look like you’re home.
Amazon has teamed up with ADT to integrate Alexa with your home’s security system. It also utilizes Amazon’s own Ring Alarm. If the smart home system senses something amiss, it will send a notification to your phone and/or security service.
So far, Alexa will be able to monitor for three recognizable sounds: broken glass, smoke alarms, and carbon monoxide alarms.
Pretty cool for a robot.
The best part is that this is a technology people actually want.
However, Audio Analytic performed a survey in July and discovered we want even more. But we might not have the technology to deliver everything we want from a robot assistant just yet.
The survey included 6,000 participants, 90% of whom stated they want speakers that utilize smart technology to double as a security system against intruders.
That makes sense. This is a machine that is always listening.
But another 66% want a different kind of security. They want an AI that monitors their health via coughing, sneezing, and crying, particularly for children and the elderly.
Can we have an audio-based AI that does it all?
This could help people save hundreds of dollars in medical bills if their symptoms are caught early on. Nearly 43% of adults lack basic financial literacy, making this kind of technology incredibly valuable for escaping the debt that comes with sudden medical bills.
However, the hope is that this technology will “detect prolonged or repeated coughing or sneezing, providing early indicators of poor health and alerting the carer/occupant, offering advice, turning on air purifiers or tracking activity in an appropriate app,” according to Audio Analytic.
This technology would also help countless people suffering from chronic diseases, as well as seniors who live alone. An estimated 40% of people in assisted living facilities need help with over three daily activities.
Alexa Guard could turn into the new “life alert.” Instead of a button, you’d simply need to call out to Alexa to call for medical aid.
Utilizing this kind of tech could do more than save money, it could save lives.
So far, there’s no word on whether or not Amazon’s Alexa Guard can do anything like that. Their partnership with ADT, however, might still prove to be incredibly beneficial, especially for those who travel a lot.
However, Amazon’s reveal still needs you to turn on your Echo for it to work. Even though it’s always listening, it isn’t “guarding” 24 hours a day. On top of that, we don’t know when the new system is going to be rolled out.
Luckily, you might just need to say something along the lines of, “Alexa, I’m leaving,” for the system to be turned on. Hopefully, Amazon will give us more news soon.
But this is still great for your home and business. Even if a burglar does manage to make it in during an unplanned break-in, over half of intruders will stop if they discover a camera, alarm, or other security systems.
Unfortunately, it isn’t known whether or not the notification will be distributed via a third-party or the Alexa app. On top of that, no one knows if Alexa Guard will integrate through the Cloud or another provider.
Cloud technology has already become a staple in running most businesses. Instead of storing your important information and data on a hard drive, you’re able to link it to a connected account managed by a storage provider like Amazon, Google, or Microsoft. Amazon hopes to track your light habits to make it look like you’re home, but is it tracking this information via the cloud?
Unfortunately, they haven’t released that information.
A data center has a power density around 100 times more powerful than your average office buildings. Utilizing data centers and cloud technology simply makes sense as this type of security and storage continue to evolve.
Since companies have to account for threats both inside and outside the business, cloud technology and alarm monitoring have become staples in the business world and residential world alike.
But cloud technology isn’t a cure-all for your business needs, even if the new Alexa Guard will help prevent intrusions.
“Customers should carefully consider the services they choose, As their responsibilities vary depending on the services used, the integration of those services into their IT environment, and applicable laws and regulations,” claims the Amazon Web Services.
Essentially, Amazon is saying that they’ll take care of the hardware, but you and your business is in charge of updates and operating systems within the cloud through backups, security, and infrastructure management. These are essentially the “three pillars” to managing your data, according to SC Media.
So using a firewall, organizing your data, and performing the necessary backup procedures are essential for protecting your business.
Amazon hopes to expand on these security necessities by bringing it to your front door. Even though it’s obvious that the new upgrade has s
