How to Pick the Best Alert System for Your Industrial Application
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in November 2019 and updated in September 2025 to reflect the latest best practices and cloud-based solutions.
Why the Right Alert System Matters
If you’re looking for the best alert system for a water or wastewater treatment plant or for another industrial application, make sure that you’re aware of all the features you need. The best alert system doesn’t just make noise—it gets the right information to the right people at the right time, helping your team respond faster, minimize downtime, and save money.
– Tired of leaving your house in the middle of the night for an alert that could have waited until morning?
– Frustrated when you don’t receive an alert until it’s too late?
– Need more context to understand the severity of a problem before you act?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these, it’s time to look for a smarter, full-featured digital alert system. Here’s what to consider when choosing the right solution for your operations.
Make Sure It Actually Saves You Time and Money
A basic alarm that simply beeps or sends a generic notification no longer meets today’s needs. If your system only tells you that a pump failed or a tank is full, your only option is to drop everything, head onsite, and investigate.
That wasted time costs your company in efficiency. It also takes you away from other critical responsibilities like managing staff, handling other operations, or just getting a good night’s sleep.
A modern alert system like Data-Command’s goes further. It doesn’t just send a generic alarm; it provides detailed context about the event. That way, you know what’s happening, what equipment is affected, and how urgent the issue really is—before you even leave your house.
Compare Features
Not all alert systems are created equal. When evaluating your options, look beyond the basics and ask:
– Does it send alerts via multiple channels—text, email, and voice calls?
– Can it deliver detailed data (not just “Alarm On”)?
– Is it cloud-based so you can access it from anywhere, without complex hardware or constant maintenance?
– Does it integrate with your SCADA system and IoT devices seamlessly?
– Can you easily manage users and escalation paths to ensure the right people get the right alerts?
Our Info-Portal alert system checks all these boxes, giving you powerful tools to monitor your operations and keep your team in sync.
Look For Limitations and Hidden Costs
At first glance, a simple wall-mounted device with a phone line might look like the cheaper option. But vendors often sell those ‘budget-friendly’ solutions with hidden costs:
– Extra phone lines
– Limited functionality that forces expensive workarounds
– More downtime because operators can’t fully diagnose problems remotely.
By comparison, Data-Command’s SaaS runs in the cloud, eliminates the need for on-premise servers, and reduces unplanned site visits—saving both time and money over the long term. Check out our Pricing.
Get All of the Alert Details You Need
When something goes wrong, you don’t just need to know that it happened—you need to know why. A vague alarm can leave your team scrambling, guessing whether the issue is urgent or can wait until morning.
Info-Portal sends rich notifications with context. You can see which piece of equipment has issues, what readings triggered the alarm, and how the problems relate to your system. That detail helps your team respond with confidence, prioritize effectively, and prevent small issues from turning into big problems.
Know that You Can Afford an Alert System
Many smaller facilities assume a modern alert system is out of reach. The reality is that today’s cloud-based SaaS solutions are more affordable than ever—often replacing expensive hardware and maintenance costs with a simple, predictable subscription.
Since 2005, Data-Command’s Info-Portal has delivered secure, cloud-based SaaS notifications to clients in utilities, manufacturing, and beyond. Long before “IoT” became a buzzword, we were helping teams get the right alerts on their devices—whether by text, email, or phone call—so they could make the right decisions quickly.
Stay Ahead with Reliable Alerts
In a world where your phone buzzes constantly with social media updates and low-priority notifications, it’s essential that your critical system alerts rise above the noise. The right alert system gives you peace of mind, ensures compliance, reduces costly downtime, and keeps your team—and your community—safe.
Our Info-Portal alert system delivers customized and timely notifications to your mobile device or computer. Text, email, and voice call alerts provide specific users with details to properly diagnose the issue and make the correct decisions. This can save you time and money – all at a cost-effective rate.
Ready to see how Data-Command can help your operation? Schedule a demo with us today.
Follow us on
