Which Is The Better Business? Integration Vs Alarm Dealers

I think you'd have to define "better" 

Agreed. Better is too subjective. However, having done both... alarm dealer is easier if done for profit only. Copy, paste, tweak, rinse, repeat. Fortunately for me I'm not in it cause it's easy or just to be profitable.

Better is done on purpose. Better in your opinion. I want to have a discussion. Questions like which business has a higher valuation or which business has higher margins, etc. are much easier to answer.

Armando has given an informative answer in line with what I hoped, i.e., for him, integration is less profitable but he values it more. I am sure others will have opposite or different approaches.

I don't know if you could define us as an integrator, but I also don't think we're just an alarm dealer. On the alarm side of our business, our primary product offering is DMP and Bosch, but we also install and service Honeywell, Silent Knight, Fire Lite and many other manufacturers daily. We offer what we think is best for the customer, and stay away from projects we're not capable of doing (yet). Each project we involve ourselves in is bigger than the last, and we seem to be becoming more of an integrator every year while continuing to grow our alarm base. We have thousands of maintenance and monitoring contracts for alarm systems. The RMR from these contracts can support our company if there's no work.

In my opinion, I think you need both. The integrator side of our business is growing fast, per project we have much higher profit margins, so that's really nice. It helps make it possible for us to be an alarm company and install security systems with low-profit margins to get the RMR contracts. Our alarm side keeps us stable, I think this would make us more of an attractive company to purchase and create higher valuation in the long run.

Im sure this is on the site somewhere, but since it is relevant here, can someone define integrator. 

Interesting question.  I wonder if the votes above may be skewed if IPVM has more of an Integrator following then an Alarm Dealer following.  I have no way of knowing this but the general content seems to better suited for integrators dealing with a wide array of challenges.   

We are an integration company wanting for more RMR.  I would like to strive for more balance like John B. has described. 

As an outsider to both businesses I think the answers fall somewhere in the middle.  For those passionate about technology I believe that the challenges that come while problem solving as an integrator are very interesting, and those complex projects could be very lucrative.  However, a project based business can and does often have peaks and valleys, so having an RMR component (like an alarm business) can help keep a revenue stream coming in.  

The reoccurring revenue creates a foundation for the company to operate from and smooths out some of the peaks and valleys of project based installations. A mix of the two is the best way to go.