Last week, Tyco Integrated Security (TycoIS) acquired Atlanta-based Carter Brothers’ Fire and Life Safety business for an undisclosed amount. Following the sale, Carter Brothers will transfer its commercial security business to one of its affiliates.

Supported by 10 branch offices across the country, Carter Brothers’ Fire and Life Safety business installs, services and maintains fire alarm systems nationwide, and will be integrated into TycoIS, one of the three separate businesses formed when parent company Tyco International completed its split in September of this year. The two companies have worked closely in the past, as Carter Brothers has done project installation for both TycoIS and ADT for a decade.

So what does the acquisition mean for TycoIS, which (at the time still known by its former ADT moniker) held the top spot in SDM’s 2012 Top Systems Integrators Report? First and foremost, the breadth and depth of the fire business will allow TycoIS to expand and enhance its offerings.

“We have worked with Carter Brothers for over 10 years and our new company is strongly focused on service revenue,” Brian McDonald, chief operating officer of TycoIS, told SDM. “The Carter Brothers fire business has a strong service base with more than 2,400 customers in 10 cities and offers a nice fit with our existing business, as well as a great opportunity to provide these customers with our additional products and services.”

According to McDonald, in addition to his company’s firsthand knowledge of the Carter Brothers fire business,   the business unit also brought to the table a number of additional positives that made it a very attractive acquisition target for TycoIS.

“This acquisition offers a strong service base of approximately 2,400 service and monitoring customers. It’s a nice fit with our structure and our strategic focus on service revenue,” he said. “Many Tyco Integrated Security branches already offer EST equipment and service to our customers, so this expands that capability.”

As a result of the transaction, Carter Brothers, the No. 12 company on the 2012 Top Systems Integrator Report, will no longer be working with TycoIS, according to John Carter, president of Carter Brothers, who founded the company with his brother, NFL star Cris Carter, in 2001.

“This transaction successfully concludes the Carter Brothers’ relationship with TycoIS,” John Carter said in a statement. “Our Fire & Life Safety business is an excellent strategic fit with TycoIS. The business can leverage TycoIS’ scale and resources, such as their Centers of Excellence for installation and service.”