Another one of the educational sessions held during Honeywell’s First Alert Professional Convention at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes Resort Nov. 13-16 was “Disaster Preparedness.” The class, moderated by a Honeywell’s Brett Guillotte and featuring a panel of Gulf-based security dealers, addressed how to prepare for, deal with and recover from a major disaster — focusing mainly on those of the natural variety, and more specifically hurricanes. The material was made all the more compelling via slides and panelists -- including Dale Nielsen of Brown Security Systems in Natchitoches, La.; Spencer Smith of Alarm Protection Services in Metairie, La.;...

More...

One of the educational sessions held during Honeywell’s First Alert Professional Convention at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes Resort Nov. 13-16 was “Ensuring Your Company’s Financial Health.” The class, led by Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Safeguard Security and Communications CEO and SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION’s Editorial Advisory Board member John Jennings, reviewed the critical components of a security company’s financial statements. This 75-minute session was brought alive by Jennings, a lively and engaging speaker who has grown his company 10-fold since the early 1990s. He opened up the discussion by invoking the wisdom and pertinence of the Serenity Prayer: God,...

More...

Apparently no one has told Honeywell or its hundreds of First Alert Professional dealers that times are tough. At least that’s how it appeared at the annual First Alert Professional Convention, held at the luxurious JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes Resort Nov. 13-16, where no expense was spared, spirits ran high and optimism prevailed. With an overall theme of “Creating Magic,” the event was anything but Mickey Mouse. Although the downturn in lower-end residential business was acknowledged, dealers seemed ready and eager to focus more heavily on the high-end residential and commercial markets, areas Honeywell made clear it was well...

More...

Although there were lots of pressing issues swirling around throughout 2008, it turns out it was another vibrant year for security technology. The upcoming December issue of SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION features our annual Top 30 Technology Innovations of the year, which for 2008 range from video, access control and detection solutions aimed at the high end of the marketplace to modest installation tools. The picks by SSI Technical Writers Bob Dolph (“Tech Talk”) and Steve Payne (“Convergence Channel”) and yours truly champion products that represent breakthroughs, moneymaking opportunities or timesavers to improve efficiency. In some cases, they...

More...

Last week’s history-making presidential election has created euphoria among much of the general populace but despair for much of the business community. Regardless of where your allegiance lies, I think most would agree it’s a fresh start for America in which we will navigate some uncharted territories. We are embarking on a journey of hope and uncertainty, and it’s anybody’s guess which way the pendulum will swing. For our industry, it is a time when people are searching harder than perhaps ever before for insightful market data to help steer them through the dark abyss.    Each year, SECURITY...

More...

With the economy as it is and Manhattan being as outrageously expensive as it is, most were quite skeptical of how this year’s International Security Conference (ISC) & Expo East would fare. What has been clear is that anyone expecting this event to match its grandeur of earlier this decade are destined for disappointment as the show has long since scaled down from being one of the industry’s largest national conventions to being one of the most substantial regional gatherings. Most industry professionals have settled on springtime’s ISC West in Las Vegas and the late summer’s...

More...

In these trying times when — like many businesses — installing security contractors are struggling to remain profitable, it ought to be some relief to realize there are viable courses of action to help stem the tide. This will be particularly compelling for residentially focused companies and those married to the builder market, some of which have seen their business atrophy by as much as 70 percent. There are many strategies to take during times like these, but I am going to suggest one here (with more to come in other postings). The first is targeting residential subdivisions. These...

More...