As mentioned elsewhere in this blog, I recently conducted a roundtable at the First Alert Professional Conference with four of the most experienced and respected CEOs from some of the installation community’s most successful companies. The two-hour discourse included John Bourque of Cranston, R.I.-based HB Alarm; Joe Hassan of Certified Security Systems in Jacksonville, Fla.; John Jennings of Safeguard Security and Communications in Scottsdale, Ariz.; and Joe Nuccio of ASG Security in Beltsville, Md. (does not appear in this excerpt). Although much of the discussion will be available in the January issue of SECURITY SALES...

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As mentioned elsewhere in this blog, I recently conducted a roundtable at the First Alert Professional Conference with four of the most experienced and respected CEOs from some of the installation community’s most successful companies. The two-hour discourse included John Bourque of Cranston, R.I.-based HB Alarm; Joe Hassan of Certified Security Systems in Jacksonville, Fla.; John Jennings of Safeguard Security and Communications in Scottsdale, Ariz.; and Joe Nuccio of ASG Security in Beltsville, Md. Although much of the discussion will be available in the January issue of SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION, with bonus...

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As I mentioned in my blog entry about the First Alert Professional Conference, I recently conducted a roundtable with four of the most experienced and respected CEOs from some of the installation community’s most successful companies. The two-hour discourse included John Bourque of Cranston, R.I.-based HB Alarm; Joe Hassan of Certified Security Systems in Jacksonville, Fla.; John Jennings of Safeguard Security and Communications in Scottsdale, Ariz.; and Joe Nuccio of ASG Security in Beltsville, Md. Unlike many so-called roundtables that are actually individual interviews often haphazardly cobbled together, this material was generated organically...

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Music is a lifelong passion, some might say (particularly my wife) obsession, of mine. Anyone who has ever gotten to know me to any extent can vouch for this fact. In fact, if you are a long-time reader of SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION you many have picked up on some of my frequent references to lyrics, song titles and the like. I almost continuously have tunes blaring out of my speakers while I’m in the office, in the car, or through headphones in bed, on airplanes, waiting rooms, etc. My enthusiasm for aural pleasures runs the gamut from constantly...

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As anyone who’s been around this business long enough to think of control panels and sounders rather than stocks and bonds when the word “security” is mentioned knows, the issue of false alarms has been a source of contention with responding agencies since the dawn of the industry. Despite technological leaps in improved detection equipment with much higher false alarm immunity and efforts to better train installers and alarm users through the years, the rise in installed systems in the field and greater pressures placed on responding agencies and their budgets have conspired to the detriment of alarm response. As...

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In an effort to make this blog more fun and personal — and show there’s much more to security professionals than just DVRs, RMR and ROI — I have added this section to talk about all things not security, mostly pop culture, art, sports and entertainment. To get us started, I thought I would share some top 10 lists of my favorite films by category. Keep in mind that I studied film in college, worked in the entertainment industry and was a movie critic prior to getting into the electronic security industry in 1998. From the late 1970s through 2003,...

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Fire/life-safety work scare you a bit? It’s OK, you’re not alone. Go ahead and admit it, you’re among friends now and no one is going to think any less of you because of it. Feeling all comfy, cozy, warm and fuzzy and secure now? WELL WAKE UP AND GET WITH THE PROGRAM! The fire/life-safety market has never been a more viable option for electronic security professionals seeking to maintain a steady stream of business during these dire economic times. Sure, there are more codes, standards and regulations to deal with, along with perhaps increased liability exposure and having to deal with...

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So the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) has reported that the U.S. economy is in recession. Um, did we really need that declaration to validate what anyone with even the most passing fancy for economics or rudimentary knowledge of financial markets has long ago surmised — and likely somehow been personally affected by already? It’s like a weatherman reporting on gusty conditions as the roof is ripped off the studio. Seems to me this group is more about repression than recession. This “breaking news” conjures up the Saturday Night Live News Update segment routine called “Really?!” in...

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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 “Selling IT,” about the hottest topic out there right now. The class was presented by a pair of industry friends of mine who are also featured in the November issue (“Intrusion Breaks Into the Network”) of SSI: Honeywell Security Director of Commercial Sales Development Dave Combes and Business Development Manager Michael Linebarger. The 75-minute course was designed to help dealers promote and sell the use of network communications for security solutions. Attendees learned how improved testing...

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A contact of mine within Siemens Building Technologies (SBT) has informed me that George West, vice president and head of SBT's Security Solutions Business Unit, has stepped down. His last day with the giant systems integrator was Nov. 24. West apparently accepted a position with a much smaller firm outside of the security industry. My source assured me that this change has nothing to do with SBT’s recent strategic reshuffling maneuvers, and that despite some rumors to the contrary the company remains fully committed to the security space, or as he put it, “In it to win it.” In...

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