Contributors
Scott Goldfine, Editor-In-Chief
Scott joined the staff of SSI in October 1998. His one-time occupation as a cable-TV technician and lifelong love of electronics made his move into the security industry a natural progression. More...
Rodney Bosch, Managing Editor
Although Rodney’s name is quite familiar to those in the security industry, his previous experience has been in daily newspaper journalism. More...
Archives
- March, 2010 (2)
- February, 2010 (4)
- January, 2010 (4)
- December, 2009 (7)
- November, 2009 (3)
- October, 2009 (4)
- September, 2009 (2)
- August, 2009 (4)
- July, 2009 (2)
- June, 2009 (6)
- May, 2009 (7)
- April, 2009 (5)
- March, 2009 (4)
- February, 2009 (6)
- January, 2009 (4)
- December, 2008 (10)
- November, 2008 (7)
- October, 2008 (9)
- September, 2008 (2)
Post Categories
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Management
A few years ago The Discovery Channel aired a reality series called, "It Takes a Thief." The show was really cool because it brought security concepts and solutions into America's living rooms, and did so in an entertaining way. The premise had a former burglar breaking into and ransacking a house... More...
Axis Communications has shaken up the video surveillance industry by becoming the first provider of relatively inexpensive, fully networked thermal imaging cameras. Thermal imaging, which creates images based on the heat that radiates from any object, vehicle or... More...
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Steve Walin, chairman and CEO of Carrollton, Texas-based GVI Security Solutions, and Lloyd Trotter, a founder and managing partner of New York-based GenNx360 Capital Partners, about GVI being acquired and taken private. The deal, which was finalized earlier this month, reunites former GE Security executives in a business focused... More...
The significance of the California Alarm Association’s (CAA) positive impact on installing security contractors was on fine display during its winter convention in San Francisco.
Held Dec. 10-12 at the Hilton San Francisco near Union Square, alarm company operators from throughout the western region were joined by manufacturers and other service providers for an intensive three days of networking, educational sessions, vendor exhibits, and a poignant life achievement tribute dinner honoring George DeMarco.
With more than 300 registered attendees and 65 exhibitors, Matt Westphal, CAA president, proclaimed during the general session the association had attracted... More...
RSI Video Technologies, a French company with U.S. operations based out of White Bear Lake, Minn., has introduced some innovative, award-winning security products through its Videofied brand. The firm's offerings have been covered many times in SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION, including earning spots in SSI's Show Stealers of 2007 and Top 30 Technology Innovations of 2008.
One of Videofied's innovative products is its Outdoor MotionViewer.
Videofied's president, Keith Jentoft, is a slightly eccentric but tenacious marketer who has deployed unconventional and creative ways to promote his company's wares. For example, one of those methods has been dressing up in a motion... More...
The December issue of SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION includes a feature called “Transformative Technology” in which all areas of the electronic security supply chain are analyzed by six of the... More...
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised, as were just about all the exhibitors, with the turnout of last week's (Oct. 27-28) ISC East at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York. The fact that the first game of the World Series at Yankee Stadium coincided with the opening of the show added to the buzz. Granted, the floor space had been wisely consolidated some to account for fewer exhibitors and smaller booths but the activity was nonetheless healthy despite crummy, rainy weather. What's more is that, as was the case with ASIS in Anaheim, Calif., this past... More...
During the recent ASIS event in Anaheim, Calif., I attended HID Global's 90-minute press conference in which company President and CEO Denis Hebert delivered a status report and overview of the access control solutions provider's business and operations. The session was well attended and included case study history presentations from three satisfied HID Global customers.
Hebert stressed how a leading driver for the business today is going beyond hardware to deliver security via secure access tokens and software-driven applications. He identified HID's development strategies as spanning physical access, logical access, secure issuance and contactless transactions. Supporting those are the implementation of... More...
When attending trade shows such as the recent ASIS event in Anaheim, Calif., occasionally I am able to break away from the madness of the exhibit hall to attend one of the educational seminars. The great majority of those offered are either not geared toward the integrator mindset (often the end user at ASIS), are just not a very relevant or interesting topic, or are being presented by someone who is not that knowledgeable or who is looking to push their own agenda (usually self-promotion). So, as I recommend to everyone, I carefully pick and choose.
One that met that... More...
ADT Security Services recently hosted its 4th annual Media Summit, this year in Dallas, which I attended and covered in another Under Surveillance posting. One of the many presentations I sat in on involved some local police chiefs discussing the municipal surveillance systems that have been put into service within their jurisdictions. I thought they provided interesting perspectives and wanted to share them with you here in the only in depth coverage of this session of which I am aware.
This blog is an extension of sorts of the end-user roundtable article in the November issue of SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION... More...
Just back from a nearly two-week business trip to the West Coast that included taking in the 55th ASIS Int'l show in Anaheim, Calif., in the shadow of Disneyland. My jaunt also included a working breakfast with SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION's Editorial Advisory Board and SSI's 2010 planning meetings. Consequently, I am very excited about what we have in store for our readers in the coming year. You can get a sense of some of it by checking out our new media kit.
As for ASIS, there was no question about the traffic being down and exhibitors (fewer in number and taking up less floor... More...
During a time when flashier offerings like access control and especially video surveillance garner the lion’s share of attention (and even that has been tempered by the economy), Bosch is keeping intrusion interesting. The company’s ongoing commitment to dedicating resources toward research and development (R&D) are evident in its new product introductions, such as the Conettix IP module, Professional Series detectors and Commercial Wireless devices.
Bosch’s commitment is not going unnoticed as a recent report by IMS Research shows the firm has outpaced all but one of its top 10 competitors in market share growth since 2006. SSI caught up with... More...
Last week I had the pleasure to participate in the 2009 ADT Media Summit, which this year was held in Dallas. As a lifelong Cowboys fan it was to my great lament that the trip did not include a game or even a glimpse of America’s Team’s fancy new $1.5 billion stadium. However, I was nevertheless delighted to be able to participate in this event for the first time since ADT began hosting them four years ago. This experience was enjoyable, enlightening and productive.
The two-day summit included an overview of ADT’s commercial business, a tour of the company’s Carrollton site including... More...
The August 2009 issue of SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION features the first-ever Operations & Opportunities Report (OOR). The report asks executives, managers and others from across the nation and representative of all sizes of companies a host of questions targeting not only the best ways to boost profits and reduce expenses, but also the implications of implementation. In addition, respondents -- nearly 350 of them -- were asked to identify the most promising new technologies and service offerings, as well as the most viable vertical markets. Several financial and operational questions were also included. The bulk of the data and findings... More...
One of the most unique and hotly anticipated of SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION's many research projects has become the Corporate End-User Study, the vast results of which will appear in our September ASIS Show Issue. For this, the fifth annual version of this study, for the first time SSI partnered with ISC West/East organizer Reed Exhibitions to give installing systems integrators a better perspective of how these customers think and what they really need the most.
This information is useful not only in showing security providers a profile of the typical high-level end user (security directors and managers) and the organization they represent,... More...
I recently had the pleasure of spending about 90 minutes knocking around some ideas and discussing the latest industry and business trends and challenges with the CEOs of four leading systems integration companies. Tim Feury of Altec Systems in Marietta, Ga., Jim Henry of Henry Bros. Electronics in Fair Lawn, N.J., Chuck Lesnewski of Cam Connections in Lakeland, Fla., and Gary Venable of All Systems in Kansas City, Kan., discussed favoring recurring revenue and billable hours over selling boxes, supply chain conflicts, and much more.
You can read a lot of the roundtable discussion in the pages of SSI's August... More...
Select security dealers, manufacturer reps and this reporter were among those invited to Bosch Security Systems' recent Intrusion Technology Workshop, which the German-based supplier hosted at its North American headquarters in Fairport, N.Y. The daylong event focused on the company's Conettix IP, newly introduced Commercial Wireless and Professional Series detector technologies.
Following an introduction and briefing from Gregor Schlechtriem, vice president, Global Business Intrusion Detection Systems, on Bosch from a global conglomerate pespective, Product Marketing Manager Tom Mechler and Product Managers Mike Reimer and Stephen Kovacsiss took over for the remainder of the proceedings. Kovacsiss led the Conettix IP segment of... More...
The July issue of SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION features a special Best of the Best section that includes coverage of the 2009 Integrated Installation of the Year. The project, a luxury condominiums installation by Pittsburgh's Security Systems of America (SSA), is given an in-depth case study treatment. Part of the story was the end user's satisfaction with how the job, which encompassed all electronic systems within the 45-unit complex (video surveillance, access control, intrusion alarm, systems integration, entertainment systems, etc.), turned out. Although it was touched on in the print piece, space precluded the bulk of Metropolitan Building Manager Bill... More...
Fresh back from my first trip to Baltimore as an exhibitor and attendee of last week's Electronic Security Expo (ESX). In its second year, this National Burglar & Fire Alarm (NBFAA) and Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) produced event enjoyed good news and bad news.
The exhibit, which had been so absent of attendees last year (in Nashville, Tenn.) as to allow vendors to become intimate acquaintances, was up 30 percent according to ESX Chair George De Marco. However, attendance for many of the educational seminars, which was the real bright spot in ESX's inaugural 2008 incarnation, was down significantly. Some sessions were... More...
The July issue of SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION features a special Best of the Best section that profiles the 2009 Installer of the Year award winners, The Protection Bureau (small to midsize company, fewer than 300 employess) and Stanley Convergent Security Solutions (CSS) (large company, 300 or more employees). As is typically the case, there was some interesting material that did not fit into the print version. Thank goodness for the Web!
Following are the responses I got from Stanley CSS VP Felix Gonzales and Protection Bureau President L. Matthew Ladd when asking them about the impact of the recession and... More...
The June issue of SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION is our annual SAMMY Awards edition with coverage of this year's winners in several sales and marketing categories. One of those winners was Stanley Convergent Security Solutions (CSS) of Naperville, Ill., which was cited for Best Sales Brochure and also captured the Installer of the Year award for large company (300+ employees). I was limited to a half-page in print to recognize Stanley CSS for its Sales Brochure excellence, and wanted to exploit this forum to provide you with much more inside marketing wisdom from this leading national security services and monitoring provider.... More...
The June issue of SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION is our annual SAMMY Awards edition with coverage of this year's winners in several sales and marketing categories. One of those winners was The Protection Bureau of Exton, Pa., which was cited for Best Promotional Giveaway Item and also captured the Installer of the Year award for small to midsize company (fewer than 300 employees). I was limited to a half-page in print to recognize The Protection Bureau for its Promotional Item excellence, and wanted to exploit this forum to provide you with much more inside marketing wisdom from this family run... More...
The second Electronic Security Expo (ESX) is set for next week (June 22-26) at the Baltimore Convention Center. This event, which is organized jointly by the National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) and Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA), is striving to develop into a must-go show approaching the level of ISC or ASIS. It certainly could hardly have been introduced into a more hostile business environment, being launched in 2008 as gasoline prices were soaring, the economy was reeling and the banking industry was on the verge of collapse and ready to take Wall Street down with it. And although... More...
Talk about thinking outside of the box! Orem, Utah-based Pinnacle Security has put together a 1,800-strong nationwide sales force in which about two-thirds are former Morman missionaries. And why not? They are polite, clean cut and are very experienced in dealing with the frequent rejection of cold-calling prospects door to door.
I suppose it can never hurt to have the Lord on your side (is that a bible or sales presentation book under your arm?), especially in these challenging economic times. And at its core, security and safety certainly is a noble pursuit. But I can't help but wonder though if some prospects might be... More...
On March 31, I again had the distinct honor of being able to reveal and present the Police Dispatch Quality (PDQ) Award’s annual winner. This year it was Atronic Alarms of Lenexa, Kan., with Custom Alarm of Rochester, Minn., and ADT Security Services of Boca Raton, Fla., being the other finalists. You can read all about it in the May issue of SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION.
The PDQ program is near and dear to my heart as it developed out of a concept I presented to Stan Martin, now executive director of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC), and Larry Dischert,... More...
The PSA Security Network hosted another successful PSA-TEC event at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, Ill., last week. This has always been my very favorite industry event due to the unique combination of outstanding industry training, exhibits and relaxed networking opportunities. It was especially enjoyable this year as SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION for the first time served as the conference's Elite Media Sponsor. Perhaps not so coincidentally despite widespread economical challenges PSA-TEC 2009 surpassed last year in both attendance and the number of companies represented. Furthermore, there was a high level of first-time attendees to a tradition with a legacy stretching back a... More...
On March 31, I again had the distinct honor of being able to reveal and present the Police Dispatch Quality (PDQ) Award’s annual winner. This year it was Atronic Alarms of Lenexa, Kan., with Custom Alarm of Rochester, Minn., and ADT Security Services of Boca Raton, Fla., being the other finalists. You can read all about it in the May issue of SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION.
The PDQ program is near and dear to my heart as it developed out of a concept I presented to Stan Martin, now executive director of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC), and Larry Dischert,... More...
On March 31, I again had the distinct honor of being able to reveal and present the Police Dispatch Quality (PDQ) Award’s annual winner. This year it was Atronic Alarms of Lenexa, Kan., with Custom Alarm of Rochester, Minn., and ADT Security Services of Boca Raton, Fla., being the other finalists. You can read all about it in the May issue of SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION.
The PDQ program is near and dear to my heart as it developed out of a concept I presented to Stan Martin, now executive director of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC), and Larry Dischert,... More...
On March 31, I again had the distinct honor of being able to reveal and present the Police Dispatch Quality (PDQ) Award’s annual winner. This year it was Atronic Alarms of Lenexa, Kan., with Custom Alarm of Rochester, Minn., and ADT Security Services of Boca Raton, Fla., being the other finalists. You can read all about it in the May issue of SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION.
The PDQ program is near and dear to my heart as it developed out of a concept I presented to Stan Martin, now executive director of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC), and Larry Dischert,... More...
I wanted to share with you a few of the cool technologies and opportunities to be on the lookout for as a result of my meetings at ISC West 2009 in Las Vegas. This is the final installment of four summaries.
ON-NET SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS (OnSSI)
Jeff Knapp clued me in about Ocularis Video Synopsis, an optional module resulting from a collaboration between OnSSI and BriefCam, that uniquely enables the compression of video activity into a very short timeframe for faster identification of key events. A day of video footage can be compressed into a 60-second video clip. I saw this in action and it was quite... More...
I wanted to share with you a few of the cool technologies and opportunities to be on the lookout for as a result of my meetings at ISC West 2009 in Las Vegas. This is the third of several summaries.
ALTRONIX
Spent some quality time with Alan Forman, president of Altronix, for an enlightening presentation on how the industry's best-known manufacturer of power supplies is keeping up with networked technologies. NetWay is a midspan PoE solution designed to deliver greater functionality and efficiency for IP video systems in one-, eight- and 16 port-configurations that accommodate both PoE and conventional IP cameras – including... More...
On March 31, I again had the distinct honor of being able to reveal and present the Police Dispatch Quality (PDQ) Award’s annual winner. This year it was Atronic Alarms of Lenexa, Kan., with Custom Alarm of Rochester, Minn., and ADT Security Services of Boca Raton, Fla., being the other finalists. You can read all about it in the May issue of SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATON.
The PDQ program is near and dear to my heart as it developed out of a concept I presented to Stan Martin, now executive director of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC), and Larry Dischert,... More...
I wanted to share with you a few of the cool technologies and opportunities to be on the lookout for as a result of my meetings at ISC West 2009 in Las Vegas. This is the second of several summaries.
RISCO GROUP
I had an interesting sit-down with Len Friedman, former marketing manager for Bosch who is now president and CEO of RISCO Group. RISCO who? RISCO is the parent company of long-time Israeli intrusion sensors leader Rokonet. That brand is being folded into the RISCO name in an effort to better reflect the company's new multifaceted suite of offerings that span... More...
I wanted to share with you a few of the cool technologies and opportunities to be on the lookout for as a result of my meetings at ISC West 2009 in Las Vegas. This is the first of several summaries.
HONEYWELL SYSTEMS
Honeywell Systems revealed that it is taking the trepidation and guesswork out of offering remote managed access control by giving dealers what the company is calling a Playbook. As the familiar football jingle goes, Are you ready for some access? Senior Manager of Honeywell Access Systems John Smith told me how this guide will provide dealers with everything they need to... More...
I bring good news from the desert where I encountered an oasis of relief from the recession blues in the form of ISC West Las Vegas.
Even if you did not attend you may have heard the deafening din of exhibitors' (and show organizer Reed Exhibitions) collective exhale once the event got under way April 1. Vendors -- many of which have experienced as high as 30- to 40-percent dropoffs in business this year -- that had braced for the worst by downsizing their exhibit booths and sending fewer people to the show were not only ecstatic to see busy attendee traffic but also... More...
Well howdy, sports fans! I have been SO busy preparing for the big ISC West show in Las Vegas next week, including our SAMMY Awards event.
This year's SAMMYs, which I am hosting, promises to be extra-special. Not only will there be a great presentation of the industry's finest sales & marketing materials, installations, business practices and false alarm programs but also the official inductions of this year's SSI Industry Hall of Fame selections. It's a fun and outstanding networking event that draws some of the industry's top movers and shakers -- and it's FREE and includes food and beverages! I hope to see... More...
Malcolm "Mac" Hammond, president of Hammond Security in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., has long been a vocal proponent of first-rate customer service and proactively dealing with false alarms. Founded in 1968, Hammond Security is a full-service installing and monitoring provider with a UL-Listed central station serving nearly 6,000 homes, businesses, banks and local landmarks in Dutchess, Ulster, Columbia, Putnam, Orange and Rockland Counties.
Hammond has written into SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION several times over the years, always offering a strong opinion and making no mystery of his intolerance for anything less than an extreme level of professionalism. His recent correspondence is feature in the "Sounding Off" section... More...
I recently assisted the National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) in compiling some market data. Frequently, I am asked for these kinds of statistics or information by trade associations, industry professionals, investors, college students, manufacturers, newspapers and other media outlets. I try to do the best I can to fulfill these requests as I like to be helpful and believe it's in our industry's best interest ... and I am all about promoting the virtues of the electronic security industry in any shape or form I can. Speaking of that, I will be hosting the SAMMY Awards March 31... More...
Established in 2004 to represent the ultimate recognition for outstanding performance, SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION's Hall of Fame annually enshrines those uncommon people who have etched out an impression within the profession and maintained it throughout an entire career. Inductees are honored each year in an official induction ceremony held during the SAMMY Awards the eve of ISC West (March 31) at the Venetian Hotel. To date, nearly 50 people have been enshrined.
As a preview and expansion upon our March issue that features the official announcing of this year's inductees and features their profiles, I have compiled bonus material to... More...
It is with a heavy heart and great sadness I report that Keith Ladd, founder of Exton, Pa.-based The Protection Bureau and one of the electronic security industry's true class acts, has died from cancer at the age of 74. Ladd, who co-founded the Pennsylvania Burglar & Fire Alarm Association in the early 1970s and was a member SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION's Editorial Advisory Board, succumbed surrounded by family and friends after battling the disease for some time. Ladd was also a very active member of the PSA Security Network, among many other organizations.
Keith Ladd
Ladd was a rather unassuming, soft-spoken but very intelligent... More...
As some of you may have already heard, famed firearms maker Smith & Wesson announced last spring it was entering the electronic security business by partnering with Freeport, N.Y.-based NationWide Digital Monitoring, a division of New York Merchants Protective Co. Inc. The licensing agreement allows NationWide to establish an authorized North American program that exclusively provides dealers with wholesale monitoring services plus Smith & Wesson’s iconic branding on products and supporting materials.
This means independent installing security companies now have an opportunity to affiliate themselves with one of the most trusted and renowned brand names that exists today, and leverage... More...
Here's something rather cool that came to my attention: An interview of Ed Bonifas, vice president of Aurora. Ill.-based installation and monitoring provider Alarm Detection Systems (ADS) by industry icon Ron Davis.
This nearly 10-minute discussion took place during last month's National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) Leadership Conference in Texas and is purportedly the first of many the association plans to feature as its Security Industry Insights series. The nice thing is you don't have to be a member to view these videos.
Bonifas is a member of SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION's Editorial Advisory Board and next in line to succeed... More...
I realize I may be late to the party, but I finally made the leap from using videotapes for recording television programs to digital recordings. It’s unusual for me to take so long to embrace new technology as I am somewhat of a gadget/electronics freak but VCRs worked fairly well and the tapes made it easy to playback on machines in different rooms of my house. But after a recent stay with relatives who had a DVR and getting my first chance to really experience the interface and take in the full measure of its capabilities, I knew I had to... More...
I came across an interesting survey in the December/January issue of Conde Nast Portfolio magazine, a new entry among business publications that I highly recommend, that I wanted to share with readers of Under Surveillance. The data reflects how businesspeople are feeling about the recession and increased pressures and stress in the workplace.
When asked if they feared losing their job, more than three-fourths (76 percent) of the survey’s respondents said there was a “small” to “good” chance of becoming unemployed. Should that take place, nearly as many (73 percent) believe finding a new position would be “somewhat” to “very” difficult.... More...
Digital technology and IP connectivity have made video surveillance an amazingly powerful facet of security and an increasingly valuable business management tool, not to mention a huge source of revenue growth for security integrators. Continued refinements along with advancements in wireless technology, analytics, scalability and integratability, among other areas, are only serving to expand the applications and ubiquity of video solutions even more. However, for all its virtues this new era of video surveillance presents at least an equal number of challenges and quandaries — and I am not talking about commoditization.
Traditionally, video surveillance has always been a... More...
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 content in... More...
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... More...
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... More...
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... More...
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... More...
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... More...
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... More...
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... More...
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...
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...
Any basketball enthusiasts out there remember a fair player named Bimbo Coles? He played guard for five teams over a 12-year career, averaging 7.8 points per game with a career-high average of 12.8 PPG for the Miami Heat during the 1995-96 season. Coles hung up his sneakers following the 2003-04 campaign. Why do I bring him up? Because I recall a comment he made a few years ago after being waived by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“You can’t trust anyone in upper management,” said Coles. “If you’re in the room with them and you plan to walk out, you better face... More...
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