Honeywell, Northford, Conn., announced its IP (Internet Protocol) and cellular fire alarm communicator has been found to be compliant with Government Services Administration (GS) security policies following an extensive evaluation by its Public Building Service (PBS) IT Security Team. This assessment authorizes the use of Honeywell’s IPGSM-DP communicator on the IT networks of U.S. Federal Government facilities. GSA is the main purchasing agent for the U.S. Federal Government.

Brian Sheely, president of Innovative Life Safety Solutions, LLC, a Georgia-based systems integrator, first approached the GSA with this solution to eliminate the costly phone lines traditionally used to monitor fire alarm systems.

“We documented their current expenditures using their own data and were able to show the positive impact these upgrades would have on their operational budget,” said Sheely. “The savings start to snowball pretty quickly for a Federal Agency who operates and maintains over 3,500 government buildings worldwide. If pursued, the annual cost-savings would prove to be in the millions!”

According to a GSA Information Systems Security Team Member, “The Honeywell IPGSM-DP will be placed on our internal list of products that have completed our assessment and remediation process. GSA project managers often look at the list to see which devices will present the least hurdle to moving their projects forward.”

The IPGSM-DP offers three selectable communications pathways: cellular only, IP only, or IP primary with cellular backup.

 “This IP/GSM solution would easily dovetail with several new GSA ‘Smart Buildings’ programs, which include billions of dollars worth of IT Network, VoIP and energy management upgrades for all federal buildings,” added Sheely, whose firm is a Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business. “We’ll be installing the first IPGSM-DP unit in a federal building in downtown Atlanta within the next few weeks.”

For information, visit www.honeywellpower.com.