While ISC and SIA teams are hard at work for the entire security industry on a daily basis, these efforts of improving businesses and careers to ensure those who are served by the industry are safe and secure are seen being demonstrated at ISC East. Through educational sessions, exhibitor product training sessions, the IAPSC Workshop and more than 200 major manufacturers and brands represented on the show floor, ISC East offers convenience and timely information about the security industry.

A full day of SIA Education@ISC, wrapping up at 3 p.m., will present topics such as scalable storage, open space video surveillance, why IoT matters to security, campus security, the smart home market and insider threats. With such relevant topics plaguing the security industry, solutions and best practices will be addressed in hopes of giving security practitioners the tools and skills to compensate best for their clients.

Another highlight is the Featured Product Showcase, which is dedicated to highlighting new technology and products with this year’s offerings showing what’s new in the industry with a display filled with physical security and software products. With over 35 brands represented and displayed, integrators and dealers can feast their eyes upon the new offerings that will help their businesses thrive and even speak directly with the companies on the show floor.

Speaking of the show floor, it is still very much alive and buzzing today, with product and solution manufacturers at the ready to assist integrators and dealers with their questions and security issues. One company doing this is Farpointe Data. In fact, Jay Gellar of Mel Geller Electric Security Systems in New York, an integrator who uses Farpointe Data, said that in his opinion, working with Farpointe is not only easy but the products function correctly and are built to last.

“I have even installed Farpointe Data products on the beer taps at a New York volunteer fire department to help manage underage drinking among fire fighters,” Gellar described.

Another eye-opening moment came as Keith Jentoft of Videofied brought up a valid point about DIY solutions in the security marketplace. Many solutions on the market are giving end users the opportunity to monitor their property themselves, cutting out the use of central monitoring stations. However, Jentoft says that with DIY, the focus should be on police response.

With most DIY video surveillance solutions, end users will set up a video camera and download an app that is attached to the camera, providing them a way to “see” what is going on at their home when they are away. Say, for example, an end user is away on business in another state, logs into the app and sees someone robbing his or her home. At that point, what can the homeowner actually do? If he calls 911, he will reach the local police; if he calls the actual phone number of his local police there’s nothing they can do because the homeowner is not at his home. This presents a thought-provoking challenge as well as a possible new trend within the security industry of police response with DIY solutions.

As the show comes to a close this afternoon, integrators and dealers leave with new-found knowledge, products and other solutions to assist their customers in keeping security an important part of their lives, in addition to established relationships within the industry.