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A Year of Changes and Challenges

In many ways 2017 tested the capabilities, ingenuity and services monitoring centers provide on a daily basis. First of all, the increasing speed of adoption of new technology — particularly in the residential space — means that traditional monitoring is rapidly shifting from a security platform to almost anything goes. In the words of our cover subject, ADT’s Marci Zissis, “The way we monitor has completely changed.”

Monitoring centers are figuring out how to handle increasingly atypical requests for monitoring, and author Derek Rice takes a look at some of these in the cover story, “Trends & Technology Transform Traditional Security Monitoring”.

But 2017 also found monitoring centers in many parts of the country facing natural challenges. With three major hurricanes in the gulf and East Coast, worse-than-usual wildfires on the West Coast and other weather-related challenges in between, how did monitoring centers prepare and handle these sometimes unpredictable events?

Author Deborah O’Mara spoke with several facilities to share tips and stories on how they “weathered” this year’s challenges in “Security Monitoring Centers Plan Ahead for Disasters”.

Speaking of being prepared, this year’s TMA 2017 Central Station Manager of the Year Excellence Award winner, Dynamark’s Keith Godsey, shares his perspective on how modern technology, combined with a strong training program make for the best results. He also touches on some of the changes in technology and the special challenges his Maryland-based company faced in “Snowmaggedon.”

Change was literally embodied by one of Monitoring Today’s regular column contributors, The Monitoring Association, which changed its name this past year from the Central Station Alarm Association to reflect the shifting industry. TMA Executive Director and CEO Jay Hauhn outlines how the organization’s latest initiatives are supporting the industry. Intertek also touches on technology changes in its column on “Monitoring the Connected Everything”.

Finally, don’t miss the columns by Lou Fiore and PPVAR’s Larry Folsom. We hope you enjoy this special supplement!

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Karyn Hodgson is a veteran security industry journalist.. As the Editor-in-Chief of SDM, Karyn is responsible for the overall editorial direction of the magazine, its supplements, newsletters and website. She works with the SDM editorial staff to develop content that helps security dealers and systems integrators operate successful businesses. Karyn represents SDM at trade shows and conferences, and directs exclusive research such as the SDM Industry Forecast, the SDM 100 and The Top Systems Integrators Report. She also manages SDM’s Dealer of the Year and Systems Integrator of the Year Award programs. Karyn has an MSJ in Journalism (magazine publishing) degree from Northwestern University, and more than 30 years’ experience writing for and about the security industry. Contact Karyn with article ideas.