Editor's Angle

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At Kastle Systems, the service mantra gets far more than lip service. It is at the core of everything the company does.

Writers are taught to use the most precise words possible, so understandably, a writer’s liberal use of the word “thing” in any one article or essay is frowned upon by journalism teachers. Thus when the term Internet of Things came to be widely used, I was delighted by its ability to deliver such a broad and imprecise meaning. It was intriguing, yet ultimately too wide-ranging — just what was this Internet of Things (IoT)?

Let’s all get on board and help raise the bar for ethical behavior in the industry — and call out those companies who disregard it.

Back in the day, “the establishment” was something the younger generation of the 1960s didn’t trust because it referred to a group that included elite government officials, the media and large corporations — and it usually meant that two or more of these entities were thought to be in cahoots.

The need to repeatedly enter the same or similar information and to manually perform other routine tasks creates severe inefficiencies.

With outside competition bearing down on the security industry, exposing the expertise of security companies in the field demonstrates how proficient these dealers are in their respective markets.

Just because we don’t keep better track of apprehensions, doesn’t mean crime-solving through security technology has slowed. Just ask mainstream media.

Well, maybe not everyone. But many in the industry are feeling optimistic about the state of the access control industry and its potential for providing increased sales this year.

With this issue, SDM kicks off its annual exclusive State of the Market Reports, a series of four in-depth feature articles that delve into the market viability of video surveillance, access control, intrusion alarms, and fire protection — beginning with video on page 44. These articles are a valuable read, as they are chock-full of not only testimony from industry professionals about the challenges and opportunities they see in each market, but also exclusive data from SDM and IHS Research about selected vertical segments and technologies poised for growth. 

Practically every store I walk into these days — from Home Depot, to Best Buy, to the Apple Store and more — features a snazzy display of home security/connected-home products for do-it-yourselfers. These attractive displays were moved right to the front of the stores during the holidays; they were so attractive that I found myself spending long amounts of time browsing the products and reading the packaging.