There is a lot of investment happening in the central station business, as companies are preparing to capitalize on growth opportunities in video services, interactive security services, and PERS.
Every security system is a crime-fighting tool; that is where the industry’s efforts should be. It is ironic that as security systems evolve into more sophisticated appliances, their value is becoming more muddled. On the one hand, a broader platform gives security dealers more hooks — lighting automation, energy management, and remote connectivity are a few — with which to sell to consumers.
‘Green’ is more than a word. It is good business. It is a journey. It is also one of three pillars of sustainability. Using the words “green” and “sustainability” is not a case of “You say ‘po-tay-toe,’ I say ‘po-tah-toe.’” Although the two terms are intricately related, they are not interchangeable.
New players are entering the security industry in a mass market fashion, with a solution that provides more than just a traditional home security system. Is that wrong?
Check out SDM’s fourth virtual trade show, iSecurity, for starters. Admittedly, I’m not the most high-tech, gadget-oriented person. As an example, I’m just now doing the research in anticipation of buying my first smartphone (any advice?). When I watch TV, I still need to adjust the “rabbit-ear” antenna positioned next to my HD flat screen. (My family is among the 10 percent of U.S. households that never appreciated the value of subscribing to some form of pay TV such as cable or satellite.) And for those of you who ask — yes, you can get “free TV” on an HD television.
Let’s begin the new year by celebrating the outstanding response and expertise that characterize the security industry. When crime struck close to home, it was not the Los Angeles or USC Police that came to the rescue; it was Shandon Harbour and the outstanding team at SDA Security.
Vivint has had a disputed ride to its place as the No. 4 company in the industry on the SDM 100, but its bold “first adopter” attitude of new technologies is helping make security a “Best Buy” and opening new growth — and that needs to be recognized.
Leadership in the industry includes recognizing trends like the convergence between logical and physical security, an area of innovation where Diebold Security leads the charge. It’s been an honor every year since 2004 for SDM’s editors to select one company as our Systems Integrator of the Year. But with that honor comes responsibility — the responsibility of leadership. One of the distinguishing qualities SDM looks for in naming a Systems Integrator of the Year is having the courage to lead the industry through innovation.
Call it ambulance-chasing if you’d like, but I think some of SDM’s fine readers should be following Leigh and Leslie around the country with a demo kit and a monitoring contract. As they say in the flea market business, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”