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Communication — both with end users and emergency personnel — has always been an essential part of any monitoring business. The methods through which monitoring centers communicate, though, have become incredibly varied.

Thomas Paine, an early American philosopher, once said, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Although these insightful words were written in reference to the American Revolution, they embody the sufferings of so many people today, due to the proliferation of COVID-19.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic drove widespread stay-at-home orders, 2020 was shaping up to be a challenging year for larger security dealers. As SDM reported last year at this time, at least two banks that had been major lenders to those dealers had either stopped making new loans or had begun imposing terms that were less favorable to the dealers

The pandemic has brought changes for wholesale central stations. UL has temporarily allowed central station operators to work from home, provided certain requirements were met; and multiple wholesale central stations chose that option — others went a different route.

What do termites, diamonds and security have in common? All three are components of the history of this year’s SDM Dealer of the Year. Sonitrol began when Al Cronk, a police officer, was interested in verifying alarms using audio; Bob Baxter invented microphones to detect termites in trees.

Wireless access control has a bit of a bad rap. Connectivity issues, short battery lives and a lack of information have led to problems installing the technology over the years. But when installed properly, wireless access can be of great advantage to the security integrator and end user.

Radar sensing technology isn’t new, but it’s yet to hit the mainstream in the security world. Based on radar waves, the technology was developed for military use around the 1940s, and soon started sneaking into other commercial markets.

You use a toaster for crisping bread; you wouldn’t use it for blending drinks nor would you heat an entire oven to crisp the bread. Similar to how a kitchen appliance is used to perform a specific task, a security appliance is used for a specific job.

The need for quality, cost-effective video surveillance is growing with each passing day. More commercial customers, government facility managers and homeowners are looking for better ways to prevent crime while recording criminals when they’re not dissuaded by the presence of cameras.

2020 has been a big year for innovation in the security industry — and entry control is far from exempt. The COVID-19 pandemic has put an increased focus on the entrance, as many companies had to restrict entry to a select few considered to be essential, and others found themselves paying closer attention to who was entering their buildings.