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When SDM put out its inaugural issue in January, 1971, the security industry as we know it today did not exist. There were no trade shows, no systems integrators, no DIY systems and no reliable publications to turn to for information.
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
While 2020 didn’t live up to expectations and 2021 Industry Forecast respondents reported a topsy-turvy year, the majority remain hopeful for a strong 2021, with the COVID-19 vaccine in sight and pent-up demand for security products and services.
To say 2020 was a bit of a roller coaster ride is perhaps an understatement. At this time last year, most security integrators anticipated a strong 2020, only to be thrown into turmoil late in the first quarter by the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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.
As we celebrate our 50th anniversary this month, we thought it would be fitting to look back at the first Sales Stars column Brian Offenberger wrote for SDM back in 2015.
There are two unshakeable facts that determine the direction of the security industry. The first is that digital communications have redefined the concept of business risk.
Marketing in the security industry is hard. The buyer's journey is beset by a range of shiny objects, competing offers, fear, uncertainty, doubt, budget shifts and cuts, priority shifts, urgent and important fires to extinguish, as well as various other threats to goals and timelines that disrupt the process.
Many years ago I reported on a case decided in California. Fireman’s Fund had paid various claims for burglary or fire losses and filed a lawsuit against alarm companies that had contracts with the plaintiff`s insureds, claiming subrogation to losses arising from property damage incidents sustained by insureds.
The IX-EA is a surface mount, weather-resistant IP video door station equipped with a 1.23-MP fixed-color camera that can be programmed to call up to 20 different stations with three different call level selections.
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.