In our August issue, we present the everchanging connected home market. Find ways to use Facebook for security B2B marketing and ways to protect your trademarks overseas in this month's SDM Magazing. Also, check out the The 13th annual Monitoring Center Excellence Awards.
Networked-based entry control and emergency station products are opening up wide opportunities for security dealers and integrators in both new and retrofit markets.
If you have walked on almost any college or hospital campus, or visited a secondary school in the past several years, chances are you have seen a proliferation of both “blue light” emergency stations and entry control intercoms. Safety and security have always been a priority for these facilities, and these types of products are very popular options.
The 13th annual Monitoring Center Excellence Awards recognize one monitoring center and three individuals that stand out among the alarm monitoring industry, their peers and their customers.
August 8, 2018
Everyone has stories. Take this year’s Monitoring Center of the Year recipient and the time the company hired a consultant to make sure management was meeting the needs of the millennial generation.
Advances in technology have put smart home capability within the reach of most security systems buyers, greatly enhancing security’s consumer appeal — and one of the most appealing smart devices is the smart lock.
The connected home space in 2017 continued to be very strong for all players; for security dealers, finding their footing in this everchanging market remains a priority in 2018.
To tweak a line from a famous Frank Sinatra song: 2017, it was a very good year. It was a very good year for connected homes, that is. Massive amounts of advertising from big players inside and outside the security space, a rapidly advancing technology landscape, and an avid interest from homeowners at all economic levels led to a connected home space that is growing by leaps and bounds.
A very interesting case arose before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. A defendant police officer, while driving through a neighborhood where there had been a rash of daytime burglaries, noted an individual standing on the sidewalk in front of a residence.
For those unable to dedicate a specific date or time to a training course, 3xLOGIC has got you covered with its self-paced online courses that provide videos, discussion boards, hands-on demonstrations and a number of other resources to help you become a VIGIL or infinias expert.
One of the hottest topics for discussion with many opportunities emerging around it is the Internet of Things, or IoT. It’s not just change or progress. It has the potential to disrupt and, in many instances, already is disrupting work, home, travel, play, and just about every facet of our lives. But what is it and what does it mean for the security industry — in particular, your business?
As I walked the floor at ISC West this year, I was amazed at the amount of money spent by companies promoting themselves at the show. Here was a huge problem, though. Everybody looks and sounds the same. It’s nearly impossible to differentiate one product from another or one company from another.
Now think about how things are in your local market.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, it’s no surprise that the use of mobile devices has taken over the consumer market — and it’s here to stay, even on a B2B level.
From the data we collect in Google Analytics it is apparent that more than 60 to 70 percent of websites we have built, marketed and/or track are being visited by mobile users — cellphones to be specific.
At the Lockport City School District in Lockport, N.Y., the surveillance system is being upgraded to a facial recognition system that will check each face against a database of “expelled students, sex offenders and other possible troublemakers,” according to an article by Associated Press that was picked up the week of July 22 by several media outlets, among them FoxNews.com.
Eyeforce, headquartered in Houston, offers remote video monitoring and access control services.
As a service provider since 1997, many of Eyeforce’s legacy sites were sending alerts via older methods such as outdoor PIR and/or beam detectors, and basic video motion detection. Accordingly, Eyeforce faced an increase in the rate of false alarms received due to bad alerts or triggers.
DMP announced its ESX TECHVISION Challenge win, now two years in a row. This year’s award goes to DMP’s Virtual Keypad Access. In addition, DMP received ESX Innovation Awards in two other categories.
Attendees at the first annual Cyber:Secured Forum, held June 4-6 in Denver Colo. and co-sponsored by The Security Industry Association (SIA) and PSA Security Network, were in for some sobering information on cyber security. If anyone came into it thinking they had it pretty well covered they were likely quickly disabused of that notion. However, the overall tone of the event was far from hand wringing. On the contrary, the whole point was to bring together experts from nearly every angle of the problem to share information and ideas on how the security industry can stay on top of a crisis it only identified in recent years.
The Bosch Building Technologies division is partnering with AnyVision Interactive Technologies Ltd. and acquiring a 9 percent stake in the Israeli AI-based person- and object-recognition start-up.
Allegion plc, a global security products and solutions provider, has agreed to acquire ISONAS through one of its subsidiaries. The transaction is expected to close early in the third quarter of 2018, subject to customary closing conditions.
ADS Security, ranked No. 19 on the SDM 100, has acquired the customer accounts of Systems By Design in Oxford, Ala. This marks the fourth acquisition for ADS in 2018 and the 27th acquisition over the last five years.
Per Mar Security Services, a provider of total security solutions for residential and commercial clients based in Davenport, Iowa, received Honeywell Platinum Authorized Dealer status for 2018. The award states certification in all aspects of sales and service of the complete product line of Honeywell Security and Fire products.
Avigilon Corporation extended its video analytics platform to the H4 SL and H4 mini dome camera lines with the addition of Unusual Motion Detection (UMD) technology.
Red Hawk Fire & Security LLC., ranked No. 7 on SDM’s Top Systems Integrators Report, acquired Security and Data Technologies Inc. (SDT), to continue extending its reach to customers in Philadelphia, and the tri-state area of Eastern Pennsylvania, Central and Southern New Jersey and Delaware.
Customers of Perennial Software’s AlarmBiller and SedonaOne cloud-based management applications were without access to the systems for several days beginning the weekend of July 14 due to a cyber attack.
Bold Technologies, a provider of alarm monitoring software, is pleased to announce it has completed a long-planned merger with Perennial Software, a provider of management software in the security industry. The companies will become one, with Bold bringing Perennial’s line of products, including SedonaOffice and AlarmBiller, under its umbrella.
Regionally based Priority One Security, ranked No. 42 on the SDM 100, has successfully executed the acquisition and merger of Fleetwood Security. Fleetwood Security is based in Cartersville, Ga. It has been operated by Billy Fleetwood and the Fleetwood family members. For more than 20 years Fleetwood Security has provided residential and commercial integrated security solutions to the Atlanta metropolitan areas.
Arecont Vision, provider of IP-based megapixel camera and video surveillance solutions, announced the acquisition of its assets by Costar Technologies Inc. has been approved by the bankruptcy court. Arecont said in a press release it anticipates the sale will close on July 13, 2018.
ESA’s National Training School has updated requirements for obtaining its most popular certifications, including the Certified Alarm Technician Level II (CAT II), the Certified Fire Alarm Technician Level II (CFAT) and the Certified Fire Alarm Designer (CFAD) Level III. The changes allow for certifications to meet the evolving requirements of many states and make them more valuable for industry professionals.
Vicon Industries announced that training and certification for its Valerus Video Management System is now available as a convenient online course. Following the same curriculum as Vicon’s popular in-person training program, the new online class provides in-depth instruction on all aspects of Valerus, from setup and programming to operational capabilities and special features. Coursework includes hands-on learning and exercises that make use of the actual Valerus software. In addition, participants are encouraged to connect to any standard ONVIF compliant camera to simulate the most realistic user experience. The new online, on-demand format allows participants to schedule classes at their convenience, log-in from a location of their choice and learn at their own pace.
SecuraTrac, a provider of mobile health and safety solutions focused on senior safety, employee well-being and the healthcare industry, announces its MobileDefender Model S (MD-S) is now integrated into the EMERgency24 Mass Notification system. Users of EMERgency24 will now have new channels of communication during an emergency via the MD-S device.
GreatAmerica Financial Services announced the release today of AV AMP, a new financial bundling product that incorporates monthly service fees into invoices from systems integrators and contractors. AV AMP simplifies the often confusing AV market transactions that separate the equipment purchase from the service agreement on separate invoices. Moreover, AV AMP helps those who aren’t consistently selling service agreements get started.
ROG Security Cloud Service from ROG Security Inc. enhances a facility’s video system with real-time video threat analysis by using ROG’s cloud-based artificial intelligence and advanced neural network learning system.
Chase perforated guards are used in federal prisons, HUD projects, rehabilitation centers, hotels, hospitals, universities, factories, and more to prevent false alarms and malfunctions due to vandalism.
Kwikset brand of Spectrum Brands Inc. — Hardware & Home Improvement division, released the Obsidian, a visually striking, low-profile touchscreen electronic deadbolt.
Arecont Vision’s new Contera megapixel camera family are available in five series of two cameras each, loaded with features and new capabilities to complement the popular and cyber-secure Mega camera family.
The release of version 14.2 of the PureActiv geospatial video management and video analytics software includes a series of features focused on user map interaction, system deployment and reliability.
Keri Systems Inc. announced the release of Bluetooth-enabled access control with Intelliprox Blue, a controller that is designed to handle basic access control at a single door.
Illustra IntelliZip enables users to lower the amount of bandwidth and storage needed by their video surveillance system while maintaining video quality and reducing costs.
The Alarm Lock Division of Napco Security Technologies’ keyless school security measure for controlling access to classrooms, or any doors, in an emergency, with its ArchiTech Wireless access locks with remote keyfob-activated lockdown, is designed to secure one lock or a global lock group, in seconds, at the first hint of trouble.
Genetec’s new feature for its AutoVu automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) solution is designed to allow vehicles to share license plate data while out on patrol.
Camden Door Controls’ restroom control solution, the CM-2520/48 push-to-open and push-to-lock combo push plate switch is designed for use in OBC code-compliant barrier-free restroom control systems.
Illustra IntelliZip enables users to lower the amount of bandwidth and storage needed by their video surveillance system while maintaining video quality and reducing costs.
Speco Technologies’ a-live multi-zone music distribution combines features such as Wi-Fi connection, app control and music service streaming, but also adds features and durability required for use in commercial environments.
Per Mar Security Services received the Five Diamond Certification from The Monitoring Association again this year. Five Diamond Certification is granted to monitoring centers that meet the five points of excellence.