They say a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. So perhaps it was fortuitous that the founding partners of Stone Security — all members of the Edmunds family in Salt Lake City — had no background in security integration when they formed the company in 2006. Steve Edmunds, a retired Air Force captain and Delta Airlines pilot, started the business with his sons and son-in-law after a brief foray into residential security, which they quickly discovered wasn’t for them.

As one of six distinct security-related divisions of a global powerhouse, this year’s Systems Integrator of the Year draws on the history of not one, but two long-standing companies, along with a deep commitment to its employees and customers, and a strong understanding of technology to distinguish itself from the competition.

LVC Companies Inc. (formerly Low Voltage Contractors) began as it would continue — as an entrepreneurial leap of faith brought about by a customer’s need.

Imagine what you would do if you had the opportunity to create your ideal security integration company from scratch.

The SDM Systems Integrator of the Year award is based on a host of criteria including unmistakable success, a high level of innovation, best practices, growth and the unique ways they’ve approached their business, the industry, and the community around them.

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

Kastle Systems was founded on core principles of service and innovation, and in 2007 new owners expanded on that. Today, their commitment to constantly improving customers’ experiences and their delivery of exciting new technologies win them SDM’s 2015 Systems Integrator of the Year award.

SDM Systems Integrator of the Year honoree acts like a small company and thereby creates customer intimacy while at the same time functions like a large, mature company in terms of processes and standardization.