"It’s time for the entrepreneurs of this industry—and that’s the majority of you in this business—to rise up and seize all there is to offer."
I always lock my doors and windows. I gravitate to these openings like a restless spirit until I know they are secured and my system is turned on. I recall with vivid detail the day the neighbor’s house was rushed by an intruder. A car hijacker drove into our Chicago neighborhood of Norwood Park with police in pursuit, abandoning the vehicle a short distance away--scaling fences and dodging dogs to elude authorities.
Four houses down lived a nice family I’d known for years. They had a dog named Coco and she was a big chocolate Labrador retriever. That afternoon, the car thief picked their house to enter but Coco wasn’t having any of it, bringing down the man in a flurry of activity. The story has a happy ending—no one was hurt and the offender went to jail. For me, it reinforced the need for security, because anytime, anywhere, you can be vulnerable.
Security and safety has always been critical for everyone and this industry has been doing a fantastic job promoting it. But now, it’s so much more than security and it can add tons more value. So it’s time for the entrepreneurs of this industry—and that’s the majority of you—to rise up and seize all there is to offer. It’s you, the entrepreneur, who knows how to use the latest technologies to bring security to many different vertical markets, residential and commercial. And it’s this entrepreneurial energy that’s going to be needed in the coming months and years as the U.S. digs itself out of one of the worst recessions in decades. We need everyone to get the word out that this is the industry to turn to for the best consultative and technological offerings. That this industry is the one that can help bring back a sense of safety and security to all. And finally, that this is the industry that can offer the latest signaling and communications products as well as video and remote monitoring, environmental sensors, energy management, personal emergency response and a whole slew of solutions that make life easier, safer and more efficient.
The possibilities for profitability are endless and we’ve tapped some inside this issue. Check out the parking vertical market story, page 24. It’s unbelievable how much activity there is in that area. And in this vertical we have a fantastic discussion on the use of fiber optics in parking facilities, included as part of our in-depth content.
There’s so much here to help you grow your business—read about network monitoring in our central stations/Web monitoring piece, page 54. These organizations are network savvy and integrators are counting on them to provide secure, yet accessible services.
I recently read about magazines being rated on their usability. I hope SD&I is of use to you and I also look forward to hearing from you on how we can make it better and bring you the stories you want and need to read. So here’s to the entrepreneur in all of us!
