Blog Archives
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Siemens makes lots of sense with new business unit
By Deborah L. O'Mara - Thursday October 20, 2011Siemens Building Technologies Division’s Fire Safety and Security business units recently merged to form a single business unit, Fire Safety and Security (FSS). It makes a lot of sense as security and fire solutions continue to merge and converge. And Siemens, with a great reputation in the marketplace for listening to the customer, delivering on its promises and moving forward at light speed with technologies and solutions, has also done well with its appointments in the new business unit. “The synergies that exist between the fire and security product and solution offerings, especially in the areas of Mass Notification and Siemens Intelligent Response, allow us to penetrate the market and offer customers the integrated... -
PSA Security Network and BICSI: partners in training
By Deborah L. O'Mara - Tuesday October 11, 2011Teamwork—partnerships—working together. It’s so critical today and will continue to be as we work to foster a more integrated security environment. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that PSA Security Network and BICSI announced a partnership to promote electronic safety and security training. This is a natural evolution for both organizations, especially since BICSI recently unveiled a security credential to its information technology systems members called the Electronic Safety and Security (ESS) Designer. According to BICSI, ESS Designers are at the forefront of IP convergence, IP video surveillance, access control and intrusion detection systems with this new credential. At PSA-Tec 2011, over 10 courses provided... -
Women's Security Council kicks off ASIS with tweet-up
By Deborah L. O'Mara - Monday September 19, 2011New faces and more buzz was heard as the Women’s Security Council ( www.wscouncil.com ) held its first Tweet-Up, kicking off what’s sure to be a host of great activities at ASIS in Orlando this week. WSC members attended the informal gathering and discussed upcoming activities, including another eWebinar in October, a grand presence at ISC Solutions in New York where a cocktail reception on the show floor is planned, as well as the launch of its Women of the Year Awards, slated for 2012 ISC West. WSC formally launched at ISC West 2011 in Las Vegas and since then has published monthly e-newsletters, unveiled its new website and continues to look at the future of the new networking and mentoring organization. Keep watching the WSC... -
Ackerman Security embraces technology, goes paperless
By Deborah L. O'Mara - Thursday September 1, 2011Ackerman Security Systems in Atlanta recently opened a new 32,000-square-foot facility and said it will also create jobs to account for the company’s substantial growth. Ackerman Security serves approximately 70,000 customers in the region and has some 258 employees. The company is also adding an office in the Washington, D.C. area, the first time it has expanded from its regional Georgia roots—which date back 44 years. The company has doubled its RMR and account base over the last five to six years, accomplishing this lofty goal almost 100 percent organically. So what’s the secret to their success—even in the lingering recession? Excuse a somewhat overused phrase: thinking outside the box! One of their more recent... -
Tablet wars are on! It’s the year of the tablet, or so it seems.
By Deborah L. O'Mara - Tuesday July 26, 2011According to a recent report by InformationWeek.com, Apple is riding high in profitability, stemming from iPhone and iPad2 sales. (Apple's record fiscal Q3 revenue reached $28.57 billion, with a net profit of $7.31 billion, or $7.79 per diluted share.) After Apple got the tablet ball rolling, the wave of entrants from the smartphone crowd included Samsung, Motorola, HTC and RIM. Other new entrants include: Lenovo, HP, Dell, Toshiba, Sony, NEC and ASUS. Some are hinting Amazon will soon do the tablet dance. Now while you may be obsessed with Angry Birds on your iPad, for the systems integrators, these tablets hold so much power and can put you in a nice position with your customers above the competition. So what can an iPad or similar... -
Joe Gibbs, ESX and the meaning of it all
By Deborah L. O'Mara - Monday June 13, 2011Joe Gibbs, ESX and the meaning of it all Having just returned from a highly successful ESX show in Charlotte where the educational sessions, networking, speakers and exhibits were top in its class, I struggled with what to write about because it was all key (and you will see more on SIW and the coming July issue of SD&I magazine) but decided to focus on the session by former Washington Redskins Head Coach Joe Gibbs, now turned NASCAR team owner. The keynote luncheon was one of the stellar highlights of the events because Joe Gibbs brought, quite frankly, the meaning of it all to me. We all run hurriedly from event to event and meeting to meeting; staring at our smart phones and not really interacting face to face when we should be... -
ESX 2011 education: the IP migration
By Deborah L. O'Mara - Wednesday June 8, 2011ESX 2011 education: the IP migration Education kicked off with a bang yesterday with more sessions in business development and management; central station operations; installation management, RMR; sales and marketing; technology; and workshops on the books for the second full day of the busy show today in Charlotte. Integrators eager to gain prowess in technical and business management crowded the sessions, poised with queries in hand in an effort to do business better and secure their success in the ever-evolving security marketplace. In the session: Migrating to IP Technology it was consistently clear that selling hardware alone, with shrinking and sometimes non-existent profit margins, just won’t cut it anymore. Speakers Tim... -
Crossing the chasm
By Deborah L. O'Mara - Thursday May 19, 2011Exclusive PSA-TEC coverage: crossing the chasm Several times during PSA-TEC this week in Westminster, Colo., I heard about “crossing the chasm,” a theory and thought process by Geoffrey Moore for marketing high-tech products, different strategies than other industries. This theory follows the technology adoption lifecycle and as Dr. Bob Banerjee of NICE Systems pointed out, every technology goes though this cycle. While it’s a type of technology curve to adoption, Banerjee pointed out that you have to ‘cross a chasm’ from the visionary to pragmatist stage, and that’s what is currently happening with IP video, video analytics, video management, PSIM and other services-based technological offerings... -
Streaming live from PSA-TEC
By Deborah L. O'Mara - Thursday April 28, 2011Streaming live from PSA-TEC As a premier media sponsor to the upcoming PSA-TEC show in Westminster, Colo., we have the inside skinny on all the cool educational and networking functions scheduled for the event, May 16 through 20 at the Westin Westminster. PSA Security Network members and PSA-TEC will literally take over the hotel grounds for education, exhibits and lots of other events designed to bring out the best in networking and training. Securityinfowatch.com and SD&I magazine will be streaming live video and reporting daily from the show to bring you all the action if you can’t attend in person or want to scope out all the coverage while you’re there. State of the industry panel streamed live... -
AICC focuses on national monitoring license
By Deborah L. O'Mara - Thursday April 21, 2011AICC Focus on National Monitoring License The Alarm Industry Communications Committee (AICC), organized as a subcommittee of the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) unanimously voted to move forward with the extensively deliberated initiative creating a nationally recognized monitoring license. AICC form ed a subcommittee that will focus its energy on central monitoring companies engaged in interstate commerce, a particular portion of the industry that appears to have been an afterthought in otherwise well-developed state and local legislature. The subcommittee is co-chaired by Jim McMullen, president of C.O.P.S. Monitoring, Williamstown, N.J., and Bill Cooper, ADT Security Services’ industry...
