Security Systems News

June 2011

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SECURITY SYSTEMS NEWS JUNE 2011 www.securitysystemsnews.com MONITORING 31 BRIEFS Well known monitoring exec makes a move ST. LOUIS—MJ Vance, vice president of operations and business development at CenterPoint Technologies, in April announced that she had parted ways with the company. Vance said she is not sure where she was going yet, but that she is keeping all her prospects open. Asked why she was moving on, Vance said the departure was amicable and simply a sign of growth. Vance said her plans were to stay with- in the security industry, and that she is particularly interested in the PERS indus- try. In the meantime, she said she “may take the summer off and ride cross coun- try on my Harley.” It was not so long ago that another well-known and well-liked leader in the central station space moved over into PERS when Southwest Dispatch’s VP Ty Davis moved to Life Alert. Power Home Technologies signs up with Monitronics DALLAS—A new partnership between “one of the top dealers in the coun- try” and Monitronics, one of the largest wholesale monitoring companies in the country, means only good things, accord- ing to both parties. Monitronics’ dealer marketing supervi- sor Renee Mallonee told Security Systems News PHT was an important addition to the Monitronics team. “The partnership with Power Home Technology is a big win for us,” Mallonee said. Power Home Technologies CEO Ben Brookhart agrees the partnership is a good fit. “Monitronics allows us to build our PHT brand and identity with our own yard signs, window decals, advertisement, and referral relationships,” Brookhart said. CSAA debuts new membership campaign VIENNA, Va.—CSAA debuted a new membership marketing campaign recent- ly at ISC West and will carry the message at ESX. “One of the powers of the CSAA is education and networking, staying con- nected,” CSAA membership director Becky Lane told Security Systems News at ISC West. “The artwork for this cam- paign promotes the primal elements of survival, whether it is taken as a heart- beat, a brain wave, sound wave.” The new campaign’s artwork depicts a complex, multicolored waveform; a visual representation of a pulse. CSAA director of marketing and com- munications Monique Silverio said the organization is finding “that there is a renewed fervor for national licensing and regulation.” She said all of the associa- tions—CSAA, SIA, ASIS, and ESA—are working on standards. “And we need members’ help and participation.” SGS/U911 deliver better What are they doing right? Bold experiences record growth year in 2010 By Daniel Gelinas emergency services dispatch By Daniel Gelinas DALLAS—A new technol- ogy partnership aims to sim- plify and speed up 911 dis- patch for central stations. Furthermore, the partnership aligns with current efforts on the part of the Central Station Alarm Association and the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials. Both the CSAA and APCO are working to streamline and automate central station/ public safety answering point (PSAP) communications. A PSAP is a call center respon- sible for answering calls to an emergency telephone number for police, firefighting, and ambulance services. Trained telephone operators at the PSAP are usually responsible for answer- ing calls from central stations and end users. PSAPs dis- patch the appropriate emergency services. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.— Central station automation plat- form provider Bold Technologies in March announced it had experienced its largest increase in growth during the past ten years with a recession- defying 45 percent growth rate in 2010. In a year that was financially difficult for many, what did the company do right? The key to Bold’s success, according to company presi- dent Rod Coles, is an unwavering focus on people— both customers and staff. “Probably the most important first. You’ve got to keep your customers happy,” Coles told Security Systems News. “You really have to work at it. It’s also very important if you want to grow and do well to look after your staff. We continue to look after them and keep the employees as a key part of what we do. They’re just as important as the customers.” Rod Coles Coles also said the Manitou platform, with new features and planned additions, remains an invalu- thing we’ve been doing is focus- ing on the existing customers. If you look at any type of clas- sical recession economy, you have to focus on what you have able tool for its central station clients. “We’ve announced BoldTrack which is our GPS module. We’ll fully release it this year. The other thing we did is mobile apps… We demonstrated our mobile apps—particularly for the Android—last year. One of our big new products is the Mediagateway—which won a Maximum Impact Award,” Coles said, noting MediaGateway inte- grates different media including telephony, voice, SMS technol- ogy, and data. “We try and give our customers tools rather than a single solution.” Coles said MediaGateway provides significantly increased efficiencies and revenue-gen- erating opportunities for both central stations and alarm deal- ers. “One of the big things we’ve done since the early days is we wanted one point of control, so we integrate with lots of differ- ent devices and technologies so you can have one user experi- ence. If I have a Honeywell camera or a March Networks camera, from an operator point of view, it doesn’t matter.” SSN MOVING UP & EXPANDING CENTRAL STATION SOFTWARE NEWS By Daniel Gelinas Hank Goldberg The technology partnership involves central station auto- mation platform provider SGS and U911, a provider of loca- tion data software. SGS will integrate U911’s “address vali- dation solution” into its stages central station platform. SGS VP Hank Goldberg said the integration aligns with ongoing efforts by the CSAA and others to automate and otherwise evolve central sta- tion to PSAP communications. “SGS has been working on automated dispatch since its inception and we worked hard to learn about different provid- ers of data to the 911 centers,” Goldberg told Security Systems News. “All alarm companies have incorrect data that can- not be transmitted to PSAPs for dispatch. We know from DISPATCH see page 32 VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.— Central station software provider AlarmSoft recently completed a move to a new headquarters to allow room for growth and to prepare for a possible expansion of services with the planned building of a server farm. AlarmSoft GM Chris Brackett said the move was overdue. “We had a small space in a building that was rented out to four other clients as well. We had maybe a 500- square-foot room that we were jammed into. It was just time n For a more robust version of stories in this section, see: WWW.SECURITYSYSTEMSNEWS.COM to spread out,” Brackett said. “The space we’re in now is about double where we were at before. Right now we’re just stretching out, but we’re looking to add new staff as our business picks up and takes off.” The server farm, accord- ing to Brackett, is still in the planning stages, but the company is ready to leverage its new space, as well as its technology and know-how to add video services to its core central station software operation. “When we get this done, it will allow any dealer who deals in IP cameras to go to ALARMSOFT see page 32 Micro Key’s mobile apps By Daniel Gelinas KISSIMEE, Fla.—Two new smartphone apps from central station automation platform provider Micro Key will help integrators and central stations save time and money and run more effi- ciently, according to Micro Key busi- ness development manager Victoria Ferro. “This is a service for the dealers, but both central stations and dealers will benefit,” Ferro told Security Systems News. “Dealers can put their accounts on and off test without central station operator intervention, free- ing them up to handle actual “Dealers can put their accounts on and off test without central station operator intervention, freeing them up to handle actual alarms.” —Victoria Ferro, Micro Key alarms. Central stations can also bring on more dealers without having to add opera- tors.” Usually, dealers need to call the central station and have an operator put an account “on and off test.” The opera- tor takes the account offline in order to put it on test and puts it back online to take it off test. This process ties up an operator’s valu- able time. WebTech and Mobile Vir tual Operator, both of which Micro Key— provider of the Millennium automation platform— debuted in Las Vegas at ISC West, are tools designed to MICRO KEY see page 33

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