Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/31791
32 MONITORING www.securitysystemsnews.com JUNE 2011 SECURITY SYSTEMS NEWS CMS partners with UPG for discounted pricing By Daniel Gelinas LONGWOOD, Fla.—CMS, the largest whole- sale monitoring center in the U.S. with over 800,000 subscribers and more than 4,000 dealers, on May 4 announced a partnership with Universal Power Group, a supplier and distributor of batteries and power acces- sories, as well as a provider of supply chain services. CMS dealers will receive discounted pric- ing on UPG products and services through its UPG Dealer Parts Club, a program offering discounted batteries and security hardware to CMS dealers. CMS president Tony Wilson feels the part- nership is a good fit. “This partnership gives CMS an exclu- sive offering for our dealers while enabling UPG to expand into new markets. By partnering with CMS, UPG will receive a high level of visibility among our more than 4,000 CMS dealers who are looking to purchase alarm equipment. This will allow UPG to expand their customer base and grow their product lines while offering most products at a discounted price,” Wilson said. Wilson said the deal helps CMS earn dealers’ loyalty and help both “build RMR together.” Ian Edmonds, president and CEO of UPG said dealers have access to “com- petitive pricing made possible by volume consolidation but without the hassle of purchasing in large quantities.” Qualified de alers are also “extended terms to help with their financ- es and operations,” Edmonds said. Effective now, dealers complete a brief account set-up processes before they can take advantage of the deal. SSN Tony Wilson Dispatch evolution Continued from page 31 samples tested that over 50 percent— and usually over 75 percent—of data needs correction. We can automate this process.” Goldberg said he expected the service to be ready sometime in the third quarter of 2011. U911 CTO Rick Peters said the part- nership would be very beneficial to all involved. SSN has the news YOU need! Don’t delay...get your FREE subscription today! www.ssnsubscribe.com theplusfactor super-size your access control Maximal Access Power Controllers provide seamless power and independent control for as many as 16 electric door hardware devices. Available in a wide range of power configurations for 12VDC or 24VDC devices, or both. Super-size your access control systems with Maximal from Altronix. “For [central stations] this partner- ship means it’s going to take a lot less effort to maintain customer databases. And those databases will be much more accurate when they dispatch the cor- rect responding agency to a valid address… It’s saved time, saved money, and saved lives,” Peters said. “The interface we’ve developed with SGS works in real time, so even if the customer is 5-years-old or 10-years-old, the emergency contact information is current. Anyone who needs emergency dispatch will benefit from this.” According to SGS, the integration is important because of the resulting cre- ation of a quality database of addresses and PSAPs, which allows central sta- tions to function without the worry of encountering outdated or incorrect PSAP contact information. The integra- tion will also aid in the implementation of the CSAA/APCO Alarm Interface program currently underway, according to Goldberg. The goal of the automated data exchange interface program is to migrate central station/PSAP communications from voice-to-voice to computer-aided-dis- patch (CAD-to-CAD). This allows monitor- ing companies and PSAPs to communicate alarm events and status updates electronically. The goal is to mini- mize human involve- ment—and therefore the possibility for human error—in the transfer of data between central stations and PSAPs. The program was initiated in the city of Richmond, Va. and has seen contributions by Vector Security and that company’s pres- ident Pam Petrow. United Central Control and Monitronics also recently began pilot- ing the program, which many hope will become industry standard. SSN AlarmSoft expands Continued from page 31 their end users and offer the ability to get rid of or avoid a DVR,” Brackett said. “We’ve got the programmers, we’ve got the technology and the means, and now we’ve got the space. So we’re gauging the interest among our dealers. Once this thing is in place, you’ll be able to use your smart- phones, your PDAs, your Android, your Windows mobile device, your iPad … All we’ll need is the MAC address and the IPs for the cameras … We’ll host.” More than just power.™ Lifetime Warranty • Made in the U.S.A. info@altronix.com • 1.888.258.7669 • altronix.com 4203MP Altronix Maximal line ad RA SSN 1/3 sq Brackett said the new office space would give AlarmSoft the ability to expand its staff by adding more personnel to handle technical support, software programming, IT services and increased diagnostic and repair services. AlarmSoft recently debuted such popular central station software tools as Signal-Me and an operator aware- ness application to help central sta- tions function more efficiently. Signal-Me works with AlarmSoft’s Central Works 2000 alarm auto- mation software and its Wizard module to facili- tate the automatic output of nearly any account infor- mation in the form of an email or text message to any web-enabled device, such as a laptop, mobile phone, blackberry or PDA. The operator alertness app helps central station managers ensure that signals that need and deserve attention don’t go unnoticed. SSN