DICE rolls out MS software

BAY CITY, Mich.--The DICE Corporation will debut its new Microsoft-based SQL-powered Central Station Monitoring Software at ISC West. The new software, dubbed CSMS, utilizes the latest technology inherent in Microsoft's new Windows Vista operating system, as well as the Microsoft .Net platform. Mike Simpson, DICE chief executive officer, said, "We are using the leading edge development tools that Microsoft uses internally, these are going to position us to roll out new products that are going to be far superior to anything else on the marketplace. Our dealers are going to be able to get their data in a more efficient manner, and they'll be able to do it themselves--we call it 'mining the data.'" With the new software, DICE's dealers will be able to generate reports on their individual customer base. "Maybe they want to drill down and see how much market share they have in a particular geographical area," or see what kind of alarm panels their clients have. "Our leading-edge clients are pushing us to the nth degree," said Simpson. Lesley Guyse, chief operating officer of DICE, said "The next version of our central station software is lightyears beyond what's out there." The biggest change in the new system is that "it's going to be SQL-based. We will be using all the experience we've had so far in rewriting and improving the engine," said Guyse. "We'll have much more robust custom-query tools, drag-and-drop interface for making reports, a real benefit to independent central stations." DICE made the decision "because of what Microsoft has. We're moving more into the MS world because that's where things are happening." Simpson mentioned that they will have tech support available, "there will be a multi-year transition period. We're offering classes, with a ton of emphasis on training" offered to DICE's dealers. In the first three months of '07, DICE announced that it had collaborated with idataGATE to create the Virtual Security Management System, enabled by DICE's new CSMS software (the "universal" system is able to monitor video, access control, intrusion alarms, VoIP, HVAC, and lighting) and Time Warner Security, a division of Time Warner Cable, broadcasted the fact that it had successfully implemented DICE's central station monitoring software. At ISC West, DICE will also be demonstrating its new inbound/outbound Voice Automation text-to-speech system, currently undergoing beta-testing. "We're making a $4 million investment over the course of the next two years," said Simpson. "We're coming into the new year with an incredibly fast start."