Integrators '20 under 40' 2017—Gregory Keeling

Gregory Keeling, 38

VP, New York Security Solutions

Flushing, N.Y.

Gregory Keeling, who was with New York Security Solutions when it was founded in 2004, said that from day one the company has tried to do things its own way.

“We started in 2004 with only IP—never touched analog,” he said. “We are not the typical integration company. For instance, many of us have IT backgrounds, and some of us are CCNAs [Cisco Certified Network Associates] and some of us are Microsoft-certified engineers, which has allowed us to differentiate ourselves from our competition from day one.”

Keeling grew up around the industry. His father was in security, and he and his brothers worked with him growing up. “I've operated on access control systems that run on DOS, which is pretty weird for someone my age,” he noted. “I got such an early start in the industry that I was working on access control systems before there was even a Windows OS to use with them”

Seeing the whole change from analog to IP has given him a unique perspective on where the industry is going. “I have a good eye for finding new and emerging companies that can really bring value to the security market,” he explained. “My approach in terms of how we operate is definitely unorthodox. I sell a lot of business intelligence, and I obviously layer that with security. I am responsible for system design and implementation for some large projects, including globally, where we are growing at a quick pace.”

Keeling is excited about emerging technologies such as video and data analytics. “We are probably around five years away from video surveillance really having a shot at replacing access control. Access control as we know it—RFID, card access—is going to be somewhat gone and all that is going to be left is video and Bluetooth low energy.”