Interface Security Systems buys Westec Intelligent Surveillance

LAS VEGAS—Interface Security Systems a St. Louis-based integrator, acquired Westec Intelligent Surveillance, Jeffrey Frye, Interface VP sales and marketing told Security Systems News on March 28.

Frye said the bundling of services will mean more capabilities for customers of both companies at a better price. Westec and Interface customers include Fortune 500 names in the retail, QSR and hospitality industries.

“We each have a sweet spot in multi-site customers and in retail and commercial,” Frye said. Now we can “offer a higher-value video surveillance product that is really without parallel in the marketplace. Interface also has other value-added services [such as]  PCI, data security to complement physical security, so the two companies together can provide a greater feature set that we are eager to unleash in the marketplace.”

Terms of the deal were not announced. Westec has 200 employees and $1.7 million in RMR. ISS has 650 employees and 22 offices in North America. With the addition of Westec, it will have approximately $7.6 million in RMR, according to Frye. Interface has “120,000 monitored accounts that represent 480,000 edge devices that it monitors,”  he said. Westec monitors approximately 20,000 customers locations, he said.

Founded in 1996, Westec is based in Coppell, Texas and is considered a pioneer in bringing interactive video and audio monitoring to the market. Today it offers interactive monitored video solutions and virtual business management tools at 20,000 customer locations across the country.

Interface is a provider of IP-managed cloud services, which introduced cloud based managed physical and logical service offerings. Last summer, Interface announced that it was certified as an Advanced Managed Services Channel Partner by Cisco, and in July ISS began marketing its Secure Managed Cloud Services through a special Cisco program.

Last fall, Interface announced a huge managed cloud services deal with 9,500 Dollar General stores that was expected to generate more than $100 million in “top line revenue for interface.”

“The combination of Interface and Westec creates the only nationwide managed service provider of security solutions (alarm, video, access control) along with VoIP and secure broadband in a cloud based architecture,” Interface founder and CEO Michael Shaw said in a prepared statement. “Our customers now have access to best in class video monitoring services. From searchable point-of-sale and video integration to auditing of customer service with a remote secret shopper to interactive guard tours, these services will now be delivered with improved quality and availability via the Interface Secure Managed Cloud.”

Westec President and CEO Kelby Hagar said in a prepared statement: “Until now surveillance applications have been at the mercy of a third party broadband provider to deliver the service … Now the Interface Secure Managed Cloud takes control of the broadband service to ensure remote video access with the best picture quality, to create the most actionable evidence and ultimately creating the highest customer satisfaction.”

The deal also brings a second central station to Interface, noted John Mack,EVP and managing director at Imperial Capital, which advised Westec on the deal. Westec has a central station in Dallas and Interface has a central in Earth City, Mo.

Mack said that the combined companies will be able to offer customers, such a Dollar General, more advanced solutions. "If a Dollar General [for example,] wants to increase its video capabilities in its stores, Interface now has the perfect solution to do that at scale better than anyone," he said.