Security Partners acquires Response Center USA

LANCASTER, Pa.—Security Partners, a wholesale monitoring company based here, has acquired San Antonio, Texas-based Response Center USA, a move that adds “better than 100 dealers” to its network, Mike Bodnar, president of Security Partners, told Security Systems News.

The added accounts, mostly in Texas, comprise roughly a three-way split between commercial, residential and PERS accounts. The UL-listed central station, whose call operators, supervisors and shift personnel are all bilingual, monitors burglar and fire alarms, PERS devices and video alarms, and offers IP monitoring services.

“We've had the desire to acquire a second central station for hot-redundancy to benefit our dealer base for quite a while,” Bodnar said. “Having a second center in a different time zone, with a different power grid will provide true redundancy to benefit our dealers.”

In an alarm monitoring context, redundancy is a good thing. The acquisition of a “hot-redundant” central station means Security Partners now has two central stations sharing alarm volume. This offers several benefits, most notably the reduced response times that result when a busy central station can offload some of its alarm volume to a less burdened location.

“Since we are located on the East Coast, we have busy periods in the mornings as businesses open for the day," Bodnar said. "Because our San Antonio center is in the Central Time Zone, we can help offset alarm volume during each center's peak hours."

In addition to dispersing alarm volume, a second central station in a different region provides a sound insurance policy in the event of adverse weather conditions, natural disasters or large-scale power outages, Bodnar noted.

The acquisition also stands to benefit Security Partners' Advanced Services Division, the company's managed video and access control initiative launched in Oct. 2012. Security Partners uses VideoIQ, an intelligent video surveillance solution, for its monitored video service and analytics platform.

“We already have a lot of Response Center dealers coming on board for advanced service with our VideoIQ offering,” Bodnar said, adding that the highly customizable video surveillance service presents a “nice opportunity for Security Partners to put in an advanced security offering for the benefit of Response Center dealers.”

Part of integrating the new central station includes a training component for Response Center operators to help foster a team in Texas devoted to video analytics, managed video and other Advanced Services Division initiatives.

The transition is expected to be relatively seamless, Bodnar said, adding that both the Response Center USA name and location will remain unchanged. Security Partners plans to inject additional capital into the central station, while adding new services, including those associated with the Advanced Security Division.

Bodnar cited compatible needs and parallel philosophies as factors aiding the transition.

“We share that same approach for customization and personalization,” he said. “We shared the need for redundancy, and that shared philosophy allowed us to hit the ground running in terms of reaching out to dealers on both sides and bringing them into the family.”