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by: Rich Miller - Wednesday, February 8, 2012

While sunny Florida hasn’t quite lived up to its billing—blue sky has been scarce, at least so far —the eighth annual TechSec, a two-day conference being held in Delray Beach, is definitely meeting expectations.

Many of the security industry’s top players are here, and the presentations and discussions have been lively. The monitoring world was well represented at Tuesday’s session, with Morgan Hertel, VP and general manager for Mace CS, and Jerry Cordasco, VP of operations for G4S Technology, among the presenters. Do video analytics really work? Is your cloud provider secure? Those were among the topics debated, with some energetic exchanges between the audience and the experts on the dais.

Day Two kicked off with William Rhodes, a market analyst for IMS Research, giving TechSec attendees a look at what to expect in video surveillance technology in 2012 and beyond. The rest of the day features sessions on implementing current vs. emerging technology in long-term projects; PIV (personal identity verification) being propelled into the private sector; and SaaS (software as a service) and ROI for the end user.

The conference wraps up with the next generation of security practitioners discussing new technology and how it will affect the industry. Four members of Security Directors News’ “20 Under 40” class of 2012 are on the panel, including Whit Chaiyabhat, director of emergency management and operational continuity at Georgetown University, and Christopher Chapeta, physical security specialist for Chevron.

I had the chance to talk with both of them yesterday, and for anyone in the security industry skeptical of those who have grown up with the Internet, cellphones and social media, I have good news: If these folks are typical of those who will guide the industry in the future, it’s in good hands.

For those who couldn’t join the TechSec this year, there’s always 2013. And you can get a taste of what you missed in the coming days in SSN. 

Tags:
TechSec, Morgan Hertel, Jerry Cordasco, Whit Chaiyabhat, Christopher Chapeta
by: Rich Miller - Friday, February 3, 2012

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

That’s good advice for anyone who lets their hair down too far after the sun sets in Sin City, but it turns out central station managers attending ISC West can take something away from Vegas, too: certification as trainers.

Central Station University is offering the recently revised SIA-APCO Central Station Operator Instructor Course from March 25-28 at the Tuscany Suites and Casino. According to the CSU, the “Train the Trainer” course has been substantially updated to reflect changes in the industry.

“Central station technologies and procedures evolve constantly with the needs of our customers,” CSU President Dera DeRoche-Jolet said in a prepared statement. “We wanted to make sure the class reflects what current operator-trainees need to know.”

The course revisions cover newer monitoring systems, techniques for false alarm reduction, a more detailed explanation of alarm signal formats, and an expanded discussion of customer service.

For managers who can’t find the time to take the course in Vegas, a second session is scheduled in June in Orlando, Fla. Additional classes also will be offered later this year. For more information, call the CSU at 888-619-6970 or go to www.thecsu.org.

Topic:
Monitoring
Tags:
Central Station University, CSU, Train the Trainer, ISC West, SIA, APCO
by: Rich Miller - Friday, January 27, 2012

The alarm industry was caught off guard at the end of December when the San Jose (Calif.) Police Department implemented a non-response policy for unverified alarms. Now the California Alarm Association is regrouping and is rallying members to discuss what comes next.

To that end, the Silicon Valley Alarm Association, a CAA affiliate, will be holding a lunch meeting next week, with the San Jose situation at the top of the agenda. The meeting is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, at the Silicon Valley Capital Club in San Jose. Anyone interested in attending is asked to RSVP by calling 800-437-7658, Ext. 3, or by emailing the SVAA/CAA office at info@caaonline.org.

Sharon Elder, a police liaison for the Orange County Alarm Association, told SSN earlier this month that San Jose's new policy is similar to one adopted in Dallas several years ago. Dallas' policy has since been repealed because "it just doesn't provide good policing," she said.

Industry officials are hoping San Jose comes to the same conclusion. Concerned alarm company owners and city residents can learn the latest at Wednesday's session.

Tags:
California Alarm Association, CAA, Silicon Valley Alarm Association, SVAA
by: Rich Miller - Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Whether it’s informing members about best practices, the latest technology or training that can help their bottom lines, the Central Station Alarm Association has made it a mission to constantly raise the bar. That bar got a boost this month with the appointment of Stephanie S. Morgan, the CSAA’s first full-time director of education and training.

In her newly created position, Morgan will be responsible for expanding the CSAA’s technical and professional training, and for building on its foundation of courses, workshops and webinars. She joins the organization after 10 years in post-secondary education as an instructor and administrator.

“She brings a depth of understanding of the theoretical and practical applications of education and training not only to CSAA, but to the industry as well,” Steve Doyle, CSAA executive vice president and CEO, said in a prepared statement. “No industry succeeds in the long term without goals to continually educate and upgrade its work force. Stephanie will bring a fresh perspective to our programs and long-term educational goals.”

Morgan recently completed her doctorate in rhetoric and composition, with a concentration in technological literacy, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Five Diamond club: Congratulations also go out to the Crime Alert Monitoring Center of San Jose, Calif., which recently received Five Diamond certification from the CSAA. Crime Alert is one of fewer than 150 centrals nationwide to have earned the distinction.  

Tags:
CSAA, Central Station Alarm Association, Stephanie Morgan, Steve Doyle, Crime Alert Monitoring Center
by: Rich Miller - Wednesday, January 18, 2012

The last time SSN caught up with Mary Jo Vance, in April 2011, she was contemplating taking the summer off to “ride cross-country on my Harley” after leaving CenterPoint Technologies. Vance, better known in the industry as MJ, recently let CSAA members know she is “alive and very well in Vegas” after landing a new gig: manager of 1 Time Inc.’s new central station in Henderson, Nev.

MJ says she’ll have more details soon about her latest endeavor, but the company is still building its website and sorting through “new ideas and new adventures. … Right now we can’t give you the full picture.”

MJ served as vice president of operations and business development for CenterPoint for three years before what she described as an amicable departure last spring. A well-known and respected leader in the industry, she received the CSAA’s Manager of the Year award in 2007 and the Presidential Award from the Fire Marshals’ Association of Missouri in 2010.

Five Diamonds for Johnson: Congratulations to Johnson Controls’ central station in Milwaukee, which recently joined an elite group by earning Five Diamond certification from the CSAA. The station is among 132 of roughly 2,700 centrals nationwide to have received the distinction, according to the CSAA’s website.

To qualify, all of Johnson Controls’ central operators had to pass a CSAA online training course, proving their proficiency in alarm verification, PSAP communications, knowledge of electronic communications equipment and the standards of Underwriters Laboratories, Factory Mutual, the National Fire Protection Association and other organizations.

“This prestigious certification reflects the dedication and determination our central station operators bring to the job to help protect the many corporate customers we monitor every day in the U.S.,” Paul Pisarski, manager of field support and remote operations for the company’s Building Efficiency unit, said in a prepared statement.

Calling all duffers: Looking to get into the swing at ISC West before everyone hits the show floor? Then this one’s for you: the ninth annual Alarm Research and Educational Foundation (AIREF) golf tournament, scheduled for Tuesday, March 27 at the Revere Golf Club in Las Vegas.

The Electronic Security Association created the nonprofit AIREF in 1977 as a way to help raise money for industry research. Funding for the foundation is derived almost solely from the golf tournament, which promises players “a casual golf outing” with other industry professionals while supporting AIREF in the process.

To register for the tournament, visit www.airef.org. For more information, call 203-762-2444 or email Pat Remes at premes@airef.org.

Tags:
MJ Vance, 1 Time, centerpoint technologies, Johnson Controls, CSAA, ISC West, AIREF, Electronic Security Association
by: Rich Miller - Monday, January 9, 2012

 

“Dice Claims Against Bold Dismissed”

That was the headline on a media release today from Richard Hahn & Associates, detailing developments in the six-month legal dispute between the two providers of central station automation platforms.

So that’s it. Case closed, right?

Apparently not.

According to court documents, a federal judge did dismiss three claims that Dice filed against Bold in an amended complaint in the trade secrets case: for unjust enrichment, conversion (civil as opposed to criminal theft), and a request for statutory damages, costs and attorney’s fees related to a copyright infringement claim.

But according to Craig Horn, an attorney representing Dice, the Nov. 29 court development was procedural and “the meat of the argument” between the two companies hasn’t changed. In other words, the legal battle is far from over.

The case in a nutshell: Dice filed suit against Bold in federal court in August, alleging that Bold unlawfully accessed Dice’s proprietary software with the help of a former Dice engineer hired by Bold. Dice, which is seeking damages and compensation, says it spent more than $5 million developing the software that it claims Bold misappropriated.

A boatload of legal briefs, claims and counterclaims have been filed since then, but Dice is holding to four points of its argument: that Bold violated the Michigan Uniform Trade Secret Act, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and that it infringed on Dice’s copyrights by creating unauthorized derivative works.

Bold has contested the validity of Dice’s claims, calling the lawsuit “baseless” and “a misguided attempt to level the playing field.” David McDaniel, an attorney representing Bold, declined to comment on the case today to Security Systems News.

Horn said depositions have been scheduled for the next couple of weeks and “we should know a lot more in a month than we do now.”

“Apparently, Bold is still taking the position that they haven’t done anything wrong,” he said. “It’s kind of an all-or-nothing proposition. Either we’re right or Bold’s right, and I guess that still remains to be seen.”

Topic:
Monitoring
Tags:
dice, Bold, copyright infringement, proprietary software
by: Rich Miller - Wednesday, January 4, 2012

 

The private equity firm Generation3 Capital is getting into the PERS game, announcing this week that it has acquired LogicMark, a Virginia-based designer and manufacturer of medical alarm systems. Generation3 was joined in the deal by Promus Equity Partners LLC, according to a Gen3 statement. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Adding to the news is the fact that LogicMark is bringing aboard former Honeywell execs Ben Cornett, who will be the new CEO, and Kevin O’Connor, who will serve as president. Both formerly worked at Honeywell Security Group, as president and vice president of global sales, respectively. Most recently they have been involved with EZ Watch, another company in Chicago-based Gen3's portfolio. Cornett is still serving as CEO, while O'Connor has moved on full time to LogicMark.

“The PERS market is growing rapidly in both the durable medical equipment and security channels,” O’Connor said. “We are excited to be involved with LogicMark and have the opportunity to work with some new customers in the DME market, as well as working with some old friends in the security market.”

What are Cornett’s views on the PERS world? I’ll learn more in an interview with him this week, with a story to follow.

CSAA webinar: For anyone with a hole in his (or her) dance card Jan. 18, the CSAA has announced that it will be the new date for a webinar on “Social Media Marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEO).” The online session will feature panelists Yvonne Grahovac of Alarm.com, and Richard Hahn of Bold Technologies. Register at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/164912682.  

Tags:
PERS, Honeywell. Ben Cornett, CSAA, LogicMark, Generation3
by: Rich Miller - Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Next Generation 911 is on hold, but don’t blink. It will return, if not tomorrow or next week, then when Congress reconvenes in 2012.

The provision, which was attached to H.R. 3630—“The Middle Class Tax Relief, Job Creation and Let’s Beat Santa Home Act of 2011”—was removed from the version of the legislation that made it through the Senate last weekend.

But it wasn’t removed because senators didn’t like it, according to Bob Bonifas, who has lobbied on Capitol Hill in an effort to change language in the bill that could harm the alarm industry. It was removed to simplify the bill so that extending the Social Security payroll tax cut could make it through both houses.

“They didn’t even bring it up,” Bonifas said. “Rather than deal with it, they just cut the NG 911 … out of it and sent the raw part back to the House.”

The raw part still awaits cooking as I write this, since the GOP leadership in House has refused to bring the Senate-approved bill to a vote. Will 160 million Americans get to keep their payroll tax break, or will it expire? There’s more to the standoff than that, but I won’t get into the particulars. Life’s short and besides, there’s still holiday shopping to do.

The action and inaction effectively kick the can down the road to 2012, unless something changes soon and the House decides to put NG 911 back into play before Jan. 1. But it will be back, eventually. And when it returns, Bonifas wanted to make something clear: The alarm industry supports it. It just wants language in the bill changed to prevent an unintended consequence: permitting unverified data—automated burglar, fire and PERS alarms—to flow into PSAPs.

“We’re not trying to oppose anything that would jeopardize (NG 911),” he said. “We’re not trying to blow up this bill; we’re trying to tweak a minor error in it.”

 
Topic:
Monitoring
Tags:
Bonifas, Next Generation 911
by: Rich Miller - Thursday, December 15, 2011

 

The U.S. House did the alarm industry no favors Tuesday night.

By passing H.R. 3630, “The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2011,” House members said yes to extending the Social Security payroll tax deduction and sent the contentious bill to the Senate. While you’d be hard-pressed to find a central operator who opposes tax relief or job creation, the bill is laden with a stealth bomb: Next Generation 911, which in its present form would allow emergency calls from alarm systems to be sent directly to PSAPs without verification.

Bypassing centrals is obviously a non-starter for the industry, which has now shifted its lobbying effort to the Senate. That’s where members of the Alarm Industry Communications Committee (AICC) were laboring at week’s end, proposing new language in the bill to safeguard centrals and prevent the inundation of 911 centers with unscreened sensor-generated calls.

Lou Fiore, chairman of the AICC, provided Security Systems News with an update this morning and sounded cautiously optimistic about turning the tide. He said six key senators, including Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., had been receptive to the industry’s concerns.

“They listened very attentively to our proposals,” Fiore said. “They totally understand our issue. Tomorrow we have a conference call with (Democratic Rep. Anna) Eshoo on the House side, who’s on the committee that drafted the original bill.”

That’s important, Fiore said, because when things finally get hashed out in the Senate, a new version of the bill will head back to the House for approval. If lawmakers there didn’t get the industry’s message the first time around, this time “they’ll know what our issues are,” he said.

The timing is a little dicey because of all of the partisan grandstanding, but the smart money says sooner rather than later. “I know these people want to go home for the holidays,” Fiore said. “It’s down to crunch time.”

Tags:
AICC, 911, Fiore, PSAP
by: Rich Miller - Friday, December 9, 2011

How could the alarm industry have gotten caught up in the partisan bickering over extending the Social Security payroll tax cut? It’s a long story, but here’s the quick pitch:

A bill proposed in February by Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y.—the Broadband for First Responders Act of 2011— contained provisions that threatened the alarm industry, namely an FCC auction of bands of spectrum used by centrals. The revenue would help offset the reallocation of the “D-Block” of spectrum in the 700 MHz range for a public safety broadband network, a byproduct of the communication problems experienced during the Sept. 11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina.

Auctioning spectrum used by centrals would be hugely problematic for the industry on many fronts, a fact not lost on the Alarm Industry Communications Committee. The AICC, working with police and fire protection groups from around the nation, has been lobbying the FCC about the potential problems, and surprise—apparently the frequency provisions have been dropped from the latest version of the bill. There are other messy details, of course, but you don’t need to hear about how sausage is made, at least not from me.

So this is good news, right? Well, I just got off the phone with Lou Fiore, chairman of the AICC, and it seems that another beast has raised its head: Next Generation 911. This addition to the House bill would allow alarm signals to be sent directly to PSAPs, including signals from PERS devices. The alarm industry currently screens these calls, 99 percent of which don’t require the dispatch of emergency services, according to Fiore. Removing third-party monitoring would have an obvious consequence, he said: “It would bring 911 centers to their knees.”

In the grand tradition of lawmaking, the Next Generation 911 provision is now tied in with the legislation to extend the Social Security payroll tax cut—again, think sausage—on which Democrats and Republicans have not exactly been seeing eye to eye. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has vowed that lawmakers will not go home for Christmas until the deal is done, so that means the AICC’s work isn’t done. There likely will be more developments next week, and probably more down the line on other measures that could undercut centrals. “It’s like weeds popping up in the garden,” Fiore said. “You have to keep looking.”

Stay tuned …

 
Topic:
Monitoring
Tags:
CSAA, AICC, Lou Fiore, Social Security

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