Archive: November 2007
These guys get it
November 30, 2007Martha Entwistle
Integrators who've bought into the get-RMR-now mantra need to check out the brand-new Integrator Support, a company basically created by PSA Security, though it's an independent business. They make selling "interactive video monitoring" or "virtual guarding" (feel free to suggest other terminology) very easy for the central station-less integrator. Plus, they can get you into renting and leasing equipment to your customers, which also equals RMR, which equals a more steady balance sheet and a higher...
Asian integrator ICD opens Americas shop
November 29, 2007L. Samuel Pfeifle
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla.--ICD Security Solutions, a security systems integrator with headquarters in Beijing, opened its first U.S. offices here in September. It is the fifth country in which the company has established operations, joining China, India, Singapore, Japan and Taiwan.
Dwight Schnirman, president of ICD Americas, which will serve Latin America as well, said initial results are positive, "better than any of the expectations we've had," and that is thanks to the company's Fortune 1000 customers...
Vegas and Quiet Riot use ECV
November 29, 2007Martha Entwistle
I find it interesting that security companies are often involved in news stories, but are almost always left anonymous, and everything they do is completely unquestioned and taken as completely ho-hum.
In this case, I'm talking about the stories regarding the death of Quiet Riot frontman Kevin DuBrow (stop pretending you didn't like "Cum on Feel the Noize" at the time; you know you did). Check out these two paragraphs:
Original Quiet Riot bassist Kelly Garni posted a statement online Wednesday...
Mass sprinkler law compliance low
November 29, 2007Martha Entwistle
BOSTON--The Nov. 15 deadline for compliance with the Massachusetts Fire Safety Act has passed and according to a study done by the Boston Globe, compliance appears to be low in this city. However, fire industry officials and others point out that the legislation is a step in the right direction.
The Globe study showed that 283 Boston establishments originally fell under the August 2004 law, which requires any nightclub or bar with a capacity of 100 people to install automatic sprinklers. According...
GVI raises $15 million from Wells Fargo
November 29, 2007L. Samuel Pfeifle
CARROLLTON, Texas--GVI Security, the North and South American distributor of the Samsung security portfolio, announced this week a $15 million financing round with Wells Fargo Bank. This is $5 million more than its previous credit facility with Laurus Master Fund, which has now been fully repaid and terminated.
Most importantly, said GVI chief financial officer Joe Restivo, the credit comes considerably cheaper. "It's because the business is healthier," Restivo said. "When the prime management team...
Get on the standards train (or bus, or whichever mode of transportation is your preferred participation metaphor)
November 29, 2007Martha Entwistle
In my most recent editorial, I counsel participation in standards-making processes. Basically, no one knows better how products should operate than those who install the products and have to make them work to satisfy end users. Similarly, if you're involved in a process - dispatch, etc. - you ought to make sure you don't have that process dictated to you by a standards body that doesn't have the appropriate input from those who will be most affected by the resultant standard.
Well, here's a good...
SIA releases IP standard, encourages industry compatibility
November 29, 2007Leischen Stelter
ALEXANDRIA, Va.--The Security Industry Association on Nov. 14 released a digital communication standard for Internet Protocol Event Reporting, ANSI/SIA DC-09-2007. This standard is intended to ensure equipment compatibility for IP-based reporting from a panel back to a receiver at a central station.
"What this standard does, is it establishes a preferred protocol for manufacturer independent implementation of Internet reporting," said Ted Nesse, DC-09 technical editor for SIA and vice president of...
Brink's Company evaluates sale
November 29, 2007Martha Entwistle
RICHMOND, Va.--Activist hedge fund Pirate Capital's efforts to get The Brink's Company to consider a sale or tax-free spin-off of one of its divisions appears to have yielded some initial results: On Nov. 28, Brink's announced it's hired the consulting firm Monitor Group to "assist in the ongoing evaluation of the various strategic options available to the company."
Brink's is the parent company of Brink's Home Security and Brink's Incorporated, the cash-handling business.
Pirate (along with other...
SafetyCare introduces facial recognition technology, receives UL listing
November 29, 2007SSN Staff
READING, Pa.--SafetyCare announced on Nov. 20 the release of SafeTrak, a product that uses facial biometric technology to monitor human movement, as well as open and lock doors allowing authorized persons to pass through access points within a facility.
SafeTrak creates a unique identification number for each of its users that triggers a facial biometric match. Cameras mounted within a facility capture facial images and compare them to the facial biometrics associated with the individuals and when...
Who needs on-site storage?
November 28, 2007Martha Entwistle
Word's getting out today about Google's plan to offer storage as a service. Clearly, this is targeted first toward the consumer market, so people can have all-the-time/everywhere access to their photos and music, either to share with Grandma or hipster friends (wallet pics and iPods just don't cut it anymore, apparently). But it's also targeted toward the burgeoning online backup industry, which makes a hell of a lot of sense.
The big question, of course, is how long it will be before everyone's...