Archive: May 2012
DVTEL moves beyond startup mode, looks down market for growth
May 30, 2012Martha Entwistle
RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J.—One year after taking the helm, DVTEL CEO Yoav Stern says the company is eyeing the middle market for growth as it transitions from its startup phase to become a larger player in the IP video surveillance space.Stern said his goal for DVTEL in 2013 is to grow “at least as quickly as the market,” which he said is growing from 18 to 25 percent per year.DVTEL will look down market for that growth. Stern said DVTEL is well established in the high end of the IP...
Ackerman launches five-year plan
May 30, 2012Tess Nacelewicz
ATLANTA—Ackerman Security Systems has a new president, plans to expand to a new market within about a year, and has revealed an ambitious new growth plan that calls for doubling its revenue over the next five years.The super-regional, based here, announced on Tuesday that Jim Callahan, the company's COO since 2009, is now president of Ackerman. He joined the company 14 years ago as VP of sales.The goal of doubling its revenue by the end of 2016 is “a pretty aggressive plan,“ Callahan...
Cox launches home security in Phoenix
May 30, 2012Tess Nacelewicz
ATLANTA—Cox Communications has expanded the trial of its home security/home automation offering to Greater Phoenix. The expansion follows the success of a trial of Cox Home Security in Tucson, Ariz., which began last June, the company said.“We launched the initial trial in Tucson last summer and expanded that to include the Phoenix area in April. We've received good early feedback and results thus far,” Todd Smith, manager of public relations for Cox, based here, told Security Systems...
GPS 'a different animal' for central stations
May 30, 2012Rich Miller
YARMOUTH, Maine—What's worse than a false alarm? A moving false alarm, according to panelists at a recent ESX webinar, who cited a growing challenge for monitoring companies as they move deeper into the world of GPS and mobile PERS devices.The May 23 webinar, “Diagnosing and Solving Central Station Problems,” featured Morgan Hertel, VP of operations for Rapid Response Monitoring. Also participating were George De Marco, ESX chairman, and Bob Bishop, business development engineer...
Gunfire pinpointed, then privacy debated
May 30, 2012Rich Miller
ShotSpotter, produced by a company that bills itself as the “world leader in gunshot detection,” added to its media credits this week with an article in The New York Times. But while many police departments are singing the praises of the acoustic monitoring technology, it continues to raise concerns about how far law enforcement can go to do its job.
The system, developed by SST Inc. of Mountain View, Calif., pinpoints the location of gunshots by triangulating the sound via sensors mounted...
This Blog's on Fire (And Other Stuff)
Fire sprinkler industry to make history with new expo
May 30, 2012Tess Nacelewicz
Mexico has a brand new fire sprinkler industry group—the Mexican Fire Sprinkler Association or AMRACI. Canada has the Canadian Automatic Sprinkler Association or CASA. And of course there's the National Fire Sprinkler Association or NFSA, based in Patterson, N.Y.
Now all three groups plan to make history by hosting what is being billed as “the first ever North American Fire Sprinkler Expo,” to be held next April in Las Vegas.
In a statement, NFSA's new president, Russ Fleming, said:...
Integrated opening new office in N.C.
May 30, 2012Martha Entwistle
TOMS RIVER, N.J.—Propelled by its work in the pharmaceutical vertical, Integrated Security & Communications is opening a new office in Raleigh, N.C.“Logistically it's a good market for us, with the Research Triangle, higher ed and pharmaceutical there,” Michael Thomas, president of Integrated, told Security Systems News. “And it's close to Charlotte, so we can cover a few markets from that area.”Thomas launched Integrated in 2007. The business is headquartered here,...
Security providers early winners in home automation/home security space
May 29, 2012Tess Nacelewicz
DALLAS—Security providers have a “first mover” advantage in home automation/home security right now, but the big telecoms and cable companies entering the space are serious competitors who may be game-changers in the future, according to a market research company analyst.“In the short term, there's enough opportunity for everyone,” Tom Kerber, director of research on home controls and energy at Parks Associates, based here, said in a May 17 webcast on engaging consumers...
SecurTek acquires Intercept accounts in $2 million deal
May 23, 2012Rich Miller
YORKTON, Saskatchewan—SecurTek Monitoring Solutions has acquired the customer accounts of Alberta-based Intercept Security in a $2 million deal announced on May 10.SecurTek, based here, provides commercial and residential security, video, access control and medical monitoring services to customers across Canada. The company has central stations in Yorkton and Winnipeg, Manitoba, and in Aurora, Ontario.Barry Rogers, SecurTek president, said the deal involved “a couple thousand” accounts...
M&A and your company
May 23, 2012Martha Entwistle
WESTMINSTER, Colo.—Thinking about selling your systems integration company this year? What kind of price can you expect for your business? More than one session during the annual PSA-TEC conference, held here May 14-18, took a hard look at how integrators should assess their organic growth and set realistic expectations for sales prices.On the question of growth, Bill Bozeman, CEO of PSA Security, noted that international events absolutely can affect progress for a systems integration business.He...