Archive: 2013
Avigilon to buy VideoIQ for $32 million on New Year's Eve
December 31, 2013Martha Entwistle
Updated 1/14/13 with comment from Alexander FernandesVANCOUVER, Canada—HD surveillance provider Avigilon announced Dec. 31 that it will pay $32 million to acquire VideoIQ, a Billerica, Mass.-based video analytics company. The deal closed on Jan. 13.Founded in 2006, VideoIQ's technology includes “live detection, event verification and instant notification, and self-learning capabilities.” It also has “23 patents granted or pending, trade secrets and know-how,” as well...
ADS vs. village in lawsuit
December 31, 2013Tess Nacelewicz
DES PLAINES, Ill.—The industry is fighting back against an Illinois municipality's attempt to do an “end around” of a recent court ruling barring public fire districts from monopolizing fire monitoring in the state.Alarm Detection Systems (ADS), a fire company based in Aurora, Ill., has filed a federal lawsuit against the village of Algonquin, Ill., charging the village with establishing an “illegal monopoly” that shuts out ADS and other private companies from providing...
Harold Grimsley to keynote TechSec 2014
December 31, 2013Leif Kothe
YARMOUTH, Maine—Organizers have announced that Harold Grimsley will deliver the keynote address at TechSec 2014.�
Grimsley is senior director, corporate safety, security and facility operations at Florida Blue, Florida's Blue Cross and Blue Shield plan, a $7 billion enterprise.
He leads the safety and security functions for more than 11,500 employees and close to 3 million square feet of corporate real estate across six states, including office buildings, retail centers, data centers,...
Benevolence benefits business, N.Y. fire company finds
December 31, 2013Tess Nacelewicz
CENTEREACH, N.Y.—Being good to nonprofits is also good for business. That's what Briscoe Protective Systems, an engineered systems fire and security company based here, has found in offering cost-effective products and services to nonprofit agencies, ranging from extended warranties to free training classes.
“I'll tell you what comes from it: an outstanding reputation. Because just like a bad vendor, a good vendor, the word spreads,” Denise Rueda, Briscoe public relations...
DirectView adds central station element to video offering
December 31, 2013Leif Kothe
DirectView Security Systems, a division of New York-based DirectView Holdings, is adding a video verification component its offerings to clients, which include both commercial and larger residential customers. As part of the initiative, the company plans to incorporate central station alarm monitoring and remote video surveillance into a comprehensive security solution.
In its initial announcement, DirectView stated it would provide a state-of-the-art UL-Listed facility for these services, but at...
Chicago integrator expands again
December 31, 2013Martha Entwistle
Chicago-based integrator SDI is going to Atlanta—with the hire of security veteran Bob Carter, who will serve as director of sales for the Southeast region of the country.
He'll be working closely with X7 staff, a Washington, D.C.-based integration firm that was acquired by SDI in August.
Carter comes to Iron Sky, where he has general manager and helped “build city surveillance, LPR and data integration solutions for public safety and police departments.” Before that he was with...
Security Partners and Response Center hosts food drive
December 31, 2013SSN Staff
SAN ANTONIO—Security Partners and Response Center-USA Team held its first holiday food drive in San Antonio this year, the company announced recently.
The company also collected food and toys in Lancaster, Pa., according to the release.
In total, Security Partners and Response Center collected 491 pounds of food and will provide 384 meals for people in need in southwest Texas, according to the release.
Finance virtual roundtable: The most interesting deals of 2013 and predictions for 2014
December 30, 2013Martha Entwistle
Every January, Security Systems News asks security finance experts to share their opinions on deals done, valuations sought and won, and prospects for buyers and sellers in the coming year. This year, the following experts participated in a virtual roundtable discussion: Jennifer Holloway, managing director, Security Industry Group, at The PrivateBank and Trust Company, a Chicago-based commercial bank and wealth management institution with a national specialty lending group dedicated solely to the...
Antenna option for Helios surveillance now available
December 30, 2013SSN Staff
SAN DIEGO—Users can now add range-booster antennas to Helios surveillance systems, MicroPower Technologies has announced. With the antenna, the outdoor surveillance cameras can send video as far as two miles.
The range-booster antenna increases signal sensitivity 16 times, extending the distance between the hub and hub antenna as much as 200 feet and allowing the hub antenna to be placed farther from the hub platform with minimal loss of signal, according to the release. With the new antenna,...
This Blog's on Fire (And Other Stuff)
Vivint Solar sues COO who jumped ship for competitor
December 30, 2013Tess Nacelewicz
I wrote back in November about how Brendon Merkley, the COO of Vivint Solar, had left to work for SolarCity, Vivint Solar's larger competitor.
Now, Vivint Solar—an affiliate of home automation/home security provider Vivint—is suing Merkley for breach of contract.
In the lawsuit, filed Dec. 4 in U.S. District Court in Utah, Vivint Solar said it is bringing the case to prevent Merkley “from violating his contractual non-competition, non-disclosure, and customer/vendor non-solicitation...