40 under 40: Daniel Clark, Rapid Response Monitoring

YARMOUTH, Maine—Daniel Clark, 35, takes a certain approach in his daily responsibilities as Senior Account Manager at Rapid Response Monitoring.

“My day-to-day responsibilities include working with our dealer partners in the New York City and Mid-Atlantic markets that depend on Rapid Response for their monitoring needs,” he told Security Systems News. “I take a consultative approach with all my dealer partners in trying to help them continuously identify additional opportunities to grow their RMR [recurring monthly revenue].

“As one of the few [New York City Fire Department] FDNY-approved monitoring centers, this often involves providing a company with options regarding approved fire alarm communicators in Manhattan, or perhaps a dealer that requires UL2050 support for a secure government facility. This might also entail reviewing automation options for a company that focuses more on the residential market and installs smart security systems.”

Clark has been with Rapid Response for six years at its Syracuse, N.Y. headquarters, one of two monitoring centers for the electronic security monitoring service provider (Corona, Calif. being the other). He joined Rapid Response just as the company began working on a 40,000-sq.-ft. expansion of its headquarters in order to increase the size of its employee facilities and add more workstations and office space.

Security Background

Clark grew up in the security industry, as his father ran his own security company out of the basement of their home in New Jersey.

“From a very young age I always expressed interest in learning about security systems and the technology he was working with back then,” he explained. “While I was studying Finance and Marketing at the University of Vermont, I had the opportunity to work for a close family friend who also owned his own local alarm company. I worked with him every summer first starting as a helper and quickly developing into a seasoned technician.

“After graduating in the midst of a struggling economy in 2008, I continued working as a sales technician for his company for an additional two years until I was able to pursue a career in Finance. While I enjoyed the day to day of working in Midtown Manhattan, my experience and passion for the security industry brought me back four years later.

“I was very familiar with Rapid Response from my technician days and saw they had an opening on their sales team. My experience from working as a technician, along with my father’s background, helped tremendously with building me into the sales professional I am today.”  

Communication Methods

Clark cited more effective communication methods as one of the top trends in the security industry today.

“In this rapidly changing industry, it’s a race to offer the latest and greatest technology to consumers,” he pointed out. “We recently deployed an industry-leading solution that will help solve our industry’s biggest problem, false alarms. [The app-free solution] rapidSMS notifies customers instantly of an alarm via a text message with important information needed to make critical decisions in real time, with the ability to take action quickly. This fully brandable text message enables customers to not only cancel a false alarm, but also let us know if a dispatch is needed.”

Another communication method that Clark noted as a current trend is wearables, which are electronic devices that can be worn as accessories, embedded in clothing, or implanted in a user's body.

“Wearables have been around for years, but it is still an untapped market based on the potential of these devices,” he said. “Whether it is your cell phone or a smart watch to ensure the safety of seniors, children or lone workers, these connected devices will continue to encroach on our lives and become much more prevalent in the coming years.”

Connected cameras are a third trend that Clark noted because of the enhanced privacy they offer.

“Privacy concerns have been a barrier for entry for many dealers, but there has been a massive improvement in consumer privacy, video quality and alarm detection accuracy,” he explained. “Working in the monitoring space, adoption of this technology will continue to grow as consumers gain a better understanding of verified alarms.”

Clark added that there is “endless potential and hidden value” for consumers when it comes to monitoring environmental alarms, as more products are turning into connected devices.

“We can now monitor energy efficiency through sensors and connectivity in everyday household appliances and be proactive in identifying and preventing catastrophic home damage,” he said. “This could be as simple as monitoring the temperature of valued goods to identifying a minor water leak before it ruptures and floods the entire house.”

Drones

Clark was very enthusiastic when he cited drones as the most promising security technology in the industry currently.

“I think what we are seeing with drones is extremely exciting,” he raved. “Where we are at with drones today, is where video was 10 years ago.

“Drones are already being used in many applications and being equipped with all the technology that is used in a traditional fixed camera. They can also be equipped with high-resolution video, two-way audio, facial recognition, and even thermal imaging.

“We have seen these used in the commercial space for some years now because of the advantages and access they might provide over a responding guard or police officer. However, with existing technology it might be impractical or cost prohibitive to secure a large open area.”

He added that drones offer technological support that could reduce the number of false alarms and allow first responders to respond to actual emergency events.

“Imagine being able to perform an initial assessment of a site before determining if an actual human response is required,” Clark explained. “The results would be faster and more accurate information being relayed to our first responders. This could drastically reduce the number of false alarms our industry currently experiences and allow our first responders to address actual emergencies. There are already a number of companies looking at effective ways of deploying drones in a residential application, which would be a game changer.

“Adoption will take time, but the opportunities will only continue to grow for those who embrace this new and emerging technology.”  

Engagement and Connection

As the nation now deals with the second round of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Delta variant, Clark stressed the importance of engaging and connecting with customers in order to succeed during these unpredictable times.

“Now more than ever it is imperative to ensure you are engaging and connecting with your customers,” he noted. “During these fluid times many dealers have leveraged new technologies like rapidSMS to do exactly this. This is a fully customizable solution that allows dealers to get their brand in front of their customers on a regular basis regardless of what technology they are currently utilizing. Imagine having a free offering for your customers that allows them to cancel a false alarm and prevent a police dispatch with the push of a button. Now imagine you can offer that to a customer who has a 20-year-old system still communicating over POTS [plain old telephone service] lines. Selling updated systems with a more reliable form of communication is not always an option, but this solution can enhance a potentially outdated system at no additional charge.

In addition, Clark said he discovered new ways to interact with Rapid Response’s customer base during the pandemic.

“Not traveling on the road has enabled me to take advantage of new ways to connect with companies virtually,” he said. “I attend every virtual meeting or call as I normally would in person…in a suit and tie. These new ways of connecting with customers will only make me more efficient when I get back to traveling on the road.”

Continuous Innovation

Clark is extremely optimistic about the security industry going forward.

“Our industry will continue to boom and grow in many of the relatable and untapped markets thanks to continuous innovation,” he explained. “The health of the industry is stronger than ever, with the continued adoption of new technology. According to Parks Associates, ‘In the last five years, the average household with broadband has gone from eight connected devices to 12 connected devices.’ A more connected environment leads to more innovation in the security space.

“Another example is how fire alarm manufacturers are looking at how they can modernize fire alarm monitoring as we know it today. We are starting to see them take a similar approach to the connectivity we see in intrusion systems. Pushing and pulling zone information from the FACP [fire alarm control panel] to the central station, allowing the system to be placed on test simultaneously, etc. Imagine being able to have all the information programmed in a FACP instantly passed along to the central station?”

A Technology-Focused Business

Clark believes that more and more talented, diverse young people are joining the security industry each year.

“We are pivoting from a security industry to a technology-focused business, attracting software engineers, data analysts and marketing specialists who are needed to support these emerging technologies,” he noted. “My story is not as uncommon in our industry as you might think. Since our industry is pivoting so much, so quickly, individuals are now actually pursuing a career in security as it becomes more and more prevalent in our everyday lives.

“Some organizations, like the New Jersey Electronic Life Safety Association (NJELSA), have been putting an effort toward driving more talented young individuals to our industry through vocational schools. Many of these schools now encourage their students to attend association meetings as an opportunity to network and pursue possible job placement. I see more and more students attend these meetings every year, and many have gone on to have very successful careers.”