DICE Corp. hosts 2019 Tech Security Summit in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—The inaugural Tech Security Summit — a combination of DICE Corporation's annual DICE User Group Conference with a series of educational sessions and panel discussions — was held at the Sheraton Grand Nashville, April 29-May 2, providing a platform for leaders in security and alarm monitoring to meet and examine new technology and revenue growth opportunities in an evolving industry.

DICE Corporation President and CEO Cliff Dice kicked off day one with a keynote presentation, explaining his inspiration behind launching a new conference platform.

“I had the idea for a tech security summit because a lot of people in the security industry were coming to us asking if we could contribute to more panels and be part of the discussion,” Dice said. “We are the predominant infrastructure provider in the industry, so it made sense that we would explore new ways to bring those leaders together with our engineers and expand our annual summit to include everyone in the industry.”

The recent news of other security technology companies being sold and restructured was also discussed in the keynote, with Dice assuring attendees of the company's commitment to remaining a family business focused on quality and customer satisfaction. “We are not selling,” Dice said before discussing some of the company's highlights from the last year. “For almost 30 years, you have turned to us to provide the best solutions you trust to run your businesses. This is a family business and we have a long-term vision to keep operating the company from one generation to another,” he said.

Much of the week's sessions focused on value and usability. The company's new CloudEye cloud video recording product stood out as a prime example of the company's ability to streamline an in-demand technology without compromising functionality and performance. Jerry Corrion, DICE Corporation's chief software architect addressed the growing need for off-premises surveillance storage and gave attendees and in-depth look at the technology's simple setup, the CloudEye Connect mobile tool, and how dashboards and integrations with alarm automation software provide additional advantages. 

DICE Corporation's recently announced integrations with Microsoft's Dynamics 365 financial management system was also a frequently discussed topic. As the first to bring integrated accounting to the security industry, the implementation of Dynamics 365 with the company's Matrix web applications provides new opportunities for users, including fully automated reporting of RMR and attrition and reporting of industry metrics such as EBITA (earnings before interest taxes and amortization). Industry-specific dashboards and business intelligence tools were also showcased by the engineers behind the integrations.

In addition to product information and educational opportunities, networking was a large component of the Tech Security Summit experience. Platinum sponsor ACKData sponsored outings at well-known Music City institutions like Famous Saloon, which offered a taste of Nashville to attendees. From sampling the city's legendary barbecue to participating in line dancing, industry professionals were able to socialize with DICE staff and get to know the people behind the technology they use every day.

“Downtown Nashville was the perfect backdrop for our evening networking events,” said Amy Augustin, director of marketing and communications for DICE Corporation. “Being able to get together outside of the summit setting gives us more opportunities to connect and grow as tech producers and users.”  

The final day of the Tech Security Summit focused on training opportunities and panel discussions. Joshua Greko outlined new additions in UL, including the changes that will affect monitoring centers going forward. An introduction to level one operator training was offered by the Monitoring Association as part of their Five-Diamond designation program to certify monitoring centers. The event concluded with a panel discussion featuring David Sylvester and Stephen Rubin of Davis Mergers & Acquisitions Group and Barry Epstein of Vertex Capital discussing topics related to acquisitions and the effects of changing markets in the security industry.

For Cliff Dice, the 2019 Tech Security Summit proved to be a worthwhile experience in providing another source of information about new technology available to the security industry. “I'm really pleased with the new Tech Security Summit format,” he said. “By providing a user-focused platform for our customers, tech experts, and security professionals, we were able to do something that was truly different and beneficial for the industry.”