Five Questions: Dan Gundry, Vistacom

At the beginning of this year, Dan Gundry was promoted to director of sales and marketing at Vistacom, a provider of audiovisual and communications solutions. Security Systems News caught up with him for our monthly feature.

What are some of your hobbies?

I'm interested in anything that is stress-relieving and also offers some alone time in the great outdoors. Golf and fishing top the list.

Is there something interesting that your coworkers might not know about you?

I don't think people in our office would believe me when I say I am a real homebody. At the office, I'm more extroverted, as I like to spend time with clients and colleagues. With that being said, the last thing I want to do when I get home is be “on.”

How did you first get started in the industry?

I started out as a construction manager, handling low-voltage trades to bid out and manage because no one else wanted to do it. It's not in my personality to back down from a challenge, so I wanted to learn as much as I possibly could. I really got to know about security and the audiovisual (AV) world, and at the end of a particular project, the AV company I was working for offered me a job. That company was Vistacom.

What trends are you seeing right now in the industry?

We're seeing more and more security organizations tackle the full umbrella. Rather than siloing themselves off from the IT department, they're embracing the knowledge and expertise these teams offer. It's critical to understand the threat and where it comes from in order to seamlessly confront and address it when it arises.

Have you read any good books lately?

I just finished “The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington,” by Brad Meltzer, which talks about security at its utmost beginning (before the Secret Service and you weren't vetting people in the same way). It's crazy to read about how the people standing next to him were not always his friends and what could have happened to our quest for freedom if that plot had succeeded. Good stuff.