Five Questions with David Barnard of RS2

Security Systems News recently caught up with David Barnard, executive vice president of sales and marketing, RS2 Technologies, to chat about life and the industry, including the rise of the millennial workforce, data security and privacy.

Are you married? Any kids? Pets?
Yes, I am married to my wife of 13 years, Dee. We have three children: Emily Barnard, Benjamin Barnard and Christian Fredericks. Emily did her OB/GYN residency, and is currently doing an infertility fellowship. Her husband Ross is finishing up his neurosurgery residency. Benjamin works as a computer consultant and lives in Minneapolis with his wife, Jacqui. They are expecting their first child (our first grandchild) in March. Christian is a senior at the University of Alabama (ROLL TIDE!), majoring in finance.

Where are you from originally?
I often tell people I'm just a poor farm boy. I grew up on a farm in a very small town in southern Minnesota. I currently live in Edwardsville, Ill., which is a suburb of St. Louis, MO. However, my wife and I are ready to escape from the cold and recently purchased a home in Aruba, where we can enjoy the beaches.

What are your hobbies?
We are big boaters and spend a lot of time at Table Rock Lake, which is close to Branson, MO, and Carlyle Lake, which is in Carlyle, Ill. We enjoy waterskiing, tubing, spending time in the sun and swimming.

How did you first get started in the industry?
I first was exposed to the industry when I was in school to be a construction electrician. I went to school during the day and at night, I worked for Floyd Security running night alarm service calls.

What trends are you seeing right now in the industry?
One of the things that came up a couple of times during Securing New Ground in New York this year was how the millennial workforce is really changing the face of the access control industry. There's a demand from this new generation of employees for frictionless access control, using biometrics and mobile credentials.

Another trend is data security and integration of devices, as well as the push to ensure our own software keeps up with demand. Finally, privacy is becoming a bigger part of the conversation. As an industry, we're tasked with figuring out how to balance privacy and security.