How I Use My System: Joey Rao-Russell

Joey Rao-Russell, Kimberlite's president and CEO and a Security Systems News “20 Under 40” winner, has worked at Kimberlite for 13 years. She started in the accounting department, was named COO in February 2012 and then CEO later in 2012. She holds a degree in criminal justice and sociology, which made the security industry “a nice fit,” Rao-Russell said. SSN recently spoke with her about the system she uses at home.

What kind of system do you have at home?

I have a Sonitrol system in my house. It's our 4000 series Plus panel [which] integrates audio sensors. Each audio sensor is set to the ambient noise level of the room, and any impact noise above that is going to turn the audio sensor on and [operators] are able to actually listen. So, it includes glass break, motion, sound—all those things. I also have door and window contacts [and] employ a panic system in my home, so there are panic buttons throughout my house.

What is one aspect of your security system that you wouldn't want to live without?

Actually, my panic system is what I appreciate most. The way our panic system works is that if I hit a panic button, my audio turns on and the central station is able to actually listen to what's happening. So they're able to give real-time information if there is a medical emergency or a robbery. It's definitely something that gives me peace of mind.

Where do you see security going next? What are some big trends?

The big trends I really see are integration and cloud services. On the home side, people are wanting automation, they're wanting information on their phones and iPads. On the commercial side … they want a lot of integration, a lot of large scalable systems that can do a lot of things. But, they want the cloud services to be there, they want someone else to manage the website—someone else to manage the data. It's no longer going just to be where you put an alarm system in, and the customer arms and disarms and that's the extent of it.