Specifically Speaking with Lynda Buel

How long has SMRC been in business and how long have you been the owner and CEO?

SRMC was founded in 1989 and I have been the owner and CEO since 2013. I worked for SRMC for 13 years before buying the business from its founder. We are woman-owned and a certified women's business enterprise. I do not know of any other company in the United States that does what we do and is woman-owned.

Tell me about SMRC's approach to security consulting.

SRMC approaches security consulting from a holistic perspective and we use our “Holistic Security Program Management Model (HSPM)” as the basis for working collaboratively with our clients to address technology, policies, procedures, process management, staff training, and overall security management issues. The premise of the model is that the effectiveness of a security program does not rest on any individual element of the program. Rather, it is a function of the interaction of each element with the other elements.

Our approach includes thorough fact-finding and evaluation, the identification of critical issues and applicable standards, and the development of recommendations appropriate for risks both within and external to the environment and the capabilities of the organization. We accomplish these tasks in a collaborative, creative, interactive manner by identifying key stakeholders and seeking their input to ensure that our work product is consistent with our client's culture, mission, vision, and values and the risks inherent in their environment.

Where do you work geographically and which vertical markets do you work in?

We work both domestically and internationally having worked in more than 36 states and 10 countries in the last six years alone. The vertical markets that we serve are higher education, health care, corporate, government, retail, A&E, cultural properties, and what we classify as other verticals, which include manufacturing facilities, data centers, and food defense.

Is there a newer technology that SMRC is interested in? Which one and why?

Over the past couple of years, we have been watching the emergence of mobile applications for use in the security industry. In particular, turning a smartphone or other device into a secure credential to unlock doors, gates and other access portals. Technologies such as those from HID's “Twist and Go” to Allegion's AptiQmobile, allow users to maintain a secure credential on their own Android or Apple device which can then communicate wirelessly to a reader via Bluetooth Low Energy or NFC. The credential can be managed and provisioned or revoked over the air via a cloud-based service and potentially offers integration with other disparate platforms such as computer access, vending machines, libraries and much more. We see great value in this technology in many vertical market applications since smartphones have become an essential component of most people's everyday lives and how they manage daily activities. In particular, higher education which is one of the strongest vertical markets for this application since today's student never goes anywhere without their electronic device.