Specifically Speaking with Maria Gonzalez of TEECOM

YARMOUTH, Maine—Security Systems News caught up with Maria F. Gonzalez, CPP, principal, senior consultant at TEECOM based in New York, for our monthly feature on the top specifiers and consultants working in security. 

What is your role at TEECOM?

My technology design practice spans more than 18 years involved in the design, assessment, integration and management of security systems for leading companies in the technology, legal, real estate, healthcare, retail, museum, and educational sectors nationwide.

With a strong focus in security, my role at TEECOM also includes leading large and complex projects that span multiple disciplines including telecommunication, AV, acoustics and network design.

What kinds of systems do you design/specify and what services does the company provide?

We make technology work in buildings, so we design in-house a wide variety of systems. As organizations build, expand, or renovate, part of my role is to help them make informed technology decisions that consistently save money and streamline project delivery. I do this in part by helping them choose the right technology. For security, we help our clients with system design including access control, video surveillance, visitor management and security communication among others, but we also work closely with our larger clients in helping them standardize their approach to security by aligning their corporate strategic goals with their security technology implementation.

Our strategic consulting, design engineering and project management services include telecommunications, audiovisual, acoustics, security, network, wireless, Distributed Antenna (DAS), Emergency Responder Radio Communication (ERRCS), nurse call, Real-Time Location (RTLS), virtual reality, immersive environments and projection mapping. We design and engineer technology systems, so they function optimally and best support their organizational objectives and through project management, we promote successful outcomes for owners from concept through commissioning.

What vertical markets does the company specialize in? Any interesting projects that you can mention?

We work in a number of verticals including workplace, mission critical and data centers, culture, healthcare, higher education, transportation and industrial. Our clients within these markets include the Fortune 500, public institutions, healthcare providers, universities, architecture and interior design firms, developers, contractors and MEP firms.

One of our project highlights is the Salesforce.com Global Expansion, which expands more than +5,000,000 sf. Since 2012, TEECOM has provided IT infrastructure, audiovisual, acoustics, network, and wireless strategy, design and project management for more than 50 buildings across the globe. As the lead technology partner, our team has worked with Salesforce’s IT department to establish standards and implement them across all locations.

Our team has planned around an extremely fast-tracked and compressed schedule. The masterful execution and timely completion of this project is crucial to the core business and success of our client. Our team is implementing cost-saving solutions through an integrated, single-backbone network, resulting in capital and operational cost reductions. We are also constantly refining the process of design and implementation to reduce cost and meet the ever-shrinking timelines between signing of lease and day one operations.

How did you get started in security and designing and specifying?

I started in the integration side of the business. My family had a security company in New York City servicing residential high-rise towers and although I had not planned on joining the firm, my father suggested that I try it and here I am almost 20 years later. 

Coming up on the implementation side of the business helps me every day as a designer. Initially I was eager to learn more about how these systems work and how they can be customized based on clients’ needs, and that led me to going back to school and getting a number of certifications to help my clients through the design process and seeing through the implementation and commissioning of their projects. To me, security has been where technology and safety meet and it must happen in a way that is seamless, user friendly and privacy conscious.

Can you talk about what new or emerging technologies you are seeing or specifying today?

Before COVID-19, TEECOM believed that occupancy measurement would become a standard feature for buildings. We conducted two years of research and experimentation on 35 occupancy measurement technologies. With COVID-19, occupancy measurement is more essential than ever, so we have been working with clients in how this technology can be part of their solution long term.

We understand how to deploy occupancy measurement systems, so they integrate with the other technology systems in the building, including security, wireless, and AV systems, maximizing their utility and minimizing costly change orders as projects are constructed. The goal extends beyond safely re-occupying facilities to supporting long-term digital workplace solutions that enhance user experiences, optimize space, and reduce energy consumption and cost.

What is your view on the industry moving forward?

Typically, the security industry as a whole has been a slow adaptor of new technology. With end users now driving the need for innovation in order to keep up with consumer products, I believe the industry needs to move towards adopting standards and new technology that will help with integration and ease of use. The increase in use and available applications of video analytics, mobile technology and OSDP are good examples of that. 

Our current situation due to Covid-19 and civil unrest has once again put a spotlight on how the security industry will react and respond. I believe it is important that we as an industry react swiftly and provide informed, reliable and innovative solutions.

Specifically Speaking, a Security Systems News monthly column, features Q-and-A with a security consultant provided to SSN by SecuritySpecifiers.