Talking keypads and panels with Mark McCall

SAN ANTONIO—Mark McCall, director of information technology at United Central Control, entered the security industry in somewhat of an indirect fashion. With a background firmly in IT, McCall was asked by a friend, who owns Pensacola, Fla.-based SentryNet, to write a white paper evaluation of the company, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses, particularly with respect to IT infrastructure and staffing issues. “I gave a road map for his business for things that, in my professional opinion, I suggested he change,” McCall said.

Assessment complete, McCall's friend then told him he wanted to hire him to implement the recommendations outlined in his document. That was 12 years ago, and since then, McCall has remained in the industry, joining UCC in 2007. Here's how he handles security at home.

What kind of security system do you have?

I have a DSC system with Telular interactive services.

Why this particular setup?

I demo a lot of things, so there's a multitude of different technologies in my house to evaluate. But I eventually needed something to rely on for home security and my family's safety, so when the opportunity came up to put a panel in, I went with DSC, which I'm a real fan of. I believed in that system and put it into my home, so I could experience it, learn it, and know what customers and dealers were going through.

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

I got the system for the base security, because ultimately that product is there to secure my property and for the safety of my family. But the nicety stuff, the home lifestyle monitoring, that's the stuff that keeps you interested—the automated lights, door locks, thermostat, the phone app. [The system] is ultimately there for the safety, but what I love about it is the lifestyle monitoring.

 Where do you see security going next?

I see lifestyle monitoring as the new direction. That is going to expand and become a bigger aspect of the entire security industry. I see the industry evolving into something more than just plain security, especially with the younger crowd, the tech-savvy people who want this type of lifestyle monitoring. That's going to have the biggest impact on the industry for a long time.