Talking panels and keypads with Marshall Marinace

YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y.—Marshall Marinace, owner of Marshal Alarm Systems, based here, was installed at ESX 2014 as the new president of the Electronic Security Association. A 38-year veteran of the industry, who has served multiple terms as vice president of ESA, Marinace hopes to follow the legacy of past presidents and make legislative activity a priority for the association. “We need to continue to concentrate on government relations,” he said. “It's key to our industry with all the new national players entering the market, and with the technology shift with alarm communications. It's very important.”

In addition to being an alarm company owner, Marinace has a rich and active history of involvement with alarm industry regulatory affairs at both the state and national levels. He said he hopes to bring that experience to bear on his presidency at ESA.

Marinace noted that one of ESA's strong suits is its National Training School. During his tenure, lasting into 2016, he plans to further develop the course offerings, adding training classes that revolve around the IP world, and to make the program “the foremost training provider in the industry.”

Recently, Marinace spoke with SSN about how he handles security at home.

What kind of security system do you have?

I'm fortunate enough to have two homes, and in both of them I have Honeywell systems with Total Connect, where I can remotely arm and disarm the system, and check video events. We use the Honeywell thermostats for environmental monitoring through Total Connect.

Why this particular setup?

We looked at several different manufacturers and we zeroed in on Honeywell because of their commitment to the industry and the Total Connect services, and how well it works.

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

I think the remote arm/disarm. It's very helpful for us in both locations.

Where do you see the security industry going next?

I think we better gear up for our systems being IP based, with many more interactive services coming down the road. Manufacturers must stay on the cutting edge of technology, and more importantly, manufacturers need to gear up so that our alarm communications work flawlessly on the different telemetries of alarm communications, such as conventional phone lines, VOIP, GSM radio and so forth.