TycoIS to expand SMB operation to 10 new locations

PHOENIX—TycoIS, which began its small businesses incursion in five markets last September, will have dedicated SMB teams in 10 new markets by the end of 2016.

“I'm in one of the new markets [Phoenix] right now and we're launching three more in the next three weeks,” Steve Leitz, TycoIS director of small business, told Security Systems News.

“We announced that we were starting in five markets at ASIS last year [Dallas, Chicago, two locations in Southern California and one in South Florida] and based on our success in those five markets, we decided to add five more [by October] and another five by the end of FY2016,” Leitz said.

Leitz said the dedicated SMB group “reached all FY15 sales goals, and we achieved them early.”

In addition to Phoenix, markets that TycoIS will expand into include Houston, San Diego, New York, Atlanta, Northern Florida and San Francisco.

Currently the small business group has 50 employees. Leitz expects the group will number 150 by December.

TycoIS could not sell into the small business market until its non-compete with former sister company ADT expired Sept. 29, 2014. The non-compete stipulated that TycoIS could not serve businesses of less than 7,500 square feet and that ADT could not serve businesses greater than 7,500 square feet in size.

“There's momentum in the [small business] channel,” Leitz said. “We're building it the right way and taking time [developing] the right solutions.”

Tyco today introduced an access control solution tailored to the small business owner. Kantech KT-1 solution is for businesses with up to four doors. It can be expanded, however, as the business grows.

While the technology is not new, it's newly customized for the small business owner, Leitz said. “It's easy for customers to add and delete users. They can take photos of folks from the app and log and register users. They can also lock and unlock doors from the EntraPass Go app. Those are two really convenient features for small business owners.”

Medical offices and retail locations in office parks are a target vertical for the TycoIS small business group, Leitz said. The new product works well for those customers who “want an audit trail and want to control access in a simple way.”

This product complements TycoIS' specialized small business video and intrusion package.

Leitz said that price is an important decision-making factor for SMB owners as is mobility. “Everything we focus on is tablet- and mobile-enabled,” he said. “You've got to have the right price, the right solution and be able to deliver it in a timely manner,” Lietz said.