Video 'big hook' for Monitor America

MOONACHIE, N.J.—Monitor America has moved into SecureWatch 24's new Fusion Centre here, aiming to put itself ahead of the curve for what it believes is the future of the monitoring industry: video and managed services.

Jay Stuck, chief marketing officer for Monitor America, said the new company's 25,000-square-foot central station is equipped to handle all cloud-based B2B, enterprise and residential services, including access control, virtual security tours, PERS, real-time event reporting and intrusion alarm monitoring. But the “big hook” is video, he said.

“We've looked at where the industry is going and we believe that video is really going to play a significant part, right down to intrusion, over the next five to 10 years,” Stuck told Security Systems News. “We are positioning Monitor America as the go-to facility for all things regarding hosted video, managed video and related services. If a dealer or integrator is interested in offering video verification, some type of video tour or even access control, we're going to be able to do that at this facility.”

Monitor America will serve as a subcontractor for Manhattan-based SecureWatch 24, which will move its monitoring operations to the Fusion Centre. SW24 specializes in property surveillance and facilities management. Its main business is video monitoring, with cameras installed at more than 2,000 buildings in the New York City area.

Stuck said SW24's experience will give Monitor America a jump-start when it comes to video.

“We've cut our teeth in terms of our own video management services for the past 10 years,” said Stuck, who is also vice president of sales and chief marketing officer for SW24. “That's when the company started with our own proprietary EMS software. We've placed 23,000 cameras, we have thousands of DVRs and our software is excellent for small and mid-sized B2B kinds of companies.”

Monitor America is developing a third-party sales initiative and a traditional dealer program, Stuck said. All of its services will be anchored by the advanced technology at the Fusion Centre, with a 40-by-11-foot video display wall overlooking stadium-style seating for 36 operators.

“The stations themselves are connected by fiber. It's really state of the art,” Stuck said. “We feel that the technology we're offering through this center is really going to be the sell.”

Monitor America debuted at ISC East on Nov. 28. It is in the process of obtaining UL certification and will begin formal operations by the end of January, Stuck said.

The Fusion Centre was scheduled to be fully operational on Dec. 1, but that time line has been extended in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. The facility served as an emergency command post for local police and municipal officials after floodwaters swamped Moonachie at the height of the storm.

“The [borough] administration and police department are still running their operations out of our center, so we're not in a position at this moment to do that transition,” Stuck said during ISC East. “They're working with FEMA to get trailers in order for them to move, but meanwhile our doors are still open to them. We're putting the finishing touches on everything and will go live sometime in December.”