Archive: January 2016

YARMOUTH, Maine—For the second year in a row, Security Systems News has asked 10 top integrators which technology trends they believe integrators should be paying attention to and why. Again this year, cybersecurity and cloud were among those top trends, but several other technologies were identified including video and data analytics, big data.Executives from the following companies participated in this report: Extravision Video Technologies, Security Equipment Inc., Integrated Security Systems,...

DALLAS—IBS, a central station-focused software company, has made improvements to its Safe and Secure offering, a panic button app designed to give monitoring centers an entrée into the personal protection space and more RMR.“It's a nice addition to our existing customers that allows them to … enter into a market very, very simply,” Jens Kolind, vice president for IBS, told Security Systems News. US Monitoring started using the app in June 2015 and discussed its advantages with...

NORTHBROOK, Ill.—Underwriters Laboratories now allows central stations using newer technologies—such as virtualization—ways to become UL-listed.Specifically, central stations will “have new options for compliance with 827, [and] those options should be better aligned with current technologies,” Steve Schmit, engineering manager for UL, told Security Systems News. “The technologies that central stations want to implement now, because it makes sense for them to do...

WILLIAMSTOWN, N.J.—Lydia Security Monitoring, the parent company of COPS Monitoring, both based here, announced today it has acquired wholesale central station United Central Control.“COPS and UCC are CSAA member companies, and both are well-run and respected monitoring companies. Lydia's acquisition of UCC adds an impressive business to their existing third party monitoring portfolio,” CSAA executive director Jay Hauhn told Security Systems News.In a prepared statement, Jim McMullen,...

WILLIAMSTOWN, N.J.—Lydia Security Monitoring, the parent company of COPS Monitoring, received a $75 million credit facility from Citizens Bank, the bank announced Jan. 25.“Lydia plans to use this line of credit for general corporate purposes and to expand its presence in the market,” David Smith, COPS' director of marketing and communications, told Security Systems News, in an email interview.Citizens served as lead left arranger and administrative agent for the transaction.Jim...

After spending the past 10 years divesting itself of non-core businesses, Tyco is now going to become part of a much larger company. And, after being a Milwaukee company since 1885, Johnson Controls will now have its official domicile, with Tyco, in Cork, Ireland. Here's a video interview I did with Mark Van Dover of Tyco Integrated Security about being a standalone company. Tyco and Johnson Controls announced Monday that they would merge. We don't generally see deals this big in the security industry....

TechSec Solutions is coming up next week in Delray Beach, Fla., Feb. 2-3, and there will be topics of interest for monitoring stations. One session that affects all companies in the industry looks at cybersecurity, and how it threatens the physical security world. Joe Coe, sales engineer with Hikvision; Rodney Thayer, a consultant with Smithee, Spelvin, Agnew and Splinge; and Chris Pechkam will take the stage to talk about new vulnerabilities that arise from more internet connectivity. In the “Next...

CORK, Ireland—Tyco on Jan. 26 announced that it has completed the $175 million cash acquisition of ShopperTrak, a Chicago-based global provider of analytics for the retail industry.Tyco announced its intention to acquire ShopperTrak, which currently generates $75 million in annual revenues, in December.ShopperTrak's solutions include perimeter traffic counting, in-store consumer behavior analytics and industry benchmarking.Tyco plans to combine ShopperTrak capabilities with its existing loss...

Barry Chisholm, regional sales manager for American Alarm and Communications, oversees sales in three of the company's offices, including its headquarters in Arlington, Mass. Chisholm started in sales at American Alarm in December 2011, rising to his current position in 2013. He began his career at ADT in 1994. Security Systems News caught up with Chisholm in early January to talk about his home security system.What kind of system do you have?I have a DMP system in my home with full perimeter protection—all...

DALLAS—Monitronics announced the winners of its Monitronics Football League, a football-inspired competition among the company's authorized dealers. Monitronics called the MFL, “a friendly competition among dealers to motivate quality account production.” Ranks for each dealer were determined based on accounts generated compared to the average rate for the company. The league has two divisions; the Moni1Klub conference, comprised of dealers that typically generate more than 1,000...