On The Editor's Desk

I’ve always been in awe of any athletic achievements that force you to push yourself to your absolute physical and mental limits. Why am I saying this in a security industry blog? Well, two industry pros reached new heights, literally, on Aug. 23 as Karl Radke, Midwest business area director at Axis, and Jason Johnston, OKR (objectives and key results) practice lead at Genetec, successfully braved the challenging 14,505-foot climb to the summit of Mount Whitney in California at approximately...

So how has everyone’s week been going? Has it been X-citing, X-hilarating, perhaps X-ceeded your X-pectations? I’m sure you could tell that I repeatedly used the letter X in my intro because that has been the most popular letter in the alphabet over the last several days, thanks to Twitter CEO and megalomaniac Elon Musk. Oh wait, I need to correct myself – X CEO Elon Musk. Yes, Musk continued his freewheeling ways since taking over the social media giant last year by dropping...

When I arrived in Louisville this week for ESX 2023, one of the first things I noticed while walking to the registration area was a big display with balloons and neon lights celebrating 75 years of the Electronic Security Association (ESA). I said to myself, “Wow, that is quite an accomplishment.” 75 years of ESA serving as the largest trade association in the U.S. representing the electronic life safety and security industry. I’m not exactly going out on a limb to say that...

I admit that I had trouble coming up with a title for this week’s blog. But a comedian’s schtick that wrapped up the second day of PSA TEC 2023 just a couple of hours ago triggered a light bulb in my head. But more on that later. It’s been a very busy couple of days here in Dallas as I experience my second PSA TEC conference. More than 400 integrators and PSA technology partners have assembled at the Hyatt Regency in “Big D” for PSA’s annual education and networking...

At ISC West, everyone belongs. That’s what show organizers have been saying about the biggest security industry event of the year, and from what I’ve been hearing, everyone and anyone is going to be in Las Vegas this week. More than 20,000 security professionals covering access control, monitoring, video surveillance, fire safety, cybersecurity and so much more are gathering at the Venetian Expo this week showcasing the latest technologies and emerging trends such as drones & robotics,...

Ah, ‘tis the season of giving. It’s the middle of December, and that means it’s that time of year to take out your wallets and spend money on your loved ones for the gifts they have been yearning for. Or perhaps you plan on donating to your favorite charity, or giving a little something to a teacher, or the mailman, or the newspaper delivery person during the holiday season as a token of appreciation for what they do throughout the year. I’m definitely in the giving...

My son and I got up early on Saturday morning, but we didn’t mind at all. We got in the car and drove from New York City to New Jersey, and although getting to the George Washington Bridge was practically a crawl thanks to weekend construction, we were stoked to reach our ultimate destination – the Mission 500 annual softball game. For those who are unfamiliar with Mission 500, the nonprofit organization’s goal is to work together with the security industry to support underprivileged...

As August winds down and September arrives this week, we know that school (for my kids, anyway) and the reemergence of autumn leaves and cooler temperatures are just around the corner. While the title of my blog pays tribute to a classic song by Earth, Wind & Fire (one of my personal favorites by them, I might add), dancing in September seems a fitting description of what I’ll be doing over the next 30 days as this month promises to be a busy, yet very exciting one for yours truly. Why,...

Long time, no blog. I admit, I have been on the blogging sidelines for several weeks now while my new comrade, Managing Editor Ken Showers, has settled in and immediately given his thoughts on various relevant security industry topics under my old blogging banner, Monitoring Matters. As I’m now officially the editor of Security Systems News, my blogs will now fall under the title of On the Editor’s Desk, which you obviously know since you found me and are reading this right now. Now...

As I write these words, Security Systems News Managing Editor Cory Harris (pictured above at the podium) is in one of my favorite cities, Denver, Colo., for PSA TEC, the conference devoted to the systems integrator community. To say that I have some serious FOMO going on seeing all of Cory’s, and other industry peers’ posts on social would be an understatement! But I am very excited Cory gets to experience his first TEC, a rite of passage for any SSN editor, for sure! And what a great...