SSI December 2011

“ I specify Bosch products because they’re simple to use.”

You spoke. We listened. The result: an exciting new intrusion portfolio that addresses the challenges

you face every day, including false alarm reduction. Our D1265 Touch Screen keypad’s simple menu and bright color graphical LCD screen make it so easy to operate, it decreases user error. And, it’s just one of the tools now available from Bosch for creating high-quality, reliable solutions for your customers.

Intrusion detection — designed by you; engineered by Bosch.

Learn more at www.boschsecurity.us/intrusion

Supplement to Security Sales & Integration Magazine

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you face every day, including false alarm reduction. Our D1265 Touch Screen keypad’s simple menu and bright color graphical LCD screen make it so easy to operate, it decreases user error. And, it’s just one of the tools now available from Bosch for creating high-quality, reliable solutions for your customers.

Intrusion detection — designed by you; engineered by Bosch.

Learn more at www.boschsecurity.us/intrusion




you face every day, including false alarmreduction. Our D1265 Touch Screen keypad’s simple menu and bright colorgrag phical LCD screen make it so easy to opeoperate, it decreases user error. And, it’sjusjustt one of the tools now available from BosBosch ch for creating high-quality, reliablesolsolutiutionson for your customers.

IntIntrusrusiono detection — designed by you; engengineineered by Bosch.

LeaLearn rn mormo e at wwwwww.bob schsecurity.us/intrusion



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December 2011Vol. 33 No. 12

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December 2011 CONTENTSVol. 33, No. 12

◗ DEPARTMENTS4 Security Exchange13 Industry Pulse54 Ad Index58 MarketPlace

◗ COLUMNS10 Between Us Pros With Scott Goldfine

Five initiatives to fend off top industry challenges.

18 Convergence Channel With Paul Boucherle

How to leverage existing network assets to create business value.

22 Tech Talk With Bob DolphHome automation and where opportunity is knocking.

24 Fire Side Chat With Shane ClaryUnderstanding the possibilities of video image detection (VID).

28 Monitoring Matters With Mark Matlock

What you need to know to maximize the value of your accounts.

60 Legal Briefing With Ken Kirschenbaum

Strategies for protecting newly acquired accounts from the seller.

SSI’s Top 30 technology picks for 2011 spotlights hardware and software solutions introduced in the past year. Inside you’ll find a wealth of devices and tools to help you maximize your business efficiencies and installation projects of all sizes.

— See page 30

30 Top Innovators Take Year’s Technology HonorsThe latest and greatest HD video, detection devices and access controls share the spotlight with productivity, design and installation tools as SSI reveals 2011’s Top 30 Technology Innovations. Take a look at which prod-ucts made the strongest impact on our experts from both technological and practical business standpoints.By Paul Boucherle, Bob Dolph and Scott Goldfi ne

40 Security Burns Brighter at Candlestick ParkA drop-off in system reliability and rise in high-profi le violence at sports venues were in play as the San Francisco 49ers called a security audible and upgraded Candlestick Park’s over-the-hill video surveillance system. Integrator and end user explain how the migration to a networked solu-tion has created a safer and more effi cient game-day experience.By Scott Goldfi ne

46 Reaching New Video Heights With WirelessNew advances in wireless technologies are allowing integra-tors to broaden their market potential beyond traditional video surveillance applications. Getting the proper training and education now will go a long way toward beating the competition to the punch. By Cosimo Malesci

50 Five Steps to Solar-Powered ProfitsInstalling security contractors are well positioned to adopt solar photovoltaic (PV) panels into their portfolios and take advantage of increasing opportunities to utilize “green” power alternatives. These solutions are ideal for remote lo-cations that otherwise lack power and communications in-frastructure. By Joe Bono

securitysales.com • DECEMBER 20112

Cover photo by Trevor MayoAll rights reserved.

◗1

TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS20 11

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Security Exchange Web Watch

RIGHT NOW ON securitysales.comwww.securitysales.com/productsLooking for the perfect item to add to a project proposal that will put you over the top and in line for the winning bid? There’s a good chance you’ll find it in the Products section of SSI’s site. Simply click on the Products tab at the top of the homepage or scroll down and click on the Products link in the middle of the homepage and voilà! There you will find dozens of pages of the

industry’s hottest technology from the most innovative manufacturers. Hundreds of items are featured dating back to 2006, each with a vivid color photo, description of features and specifications. Newly added reader product reviews and an advanced search tool makes the process that much easier. Handy hyperlinks are included at the end of each product listing to provide more information and direct readers to

the appropriate supplier. And while you’re on the site, be sure to sign up for SSI’s new products newslet-ter, Security Equipment e-lert.

PRODUCTS

WEB-O-METER5 most-viewed news stories during October

ADT Settles Suit With Family of

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Verizon Launches Z-Wave-Based Home Control

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Vector’s New National Service Center to Focus on Loss Preven-

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Vivint Gets $75M to

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SECURITY SCANNER®

BLOGSwww.securitysales.com/blog

Some of the things we’re talking about …• What Should Sellers Look for in an Asset Purchase Agreement?

• 5 Experts Examine Emergency Communications, Part 2 of 2

• 5 Experts Examine Emergency Communications, Part 1 of 2

• What Qualifies as Tortious Interference?

• How Power Problems Can Corrupt Your Security SolutionsEngage in the conversation!

Security Scanner® Web Poll Question:Which of the following residential security value-add services will take off in 2012?

Overwhelmingly, security professionals anticipate the use of smartphones to control and access security systems being the runaway residential service offering for the coming year. Two-thirds of respondents to this month’s Web poll selected that value-add service, with remote video a distant second with almost a one in five count. Not too far behind remote video was energy management. Interestingly, three other choices — keyless entry, personal emergency response systems (PERS) and carbon monoxide (CO) detection — drew zero votes. For more on these residential opportunities, check out this month’s “Tech Talk” column. Log onto securitysales.com to view SSI’s Security Scanner archives, as well as cast your vote for the December question: What would you peg your business’ projected growth rate for 2012?

For the latest news as it happens, sign up for SSI’s eControl Panel at www.securitysales.com

securitysales.com

Sr. Production Manager Sarah Paredes, ext. 497Art Director Margery YoungAudience Marketing Manager Katie Fillingame

Staff E-mail addresses are firstname.lastname@security sales.com (e.g. [email protected]) Contributors‘ E-mail addresses are [email protected].

HOW TO CONTACT ADVERTISING & MARKETING

Classified-MarketPlace AdsPeggy Onstad, (310) 533-2477

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARDEd Bonifas, Alarm Detection Systems, Aurora, Ill.Bill Bozeman, PSA Security Network, Westminster, Colo.Shandon Harbour, SDA Security, San Diego Jim Henry, Henry Bros. Electronics, Fair Lawn, N.J. Michael Jagger, Provident Security, Vancouver, British

Columbia, CanadaJohn Jennings, Safeguard Security and Communications,

Scottsdale, Ariz.Sandy Jones, Sandra Jones and Co., Chardon, OhioJ. Matthew Ladd, The Protection Bureau, Exton, Pa.Mike Miller, Moon Security Service, Pasco, Wash.Joe Nuccio, ASG Security, Beltsville, Md.Alan L. Pepper, Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp LLP, Los AngelesEric Yunag, Dakota Security Systems, Sioux Falls, S.D.

HOW TO GET YOUR NEWS TO USE-mail: [email protected]: 3520 Challenger St., Torrance, CA 90503Fax: (310) 533-2502

FOR SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES(888) 239-2455

BOBIT BUSINESS MEDIAEdward J. Bobit, ChairmanTy F. Bobit, President & CEO(310) 533-2400

Printed in USA

Peggy OnstadPublisher, ext. 477

Rodney BoschManaging Editor, ext. 426

Paul Boucherle, Shane Clary, Ron Davis, Bob Dolph, Peter Giacalone, Ken Kirschenbaum, Jeff ZwirnContributing Writers

Scott GoldfineEditor-in-Chief114 Chatworth LaneMooresville, NC 28117(704) 663-7125Fax: (704) 663-7145

Ashley WillisAssociate Editor, ext. 419

■■ WestDynise Plaisance-Hiebert3520 Challenger St. Torrance, CA 90503(760) 519-5541Fax: (310) 533-2502

■■ EastPeggy Onstad3520 Challenger St. Torrance, CA 90503(949) 305-5541Fax: (949) 305-5549

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Unbiased Biometrics ViewsI applaud Bob Dolph’s call for

transparency, for vendors to be asked for their detailed specs and liveness performance [SSI’s Septem-ber Tech Talk, “Knowing How Bio-metrics Can Be Beaten Helps You Win,” also at securitysales.com/tech-talk0911]. His comment, “Remem-ber, sensor vendors will typically not be comfortable discussing their products’ vulnerabilities,” is true. Moreover, few vendors are comfort-able discussing even their products’ standard specifi cations.

In particular, palm vein vendors keep their detection error tradeoff curves secret. They merrily publish their spectacular best-case FAR and FRR fi gures, but are very coy about their EER (which is a very ordinary 1 or 2 percent) and will not reveal the

actual error rate of their sensors as shipped. It’s contemptuous.STEPHEN WILSON, Managing DirectorLockstep TechnologiesSydney, Australia

Non-Security Services Are Key[In response to the news item, “Re-

port: 30% of U.S. Homes Will Have Mon-itored Services by 2020,” securitysales.com/services2020] The introduction of services that will provide more direct ser-vices will change customers’ perceptions. Security systems portray a negative con-notation, being something that may be necessary to prevent or deter an unwant-ed event; often begrudging the monthly monitoring fees for this negative service.

Services that will allow a video link to look into a business from a home offi ce or receive notifi cation when an action has been taken are USEFUL things customers WANT and are will-

ing to pay for. Unlike the feeble at-tempts by telephone companies the past 30 years, such services are more conducive to customers’ needs and will open new markets as well as serve existing markets more professionally.BRIEN WELWOODAlliance Security Systems Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Impressed With UTC’s Efforts[Regarding Under Surveillance

blog, “Analysts Assess the New Face of UTC Fire & Security] As a 28-year vet-eran it is exciting to see big-time com-panies continuing to invest in the se-curity industry. My company recently became a GE Security Pro dealer. At a recent training event UTC/Interlogix was working hard to pull it together. I am excited about their products. KIRK BOOHER, OwnerOnGuard Security SolutionsIndianapolis

www.securitysales.com/freeinfo/23149securitysales.com • DECEMBER 20118

Security Exchange Sounding Off


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Between Us Pros

Editor-in-Chief Scott Goldfine has spent more than 13 years with SECURITY SALES & IN-TEGRATION. He can be reached at (704) 663-7125 or [email protected].

By Scott Goldfinescott.goldfine@

securitysales.comFor owners and managers of installing security companies preparing for 2012 there is no shortage of challenges, problems, frustrations and other headaches. Some of them are unique to the industry while others are universal for entrepreneurial businesses. Those who equip

themselves with the proper tools, skills and knowledge, me-ticulously track and intelligently confront these issues, and then take swift and decision action are typically the ones rewarded with the greatest success, satisfaction, fulfi llment and profi tability. Easy to spell out, but of course a good deal more diffi cult to execute.

Fortunately, you are far from alone in this undertaking as SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION is with you every step of the way to provide the best possible advice and guidance from both your peers and the industry’s leading subject mat-ter experts. Even in this age of rising electronic media, 2011 research shows that 81 per-cent of you continue to rely on trade publications to help you do your job better. One of our new year’s resolutions for the magazine — as well as on-line and in person — is to give you even more of the insider knowledge necessary to thrive in today’s fast-paced security industry and unforgiving busi-ness environment. The newer security technology is terrif-ic, but it means little without the ability to market, sell and deliver it as intended and promised. We get that, and we are here to help and facilitate.

So then, what are the concerns inducing the most anxi-ety for security and fi re/life-safety dealer/integrator execu-tives and managers right now? That question is part of the yearly Installation Business Report (IBR) that serves as a centerpiece of our annual Gold Book edition (mailed with December’s issue or available separately). The top fi ve re-sults, in which nearly 400 respondents were asked to rate on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being what most keeps them up at night, can be seen on this page.

As indicated by the upward arrows, four of the top fi ve concerns scored higher than a year ago. However, the rank-ing order was unchanged. In other words, it’s the same is-sues only they weigh even more heavily on security company operators’ minds. The recession, which has jumped .26 the

past two years, continues to be the greatest source of angst.Tying these concerns into a year-end resolution theme, I

offer the following initiatives for you to strongly consider as ways to combat the fi ve highest ranked industry challenges:Recession — Put more energy and effort into selling up-grades and more services to your existing client base; this can be low-hanging fruit and lower in costs than new ac-count creation. Also reduce resource-zapping callbacks by making sure installations and service calls adequately solve customers’ issues the fi rst time.

Operating costs — Negotiate lower equipment costs with your suppliers; they are more apt to cut deals during these tough times. Also put more thought and even some in-vestment into practices and tools that increase your work-force’s productivity and re-duce ineffi ciencies.Government regulation —

Become an active participant in the process through lo-cal and national trade associations, communicating and building relationships with local offi cials, and routine-ly monitoring industry and general business media. Be aware and be heard.Security company competition — Take care of your exist-ing customers; keep in regular communication with them and truly understand their needs. Partner with them and build relationships based on trust, and you will have loyal customers unlikely to look elsewhere no matter how much lower others’ prices might be.Manufacturers selling direct — Make sure your people have the skillsets and training necessary to effectively represent and sell the latest security solutions. If manufacturers are confi dent in your commitment and capabilities they are un-likely to feel the need to sell direct. If they still do, then look for another supplier. ■

5 Ways to Wallop the Top 5 Woes

Top 5 Security Contractor Concerns(Rating scale 1-5, with 5 being most concerned)

Rank Concern 2011 2010 Rating Rating 1. The recession/bad economy 3.86▲ 3.76 2. Operating costs 3.61▲ 3.52 3. Government regulation 3.57▲ 3.42 4. Competition from other security companies 3.22 3.27 5. Manufacturers selling direct 3.17▲ 3.16

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securitysales.com • DECEMBER 2011 13

VIENNA, Va. — As the Auto-mated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP) program continues to ramp up, the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) is actively recruiting charter members until Jan. 31. Once the cut-off date passes for the initial phase, CSAA-member operators will likely have to wait up to two years to join the program. Nonmember central stations are not ex-pected to have access to ASAP until after 2014.

Developed by CSAA and the Association of Public Safety Com-munications Offi cials Int’l (APCO), the protocol provides a faster, more cost-effective means of sending alarm sig-nals directly to public safety answer-ing points (PSAPs), negating the need for telephone calls from alarm moni-toring stations.

ASAP utilizes the National Law En-forcement Telecommunications Sys-tem (Nlets) to provide listed central stations a secure connection to PSAPs. The charter membership program was created to defray the cost of de-ploying computer server equipment at the Nlets facility in Tucson, Ariz., as well as other development expendi-tures in the “hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Ed Bonifas, immediate past president of CSAA and co-chairman of the ASAP committee, tells SSI.

Vector Security, United Central Con-trol (UCC) and Monitronics were the fi rst companies to participate in the beta program, using direct connection to PSAPs in Houston, and York Coun-ty and Richmond, Va. At press time the three companies were expected to begin the process of connecting direct-ly to the new centralized ASAP server.

CSAA has signed up about 75 char-ter members, each committing to a three-year pledge ranging from $1,000 annually for the smallest operators to $5,000 annually for national operators.

“Although we won’t get all of them onboard, our mission is still to connect the entire professional alarm monitor-ing industry to every PSAP in the coun-try,” Bonifas says. “There are about 600 listed companies in the country. But we have all of the big national compa-nies signed up right now.”

Setting a deadline to join the fi rst phase of the program was necessary due to the enormous amount of work involved in preparing for connection to the ASAP server. “It’s not like you will never be able to get in, but we are going to have to put our technical re-sources into the people that brought us to the dance,” Bonifas says.

A chief incentive for beating the Jan. 31 deadline is charter members will not incur a connection fee; the cost for subsequent membership has not been determined. Ultimately, operational ex-penses for the program, as envisioned, will be paid for by companies based on their alarm-signal traffi c.

“A company’s savings are going to go up because this is cheaper than [an opera-tor] making a phone call. We are hoping to certainly have the traffi c cost down to a lev-el that is a fraction of what it costs to make a phone call with a person,” Bonifas says.

CSAA approached UL to un-dertake a technical review of the protocol to assure code compliance and to head off any future concerns that may be presented by an authority having jurisdiction (AHJ). In

November, UL announced it found the ASAP-to-PSAP program consistent with the language and intent of NFPA 72.

“The analysis of the results of how emergency calls were handled during the recent Mid-Atlantic earthquake and how notifi cations are handled day to day by the [PSAP in Houston] are compelling,” says Chris Hasbrook, UL vice president for Buildings, Fire, Life Safety & Security.

Alarm companies unsure about joining the program can consider sev-eral positive factors, says UCC Sr. Vice President Mark Matlock, who is a con-tributor to SSI’s “Monitoring Matters” column. Not only does ASAP allow for immediate transmission of account data without human intervention and faster response times, it provides key savings for PSAPs that are pushed to the limits with budget cuts.

“It also provides a nice little mar-keting advantage for alarm dealers who have accounts in the program,” he says. “I would encourage central stations to look past the initial invest-ments and consider the long-term vi-sion and mission of the industry and how we interact with PSAPs.”

Central Stations Have Until Jan. 31 to Join ASAP Project

Industry Pulse In Depth

CSAA is accepting applications through Jan. 31 for monitoring pro-viders to become charter members of the ASAP program, which de-livers alarm signals via a computer to PSAPs instead of a phone call.

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Industry Pulse Industry News

MONMOUTH JUNCTION, N.J. — In an effort to create one of the 10 larg-est global players in the video surveil-lance market, Infi nova announced it will acquire IP video provider March Networks for $88.2 million.

Infi nova will pay $4.90 ($5 Cana-dian) per share in the all-cash deal. March Networks will continue to op-erate independently from its Ottawa, Canada-based headquarters and main-tain its name and product brands. The deal provides scale in all critical mar-kets, as well as access to March Net-work’s IP technology, according to Dr. Jeffrey Liu, chairman of Infi nova.

“This deal is consistent with our strategy to accelerate growth and

expand in the Asian market,” March Networks President and CEO Peter Strom says. “Infi nova offers March Networks a broader geograph-ic footprint, access to the world’s fastest growing market and a com-plementary fi t with our respective product lines.”

March Networks’ shareholders, as well as Infi nova’s shareholders in China must approve the deal. Earli-er this year, Infi nova raised $300 mil-lion through an initial public offering (IPO) on the Shenzhen Stock Ex-change. The deal, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of fi scal 2012, is also subject to regulatory ap-proval in Canada.

Honeywell Promotes Harkins After Sohovich’s DepartureMELVILLE, N.Y. — Honeywell ap-pointed Scott Harkins to lead the Honeywell Security Group (HSG) products businesses in the Americas following JoAnna Sohovich’s resigna-tion on Dec. 2 as president of Honey-well Security & Communications.

Harkins has worked for Honeywell since 1995. As vice president and gen-eral manager of Honeywell Systems, he ran the company’s video surveil-lance and access control divisions. In his new role, Harkins will manage the company’s intrusion portfolio, in-cluding ADEMCO security systems, AlarmNet radio communications and Total Connect remote services. He will also be responsible for the First Alert Professional dealer program.

Harkins, who helped introduce the MAXPRO video management system (VMS) platform, NetAXS-123 access control system and the Honeywell software development kit (HSDK), will report to HSG President Ron Rothman.

“Scott has broad experience in every facet of security,” Rothman says. “That will help us to further deliver on the real potential of systems integration.”

Sohovich replaced Ron Rothman as president of Honeywell Securi-ty & Communications in Septem-ber 2010, following his appointment to president of the Honeywell Secu-rity Group. At press time, multiple sources told SSI that Sohovich had received two separate job offers and was currently deciding on which posi-tion to accept.

Infinova to Acquire March Networks for $88.2M

Scott Harkins, above, will lead Honeywell Security Group’s (HSG) product division after JoAnna Sohovich’s resig-nation. Harkins will also be responsible for the First Alert Professional dealer program.

Galvin Revives Razberi IP Video Products CARROLLTON, Texas — Industry veteran Tom Galvin has launched Razberi Tech-nologies Inc. and is once again manufacturing the razberi line of IP-based video products. The plug-and-play IP video recording and man-agement system, of which Galvin was one of the chief architects, was previously manufactured by the now defunct GVI Security.

Having sold the razberi concept to GVI in 2009, Galvin approached the company to buy back the

technology and intellectual property. After regaining ownership, Galvin shopped for new investors and eventually cut a deal with Dynacolor, a provider of video surveillance products, as its lead investor.

Razberi Technologies will begin its operations provid-ing the razberi MP Series, an enhanced line of recorders and IP cameras. It will also provide help desk support for end users that currently have the legacy razberi recorders and GVI’s autoIP cameras.

How will the upstart com-pany ensure it does not suffer the same fate as the erstwhile GVI Security? For starters, Galvin is seeking partnerships with industry-leading video management software (VMS) providers to order to promote the NVR as open platform tool.

“With that open platform strategy, we think we can reach the systems integrators that are already comfortable with IP and are perhaps looking for a more scaled down, compact hardware platform for their existing channels,” he tells SSI.

STAMPSCO Creates Fire Systems Design GroupOKLAHOMA CITY — In response to the increased demand for complex fire alarm and mass notification systems to meet Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC), STAMPSCO has formed a new Fire Systems Design Group (FSDG) division.

FSDG will offer third-party NICET IV design, engineering, programming, project management, testing and commissioning of fire alarm and mass notification systems to fire alarm companies, architectural and engineering firms, and fire protection engineers.

STAMPSCO previously subcontracted its design and engineering services to other firms. However, the idea to create the FSDG grew out the need to address the design criteria for larger facilities, STAMPSCO President and CEO Rodney Stamps tells SSI.

“This group is just an extension of what STAMPSCO already does. It’s just more focused toward catering as a support services company for other fire alarm companies and engineering firms,” he says.

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Siemens recently launched a new Fire Safety and Security (FSS) unit following the merger of its fi re and se-curity businesses. In creating the new unit, Siemens said the move came at the request of its customers for more integrated and intelligent solutions. Bob Suermann, who was appointed business unit head, discusses FSS and other industry matters.

How does the company solicit and gather voice of the customer feedback?

To gather this valuable feedback, we have a Customer Voice team that con-ducts monthly surveys of our custom-ers. This process gives us a deep un-derstanding of customers’ challenges and concerns. It also serves as a lit-mus test of how well we are doing in regards to addressing those needs. In essence, it’s a monthly report card that provides tremendous clarity on the di-rection of our business and helps to uncover unaddressed needs within our served markets.

In addition to this process, earli-er this year we engaged a third-par-ty research fi rm to provide a more ex-tensive perspective on the voice of the customer in the areas of security and life-safety technologies, solutions and services. An unexpected outcome of this research was that it helped vali-date our previous research along with our strategic direction in merging fi re and security.

What are the synergies that exist be-tween the fi re market and the securi-ty market?

Both fi re and security are driven to-ward a basic value or benefi t that the customer might defi ne as protection. From that customer’s perspective, pro-

tection, as it relates to fi re and securi-ty, centers around two general catego-ries: people and assets.

Now, consider the National Inci-dent Management System [NIMS] as a proxy for the way customers see their world and responsibility for pro-viding protection to the people and as-sets in their charge. Whether they are even aware of NIMS or what it stands for is irrelevant. But those customers responsible for safeguarding a hos-pital, an offi ce tower, a campus, or a pharmaceutical facility all have one thing in common — they understand the imperative nature of their role to protect, detect, respond and recover from the threats their organizations might face.

And while code will often be the driving force for much of what tradi-tional fi re is comprised of, so many of our customers have expressed a need for a single point of contact when it comes to both fi re and security. They are also expressing a need for integra-

tion of fi re, security, building controls and automation.

This set of customer views and needs, along with Siemens’ ability to offer such complete integration un-der our Intelligent Response segment, compelled us to create FSS.

In what ways is IT-physical security impacting your operations today, and where do you see convergence lead-ing the industry’s future?

Its impact can be seen in our oper-ational readiness, a measure we use to ensure our operations teams are trained and certifi ed on the latest tech-nologies. Before convergence hit our industry, our operational readiness metrics were comprised almost exclu-sively of OEM certifi cations from our technology partners in access control, CCTV and intrusion detection. Today, our operational readiness refl ects an organization with a far broader range of professional qualifi cations, includ-ing an enormous number of our tech-nicians holding networking certifi ca-tions from Microsoft and Cisco.

Convergence is a game-changer that is perhaps slower to make its impact felt in security than many in the in-dustry would have predicted fi ve or 10 years ago. Nevertheless, we’re now beginning to see acceleration in con-vergence take place and believe that it portends a very rough road for those integrators not working to ensure their teams are equipped with the lat-est training and certifi cations to ad-dress the customer’s needs in a rapidly changing environment.

HOT SEAT: Tapping Into Customer Needs, Demands

Bob SuermannSiemens Building Technologies Division

Business Unit Head, Fire Safety and Security (FSS)


Industry Pulse

FIND IT ON THE WEBFor more from our conversation, visit securitysales.com/hotseat.

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SS12pulse_hotseat.indd 16SS12pulse_hotseat.indd 16 12/15/11 12:39 PM12/15/11 12:39 PM

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Convergence Channel

By Paul [email protected]

We left off last month talking about how systems integrators and IT departments

go through progressive phases of en-lightenment before they fi nd the com-mon ground necessary to create busi-ness value. Both sides are in the same boat. Being together in the same boat and learning how to row together, as a team, will yield forward momentum to-ward an agreed upon destination. That destination should clearly support busi-ness goals that senior management is touting. If you can’t work together and end up rowing in different directions, well you get the picture.

You may have an IT person utter the phrase “Not on my network.” They re-ally didn’t mean what you thought you heard; you may have just asked the wrong person the wrong question. Cre-ating value for IT starts with you choos-ing to change your business perspective and thinking just a little bit. OK, maybe a whole lot. Instead of the conventional “compressed” wisdom of how to mini-mize bandwidth issues, think in terms of “expansion” where bandwidth and quality aren’t always a compromise.

A key concept to consider is that many IT departments, as well as 99 per-cent of IT people, really are interested in expanding and leveraging their net-works in new, expansive and dynamic ways. I am suggesting a controlled and planned expansion plan that allows le-veraging of older network assets that can be used in new ways while provid-

ing a justifi able migration to new tech-nology to support growth plans, spelled B-U-S-I-N-E-S-S V-A-L-U-E.

Sometimes Value Is in the ProcessA real-life example I shared last

month showed how a key metric for an Ohio university was saving time, and the IP video solution helped de-partments there accomplish that. An-other and more powerful metric was that life got easier for everybody.

Never underestimate the power of making someone’s life just a little bit eas-ier. Granted not a lot of rocket science here, but you must be more perceptive, curious and aware to create a winning environment in working relationships.

Remember that return on security investment (ROSI) can be developed af-

ter the project is completed. Say what? Truth be told, you and your custom-er may not have enough data points to tie a pretty bow around a large proj-ect to sell it to senior management with ROSI. There I said it. I feel so much better. So what?! Do a smaller pilot project and gather some real-life data points. They can be used to justify the project or as a referral in the future.

3 Ways to Help IT Departments Shine

So let’s transition to the technology side of the value coin. You may have the perception that technology alone is the passion and focus of the IT de-partment, and they only like getting their hands dirty with bits and bytes. Au contraire, mon ami (French for on

Systems integrators and customer IT departments are really working toward the common goal of optimizing that organization’s operational efficiencies. Tactics such as reducing task times and expanding network capabilities can help integrators and IT win over executive management.

Be an IT MVP to Score C-Level Points

IT departments have a heavy workload and any solution, regardless of how cool it is, that eats up that time … well, you will have a problem. It is important to understand where and how they spend their time so you can optimize it. Take work away from them.

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technology for high disk reliability. • Sequential recording system (SFS™)

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work technology and politics, the IT department must be fi scally responsi-ble to the economic realities of today. Here is a strategy I have used the past nine years with clients and customers that you may want to consider.

It is rare that you would add secu-rity subsystems to unaltered, existing networks. There are way too many is-sues that can arise unless they are giga-byte to the switch and average utiliza-tion rates that are in the 20-25 percent range. However, there are lots of ways to retool a network using an existing infrastructure that may be “old” in IT terms, but work just fi ne for security solution needs. So how does this pro-vide value for your IT rowing crew?

It creates a defensible upgrade bud-get request that allows them to mi-grate to newer technology, and still leverage past IT investments for low-ering security system solution imple-mentation. Start with understanding network loading factors in a tradition-al sense, and then get a little innova-tive by playing the “what if” game with owners of the network. Collaborative discussions, when built on trust, yield amazingly powerful alliances that get results and projects funded.

“Can do easy” was my U.S. Marine Corps squadron’s motto. Make it yours with your IT customers! ■

Paul Boucherle, Certified Protection Professional (CPP) and Certified Sherpa Coach (CSC), is principal of Canfield, Ohio-based Matterhorn Consulting (www.matterhornconsulting.com). He has more than 30 years of diverse security and safety industry experience and can be contacted at [email protected].

isn’t it? IT departments have a heavy workload and any solution, regardless of how cool it is, that eats up that time … well, you will have a problem. It is important to understand where and how they spend their time so you can optimize it. Take work away from them.

What can you as a company do to streamline the implementation and the long-term operational, service and maintenance workloads? The silver bullet for this is B.E.T.D.B.W. IT depart-ments love acronyms, so throw them a curve: Be easy to do business with. I know; I should have been in marketing.

Security Can Help Justify IT Budgets

The next value-added strategy to consider is helping the IT department build a strong case for expanding/up-dating a network infrastructure. This is a strategy I truly love to work with because it just plain works about 80 percent of the time. There are a couple of reasons to consider this as a strate-gy to deliver value.

People who work with technology typically like the next new wave of net-work and appliance evolution. Unlike many of your conventional security solution buyers, technology custom-ers view the “lifecycle” of products. IT customers consider three to four years the outside lifecycle of their compo-nents. Could we say the same for the buyers of security products?

While we in the security world are relative neophytes to the world of net-

the contrary, my friend). While their focus on the technical software and operational characteristics of technol-ogy cannot be denied, focusing solely on this driver would be shortsighted.

Try focusing on the “business” of IT and how it supports an organization in a much broader or expansive sense.

Here are three approaches that have worked well for me through the years:

1. Reduce their risk of doing business while extending their budget dollars

2. Protect their jobs from outsourc-ing threats

3. Help redefi ne and expand their con-tribution to the business

Consider what they value. I will give you a couple of examples to consider. Minimize their risk; the risk of a tech-nology not working well within their network or skill capabilities. If you bring overly sophisticated solutions, somebody will have to manage it on a frequent basis. So how would you bring some value in this scenario?

Optimizing Clients’ Time Is GoldenStart increasing value by checking

the network track record of the prod-uct solutions you plan to recommend. Make sure your manufacturer and their fi eld reps earn their paychecks. Gener-ic or fl uffy case studies won’t cut it with a true IT technologist. They want facts. The manufacturers that can deliver this information without a great deal of hemming and hawing will deliver you and your customer value. Remember that above a small pricing margin when you make buying decisions. IT rela-tionships and business value is defi ned by the lifecycle of the customer, not by short-term product margin.

All right, that may work well and be worth considering, but what else can we do? How about delivering the No. 1 val-ue proposition of all time — time itself?

I tell my wife Jayne all the time what we really do in our business is to sell time. We save our customers lots of time, so I guess it is really what we sell,

A solid value-added strategy to consider is helping the IT department build a strong case for expanding/updating a network infrastructure. This is a strategy worth trying because it just plain works in about 80 percent of the cases.

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By Bob [email protected]

Tech Talk

What would you do if you had an opportunity to install special-

ty residential systems that would utilize the majority of your existing installa-

tion and electronics skills; have a price and profi t margin larger than typical security systems; and yes, could even add to your RMR base? If this type of business fell into your lap on a regular basis would you take advantage of the opportunity? Are you interested? Then by all means read further.

Consumer technology is expand-ing rapidly on two fronts — home and mobile devices. Today’s customer ex-pects to be able to take advantage of

the convergence of both of these tech-nologies and services. A smartphone is a cell phone with software applica-tions or “apps” that enable remote-ly interfacing with entertainment and automation functions in their homes.

Thusly, an alarm control panel no longer merely processes alarms — it is a centerpiece for today’s connect-ed home. This scenario is no longer a luxury but becoming a requirement of today’s residential security, bring-ing many opportunities for dealers to branch out.

New Study Shows Market Is RipeNot convinced this is a market for

the standard alarm dealer? Then take

a moment and listen to what your peers, and often competition, as well as your residential customers and prospects, are saying.

Earlier this year, the Electronic Se-curity Association (ESA), formerly NBFAA, revealed the results of an ex-tensive survey designed to assess se-curity dealer/systems integrator of-ferings at present and where they are headed in the near future. The con-sumer part of the survey gauged the interest levels and awareness of inte-grated systems features and functions, as well as receptivity to various pro-viders. The survey was conducted in April/May with input from 149 ESA members and 520 consumers.

Here are some selected results:• Installing companies project-

ed 415-percent and 280-percent growth from 2011-’13 in energy in-formation and HVAC control, re-spectively. These were the priority areas of home automation and typi-cally refl ect an increased interest in intelligent control of home system functions.

• 35 percent and 25 percent of alarm companies identifi ed their biggest obstacle as not knowing how to sell/market home automation and en-ergy management, and home net-works, respectively. There appears to be a large opportunity for vendors to train resellers here.

• Installing companies anticipate 44 percent of their residential projects will include remote/mobile con-trol features by 2013. That’s a fore-

Mobile connectivity is breeding a world of consumers who expect full access and control of anything they want wherever they want it. High expectations, yes — but also high growth and profits for security systems/services providers that meet the demand.

Homebound for Glory

The TouchPRO wireless thermostat combines the trusted brands of Lutron and Honeywell. One can create energy-saving schedules using the Home Control+ app for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, as well as Android devices.

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“Iron Triangle,” which proportion-ately pits project time, cost and scope against each other to maximize proj-ect quality.

Products, Providers and ProfitsOne of the biggest demand areas

in the ESA survey was mobile servic-es. Customers now want to not only arm/disarm their alarm system via their smartphones, but they also want to be able to turn the thermostat and lights up and down remotely. This is now being provided to resellers through services such as the emPow-er program from Alarm.com (see this month’s Tool Tip box).

Retrofi tting home automation upgrades is becoming easier with products such as the RadioRA 2 res-idential smart grid solution from Lutron (lutron.com) that can be de-livered through devices like the Honeywell TouchPRO wireless ther-mostat (see photo).

What about ideas on how to increase RMR with residential networked sys-tems such as home automation and en-tertainment? One suggestion is to look at companies that can provide moni-toring of these devices and networks such as ihjii (ihiji.com). This company provides a service for the monitoring of networks, entertainment, HVAC and lighting systems. It’s a support service that can be resold by security dealers. ■

Bob Dolph has served in various technical management and advisory positions in the security industry for 30+ years. To share tips and installation questions, E-mail Bob at [email protected]. Check out his Tech Shack blog at www.securitysales.com/blog.

ganizational tools and skills, such as project management (PM), have to be learned and executed if the dealer is to maintain profi tability. Simply put, the more you know about a project, the better you can manage it.

One organization security dealers may want to become familiar with is the Custom Electronic Design & In-stallation Association or CEDIA (ce-dia.net). Its education and train-ing programs can help overcome the large obstacles of nonsecurity product knowledge and installation skills.

Similar to other trade organiza-tions, CEDIA also offers certifi cations, such as the Electronic Systems Project Management (ESPM) program. This program is a descendent of PM strat-egies from the Project Management Institute (pmi.org). PMI serves prac-titioners and groups such as CEDIA by providing standards that stress the best PM practices. One important ref-erence document from this organiza-tion is the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). PMI also of-fers its own certifi cation programs such as Project Management Profes-sional (PMP).

Recently, in a CEDIA PM train-ing seminar, a few key project man-agement pointers were emphasized. These included the fi ve phases of a project: Initiating or launching the project; planning project objectives; executing the work; controlling and ensuring the objectives are met; and closing with acceptance of the proj-ect. Additional emphasis was placed on the understanding of the project’s

casted increase from 28 percent to-day. This is a big one everybody, so make sure you have your marketing plans in place quickly.

• 74 percent of consumer respondents are interested in adopting new tech-nology after it has been around for a while and shown a trend.

• 79 percent of consumers trusted se-curity companies to offer servic-es and do a good job. This is a big-gie! Take advantage of this huge vote of confi dence. The next closest group was computer/IT companies at 33 percent. Homebuilders and remodel-ers were at the bottom of the ratings.

Getting Up to Speed in a HurryWhat can we do to get ready for de-

livering new nonsecurity residential systems? Security dealers need to vis-it the parallel technology universe of home automation and entertainment, and mobile/remote services to learn new skills and fi nd new vendors of these popular technologies.

In the past, the most exotic things security dealers had to interface with would normally be fi re sprinkler sys-tems and phone systems. Now they have to deal with HVAC, audio, com-puter networks, Internet and cellu-lar communications, and more. These systems can be larger and often in-volve scheduling work with many oth-er contractors. The scope of some sys-tems such as home entertainment can easily dwarf the scope of typical alarm system installations.

In order for personnel to step into these “big league” projects, new or-

TECH TALK Tool TipAlarm.com’s emPower is a feature-rich home automa-tion and energy manage-ment solution that allows complete remote control of critical systems via any Web-enabled computer or mobile device.

This month I have selected a third-party service that has gained popularity among dealers for providing customers with enhanced interactive remote services. The provider company is Vienna, Va.-based Alarm.com whose wireless platform enables consumers to monitor just about everything that happens in their homes or businesses.

The firm’s popular emPower system allows users to remotely lock doors, set a thermostat and adjust lighting schedules through their smartphones. Users can also get alarm / status, re-al-time E-mail, and text message notifications. More than 2,000 security dealers are licensed to offer the Alarm.com solution.

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Fire Side Chat

By Shane [email protected]

For years fi re detection has been performed through the use of spot-type detec-tion devices such as heat

and smoke detectors. For the major-ity of applications these devices pro-vide a level of coverage that meets the goals of life safety, property protec-tion and mission continuity for a par-ticular protected premise. But there are spaces that require protection that simply do not permit the use of a typi-cal spot-type detector. Video image de-tection (VID) is a newer technology that has evolved the past 10 years to address the problems associated with these diffi cult areas.

While linear smoke detection (pro-jected beams) and radiant heat de-tectors (fl ame detectors) have been around for a number of years, they may not be ideal choices for all ap-plications. To function properly, all smoke detection devices, including spot-type, smoke beams and aspirat-ing detectors, require that the prod-ucts of combustion reach the de-tectors. This can be an issue when dealing with factors such as height, air velocity, transport delay and stratifi ca-tion. Even putting these factors aside, the cost of installing traditional spot detectors in these locations would be diffi cult at best, if not impossible.

With VID, the products of combus-tion when detecting for smoke are not required to travel to the sensor. VID can detect anywhere within a given fi eld of view, which means it is not limited by the factors of distance and area as are standard detectors. However, VID is bound to the restraints of sharpness, contrast and illumination within the fi eld of view. Let’s investigate further.

How NFPA Looks at Video Detection

VID was fi rst described in the 2007 edition of NFPA 72, The National Fire Alarm Code, in Section 7.5.6, Video Image Smoke Detection. The require-ments for VID with the 2007 edition are based on a performance design.

The Technical Committee on Initi-ating Devices was uneasy with the al-lowance of VID without further re-quirements on the siting of this

technology. A project was conducted by the NFPA Fire Protection Research Foundation by Hughes Engineering on the uses of VID, and a report called Video Image Detection Systems Instal-lation Performance Criteria Research Project was issued (www.nfpa.org/as-sets/fi les//PDF/Research/RPT_FPRF_VID_Performance_Criteria.pdf).

In the 2010 edition of NFPA 72, the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, additional requirements were added to Section 17.7.7, the former Section 7.5.6.

The use of VID in the current stan-dard is through performance-based de-sign. Does this mean VID meets the prescription requirements of 72 for the space intended to be protected, and can it meet the requirements of the fi re or building code for the occu-pancy classifi cation and/or the overall system design requirements?

Monitoring Smoke and FlamesTo answer this question, an under-

standing of the basic principles of VID is necessary.

Originally developed in Europe, the fi rst VID technology application in the United States was conducted by the U.S. Navy for volume detectionwithin ships. Volume detection is the protection of a whole space. Fires on-board a ship can be devastating with early detection being paramount for a vessel’s survival.

Video detection is achieved through analog or digital video cameras and, depending on the system architecture

Video image detection is pushing past the boundaries of long established fire safety systems. Able to detect smoke or flame anywhere within cameras’ field of view, this method is not limited by standard detectors’ reliance on distance and area.

Video Expands Limits of Detection

Video image detection can detect anywhere within a given field of view, which means it is not limited by the factors of distance and area as are standard detectors.

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selected, may involve devices also be-ing used for security within a building. There are two confi gurations of VID. The fi rst is having multiple cameras feed into a central processor, which is then connected to the fi re alarm sys-tem. In this case, the “smarts” of the system is not in the cameras, but in the processor. The second method is by having the processor within each camera, which in turn is connected to the building’s fi re alarm system.

The fi rst generation of VID used the former confi guration, while new-er generations have the latter avail-able as well. The multiple camera sys-tems typically have either four or eight cameras feeding into the processor. One point to consider with this archi-tecture is power consumption. Unless the VID is to be supplemental detec-tion, the power requirements of NFPA 72 must be followed, which means a minimum of 24 hours of standby pow-er. Single camera products have low-er power requirements. These systems function with either 12 or 24VDC and with a relatively low power draw.

Both of these methods use analyti-cal algorithms within their processors for the detection of either smoke or fl ame. Different methods are used for fl ame and smoke, but some common methods between the two are the use of fuzzy logic, neural networks and

looking for pixel changes within the fi eld of view or image.

VID for fl ame detection is looking in part for:• Flicker• Color• Size• Brightness• Dynaxmic texture analysis

VID for smoke detection, on the other hand, has algorithms for:• Contrast change• Edge lost• Motion• Color• Fractal encoding of the image• Temporal and spatial wavelet trans-

formation

Smoke is more diffi cult to mod-el than fl ame due to irregular motion characteristics, unstable cameras, dy-namic backgrounds and lighting. Sys-tems are now available that provide coverage for both fl ame and smoke.

System Design CharacteristicsCamera selection can affect the out-

come and sensitivity of a VID system. This is more so with the multiple cam-era confi guration, as the single camera systems are confi gured by the VID man-ufacturer. Items that should be consid-ered when selecting a camera include:• Brightness• Sharpness• Flicker suppression• Color balance

When selecting a camera, con-ferring with the VID manufactur-er should take place to verify product compatibility with the system.

Ambient light within the spaces to be protected is also an important fac-tor. A minimum of 1 foot candle is re-quired for smoke detection. This is the same level of illumination required by NFPA 101 Life Safety Code for emer-gency lighting, and as such most facil-ities have this level. Illumination may be by either infrared (IR) or white light. For most applications, white light should be considered. A large fi re could fl ood an IR receptor.

Connection to a fi re alarm system will be either through a relay output or by means of a 4-20mA signal. VID will also allow for visual review and interpretation via monitors.

In siting VID, the cameras will be required to have a direct line of view of the area that is to be covered. There must be no obstructions. Consider-ation should also be given to ventila-tion and smoke dilution. As discussed, light and illumination of the target area must also be considered.

Systems on the market today are listed by Factory Mutual (FM) Ap-provals through the organization’s Standard 3260, Standard for Radi-ant Energy-Sensing Fire Detectors for Automatic Fire Alarm Signaling. Two new standards are under devel-opment: FM 3232 (for VID) and UL 268B (video image smoke detectors). UL 268B is an outline at this time, but may be developed into a standard at a later date.

The integrator needs to be aware of and continue to remain up to date on this new VID technology, its applica-tions and where it can and cannot be used. A “How can this be done?” ap-plication may now be possible thanks to VID. ■

Shane Clary, Ph.D., has more than 37 years of security and fire alarm industry experience. He serves on a number of NFPA technical committees, and is Vice President of Codes and Standards Compliance for Pacheco, Calif.-headquartered Bay Alarm Co.


Fire Side Chat

Possible Locations for Video Image Detection

• Industrial plants• Power plants• Lumber and

paper mills• Warehouses• Atriums• Aircraft hangers• Convention

centers

• Large sports venues

• Historic sites• Oil production

facilities• Tunnels and

mines• Outdoor

locations

While traditional devices like smoke detec-tors and sprinklers are often very effective, there are spaces that call for going above and beyond with video image detection.

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Monitoring Matters

By Mark [email protected] am frequently asked by my alarm

dealer customers what I think their alarm accounts are worth, i.e., what multiple can they can

expect from a buyer. The answer is complex as there is no “universal” multiple paid for alarm accounts.

In understanding the value of alarm accounts, there are several factors to consider. First is the quality of the contract with the customer. Buyers want the contract to have provisions that will protect them after they ex-ecute the purchase. Important items that should be in the contract are:• The customer must indemni-

fy the dealer• Liability must be limited

with no expressed or implied warranties

• The contract must be assignable

• Residential contracts must include the three-day right of rescission clause

• Buyers like long-term contracts (fi ve years preferably) and the contracts should automatically renew in one-year increments

Buyers frequently reject seller’s alarm accounts because the contracts don’t contain some or all of the above provisions, or even worse, the sell-er doesn’t have contracts with its cus-tomers. If an alarm dealer doesn’t have contracts with its customers, then it is highly recommended that the dealer seek legal guidance and im-mediately rectify the situation. Not only is the dealer highly exposed to li-ability, but the accounts are worth vir-tually zero to a buyer.

Attrition is also a big factor in the valuation process. The seller’s annu-

al attrition rate will be a good indica-tor of what the buyer can expect in the future. Any level of attrition under 10 percent is considered “good.” Histor-ic annual attrition levels around 5 per-cent or lower are considered “prime” and will typically increase value for the seller.

As expected, buyers also place a premium on accounts that pay well. Sellers that have a lot of automat-ed clearing house (ACH) payments and automatic debits will be more at-tractive to buyers. In any case, buy-ers are very concerned with aging on

the accounts and if the seller has a lot of past-due accounts, it will negative-ly affect the value even to the point of possibly disqualifying certain ac-counts from purchase.

Buyers also like to see good record-keeping. Sellers who have their houses in order and who can quickly produce billing information, service informa-tion and the like will be valued differ-ently than sellers whose fi ling cabi-nets are overfl owing with documents in no particular order. Electronic stor-age of documents is always preferred by buyers.

The Phone Number ImperativeOne key trigger in reaping maximum

value has nothing to do with any of the above factors. If sellers really want to reap top dollar for their accounts, it is imperative for their alarm dialers to be

programmed to a number that the sell-er owns and that can be transferred to the buyer. Nothing will reduce the value of an account more than hav-ing the central station’s proprietary phone number programmed into all the accounts. Most buyers desire to immediately move the purchased ac-counts to their own central station. Ac-counts that have to be manually re-

programmed will negatively affect the purchase price.

Of course, reputation is also important and sellers who do a good job with ser-vice and customer relations will generally have a bet-ter chance of attaining maxi-

mum value. Most buyers will do some sort of quality assurance polling with the seller’s customers prior to a pur-chase. If they are constantly getting negative feedback from the customers, the value will be negatively affected or the purchase may be cancelled. Con-versely, sellers who do a great job of servicing their customers are likely to be rewarded for their efforts.

In any case, it is apparent that there are many factors for buyers of alarm ac-counts to consider when making a pur-chase. The ultimate value of alarm ac-counts in any given transaction will be a result of weighing all of the above cri-teria and assessing a value accordingly. It is wise when selling, or considering a sale, to have one’s house in order. ■

Mark Matlock is Senior Vice President at United Central Control Inc. (UCC), a wholesale monitoring station based in San Antonio.

What Are Your Accounts Worth?

Nothing will reduce the value of an account more than having

the central station’s proprietary phone number programmed into

all the accounts.

SS12monitor.indd 28SS12monitor.indd 28 12/15/11 1:38 PM12/15/11 1:38 PM

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SS12monitor.indd 29SS12monitor.indd 29 12/15/11 1:38 PM12/15/11 1:38 PM

Technological advances are accelerating by exponential leaps and bounds. So much so that futurists like author Ray Kurzweil speculate about the immi-nent dawn of the Singularity — when artifi cial intelligence will allow human-kind to transcend our biological limitations and amplify our creativity. It’s

hard to imagine what security might be like when that day arrives — but whatever it is will have evolved from some of the creations included in SECURITY SALES & IN-TEGRATION’s 2011 Top 30 Technology Innovations.

Tempering the whiz-bang technological sizzle of security industry product offer-ings with real-world application perspectives and business sensibility are SSI’s own futurists, “Convergence Channel” columnist Paul Boucherle and “Tech Talk” writ-er Bob Dolph. Indeed, today now more than ever any technology is only as viable as its ability to solve a need and turn a profi t. So whether you seek higher profi tability, better effi ciencies, making installations and troubleshooting easier, to expand your portfolio or feed your inner techno geek, you’re certain to fi nd something well worth-while in this year’s Top 30 selections.

In addition to choices residing within the familiar categories of access control, fi re/life-safety, intrusion detection and video surveillance, the annual list also includes sales and business management software, LED lighting, installation tools, solar-powered devices, environmental monitoring, cloud-based applications, home man-agement and more. Security technology buffs will note the expected prominence of high defi nition and megapixel video, analytics, video management systems, biomet-rics and wireless devices. However, they may be unfamiliar with some of the brands and models that won over our expert judges. In addition to being a useful reference for opportunity-hungry industry professionals, the Top 30 — like all such lists and awards — is subjective and lends itself to enjoyable discussion and debate. With that in mind, and in the spirit of the season, prepare for your head to spin like a kid with an all-access pass to Santa’s Workshop as SSI proudly presents (in alphabetical or-der by writer) 2011’s Top 30 Technology Innovations.

SSI Technical Writers Paul Boucherle, Bob Dolph and Editor-in-Chief Scott Goldfine can be reached at [email protected]

By Paul Boucherle, Bob Dolph and Scott Goldfine

The latest and greatest HD video, detection devices and access controls share the spotlight with

productivity, design and installation tools as SSI reveals 2011’s Top 30 Technology Innovations. Take a look at which products made the strongest impact on our experts from both technological and practical business standpoints.

Take Top Technology Honors


30 Innovators

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TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS20 11

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www.pelco.com

Challenging lighting scene with standard camera. SureVision automatically delivers the best image possible.

Video security cameras can overcome some lighting challenges, but when a single scene contains bright

areas, shaded areas and intense shining lights, image quality falls flat. That’s why Pelco by Schneider

Electric engineers created the ultimate solution, Sarix Cameras with SureVision technology. SureVision

is a new, state-of-the-art imaging science that combines Wide Dynamic Range, Low Light and Anti-Bloom

capabilities into one highly intelligent technology. The result is a camera that handles light nearly as well

as the human eye - automatically adjusting to deliver exceptional detail and the best possible image in

even the most challenging lighting conditions. Available in Sarix IX Series IP Cameras and Sarix IM Series

Mini Domes, SureVision sets a new standard for image quality. See the difference at www.pelco.com.

Sarix: A New Era of Image QualityIntroducing SureVision real-time imaging technology

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Aiphone IP Video Intercom

Bellevue, Wash.-based Aiphone’s new IS Se-ries IP video intercom continues to cement the firm’s reputation for highly functional solutions in the world of convergence. When leveraging network-centric communication, you are no longer limited to the confines of a building or campus. Communication takes on new dimen-sions with this solution, including video verifica-tion and composite output to other systems, as well as rerouting failed calls throughout the “expanded” virtual network with simpler browser-based user interfaces. The product plays an expanded role with the importance of having a seamless emergency communication program. Plus, the free Quik Spec Plus app is easy to use, fast and accurate.

aiphone.com

Arecont 20-Megapixel Camera

Can you see the BIG picture? With the AV20365DN 20-megapixel panoramic IP cam-era from Glendale, Calif.-based Arecont Vision you really can. This is a unique product for its performance characteristics, functionality and, most impor-tantly, overall value proposition. A systems integrator that takes the time and care to identify a good application, proper lighting, proper placement and realistic expectations will reward their customer with some high functioning video tools. The cost/perfor-mance benefits from a single AV20365DN installation are significant when you factor in installation time, wiring, service and mainte-nance. This becomes even more important over time when systems need “optimizing” to enhance performance.

arecontvision.com

ASA Sales CRM System

Chicago-based ASA Sales specializes in a niche of the CRM market that focuses on sales opportunity management tracking and coaching with its M-Power product line. This company and product line was “into the cloud” at least six years ago and understands the economies of SaaS quite well. Its new product line, Jetstream, is a real-time saver for sales, customer service and management. For companies that want to improve internal and external communication, while improv-ing efficiencies, this software solution is definitely worth a look. The learning and us-age time is short and yet works with standard office productivity tools like Outlook.

asasalessystems.com

Axis Low-Light Network Camera

The Q1602-E from Axis Communications of Chelmsford, Mass., begins to answer the issues of low light situations for network cameras. The product’s LightFinder feature combines technologies behind advanced imagers, high grade lenses and DSP to pro-duce color images in extremely low light situ-ations, better than previously available. This thus expands new application opportunities. The camera offers balanced performance during both daylight and with infrared light-ing. The fixed camera delivers progressive scan image quality at extended D1 (768 X 576) resolution, along with multiple H.264 video streams.

axis.com

ComNet 4-Port Ethernet Switch

ComNet of Danbury, Conn., continues to support the migration path toward IP video, while uniquely leveraging existing older infrastructure assets. The CLFE4US1TPC switch combines four 10/100TX Ethernet signals and transports them over one coax or RJ-45 cable. Expanding the boundaries of traditional Cat-5e distance limitations 15-fold makes migration paths to IP video practical and affordable. This product can extend the IP network 900 meters using RJ-45. The switch is designed for applications where existing copper media is installed and an up-grade to an IP-based system is required. Less equipment needed to extend network reach delivers higher reliability at a lower cost.

comnet.net

Gish Technology Video Design Tool

Gish Technology of Indianapolis introduc-es to IP video designers and sales teams a tool that brings the 2D modeling used in the sound and lighting industries within reach of the security integrator. The software is called vsCalc tools and takes the guesswork out of designing effective IP video systems. The so-lution makes a complex technology simple to understand and visualize when making criti-cal product and installation decisions. The real benefit is when you can show a prospect on your IPad how the different product/price/performance ratios will ultimately impact the quality of their system, and also avoid sticker shock in the proposal stage.

gishtechnology.com

BOUCHERLE’S PICKS …

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Get more fun out of life. The time-saving HES 8500 is the world’s first concealed

electric strike for mortise locksets. Designed for fast, convenient installation,

the 8500 fits into low-profile openings without cutting into the face of the

frame. You get a flawless finish and the fastest installation time of any electric

strike anywhere. Fast installation means less work and more time for fun.

The 8500 is UL 10C fire-rated, UL 1034 burglary resistant listed and ANSI/BHMA A156.31 Grade 1.

More fun. Less work.

| 10 minutes later || start installation |

hesinnovations.com

8200 Mortise Lock

photograph courtesy

of SARGENT

Manufacturing




HID Secure Access Platform

HID Global of Irvine, Calif., introduces the next generation of access control readers and credentials based on the new iCLASS SIO (Se-cure Identity Object) technology-enabled (SE) platform that offers additional security to an in-creasingly portable communication world. The key here is implementing technology inde-pendence since the velocity of change, both hardware and software, must be factored into long-range security planning. This platform’s technology-independent digital credentials can be deployed on a wide variety of devices, including smartphones, microprocessor-based cards, contactless smart cards, USB tokens and related devices.

hidglobal.com

IQinVision Megapixel Outdoor Cameras

The IQeye Sentinel Series of megapixel outdoor cameras demonstrates how IQinVi-sion of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., continues to deliver maturity and refinement. The recent innovations of remote back focus, installer-friendly hardware design, low power (7W) consumption even with a heater and flexibility of selecting video streams, results in a cost-effective and efficient installation process. Implementing IP video solutions is about reli-ability and optimizing the infrastructure costs like PoE switch and image storage hardware. These factors become crucial when the instal-lation process involves electrical contractors as part of your delivery process.

iqeye.com

Napco Burg-Fire Combo Panels

Napco Security Group of Amityville, N.Y., has always been known for dependability and innovation. The company’s new direction in panel design is worth sitting up and paying attention to during these competitive times. The GEM-C P1664 commercial combo and Firewolf Series are scalable burg/fire control panels that combine analog addressable fire, conventional fire, UL-approved commercial fire, addressable burg, conventional burg and UL mercantile burg wireless. In the past, panel manufactur-ers have led with a strong suit and bolted on additional service offerings. The Gem C family brings strength in each product offering into one scalable package. Bravo!

napcosecurity.com

Pegasus CCTV IR Bullet Camera

Pegasus CCTV of St. Matthews, Ky., offers the PVBHRDN-WDR color high resolution analog infrared bullet camera with Pixim Technology wide dynamic range at a reason-able price. In these economic times, analog still and will continue to own market share for applications with expectations of general surveillance needs and tight pocketbooks. This product meets those needs. Pegasus fo-cuses on “value-added” CCTV with a couple of interesting twists for general surveillance and great customer service. The company reminds me of that Staples commercial … just hit the EASY button.

pegasuscctv.com

SenSource IP Traffic Counter

The PC-VID2-N video-based IP traffic coun-ter with queuing options from Youngstown, Ohio-based SenSource allows the opportunity to measure customers waiting in lines and provide operational data back to management. This concept is not new, but the way the sensor packages are designed using IP infrastructure and high reliability is. This takes the burden off systems integrators that develop their own software packages, like I did 13 years ago! The accurate counting and discriminating between moving objects, such as adults and children, provides accurate data and video streams while working in “busy” environments that hinder traditional counting technologies.

sensourceinc.com

Strongstreams Video Routing

South Lake Tahoe, Calif.-based Strong-streams.com can help you route IP video securely around the globe through your ISP provider. While this is a bit “out of the box thinking,” uploading event video to secure stor-age then having access to it just in time from anywhere adds a new dimension to situational awareness. For those customers that have far-flung operations but do not have a full-blown IT department, this service can facilitate video stream connections. Many IP video business and operational applications do not require the traditional approach to onsite storage. Having video streams delivered in real-time anywhere in the world will continue to grow in demand.

strongstreams.com



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Veracity Cold Storage NAS

The COLDSTORE from Veracity USA of Glen Rock, N.J., is a clean, straightforward way to store IP megapixel video. Writing heavy bandwidth, “thready” data streams directly to disk solves problems that have slowed the adoption of IP video. Network attached storage (NAS) was always a simple, cost-effective approach for storing megapixel images without artificially limiting quality, quantity or delivery due to bottlenecks in network design or processing power. This cold storage approach is affordable, saves energy and has operational simplicity from an IT management perspective. Systems in-tegrators just now venturing into megapixel video should give this approach a hard look.

veracityusa.com

Via680 Business Management Tool

Get your “Ving” on if you want to com-municate with your customers, suppliers or associates. From Youngstown, Ohio-based Via680 comes an approach that can significantly change how you cut through the clutter or E-mail with powerful tools to get your message across, and bring value to your company. With Ving, you can send targeted video, documents and feedback surveys into the cloud quickly, effectively and easily with only one caveat, your contact base must co-op into the program. I like the way this tool provides “high touch” and results. This new company’s leadership has been around the track, so expect great things.

via680.com

WeSuite Sales Management Tool

White Plains, N.Y.-based WeSuite’s new WeOpportunity module extends the business tools and disciplines that sepa-rate highly profitable systems integration companies from integrators that find it difficult to achieve scalable growth. As in all computer application programs that purport to increase productivity, the one chink in the armor is the integrity of databases. Having a single database to work from in this fluid and dynamic business speeds up processes, improves customer service, forecasts both operational and sales trends, and most importantly adds to that which will keep you in an ongoing concern — profitability. Hav-ing proven business modules to build upon, WeOpportunity will be a winner.

wesuite.com

BES Flex Auger Drill Bit

I am always looking for the perfect tool, and I believe I may be pretty close with the Quat-tro flex auger bit from Deposit, N.Y.-based BES Manufacturing. Talk about a hot knife through butter. Use this auger bit to drill smooth, clean holes in wood more quickly. The amazing tool features four fluted cutting edges and is crafted from high quality steel. A screw tip at its head pulls the bit aggressively through wood and makes drilling an effortless task. The four sharpened edges allow rapid cut-ting and the flutes ensure easy and thorough removal of debris. This is truly a landmark in drill bit design.

fiberfish.com

FST21 Biometric Access Control

SafeRise from Burlington, Mass.-based FST21 is a comprehensive building security access solution and service that facilitates management and control of entry points, common areas, elevators, and parking. The system functions in an almost human-like manner by utilizing patent-pending, second-generation biometrics, and a fusion of state-of-the-art voice, face, and license plate recognition technologies with sophisti-cated video, voice and behavioral analytics. It allows easy, automated and convenient identity management access by recognizing residents or employees by the way they look, talk, and walk. It can even carry on a conver-sation with them and their visitors.

fst21.com

GRI Hold-up Switch

A good hold-up switch should be quiet, reliable, tamper-resistant and have a latched indicator. The new HD-1 hold-up device from the long-established George Risk Industries (GRI) of Kimball, Neb., easily fills this bill. The unique design features a glowing green LED to indicate an armed state. To ensure against accidental tripping, both finger pads must be touched simultaneously. When this occurs, the LED glows red and the zone will go into an alarm condition. To reset to the armed condition, simply touch the left finger pad. An accidental bump or touch will not trigger the GRI hold-up device, and even an opera-tor wearing gloves can activate the sensor.

grisk.com

DOLPH’S PICKS …




HES Electric Strike Solution

Phoenix-based Hanchett Entry Systems, an ASSA ABLOY com-pany, introduces the HES 8500 Series, the first concealed electric strike solution for mortise locksets. Designed for fast, convenient installation, the 8500 fits into low-profile openings with no modification to the face of the frame. Best of all, the prod-uct’s creative design helps manage some of the unique challenges of a mortise lock installation. I invite you to take a moment to get to know the newest member of the HES concealed strike family.

hesinnovations.com

iEvo Fingerprint Access Control

There is a new fingerprint reader on the block and you better take notice. U.K.-based iEvo’s Ultimate model is an IP device with a minimalistic design that is user-friendly and vandal-resistant. Designed to be used both internally and externally, it is IP65 rated and can be flush or surface mounted. The reader’s multispectral imaging technology obtains fingerprints through dust, dirt, water and oils, and the unit can also see through light latex gloves. Its case is a polycarb ABS mix offering both flexibility and rigidity. Coupled with a toughened glass sensor and piezo button, the unit will withstand a large range of attacks.

ievoreader.com

Linear Prox Transmitters & Tags

Linear of Carlsbad, Calif., is offering the TRANS PROX line, which includes the ACT-34DH four-channel factory block coded key ring transmitter and 26-bit HID-compatible proximity tag. The product’s 26-bit Wiegand prox tag is programmed to the same block code as the transmitter. The transmitter uses MegaCode format, so it is factory prepro-grammed with one of more than 1 million codes, virtually eliminating the possibility of duplication. Because the receiver ‘learns’ each specific code, no unauthorized person can gain access to the system by reprogram-ming a transmitter.

linearcorp.com

MicroPower Solar-Powered Camera

The MPT2500 Rugged-i wireless video camera from La Jolla, Calif.-based MicroPower Technologies is a standalone system featuring solar-pow-ered housing. The product includes removable antennas that do not require alignment and allow for substitution of higher gain antennas for longer range op-eration. These features result in significantly lower installation and acquisition costs com-pared to competitive solutions. The Rugged-i is powered by an integrated solar cell array that reduces power consumption by as much as 95 percent, providing continuous opera-tion even in low-light situations. The camera does not require direct sunlight.

micropowerapp.com

Optex Wireless Perimeter Detectors

Have you ever wanted to bid a nice perimeter job but did not want to hassle with trenching? Now your day has come thanks to Chino, Calif.-based Optex America. The new AX-100TFR and AX-200TFR battery-operated photoelectric detectors are a revolution in the perimeter security industry, offering a significant cost saving alternative to a traditional hardwired system. No trenching is required, drastically reducing installation costs. The units come wireless ready with a multifunctional back box and are compatible with most manufac-turers’ wireless systems. The AX-TFR Series comes with four 3.6V batteries, with an average lifespan of 5 years on the 100-foot model and three on the 200-foot version.

optexamerica.com

Salient Systems Video Management

The CompleteView suite of applications from Austin, Texas-based Salient Systems provides everything you need to manage your single-server or multiserver enterprise video system from a single desktop, whether it’s local or remote. Powerful applications such as video client, alarm client, Web client and mapping are included. CompleteView is built from the ground up using a unique recording architecture. It was also designed to ‘play nice in the IT world’ as it doesn’t interfere with ex-isting applications, out-of-band management tools, antivirus software or firewalls.

salientsys.com

DOLPH’S PICKS …



Scallop Panoramic HD Camera

The design and function of the M6-200 panoramic camera system from Boston-

based Scallop Imaging has

impressed me from the beginning. The

6-megapixel device is the first distributed image panoramic camera specifically designed to provide outstanding image quality under very low light condi-tions. The camera’s five highly sensitive monochrome 1.2-megapixel image sensors combine with high resolution f/1.7 optics to deliver unsurpassed image quality, from bright sunlight to 0.01 lux without the need for IR illumination. It delivers a 720p HD video stream at up to 15 fps with a seamless 200° field of view and up to four separate detail views. In addition, the camera can re-cord 6 megapixels at 1 fps in the background for recording and viewing later.

scallopimaging.com

Telguard Cellular Alarm Communicator

The new TG-1 Express from Telguard of Atlanta now offers a patent-pending ap-proach for supporting listen-in and two-way voice verifi-cation directly over GSM for residential alarm communi-cators. For some, local ordinances are making alarm verification a necessary part of every installation. Without requiring landlines, the TG-1 Express provides a robust, UL-Listed system for passing voice and alarm data reliably to the central station. Until now, installing two-way voice or listen-in hardware required a landline — something that exists in an ever-decreasing number of homes. In conjunction with the panel manufacturer’s voice hardware, dealers can easily and cost-effectively support voice verification without a landline.

telguard.com

3VR Video Intelligence Platform

San Francisco’s 3VR has designed a highly-scalable and IT-friendly analytic powerhouse. The VIP server class is designed to meet the complex application and inte-gration requirements of large deployments with options such as external storage and server OS. One can reduce investigation times by more than 50 percent and increase the number of solved cases by making video instantly searchable, and by correlating it with data from other enterprise systems. This is a product line that can gain a competitive advantage by revealing new ways to reduce costs and enhance customer-facing market-ing and operations.

3vr.com

Totus LED Lighting System

As a security expert, how often do you sell lighting solutions with CCTV systems? Totus Solutions of Bethesda, Md., has a good match for your next CCTV project with the introduction of a really cool LED lighting system. The fundamental technological benefit of LED lighting is reduced power consumption when compared with conven-tional bulbs. When designed properly, LED lighting can approach 80-percent efficiency in the conversion of electrical energy to light energy. LEDs also provide an extended life versus conventional lighting — producing up to 100,000 hours of maintenance-free opera-tion. LEDs also approximate daylight quality with higher real rendering of colors, which is great for CCTV images.

totus-lights.com

2GIG Home Management System

What happens when you get a couple of former Honeywell Security hotshots starting a new wireless manufacturing business? You get a new company called 2GIG Technolo-gies of Carlsbad, Calif., and the very popular GO!Control system. The company has put together one of the most technologically advanced residential security and home management solutions in the industry. The self-contained, all-in-one security and home management system panel features a color LCD touch screen. Web and PDA features are available through Alarm.com. This prod-uct line is catching the attention of many and is worth a serious look.

2gig.com

Winland Environmental Monitoring

Winland Electronics has done it again. Selling environmen-tal monitoring to SMBs can be a big extra for your business and Mankato, Minn.-based Winland could not have made it easier with its extensive wireless EnviroAlert EA800. Sell this system as a way to help your customers be smart with their energy usage. I also like features such as the USB data logging, and the sys-tem has a nice display unit with wired zones as well as the wireless. Additionally, you can do industrial measurements such as pressure and flow. With a designated relay output for each sensor, the EnviroAlert EA800 will activate alarms, dialers or transmitters when programmed limits have been exceeded.

winland.com

DOLPH’S PICKS …


EXCLUSIVE CASE STUDY


While the most con-spicuous improve-ment pro football’s San Francisco 49ers

underwent in 2011 played itself out on the fi eld with a 10-3 record through 13 games, another upgrade behind the scenes has been no less dramatic. The city’s famed Candlestick Park, the Nin-ers’ home since 1971, is safer and more effi cient than ever thanks to substan-tial enhancements to the stadium’s vid-eo surveillance system.

The 49ers returning to their winning ways of the 1980s and 1990s — when they became the fi rst team to win fi ve Su-per Bowls — and fortifi ed security have combined to create a much friendlier

game-day experience for fans at Candle-stick. It’s a far better environment than that of earlier in the year when violence erupted in and around the facility during a preseason contest against the Bay Ar-ea-rival Oakland Raiders.

The incidents included two parking-lot shootings, a bathroom beating that left a man unconscious and a fi stfi ght melee in the stands. It marked the sec-ond time in less than fi ve months that San Francisco sports fans had been in-volved in situations where rowdiness turned shockingly violent. In March, a Giants’ fan suffered brain injuries after being brutally attacked in Dodger Sta-dium’s parking lot.

However, 49ers team officials say these high-profi le events were not what

By Scott Goldfine

A drop-off in system reliability and rise in high-profile violence at sports venues were in play as the San Francisco 49ers called a security audible and upgraded Candlestick Park’s over-the-hill video surveillance system. Integrator and end user explain how the migration to a networked solution has created a safer and more efficient game-day experience.

SECURITY BURNS

BRIGHTER

prompted Candlestick’s surveillance up-grade, at least not primarily. Rather it was driven by an outdated and failing legacy system. In the post-9/11 climate, that is an unacceptable proposition. The timing actually had more to do with the player lockout that had the NFL sea-son in question into July, funding chal-lenges and deciding how much to invest in a complex due to give way to a brand new stadium within the next few years.

“We had an antiquated system where it came to processing different angles, or better timelines or bookmarking certain things and replay functions,” says 49ers Vice President of Stadium Operations & Security Jim Mercurio, who has been with the club since its last NFL title in 1994. “The upgraded

at Candlestick

Park

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system was an opportunity to give our folks in the command post easier tools to be more effi cient and effective.”

Like having to quickly develop and execute a strategic game plan for an upcoming opponent, Candlestick per-sonnel teamed with security systems integrator IPVision and others to de-ploy a new IP-based video surveillance solution between home games this past September. Mercurio and IPVi-sion Vice President of Engineering Ben Green, who worked on 2008’s Super Bowl in Phoenix, recount the process.

‘Super’ Integrator ChosenHeadquartered in Phoenix with

branch offi ces in nearby Tucson, Dallas, San Jose, Chicago and London, IPVi-sion was launched in 2004 after turning its concentration from network to secu-rity integration. The business now spe-cializes in the government, education, law enforcement and utility sectors. Its revenue mix is 40 percent video surveil-lance, 30 percent access control, 10 per-

cent intrusion detection and 20 percent custom integration.

“During the past five years IPVi-sion has built a team of engineers and technicians that have a tremendous amount of experience in deploying IP physical security solutions for the ma-jority of leading manufacturers,” says Green, one of IPVision’s founders. “This has given us a tremendous advan-tage by having such diverse experience in the market, and it has fueled our na-tional and now international growth.”

For the Candlestick project, IPVision submitted a bid after being referred to the 49ers by a network integrator that had a history working with the stadi-um’s audio/video contractor.

“Ben and his company made an offer that was quite frankly diffi cult for us to turn our backs on,” says Mercurio. “It’s not fun to have to do a project like this during the season. I kind of wish our paths would have crossed a little sooner, but that’s how it goes sometimes. They really responded and it’s been great.”

IPVision’s prior NFL stadium expe-rience also no doubt helped it win the contract, which was awarded in August and culminated discussions that began the beginning of the summer.

“We provided wireless rapid-deploy-ment perimeter surveillance around the University of Phoenix stadium were the 2008 Super Bowl was held, and around NFL events that were tak-ing place around downtown Phoenix,” says Green. “That project and Candle-stick both required us to have the sys-tems operational within a week.”

System Design X’s & O’s Mercurio and 49ers management

went into this undertaking with a fi rm handle on the types of features they were lacking and the capabilities they wanted their new system to be able to perform.

“It had to be user-friendly for system operators, and there are a number of folks who use it,” he says. “It had to be compatible with Candlestick’s antiquat-ed equipment dating back to the 1970s or 1980s. It had to be able to watch more than 100 cameras, with pan/tilt/zoom to scan the facility. Finally, we wanted the ability to quickly save and send video clips to document incidents.”

Candlestick management’s initial mindset to simply repair and/or re-place pre-existing hardware with simi-lar products went by the wayside. This is because they were made aware of an alternative approach to achieve the functionality they coveted while realiz-ing greater cost effectiveness.

“We consulted with the 49ers on what features they were looking for, the deficiencies in their current sys-tem, and suggested some ways to in-crease staff effi ciency with mobile ap-plications and access to the system via the network at different locations in the stadium,” says Green. “During the con-sultation we discussed implementing a migration plan that would allow them to leverage their existing cameras.”

To maximize the effectiveness of the 120 surveillance cameras distributed in-side and around the perimeter of Can-dlestick Park, IPVision encoded them with Axis Model 7406 and 7404 encod-ers, and replaced the existing DVRs



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with OnSSI’s Ocularis CS NVR solution. The product enabled the design of two video wall-monitoring locations.

“We chose Ocularis because we wanted an open architecture NVR with a full-featured client, and a video wall option for Candlestick Park’s two se-curity operations centers,” says Green. “We also wanted a platform that sup-ported all of the leading IP cameras from multiple manufacturers, and that had mobile client options available from other manufacturers.”

One of the operations centers is part of the press booth operated by 49ers se-curity staff on game day in conjunction with the San Francisco Police Depart-ment. The second location is within the San Francisco Park Rangers offi ce in-

side Candlestick Park. The rangers se-cure the stadium on nongame days and during the off-season. Both operations centers were set up with map-driven in-terfaces of the stadium.

“The system allows my manager of game operations and security to pull up different cameras for different reasons. He can split screens to constantly mon-itor several hot spots while still moni-toring the big picture, so to speak,” says Mercurio. “And the park rangers have been able to really dive into it without needing to read a 500-page user guide.”

OnSSI’s support and technical staff was intimately involved during the in-stallation. “Our online calculators and other technical resources helped the integrator and end user select appro-

priate hardware like servers and stor-age,” says Vice President of Sales Mul-li Diamant. “OnSSI was also involved in training operators after the software was installed.” (For more, see sidebar.)

The IP-based surveillance solution — which Mercurio says came at a cost of $75,000 to $100,000 — leverages a ded-icated Cisco switching network infra-structure for security applications. Hita-chi Data Systems servers/storage arrays were implemented for video archiving.

“Hitachi was chosen due to their ad-vanced built-in I/O capabilities,” says Green. “They can handle high density video surveillance deployments, and deliver the I/O speed and reliability needed to optimize the performance in the Ocularis client for viewing live and archived video.”

Ready in Time for Kickoff As indicated, one of the project’s top

challenges was the narrow window of time to proceed between games in or-der to avoid any signifi cant downtime. Like running a hurry-up offense during a two-minute drill, IPVision stepped up to meet the demand.

“The goal was to get the system op-erational in one week between home games. The challenges were overcome with a dedicated team that worked around the clock to meet the timeline,” says Green. “We started the installa-tion in September 2011 and finished the initial system migration in a week. We then spent another couple of weeks


CANDLESTICK PARK SURVEILLANCE PROJECT

The new video surveillance upgrade at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park is built upon OnSSI’s Ocularis CS enterprise-scale, IP video-centric platform to enable live monitoring, investigation and event handling.

“Candlestick Park has a lot of cameras and not a lot of people to watch them,” says Brad Anderson, national sales manager of OnSSI. “The park needed more security and less operational costs, and Ocularis

CS enables operators to man-age, view, control and play back video easily. They have a lot of fans showing up once a week on game day, and they need something fast and easy to view.”

The client software provides immediate access to camera views and video playback via an intuitive interface. In addition to live viewing, it offers blank screen monitoring capabil-ity with video “pushed” to an operator only as needed. These

features enable Candlestick operators to manage video evidence and preserve events for an unlimited time, organized in an easily accessible database.

The solution’s simplicity eases the training burden as a novice can become proficient in about 20 minutes. “The concentration of activity is only there once a week, and they need a very easy interface, which Ocularis provides,” says Mulli Diamant, vice president of sales, OnSSI.

◗ Upon Further Review: Video Platform Scores!

Candlestick Park’s Ocularis CS video and event management platform allows security staff to monitor activities in and around the stadium. The system provides not only safety advan-tages but numerous operational efficiencies.

Working on a sports stadium such as Candlestick Park, which opened in 1960, poses accessibility, installation and servicing challenges for systems contractors. The facil-ity’s recent video surveillance upgrade had to be principally completed between home games this past September.


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working on some of the advanced vid-eo wall and map integration features.”

IPVision worked closely with the San Francisco Department of Parks and Recreation to coordinate access to the stadium without any potential delays.

“The timing was really on us because we didn’t have some of the funding in place,” says Mercurio. “I would not rec-ommend doing this type of project dur-ing the season unless you absolutely have to, and you need complete confi -dence you’re not going to become vul-nerable during the process.”

The fi nished surveillance solution en-ables 49ers security staff, law enforce-ment, rangers and other fi rst respond-

ers to monitor and swiftly address a wide array of issues throughout Can-dlestick’s 69,732-capacity stadium seat-ing, walkways, food and beverage areas, gate entrances, and parking lots.

“Ocularis’ fl exible navigation allows 49ers staff to switch views and push camera feeds to other security staff to rapidly respond to incidents,” says Green. ”With the amount of people gathered on an NFL game day, there are constantly activities being reported by fans either directly to security per-sonnel or via a text-messaging system.”

Candlestick Park has partnered with In Stadium Solutions to provide text-messaging service for assistance re-quests or to file formal complaints. Upon receiving a text, a nearby camera can view that section and help assess what response may be necessary, if any.

“Back in the day in the command post, you worked through binoculars while you called out what you could potential-ly see. This camera system helps deter-mine the appropriate response and how you want people to arrive at the scene,” says Mercurio. “It gives command post operators and dispatchers an extra tool to communicate with that is invaluable.”

Solution Performs Like ChampNot only is the system enhancing se-

curity and safety, but it is delivering numerous operational advantages. Ex-amples include monitoring assorted lines to facilitate better crowd control, dealing with accidents and medical emergencies, ensuring smooth vehic-ular traffic outside the ballpark and

keeping an eye on stadium staff to max-imize productivity.

“Security systems don’t just mean dealing with bad guys. It also gives us the ability to enhance the game-day experience,” says Mercurio. “For ex-ample, is that usher in the right posi-tion? Is that security guard making the rounds the way we expect him to? Can we move crowd control? Can we open up other concession stand to relieve pressure? It’s a fantastic tool to get peo-ple in sync, effi cient and functioning.”

As is typical with surveillance de-ployments, in this case even as a mid-decade move to bigger and better stadi-um digs looms, the end user is mulling over further system enhancements.

“There is interest to add video ana-lytics, access control integration and mobile video clients for roaming stadi-um security staff,” says Green. “We are also looking at some custom integra-tion involving the text-based messag-ing system.”

For now the solution is helping keep violence where it belongs — on the punishing end of a collision with 49ers’ star defender Patrick Willis. And while the Green Bay Packers and New Or-leans Saints may have something to say about it, the system just may capture video of the franchise’s fi rst NFC Cham-pionship Game since 1998. ■


CANDLESTICK PARK SURVEILLANCE PROJECT

FIND IT ON THE WEBSee this story online at securitysales.com/ 49ers for an exclusive Q&A with San Francisco 49ers Vice President of Stadium Operations & Security Jim Mercurio and more photos.

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Candlestick Park

Fast Facts• Opened April 12, 1960

• Construction cost $15 million, plus $10 million renovation in 1972

• Home of Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants 1960-99; NFL’s 49ers 1971-present

• Seating capacity is 69,732 fans for football

• Stadium field surface is bluegrass

• Parking capacity is 8,000 cars, 300 buses, 200 limousines, and 300 motorhomes

• Only stadium in U.S. to host 6 NFC Champi-onship Games, 3 Western Division Champi-onships, 12 NFC West Conference Games, 2 World Series, and 2 All-Star Games

• Beatles performed their last U.S. concert there on Aug. 29, 1966

When some 70,000 football fans converge on Candlestick Park on game day, it’s crunch time for the surveillance system. Operators, who watch in excess of 100 camera views from throughout the facil-ity, must be attentive on a minute-by-minute basis to quickly investi-gate incidents and store video evidence for possible future retrieval.

Candlestick Park’s two security operations centers feature Ocularis CS video walls with map-driven interfaces of the venue. The solu-tion’s flexible navigation allows system operators to switch views and push camera feeds to other security staff in the stadium so incidents can be responded to rapidly.


JANUARY 9-12, 2012 IRVING, TXTWO CO-LOCATED EVENTS

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The ESI Forum hosts senior executives from the nation’s most

successful security integration companies, for three days of

business strategizing, networking and quality vendor contact. All approved Hosted Guests enjoy

expense paid amenities and have exclusive opportunities for idea sharing and networking. Addi-

tionally, the Forum offers a parallel track of seminars for integrator and chapter staff conferees not

participating as Hosted Guests. For more information, visit WWW.ESIFORUMONLINE.COM.Contact Chris Utter ([email protected], 508-618-4224) or Jessica DaCosta ([email protected], 508-618-4226.)

Industry leaders and volunteers from across the country will

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the success of your chapter and make memories in the process

at this uniquely valuable event. For more information, visit WWW.ESA-SUMMIT.COM.Contact Jaclyn Sion ([email protected] or 888-447-1689 x213)

View highlights from last year’s event.

Register for "The Passport" for access to all events, customize your registration via the a la carte options or attend just the Free Association Meetings. Go to either website to register.




TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENTS

Wireless security applications are often touted for allowing faster installation times and affording end users considerable savings in material and labor costs, among other attributes. Of partic-ular appeal are wireless video deployments where cameras are

needed in remote or challenging sites and transmission through the air is the op-timal solution. Examples include parking areas and municipal surveillance sys-tems where mesh, microwave, cellular, 802.11 or other technologies and frequen-cies may be used to transmit images back to a monitoring facility or station.

A substantial series of developments in wireless technology during the past year will very soon allow integrators to expand their businesses well beyond traditional video surveillance applications. Let’s take a look at a few of these key technolog-

ical advancements and the market po-tential they are expected to open up. As you read on, keep in mind all the while that training and education will be im-perative to building a successful wire-less portfolio.

MIMO and Other DevelopmentsThe first noteworthy innovation to

discuss is MIMO technology, which is now becoming the technology of choice for an increasing number of wireless ap-plications. MIMO — or multiple input and multiple output — allows a radio to reach data rates up to 300Mbps us-ing the same 20 and 40MHz channels of traditional 802.11 connectivity. For this technology to work, two or three anten-nas are needed for transmission in or-der to create signal uncorrelation. The

By Cosimo Malesci

New advances in wireless technologies are allowing integrators to broaden their market potential beyond traditional video surveillance applications. Getting the proper training and education now will go a long way toward beating the competition to the punch.

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larger the uncorrelation, the higher the performances.

In today’s market you can encoun-ter 2x2 and 3x3 MIMO products. As you might guess, the former has two anten-nas per radio while the latter has three. Most 3x3 MIMO products use omnidi-rectional antennas and are not well suit-ed for security applications because of their limited range. Alternatively, 2x2 MIMO radios are a much better option for security and video surveillance ap-plications. Namely, a 2x2 MIMO radio will allow integrators to use directional antennas, thereby extending the MIMO performances to a useful range. Howev-er, don’t be tricked by the complexity of the theory behind these products. From an installation standpoint, they are ac-tually quite simple to install as most of them use an integrated directional an-tenna and don’t require much assembly.

When installed properly, a 2x2 MIMO link can deliver up to 150Mbps of real user datagram protocol (UDP) throughput and achieve a range of up to 20 miles in line of sight. This repre-sents somewhat of a revolution in the industry as system performance has almost doubled in the past few years. This also makes it possible for inte-grators to use wireless links to stream megapixel cameras back to a central monitoring station without having to be overly concerned about image com-pression and frame rate.

Mobile Deployment PossibilitiesAnother impressive advancement in

the wireless arena concerns transmis-sion protocols and routing algorithms. Without delving into technical details, wireless products are becoming smart-er and more powerful, leading to an in-creased number of possible applica-tions where they can be deployed. One of the key examples of this is called mobility. This term refers to a system that involves one or more moving ve-hicles communicating with a network of fi xed wireless units, usually installed on the perimeter. This could be a police car moving through a neighborhood, a train rolling along a track or a bus op-erating on a highway.

Streaming live video or data off a moving vehicle without any interrup-tion of service presents a very diffi-cult challenge to resolve. Such a sce-nario may require roaming between nodes and having very fast and very smart routing protocols that can han-dle a fast hand-off without losing con-nectivity with the network. Until a few months ago, the only solution available for these types of applications was a 3G wireless network or a satellite link. Both of these solutions are very expen-sive and have a throughput that rarely exceeds 5Mbps, rendering it unpracti-cal for video surveillance applications.

The latest developments in mesh technology now allow for the installa-tion of a Layer 2 network in this con-fi guration, and the streaming of up to 45Mbps of live video from a train trav-eling at 55 MPH using a wireless infra-structure composed by a wireless unit every quarter of a mile.

Given the competitive cost of exist-ing wireless networks, this solution is a game-changer in the transportation industry. Many transit authorities will be able to maintain awareness of what happens around and inside their vehi-cles without having to send someone onsite. Live video streaming will be possible from every train to the cen-tral control room without any inter-ruption in service, all for a fraction of

the price of what a 3G or satellite net-work would cost.

This technology could easily expand to highways, waterways, manufactur-ing plants and mines, for example, while helping the end user monitor their properties and the adjacent ar-eas. Having roughly 50Mbps of usable throughput could also open doors to other applications such as Wi-Fi con-nectivity, on-demand content, VoIP systems and more. These are all fea-tures that are currently struggling to gain traction as they can be band-width intensive.

Training, Education RequisitesSo what does an integrator need to

do to prepare for taking advantage of this great business opportunity called wireless? The fi rst and most important goal is to build knowledge and exper-tise on this topic. Proper system de-sign and training are mandatory for in-tegrators who are planning on making wireless a mainstay of their portfolios.

Most vendors offer online course-work as well as classroom sessions. Study the content and familiarize your-self with the terminology, along with the most common pitfalls. It’s to your advantage to take training classes from more than one manufacturer. Doing so will increase your breadth of under-standing about the available technol-


WIRELESS VIDEO

Lifeguards in San Diego monitor a 50-yard-long section of shoreline utilizing high speed, wireless infrastructure to support VoIP communications and video backhauls. VoIP tele-phone links provide secure voice communication between the dispatch supervisor and indi-vidual lifeguards stations. A CCTV camera (not pictured) is used to remotely surveil the area.


ogies and products, plus you’ll learn additional installation best practices from other integrators. It is not magic. It just requires some practice.

Since wireless equipment is often in-stalled on towers or rooftops, lightning is a common problem and you need to know how to safeguard against it. Hence, it will be requisite that you take a grounding and surge suppression class, since this is one of the most com-mon causes of equipment failure. The basic setup to resolve this issue is to use shielded Ethernet cables and deploy in-line surge suppressors at the top, close to the wireless device, and at the bot-tom, close to the switch or the head-end equipment. A poorly installed system could easily cost you all of your prof-it on the job and turn the project into a company loss.

In addition, it is also important that you have at least one person on your team who has an in-depth understand-ing of networking. Regardless of the

wireless manufacturer you pick, all the radios require a solid understanding of IP and networking. When you decide to join the wireless revolution, it will be necessary to keep up to date with all the requirements and restrictions im-posed by the FCC on the use of wireless on any given frequency band.

Features like DFS (dynamic frequen-cy selection) and probe rate, and pa-rameters such as EIRP (equivalent iso-tropically radiated power) are designed to make a wireless network compliant with all FCC regulations. Moreover, you will also want to stay abreast of FCC regulations because new pieces of the spectrum may open up for specifi c applications, including public safety, smart grids, last-mile connectivity and others. If you want to be competitive in this space, you need to know the rules that regulate it.

Upon completing all necessary edu-cation and training, it’s probably best to start with a small- to medium-sized

job when working with wireless for the fi rst time. Once you get your feet wet and are familiar with the technology, you can then expand to more challeng-ing and complex wireless networks.

Take it step by step and make sure that once you have a knack for it, keep your team practicing and up to speed with product development and training coursework. After all, like everything else in life, installing wireless is a game of practice. The more you do it, the better you become. The better you be-come, the more projects you are going to take away from your competition. ■

Cosimo Malesci is Co-founder and Vice President of Boston-based Fluidmesh Networks. He can be con-tacted at [email protected].


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FIND IT ON THE WEBThe online version of this story includes additional material, including the impor-tance of configuring and staging a wireless system before its actual deployment. Visit securitysales.com/wireless1211

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BUSINESS MANAGEMENT


More and more installing security contractors are seeing the light and expanding into solar power solutions to service their custom-ers. One example of this is the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels to power security systems in remote locations that otherwise

lack electricity and communications infrastructure. Solar is also used to provide power for portable and temporary security systems such as construction sites. And some security systems integrators and vendors are deploying “green” power alter-natives by adding small solar chargers to wireless devices like detectors.

Solar solutions utilized today in the electronic security industry are proving to be a cost-effective means to solving diffi cult problems. But there is another impor-tant solar option integrators need to consider — one that results in business growth

while offering consumer and business customers another service. That oppor-tunity is the installation of solar pow-er systems for homes and businesses, a market that’s become as hot as the sun’s rays. Read on to find out what simple steps you can take to implement solar power solutions within your portfolio of services.

Getting Started in Solar Power The U.S. solar power market grew 67

percent in 2010, making it the fastest-growing energy sector, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association and GTM Research. Solar PV installation led the industry in demand, a market that doubled from 2009 with 16 states install-ing more than 10 megawatts of PV each. The top 10 states were California, New Jersey, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado,

By Joe Bono

Installing security contractors are well positioned to adopt solar photovoltaic (PV) panels into their portfolios and take advantage of increasing opportunities to utilize “green” power alternatives. These solutions are ideal for projects that require a power supply for off-grid, remotely-installed equipment.

5 Steps

to SOLAR-POWEREDProfits

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Security companies and law enforcement agencies work together as partners, sharing information and communicating frequently to protect public safety and serve their communities. The Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC), False Alarm Reduction Association (FARA), and SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION created the POLICE DISPATCH QUALITY (PDQ) program to promote cooperative best practices, reduce

unnecessary dispatches and give offi cers the most complete information when responding to alarms. We are looking for companies that ex-emplify an all-out effort to reduce false alarms from implementing ECV (Enhanced Call Verifi cation, a.k.a. two-call verifi cation) to utilizing ANSI CP01-compliant control panels, training customers and working closely with law enforcement. The best overall collaboration will be honored with the 7th Annual North American PDQ Award, which is also endorsed by the Installation Quality (IQ) Certifi cation Program.

• The winning security company will receive $1,000 for hotel and airfare to attend June’s Electronic Security Expo (ESX) in Nashville,Tenn., and will participate in the award ceremony.

• Installing and /or monitoring alarm dealers in the U.S. and Canada must mail an application to SIAC postmarked by Feb. 28, 2012.

• Outstanding program ideas will be featured in SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION magazine, in security association publications and their Web sites, and at ESX 2012.

• Security companies and local police offi cials should meet now to form partnerships in public safety.

WORKING TOGETHER FOR PUBLIC SAFETYThe SECURITY INDUSTRY ALARM COALITION and the FALSE ALARM REDUCTION ASSOCIATIONCo-Sponsored by: SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION Magazine, IQ Certifi cation Program and Honeywell Security

Download an application and the judging criteria package at

siacinc.org • faraonline.orgiqcertifi cation.org • securitysales.com

Call for Entries Call for Entries“Promoting Partnerships in Public Safety”

Custom Alarm accepts the 2011 PDQ award. Past winners include: Alarm Detection Systems, Altronic Alarms, Brink’s Home Security, Broadview Security, and Vector Security.

SS1111pdqfpha.indd 1 10/18/11 11:22 AMSS12solar.indd 51SS12solar.indd 51 12/15/11 2:00 PM12/15/11 2:00 PM

Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Florida, North Carolina and Texas.

Solar PV installation offers a great fi t for security dealers and integrators with many of the same skill sets in-volved: electrical work, engineering ex-perience, quality control, plus safety and project management.

With solar a hotspot in today’s cool economy, installing security contractors interested in getting in-volved in the industry should con-sider five key steps before expanding into this marketplace. Let’s take look at the particulars:

1. Learn the foundation — Solar PV is a 60-year-old technology. The panels are made up of tiny cells of treated silicon. Each panel collects solar radiation and converts it into an electrical current. These panels are then wired together in

a series to create an array, and the elec-trical output from that array travels through wires and conduit to an invert-er typically located near your breaker box. The inverter converts the electri-cal current or direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC).

The backbone of the solar industry is net metering. This means any pow-er that isn’t used from the system spins the meter backwards, giving you a credit from the utility company. As the industry has expanded, courses on the fundamentals of solar PV have become widespread. Understanding how solar PVs interact with the home or building shortens the learning curve and allows security integrators to build on their existing knowledge and skill set.

2. Assess where you need help — There is a benefi t to being a contractor.

You likely understand how to market your business and sell a service while maintaining fruitful relationships with vendors and customers. When it comes to solar PV installation, some installing security contractors will want to sub-contract an electrician or hire one on full time under their new solar division. In many states and municipalities, an electrician is required to install the so-lar equipment into the building’s elec-tric utility system. The tools may also differ from the security industry.

Also consider adding someone with roofi ng experience to your installation staff. Because roofers understand roof-ing systems, they can safely tie solar panels and equipment into a roof with proper flashing so the structure and the solar equipment will last. Solar in-stallation is very reliant on roofi ng and electrical, so it’s important to research


SOLAR POWER SOLUTIONS

Vivint, a national provider of residential security, energy management and automation solutions, thought so much about the potential for solar power to significantly impact its bottom line that it created an entirely new business during 2011.

The Provo, Utah-based compa-ny, formerly APX Alarm, ramped up Vivint Solar in October after it received $75 million in financing from U.S. Bancorp in support of its plan to offer solar installations for homes in New Jersey, Utah, Hawaii and New York.

Namely marketed through door-to-door sales, the company installs, monitors and maintains

residential solar panels with no upfront costs. Customers agree to a 20-year contract during which they purchase the power gener-ated by the solar panels for a lower rate than utilities charge.

“We approach homeowners who never thought they could get

solar and improve their carbon footprint and feel proud about the generation of the power they use,” says Vivint Solar COO Brendon Merkley. “They may not be super familiar with the product, but that is the beauty of the consultative sale. We can present it to them as something that maybe they have not formerly considered but is now obtainable and available to them.”

The solar panels, which are installed on rooftops by Vivint Solar technicians, are designed to generate about 80 percent of a residence’s overall electricity use. The company first marketed its solar platform in New Jersey during the summer and so far has completed about 200 installations. The com-pany’s initial tax-equity fund will finance about 2,400 installations.

“For the time being we are focused mostly on New Jersey, but we are eager to expand to other states that the fund allows,” Merkley says. “This isn’t a product offering we can offer universally nationwide. It is a lot more de-pendent on local economics.”

Vivint began adding home automation and energy manage-ment solutions to its portfolio in 2010, allowing customers to monitor and adjust their homes’ thermostats, lighting and small appliances remotely. Vivint has signed up about 77,000 customers for its home energy management platform. And while solar complements Vivint’s core competencies in providing home services, Merkely says, there cur-rently is no integration between the home automation platform and Vivint Solar’s offering.

“In the future it will be more of a holistic sale that could include complementary products such as an energy management platform integrated with the solar installa-tion,” he says. “That is a product we have not yet developed but we are keen to do so and think it will be very powerful. We wanted to first assure ourselves that the business could stand on its own as a product offering and so we have marketed it almost exclusively inde-pendent of home automation.”

Merkley says the company has “toyed around” with a couple of use cases that integrate the security panel with the firm’s other platforms.

“The panel is this beautiful real estate in the home that functions as an in-home display for energy man-agement. It is a perfect opportunity to display the solar power produc-tion on that alarm control panel,” he says. “Additionally you can go beyond an information presenta-tion analytics into to more energy automation and efficiencies where you might choose which appliances to run according to different times of the day where the solar array may be producing power opposed to when it’s not.”

— Rodney Bosch

◗ Vivint Bets Its Solar Offering Will Shine

Vivint Solar, launched in 2011, offers leased solar power systems to residential customers in New Jersey and other states.


what you can take on and where you may need to contract out.

3. Research licensing requirements — Every state has different licensing laws and it’s important to understand the re-quirements for solar PV in your area. The majority of states require an in-dividual license per trade. Check with your state’s department of labor to fi nd out what licensing requirements are needed in your marketplace.

4. Get hands-on experience — Once you’ve obtained your license and gone through the supplementary training to become a solar installer, the challenge becomes gaining experience. As a secu-rity integrator you have the option to leverage your current residential and commercial customer base to sell solar PV. In addition to getting on bid lists, it’s sometimes advantageous to contact more established installers and offer to

subcontract on their projects while you gain experience.

Joining a solar franchise network is another option. Solar franchise net-works can provide best practices and support you in booking jobs. A good solar franchise network will also give you access to greater purchasing pow-er, which allows you to price yourself more competitively. Integrated sales and marketing training, and best prac-tice sharing provided by solar franchise networks can also put you at a competi-tive advantage.

5. Work incentives into your price — It’s important to understand tax incentives when determining how to quote a solar installation. Do your research. Incen-tives are issued at both state and federal levels. Some utility companies also offer rebates to customers that install solar.

It’s also a good idea to research soft-ware tools that can help you stay ap-

prised of the changing rebates and incen-tives. Taking rebates into consideration when pricing offers a value proposition to your customer and allows you to re-main competitive in a growing market.

A Sun Belt of OpportunityTo sum it all up, solar electric pow-

er is a key technology that installing se-curity contractors can adopt into their portfolios of services in a straightfor-ward manner. For the appropriate ap-plication, solar PV installations can provide continuous, reliable and cost-effective power while helping over-come challenging project sites. With installing security technicians already having many of the skill sets necessary to install solar PV equipment, success in this market can be easily achieved with little organizational disruption. ■

Joe Bono is President and CEO of Solar Universe Network, a solar installation franchise and finance company based in South San Francisco. He can be contacted at (925) 455-4700.

www.securitysales.com/freeinfo/23191securitysales.com • DECEMBER 2011 53



KIRSCHENBAUM CONTRACTSTM

Sales.......................................Residential/Commercial............................................$200.00Monitoring .............................Residential/Commercial............................................$200.00Service....................................Residential/Commercial............................................$200.00Lease.......................................................................................................................$200.00 Commercial: includes supplemental rider for add ons and to increase limitation of liability All-in-One (Not available in all states)......................................................................$600.00Sales, Monitoring , Service Contracts (one contract) Residential/Commercial Disclaimer Notice....................................................................................................$175.00(Additional Equipment Systems & Service, VOIP Disclaimer Notice)Access Control Administration & Service Contract................................................ $375.00Audio/Video ............................................................................................................ $375.00Fire Alarm Sale & Installation - Commercial ........................................................$375.00Fire Alarm Monitoring Commercial fi re alarm monitoring.....................................$375.00Fire Inspection Service .......................................................................................... $375.00 Contract For Fire Equipment/Extinguisher/Smoke Detector/Sprinkler & CO Inspection Fire Alarm All-in-One Combines Sales, Installation, Monitoring, Service & Inspection ...............................................................................................$850.00 Fire Alarm Lease - Commercial .............................................................................$375.00Includes supplemental rider for add ons & to increase limitation liabilityStandard Fire Alarm Sales /Fire Suppression .......................................................$375.00Sprinkler Equipment Contract CCTV Sale Sale, Service and Monitoring/Data storage & Monitoring…...................$375.00CCTV Lease Supervisory Equipment Lease..............................................................$375.00NAPCO I See Video® Sales & Installation Contract................................................$375.00Remote Video Monitoring Monitoring Contract..................................................... $375.00(through internet access - not through central station) Personal Emergency Response Lease/Sale - Consumer Use.................................$200.00Residential Lease Installation, service, monitoring.................................................$200.00Sub-Contractor Agreement For sub or general contractor.......................................$200.00Completion Certifi cate...............................................................................................$40.00 Commercial & Residential- use after installation & every service call Employment Agreement With Restrictive Covenant.............................................. $200.00 UCC-1 Form Financial Statement ............................................................................ $50.00Central Station Contracts ....................................................................................... $375.003-way contract between c/o installer & subscriber, separate form where c/o issue UL certificate for installer Installer Contract.....................................................................................................$375.00Stationary Guard “Rent-A-Cop”..............................................................................$375.00Telephone Sales.…................Commercial or Residential ......................................$200.00Telephone Service .................Commercial or Residential ...................................... $200.00

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........ .................$$375375.00.00st ................................... ...$37$3 5.000

itotorir .................................. ..... ......... ..... ........ $$3753 .00not throuugh gh cencentratral sl stattationion))

Resposponsense Le Leasease/Sa/Salele - - ConConsumsumer er UseUse.......................................$20$200.00e InsInstaltallatlatioion, servr ice, m, monionitortoringing..............................................................$2$200.0 00

ntractor or AgrAgreemeement ForFor su sub ob or gr general contractactoror.............................................$20$2 0.00rrrletiotion Cn Certertifi ificatcatee.................................. ................ ........................................................$..$40.00

mmmermerciacial &l & Re Residenttialial- u- usese aftafter e instaltaltallalatlation & & eveev ry seservicce callployoymenment At Agregreemeem nt t WitW h Restestricr tivvve Ce Covennantt............................................... ..... $2200.00 CC-1-1 ForForm FFinain ncincial a SStatemennt ....................................................................................... . $5. $5. $50.00.00 00ntraral Staationion CoContrraccts .......................................................................................... .............. . $3.$3375.75.5.00000way y conntraract betbe weeweenn c/o/o insstalleer & subbscribber, sseparaate forform wm whererhe e e e

/o isssue ULUL ceertrtificcateate forr insttaller r nstalta lerr Co C ntrracact...................................... ............. ....... ............ ............................... ..............$$375375.0000

Staatiot nararyy Guarua d ““Reent-A-A-Co-Cop”........................................................ .............................. ................$37375.0000Telelephephoneon SaSalles.…..................Commmmeerciaal oror ReR sideentialal .. ......................... ..............................$20$200.00.000TelTele ephephoneone Se Servicce ....................ComCommerme ciaial o or Rr esidedentiaial .l ........................................... $2$ 00.00 000

SS0111kirschcontract.indd 1 12/3/10 7:54:16 AM

Company listings are provided as a courtesy — publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions.


Affi liated Central, Inc. ...................................................C2 23272

All American Monitoring ................................................ 7 23204

Arecont Vision ................................................................. 9 23276

Axis Communications ................................................... 12 23308

Bosch Security Systems................................... Bellyband 23155

CNB Technology, Inc . ................................................... 43 23321

DIGIOP, Inc. .................................................................. 21 23214

DSX Access Systems, Inc. ............................................. 11 23231

Electronic Security Assoc.-ESA ................................... 45 23126

EMERgency24 ..............................................................C3 23136

HES Innovations ........................................................... 33 23215

HID Global .................................................................... 25 23234

HIKVISION ................................................................... 15 23233

Honeywell Security .......................................................C4 23103

KABA Access Control.................................................... 35 23289

Kirshenbaum & Kirshenbaum, PC .............................. 54 23253

Lenel Systems ............................................................... 39 23227

National Monitoring Center (NMC) ............................ 17 23314

NVT .................................................................................. 3 23184

Pelco .............................................................................. 31 23292

Speco Technologies ......................................................... 1 23142

Speco Technologies ........................................CoverSnipe —

SSI - PDQ ....................................................................... 51 —

SSI - Sammy’s ................................................................ 57 —

System Sensor ............................................................... 29 23209

T3 INNOVATION .......................................................... 53 23191

T3 INNOVATION ............................................................ 8 23149

Tri-Ed/Northern Video Distribution ............................ 47 23107

VERACITY .................................................................... 19 23269

Visonic, Inc. ................................................................... 49 23216

Winland Electronics Inc. .............................................. 27 23300

PAGE FREEInfo# PAGE FREEInfo#

Ad Index Go to www.securitysales.com/freeinfo to request FREE product info.

SS12adindex.indd 54SS12adindex.indd 54 12/15/11 2:03 PM12/15/11 2:03 PM

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Legal Briefing

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By Ken [email protected] you aren’t concerned about com-

petition then you are either the big-gest fi sh in town with the best offer or you’re shortsighted. For those

who are concerned about competition (likely all of you), it’s particularly irri-tating when that competition comes from someone you have introduced to the subscriber. I am referring to some-one who is supposed to service the sub-scriber on your behalf and not for the employee’s or subcontractor’s benefi t. Similar considerations come into play when you purchase alarm subscrib-er accounts and contracts; you don’t expect the seller to start soliciting those accounts. But it could and sometimes does, in fact, happen.

There are tools to guard against such competition. One such tool is a properly drafted nonsolicitation clause that may be in an employment agree-ment, independent contrac-tor agreement or asset purchase agree-ment. The nonsolicitation provision would vary depending on the phrasing and circumstance, but the gist of the provision remains the same. It requires that someone, identifi ed in that agree-ment, not solicit someone else, wheth-er that someone else be a subscriber or an employee or referral source.

A nonsolicitation provision in the employment contract and the subcon-tractor agreement would serve to de-ter or prevent your employee, or your subcontractor, from soliciting your subscriber for business. A narrow-ly written nonsolicitation provision is not enough because it addresses only the solicitation by the employee or subcontractor. It may not cover the

subscriber initiating the contact, and it may not cover the employee or sub-contractor from actually providing any services to the subcontractor.

A broader provision would be a re-strictive covenant or noncompete. A noncompete provision may encom-pass nonsolicitation but may also pro-hibit much more. It could include communicating, soliciting and servic-ing, or even the ability for someone to operate in the security industry in a defi ned geographic area. The enforce-ment of these provisions depends on

the jurisdiction, the sensibility of the judge, the relationship with you (the employer), with the person you are re-stricting (employee, subcontractor, seller), the scope in territory and dura-tion in length of time.

These criteria and more will be used to balance the need for you, the em-ployer, to protect your business inter-ests against the needs of the public to maintain unrestricted freedom in do-ing business and the needs of the re-stricted person to earn a livelihood. However, these provisions are also regularly upheld, as most jurisdictions recognize the parties’ right to contract away the ability to avail themselves of certain benefi ts, if they have affi r-matively and knowingly waived such

rights in a valid contract they have benefi tted from.

And where a provision may be in-terpreted as overreaching, oftentimes that provision would be recalibrated by a judge to an acceptable parameter. For example, if your restrictive cove-nant restricts a former employee from operating a security business with-in 25 miles of your existing location, that geographic range may be inter-preted as unreasonable under the cir-

cumstances and considerations mentioned above. However, a judge may determine that 10 miles is appropriate and uphold that geographic range.

The noncompete provisions are not foolproof. Think of it as just another term in a contract that may be breached. It should have a chilling effect on some-one considering breaching the

provision, but ultimately the conse-quences will depend upon your willing-ness to enforce the provision against the breaching party. Often the cost of enforcement is just not worth it. Once you are determined to enforce the pro-vision you should seek advice from an attorney specifi cally experienced in noncompetition litigation. Some states limit or prohibit enforcement of noncompete provisions, which should be considered before engaging in cost-ly litigation. ■

Ken Kirschenbaum has been a recognized counsel to the alarm industry for 35 years and is principal of Kirschenbaum & Kirschenbaum, P.C. (www.kirschen-baumesq.com). His team of attorneys, which includes daughter Jennifer, specialize in transactional, defense litigation, regulatory compliance and collection matters.

The opinions expressed in this column are not neces-sarily those of SSI, and not intended as legal advice.

Building Competitive Protection Into Your Contracts

A nonsolicitation provision in the employment contract and the subcontractor agreement

would serve to deter or prevent your employee, or your

subcontractor, from soliciting your subscriber for business.

SS12legal.indd 60SS12legal.indd 60 12/15/11 2:10 PM12/15/11 2:10 PM

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© 2011 Honeywell International Inc. All rights reserved. Get more info!



SSI December 2011

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