SecurityNet circles globe with partners

WASHINGTON--Demand from customers with overseas offices has prompted SecurityNet to add six international members to its network of independent systems integrators currently located solely in North America. Companies in London, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Tokyo, San Juan and the Dominican Republic have agreed to adopt the standards shared by the 16 North American members, said Jim Coleman, president of SecurityNet and Atlanta-based Operational Security Systems. "We really were approached by these folks mostly because we were working with them with clients outside the U.S.," Coleman said. "Most of that business is U.S. companies upgrading security systems in their foreign offices." Established in 1993, SecurityNet, based here, commits its members to detailed standardized practices and disciplines developed over 12 years. The network allows regional players to ensure customers uniformity of fulfillment at locations across North America. "Part of SecurityNet's DNA are those commitments," Coleman said. "So you're looking at other companies' customers as your customers." As high-speed digital communication becomes ubiquitous, companies are connecting the security and communications operations of their offices, Coleman said. Those kinds of connections require a national footprint, such as the broadband network achieved in North America. SecurityNet won't be able to command a global footprint, Coleman said, but it will fulfill clients' needs. "It's a natural expansion because our clients are moving beyond North America." "We are going to expand our horizons so that our customers can expect the same standards internationally," said Ray Dean, president of PEI in Long Island City, N.Y., and SecurityNet's leader in the international expansion. The six new members will have to absorb how SecurityNet members do business, Dean said, so customers will see the same model at remote sites as they do in North America. This is just the beginning of SecurityNet's international expansion, he said, but the group is proceeding methodically into this new arena. "We have to be sure we get it right." SecurityNet's North American members will continue to meet quarterly, whereas the international members will participate in an annual meeting at each year's ASIS International convention. The expansion is largely customer-driven, Dean said. As customers expand overseas, they expect the same fulfillment they've come to know with SecurityNet, he said. "Every customer we've done business with has found a lot less hiccups and burps in installation. It's a very pleasant surprise." SecurityNet members have also created TechNet and SalesNet to further integrate their operations. "It's several phases in our company working together, including engineering," Dean said. "These are all stems off the same branch. I think we're headed in the right direction."