Westec goes end-to-end after three purchases

IRVINE, Calif.--Westec Interactive finalized three acquisitions in early October to secure an end-to-end solution for the intelligent video monitoring technology firm. The purchase will help the firm enter more verticals and boost its customer base. The company scooped up DV Dallas and d2 Digital Designs, both of Dallas, and Sparta Consulting Group of Frederick, Md. The applications, when paired together, give Westec self -sufficient technology. The purchase amount was undisclosed. "They (customers) can ask for anything," said Darjon Bittner, the previous owner of the two acquired companies and now vice president of technology development at Westec. The purchases come at a time when Westec is moving forward. In July, it nabbed $20 million in new financing, $17.5 million from investor Clarity Partners and the remainder from company owner Gerald Vento, for technology enhancements, new services and acquisitions. Westec will incorporate the acquired companies technology as a way to offer a total solution for its customers. DV Dallas provides remote video monitoring hardware, such as a digital video recorder, and merges alarm panel, intelligent video applications and video surveillance monitoring into a single platform for small commercial and enterprise businesses. "It's a smart product using a Dell platform," said Vento, chief executive officer and owner of Westec. "It's a durable platform that allows a customer to manipulate information through settings." d2 Digital Designs is an application development company that creates online applications for digital video, portals and training. The Sparta Consulting Corp. offers consulting, systems integration and monitoring for housing verticals, including hotels and property management businesses. "It can be more challenging to do big arenas and outdoor facilities," Vento said. However, with the company's outdoor arena niche, Westec will now move into that vertical. The installation arm of Sparta Consulting Corp. will offer installation services when entering those new markets, which typically combine more than one security application. "As customers have demands that require multiple solutions, we have the capability to overcome how to connect all those devices," said Severin Sorensen, former owner and president at the firm, now vice president of business and applications development at Westec. Vento noticed that its customers have coupled monitoring with intelligent video. "A lot of companies out there are selling something. What I have tried to do is step back to implement a cross-department system with more and more interaction with other departments," he said. In August the firm inked a long-term lease for a new central station in West Des Moines, Iowa, which will open in November.