Archive: June 2009

So what do you think about the news, announced this morning, that Brink's Home Security is changing its name to Broadview Security? Here's my story It's growing on me. The first thing that struck me was that the word "home" was conspicuously missing in the new name. I asked Bob Allen (president and CEO of Brink's/Broadview) about that and he said it's no mistake. The new name is meant to reflect the wide range of services the company offers to both businesses and homes. He also said the name, and...

IRVING, Texas--Brink's Home Security will change its name to Broadview Security, Bob Allen, president and CEO, announced today. The tagline on the new logo is: "The next generation of Brink's Home Security." "The name, Broadview Security, really does represent the wide range of services we offer and brings to mind the active protection we deliver to homes as well as businesses," Allen told Security Systems News. Over the past three years, Brink's Home Security has quietly expanded its commercial...

BALTIMORE--The industry's leading figures descended on Baltimore last week for the 2nd annual ESX Conference and Expo, spanning June 22 through 26. On June 25, the second day of the Expo, the editors of Security Systems News sat down with a number of integrators and installers to talk about the latest technologies and trends that will shape the industry over the coming year. Please click on the name below to view the video. Ron Davis, managing partner of David Marketing Group, talks about selling...

IRVING, Texas--The National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association is considering a name change, Security Systems News learned at the recent ESX conference. In a presentation made by Dave Simon, senior manager of communications for Brink's Home Security, state association leaders were pitched the name Electronic Security Association. Not only would the new name get rid of the antiquated "burglar," but it would also better encompass all of the new, non-alarm services being offered by modern security dealers,...

With the global economy battling recession, it will come as no surprise that the market for financing for the security industry is a challenging one, to say the least. As the past year has shown, despite some wishful thinking, the security industry is far from immune to factors that affect the broader economy. At the same time, however, security is a market that is holding up better than others, and can still attract investors. From a global perspective, numbers from Venture Business Research (VBR),...

CANTON, Ga.—Emizon, a communications company providing dual-path signalling, which uses the IP/broadband network as its primary path and Vodafone's GPRS network as its secondary path, on June 23 announced three U.S. monitoring centers—Monitoring Partners of Delray Beach, Fla., SentryNet of Greenville, Miss., and Statesville, N.C.-based Security Central—had signed on to use its Global 21 advanced signalling service. According to Emizon EVP Jack McCurdy, Global 21 improves security,...

PHILADELPHIA--As of July 1, security system installers will be subject to the new Home Improvement Act, which was passed earlier this year in an effort to protect Pennsylvania consumers from unscrupulous contractors of various sorts, such as roofers, remodelers, painters, landscapers, electricians, and, yes, security systems installers. Ralph Manento, past president of the Pennsylvania BFAA and owner of Royal Security Systems, said the new law affects security dealers greatly and forces companies...

Well, I'm back from my staycation, which is, of course, where you don't go to work, but you don't really go anywhere... What that meant for me was checking my work email, and the Security Systems News website, but not doing anything with or about them. I also did nothing about the guilty feeling I had every time I looked at my last blog post about the last minute CSAA @ ESX tweet service, which is obviously outdated now... and has been since Friday, June 19 at 5:00 p.m. Oh well, time to post. I...

ANNAPOLIS, Md.--A June 19 story from HometownAnnapolis.com a new Anne Arundel County false alarm ordinance will take affect in mid August. Alarm system owners will be allowed three false calls in a year, after which they can expect a $50 ticket from county police. Continued false dispatches will result in fines of up to $250 for each false alarm. Any business or residence with an alarm system will be required to register it with the police department or face a fine. Authorities say the measure...

I'll be taking a vacation next week (enjoying some rain and clouds by the lakeside even farther north of here), so don't expect any new posts until after the Fourth. However, since many of you just got on the blog bandwagon recently, let me introduce you to some of my better posts - and by better, I mean most ranting and overly critical, but also pretty funny, I think. Oh, and informative and interesting, too. Here's one on camera sales and whether they are or aren't really skyrocketing. Here's...