Archive: January 2012
Healthcare = growth vertical for Alarm & Suppression
January 31, 2012Tess Nacelewicz
GLENVILLE, N.Y.—Hospitals have proved to be a strong vertical for Alarm & Suppression Inc., a full-service fire company based here.The healthcare sector has been adding jobs nationally and has been a bright spot during the economic downturn, according to a recent report in The Wall Street Journal.In upstate New York, hospitals are continually renovating and expanding, providing ongoing work, Brad Nelson, project engineer/senior technician for Alarm & Suppression, told Security Systems News.“There...
Tyco's Breen talks about new entrants, PULSE, ADT spin-off
January 31, 2012Martha Entwistle
There were some interesting tidbits on today's Tyco earnings call—about earnings of course, but also about new cable/telco entrants into the security industry, stats on ADT's PULSE offering, and a progress report on the conglomerate's split into three, separate, publicly traded companies.
On the new entrants: In response to a question about how/if new cable/telco entrants into the security industry is affecting ADT, Tyco CEO Ed Breen said: “We track every market we're...
Pilot shows smartphone potential
January 30, 2012Martha Entwistle
IRVINE, Calif.—With the announcement today of the completion of its smartphones-as-keys pilot project at Arizona State University, HID officials hope more integrators will begin to investigate how NFC-enabled smartphones might fit into their access control offerings in the future.Saying this project is just the beginning, Karl Weintz, VP business development, mobile access, for HID Global, said eventually smartphones will be able to “be used as a reader not just a credential.”The...
Stanley execs talk about progress on Niscayah acquisition
January 30, 2012Martha Entwistle
Stanley CSS's parent company, Stanley Black & Decker exceeded Wall Street expectations last week with its earnings announcement. It had Q4 revenue of $2.8b, up 17 percent over 2010 Q4 revenues, and organic revenue growth was up 6 percent over the same period.
The security segment was up 1 one percent with 4 percent organic growth in Convergent Security, according to the conference call. Security has Q4 sales of $827 million. That revenue figure is up 49 percent over last year (2010 Q4...
Meeting targets non-response in San Jose
January 27, 2012Rich Miller
The alarm industry was caught off guard at the end of December when the San Jose (Calif.) Police Department implemented a non-response policy for unverified alarms. Now the California Alarm Association is regrouping and is rallying members to discuss what comes next.
To that end, the Silicon Valley Alarm Association, a CAA affiliate, will be holding a lunch meeting next week, with the San Jose situation at the top of the agenda. The meeting is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, at the Silicon...
SW24 gears up for intrusion market
January 25, 2012Rich Miller
NEW YORK—Preparing to expand its footprint to handle alarm monitoring across the United States, SecureWatch24 has named a manager for its new central station in New Jersey and has added intrusion-monitoring capability at its Manhattan headquarters.SW24 specializes in property surveillance and facilities management. Its main business is video monitoring, with more than 22,000 cameras installed at more than 2,000 buildings in the New York City area. The company has a network operations center...
This Blog's on Fire (And Other Stuff)
Alarm company owner survives cruise ship disaster
January 25, 2012Tess Nacelewicz
A Florida burglar alarm company owner and his wife were among those who made it out alive when the Costa Concordia cruise ship ran aground off the coast of Italy on Jan. 13, according to a recent story in The Miami Herald. As I'm writing this today, 16 people died in that disaster and at least 17 still are missing.
I have not yet been able to reach Luis Manny Hernandez, 42, of Homestead, Fla., who The Miami Herald said finally managed to escape the sinking ship along with his wife, Karen Camacho,...
Alarm.com: New motion sensor/camera launched
January 25, 2012Tess Nacelewicz
VIENNA, Va. and OREM, Utah—After a successful six-month beta test, Alarm.com this week announced the general availability of its Image Sensor—a wireless device that combines a motion detector with a built-in still camera, allowing homeowners to view “snapshots” of what's happening in their homes from their smartphones or other devices.
Pinnacle Security recently completed a nationwide pilot program selling the battery-operated device, billed as a more affordable option...
Simpson Security Systems finishing $7m prison job
January 25, 2012Martha Entwistle
ALEXANDRIA, La.—Shrinking profit margins, a common lament among integrators, are something Keith Simpson, CEO of Simpson Security Systems, says he's experienced on smaller commercial jobs, but larger projects remain nicely profitable for his company.Why? There's less competition for “true integration” jobs, Simpson told Security Systems News.“You don't get today [what you used to get] for an eight-camera job,” Simpson said. “There's a broad range of competition...
Honeywell acquires Fire Sentry
January 25, 2012Tess Nacelewicz
LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.—Honeywell has acquired Fire Sentry, a manufacturer of fire detection and control products for a broad range of industrial markets.The acquisition adds flame detection to Honeywell's gas detection business, Honeywell Analytics, a global company with its U.S. headquarters here, and furthers that business's extremely rapid growth, according to Patrick Hogan, VP of marketing for Honeywell Analytics Americas.Honeywell Analytics works closely with its sister fire systems companies...