Archive: April 2012

LANCASTER, Pa.—Security Partners, a wholesale monitoring provider based here, has brought aboard a new president and initiated a new growth plan to help alarm dealers take advantage of an expanded line of products and services.Michael Bodnar, a 20-year industry veteran, joined Security Partners at the end of March. He will oversee operations, sales and monitoring at the company's CSAA Five Diamond-certified central station, with a focus on providing more dealers with access to the latest technology.“I'm...

AURORA, Ill.—As a veteran of the alarm industry, Bob Bonifas knows how important redundancy is for central stations. As a global adventurer recently stranded on a sub-Antarctic island, he now knows it's crucial for passenger ships, too.Bonifas, president and CEO of Alarm Detection Systems, based here, was among 73 passengers stranded for 10 days on South Georgia Island after engine problems crippled their cruise ship, the 293-foot Plancius. The vessel was on a 31-day sightseeing tour, bound...

In a video I posted on our site today, an interview with Tyco Integrated Security CTO Jay Hauhn� from ISC West, one of the topics we talked about is� the security industy's journey to the cloud. We're not there yet with hosted video, he said, but the one product area where the industry is most comfortable in the cloud is access control. And, Brivo Systems is certainly one of the leaders in this arena. Brivo CEO Steve Van Till wrote a guest commentary for us about the cloud confusion he saw on display...

We've written a lot here at Security Systems News about more and more telecoms and cable companies getting into the security market. And now mainstream media is taking note. For example MSN Money had a recent post from its SmartMoney partner site, titled “Home security—from the cable guy.” I read the post, thinking it would simply extol the convenience of bundling security with your cable. But it was actually a balanced piece that included the argument from professional security...

WAUNAKEE, Wis.—It pays in this state to have NICET training, according to Carter Rierson, president of Best Defense Security & Fire Protection, based here.“It has opened up some opportunities for us,” said Rierson, who has attained NICET Level IV and who encourages his staff to have the training.A growing number of municipalities in Wisconsin are now requiring NICET certification before companies can submit plans for review, Rierson said. And some job specifications now are stipulating...

WESTCHESTER, Ill.—Griffon Systems, a systems integrator based here, takes a business-intelligence approach to security.Paul Grefenstette, president of Griffon Systems, sold data analytics/business-intelligence software before founding Griffon Systems in 2004.� His background informs the way his company looks at security projects, he said.“We like to provide a baseline of security as the foundation of a project, but the bigger [goal] is operational efficiency, [to help customers] understand...

AIEA, Hawaii—Aloha Alarm just launched in January, but already has about 200 customers and is gaining more at the rate of about 50 a month, according to Aloha president Mark Plischke. He said he also plans to add six more employees to his current staff of 14 before year's end.Plischke said the secret to his small company's success in the competitive Hawaii market—which has been discovered by summer-sales-model companies in recent years—is offering quality service to customers.“I...

BELTSVILLE, Md.—ASG Security now has a quarter of a billion dollars on hand, thanks to a recent $20 million extension of its previous $230 million credit facility, the company announced April 25.ASG closed that $230 million facility� just over a year, in January 2011. Why add to it now?“The capital is available and terms are very favorable,” ASG CFO Ralph Masino told Security Systems News. “We didn't need the additional capacity today, but it gives us ample dry powder to fund...

ALBANY, N.Y.—More than 5,000 alarm accounts managed by McGinn Smith Alarm Trading LLC have been auctioned to Security Systems Inc. of Cromwell, Conn. for more than $2 million, legal documents show.The accounts were auctioned off early this month by the receiver that a court appointed to oversee the assets of Security industry investors Timothy McGinn and David L. Smith—who are battling a civil lawsuit filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2010 that contends they bilked investors...

RAPID CITY, S.D.—Dakota Security, a PSA Security owner, on April 18 opened its seventh office here. It will serve as a logistical base of operations for Dakota to take advantage of security opportunities arising from the booming local economy, Eric Yunag, CEO of Dakota Security, told Security Systems News.“We've had operations in that area of South Dakota for many years. But opening an office in Rapid City puts us right in the center of our current client base there and [will give us...