Archive: November 2013

NEW YORK—ADT's dealer program has been one of the company's “soft spots” for years but now is turning around after the company “culled” more than 100 lower-performing dealers over the past year or so, according to an industry analyst.Jeff Kessler, managing director of institutional research at Imperial Capital, told Security Systems News that he has been concerned for about five years that some smaller ADT dealers lacked sufficient “IT IQ” to handle the technology,...

HENDERSON, Nev.—With the goal of having a set of video verification best practices in place by June 2014, a group of law enforcement and alarm industry representatives gathered for the first time to hash out the best-practices for video alarm response.“The goal is to have the document ready for ESX [in June 2014],” Keith Jentoft, president of RSI Video Technologies and Videofied, and an industry liaison for PPVAR said. He added: “Right now we're hoping [the standards writing...

Andy Teich, CEO of FLIR Communications, likes to compare the evolution of thermal camera technology to GPS systems. Slowly but surely, the application of thermal cameras has followed the history of GPS, from a military genesis to dual use, before expanding to the commercial market and commoditization.“Thermal cameras go into the same phases, but slower than GPS,” said Teich, whose Oregon-based company pioneered the cameras' dual-use application back in the 1960s.Security industry integrators...

RALEIGH, N.C.—Loading docks are one of the most vulnerable security areas at hospitals, posing a threat to facilities large and small, says Lisa Pryse, president of the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety.“Loading dock areas are volatile areas and, unfortunately, very often overlooked,” Pryse said.Emergency rooms have long been a focus of hospital security, understandably. But receiving and delivery areas need surveillance cameras at the very least, Pryse...

CLEVELAND—This city is home to many hospitals, including the world renowned Cleveland Clinic, so health care is a major vertical for ABCO Fire Protection, based here. But the company also has expanded into a small but growing new niche: wind turbines.“We've done some suppression systems in wind turbines, and actually I and one other guy are certified to climb the wind turbines, to actually get up in there and do the install and service on them,” Steve Rice, engineering systems manager...

The ADT Corp. reported yesterday that it was buying back 10.24 million of the shares of its third-largest shareholder, Corvex Management. Keith Meister, the hedge fund's founder, who had been on ADT's board since late 2012, also announced his resignation as director. ADT's stock price plunged early yesterday morning shortly after the news and while it recovered somewhat, was still down .59 percent this afternoon. Meister said in a prepared statement, “We initially invested in ADT because of...

Avigilon now has $69 million (Canadian) at its disposal for “general purposes and strategic acquisitions.” The HD surveillance provider, which got into access control last May with the $17 million purchase of Red Cloud, today announced that it closed a $69 million bought deal equity financing. So what will Avigilon do with the funds? I called Avigilon this morning to ask about plans for the funds. In an email response Alexander Fernandes, Avigilon president and CEO said: "... we look...

Buoyed by the $487 million acquisition of Security Networks, Ascent Capital, the holding company that owns Monitronics, posted some sterling numbers for the third quarter of 2013—numbers that underscore why investment firms continue to find the RMR model attractive (long-term contracts, high margins, cash flow predictability). The list goes on. Ascent's net revenue for the three and nine months (ended Sept. 30, 2013) increased 36.8 percent and 27.4 percent, respectively. The growth was fueled...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.—Alarm Control Center remains listed with safety science company Underwriters Laboratories in three categories: central station fire alarm, central station burglar alarm and monitoring stations national industrial security systems. Listed central stations provide standards-compliant service, according to the Nov. 26 news release. UL's standards cover buildings, receiving and monitoring equipment, staffing, installation and ongoing service. Alarm Control Center is a privately...

CONCORD, Calif.—In a wireless age, many people are dropping landline service. In response, Bay Alarm Medical is now offering a cellular medical alarm, according to a Nov. 20 news release. The system relies on the same one-button system seniors can use to call for help after a fall or during a medical emergency, but it is connected to AT&T's cellular network, according to the release. “Today's reality is that many households are choosing not to have a landline telephone,” said Alan...