Tag: SSN News Poll
SSN News Poll: Security companies struggling to get funding through the CARES Act
May 13, 2020Paul Ragusa, Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine—While the recent announcement of a second round of CARES Act funding for small businesses is good news, many are wondering if it will make it into the hands of the companies that need it most, as the first round of funding ran out quickly, with several problems reported.Security companies in particular have been struggling to get approved to receive financial relief, evidenced by results from Security Systems News latest News Poll looking at the how the industry is making out...
SSN News Poll gauges state of the industry
January 25, 2019Paul Ragusa, Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine—As we reflect on 2018, this month's news poll gauges the overall state of the industry. The majority of News Poll respondents are bullish on 2019 with 85 percent saying that they see continued growth. In total, 72 percent said they expect “continued strong growth,” while 14 percent said, “yes, but not as strong as 2018,” and another 14 percent said they do not expect to see the same growth in 2019.While many see strong growth for the industry, several...
News Poll: SSN readers share how they pick events
May 23, 2018Spencer Ives
YARMOUTH, Maine—Security companies continually watch the landscape of industry events grow and change, and need to budget their time and resources accordingly. Security Systems News asked its readers about the number of shows they attend and if that has increased or decreased in recent years.“We attend based on what we think we can get out of it from attending both through the education, networking, product standpoints. We have scaled back as we aren't looking to change product offerings...
News Poll: Reader opinions vary on PERS offerings for the security dealer
September 6, 2017Spencer Ives
YARMOUTH, Maine—Security Systems News asked its readers about personal emergency response systems and how the offering could fit in with a traditional alarm dealer's portfolio; some see the two systems as different, others say there is opportunity for security dealers.“We have always provided PERS although a small part of our business,” Jim Buckley, president of Buckley Security Service Inc., wrote in. “[It] does increase RMR but we also provide a system for those on fixed...
SSN Readers: Google eyeing security
February 5, 2014Leif Kothe
YARMOUTH, Maine—Google's recent acquisition of home automation company Nest Labs led many to believe the tech giant was setting up a beachhead on the industry's shores. Readers who responded to a recent SSN News Poll tend to agree, with many saying Google's buy is no half-hearted entrance into security—it's a sign of ever-larger involvement in the residential space.Seventy percent of respondents believe Google will become a major home automation provider, while another 64 percent say...
Readers back PPVAR's quest for video verification standards
January 8, 2014Leif Kothe
YARMOUTH, Maine—More than three-quarters of respondents to an SSN News Poll survey believe written video verification standards are necessary, while a slimmer majority—55 percent—say the timeline for such standards, proposed by the Partnership for Priority Video Alarm Response, is realistic. In June 2014 (coinciding with ESX), PPVAR plans to hand off its best-practices recommendation to a standards writing body. Despite the heavy support, about 37 percent said PPVAR and interested...
Readers talk 2013 revenues
December 4, 2013Leif Kothe
YARMOUTH, Maine—The security industry may not be recession-proof, but it does appear to be resilient, if the latest SSN News Poll is any indicator. Most readers say business held steady in 2013, and there were more reports of robust growth than of lagging revenues. “Our company is a network of third party monitoring stations, and our dealer network grew tremendously in 2013,” said Kristin Hebert, dealer relations, Acadian Monitoring, based in Lafayette, La. “We had a record...
SSN readers united on PERS, but divided on how to implement it
November 13, 2013Leif Kothe
YARMOUTH, Maine—Readers view PERS as a good way to augment business, but are somewhat split on how best to incorporate PERS into their business, according to respondents to a recent SSN News Poll. One pivotal question, in particular, defines this divide: Is it best to have existing staff handle both security and PERS accounts, or to establish a PERS-only division? Channeling the product to market and training operators to deal with the needs of PERS customers are two challenges for security...
Poll: Managed services and hosted video gaining ground, but slowly
September 11, 2013Leif Kothe
YARMOUTH, Maine—Managed services and hosted video are building momentum, but some skepticism remains regarding the near-term prospects of the services, according to results from SSN's October News Poll. Fifty-five percent of respondents say they're either offering or plan to offer managed services, citing the potential RMR boost as a key reason. Another 47 percent of respondents say hosted video is part of their current or future plans.“We are actively seeking to enter the hosted video...
Readers warming up to stand-alone home automation
August 7, 2013Leif Kothe
YARMOUTH, Maine—In June, Comcast, a relative newcomer to the industry, rolled out Xfinity Home Control, which allows homeowners to control lights and thermostats and remotely view rooms in their homes without what was traditionally the foundation of such a package: a home security system.According to respondents to SSN's September News Poll, 63 percent say professional security companies need to offer such a home automation package without a security system. However, 56 percent of the 41 respondents...