Blogs

Yes, I was thinking about Maxwell Smart, Agent 86, from the classic 1960s comedy as I came up with the headline for this blog, and more specifically, all the devices he and his sidekick Agent 99 used to fight the international organization of evil, KAOS. Remember the shoe phone? Or the coin-operated door? How about the lipstick remote control? Or the pencil listening device? Flash forward more than 50 years. Just think if Agent 86’s devices were “smart,” life would have been...

If you’ve read our website over the last month or so, you’ve noticed an uptick in the amount of merger and acquisition (M&A) stories we’ve posted, and as Karen Carpenter beautifully sang so many years ago, we’ve only just begun. The wheeling and dealing in the security industry have been hot and heavy during the late summer and early part of the fall season. In case you have not been able to keep up with the goings-on of all the business transactions over the past several...

We are entering a really busy time here at Security Systems News, highlighted by the recent big announcement of the partnership with PSA on our new Integrator of the Year and Bill Bozeman Awards, which took almost a year of hard work and planning to create; the soon-to-be-announced “40 under 40” Class of 2021 winners; the list of Women in Security honorees who we will be featuring with Security Industry Association’s (SIA’s) Women in Security Forum (WISF) in 2022; and, last...

Working together for a common goal often leads to great things. Case in point – check out the top story on our website and you’ll notice the huge announcement we were proud to share this week, as PSA and Security Systems News joined forces to create the new Integrator of the Year and Bill Bozeman Awards, honoring the top systems integrators within the security industry. Months of planning between SSN Editor Paul Ragusa and Candice Aragon, vice president of marketing and events at...

I have to say I miss going to a sporting event and cheering on my favorite team, going to a concert, doing anything other than watching live events on TV! The energy and excitement of being there live, sharing in the moment with thousands of other like-minded people creates, hopefully, great memories. Unless your team loses, or the band stinks, but that is a different story! For sports fans (me included), the sight – and sound – of fans back in the seats and organized sports...

It’s website takeover time! For some reason, I had an 80s flashback when I started to write this blog on the “40 under 40” takeover happening this afternoon on www.securitysystemsnews.com. With visions of “Forever Young” dancing in my head (yes, I had a hard time choosing between the Alphaville song from the early 80s or the Rod Stewart hit from the latter part of the decade), we continue to honor the outstanding young professionals who are making their mark in the...

I enjoy writing feel-good stories, and the story we posted today on our site is just that – a truly inspiring article on why you should never give up on your dreams. Min Kyriannis’s story is not your typical “Family immigrates to the United States in search of the American dream” scenario. It’s a lot more than that. Kyriannis grew up in New York in Flushing, Queens (which happens to be my hometown) and has worked in a variety of technology and security roles for...

There is one thing cybersecurity experts can guarantee … no sorry, it’s not invincibility against an attack! It is, unfortunately, an assurance that cyberattacks – in their many shapes, forms, sizes and intensity – will continue for the foreseeable future, ad nauseum! But that doesn’t mean we have to take it sitting down. The cybersecurity world, and security professionals as well, need to continue to do their part to stay one step ahead of these cybercriminals,...

And the ransomware attacks just keep on coming. Add Fortune 500 company Accenture to the ongoing list of major companies that have been victimized and compromised in recent months as the Dublin, Ireland-based global cyber consulting firm was breached last week by a cyber threat using a strain of ransomware known as LockBit. Reports indicate that the hackers, known as LockBit 2.0, demanded $50 million in exchange for the more than 6TB of Accenture’s data they stole. A threatening message...

It’s not often that we at Security Systems News write an article that just tugs at your heartstrings and makes you want to hug your loved ones a little tighter. I just put together a feature that really tells a story of courage and inspiration that I wish had a happy ending, but unfortunately does not. The story of security coach/mentor Jeff Snyder is one that was brought to our attention by Min Kyriannis, CEO of Amyna Systems, who informed us that he passed away in June at the much too...