Monitoring
Nearly half of monitored homes want upgrades
November 23, 2020SSN Staff
DALLAS—Security research from Parks Associates finds COVID-19 is a key factor driving households with security monitoring to upgrade their system — 41 percent of monitored households with professional monitoring plan to upgrade their system in the next six months and an equal share plan to self-install an add-on device, with the majority citing the pandemic as a related factor.
The most popular add-on devices among these monitoring households are video cameras, smart lighting and video...
DICE rebrands as the ‘The New DICE’
October 14, 2020Paul Ragusa, Editor
BAY CITY, Mich.—Branded as “The New DICE,” the DICE Corporation’s new rebranding initiative reflects the company’s vision for the future of monitoring services that is powered by the latest technology, products and services available today.
The New DICE is part of the company’s future roadmap kicking off a multi-million-dollar investment in IoT, artificial intelligence, machine learning, analytics, integrated audio and video and much more, according to DICE...
U.S. households feel 'safe enough' with smart home security devices
October 1, 2020SSN Staff
DALLAS—New research from Parks Associates finds 60 percent of U.S. broadband households feel “safe enough” with only a professionally monitored home security system while 55 percent report feeling safe enough with only a self-monitored home security system.
“While most consumers feel ‘safe enough’ only with a home security system, security-focused smart home devices delivers this same baseline feeling of security for a majority of households,” Brad Russell,...
Dynamark Monitoring secures $20M line of credit
September 25, 2020SSN Staff
BOSTON—Rockland Trust’s Security Alarm Lending Group announced recently that it has provided a $20 million revolving line of credit to Dynamark Monitoring Inc.
“We feel very fortunate to work with an experienced team at Rockland Trust who understands and supports our industry,” Dynamark Monitoring.President and CEO Trey Alter said in the announcement. “This facility will allow us to keep innovating in support of our dealers.”
Headquartered in Hagerstown,...
Dynamark rolls out interactive chat platform
August 14, 2020SSN Staff
HAGERSTOWN, Md.—Dynamark Monitoring, Inc. launched Instant Connect platform, their newest solution in a growing lineup of features and an intuitive, user-friendly way for customers to interact with their alarm. Customers can group chat with their entire contact list, cancel or verify alarms, and even request service, all without the need to download an app.
“Our goal was to create a very intuitive interface that really improved and modernized the customer experience,” Trey...
DICE and Tristar help central station affected by storm
August 10, 2020SSN Staff
BAY CITY, Mich.—DICE Corporation and Tristar Monitoring stepped in to help a central station that was without power and battling flooding due to Tropical Storm Isaias.“We got a call from DICE asking if we were willing to assist,” said Tim LeBlanc, president and co-founder of Tristar Monitoring. “My immediate response was, ‘Absolutely.’”Tristar had been in the same position before, aiding a central station in Florida for two months, while the company returned to full operations....
Becklar, LLC closes with BV Investment Partners
July 14, 2020SSN Staff
OGDEN, Utah—Parent company of both AvantGuard Monitoring Centers and Freeus, Becklar, LLC partnered with Boston-based BV Investment Partners.“We are very excited to join forces with BV,” Josh Garner, CEO, Becklar, said in the announcement. “They are a leading middle-market private equity firm that focuses on tech-enabled business services, software and IT services sectors. Their strategic perspective will benefit us immensely. Further, our partnership will allow Becklar to continue its...
Dynamark helping dealers get through COVID crisis
July 1, 2020Paul Ragusa, Editor
HAGERSTOWN, Md.—With many dealers feeling the effects of decreased business, Dynamark Security Centers is offering support to dealers through a comprehensive approach that addresses not only the financial, but also the operational and technology side of the equation.“Because of the need from our dealers, we are providing support by way of a three-legged stool,” Dynamark’s Senior Vice President for Sales & Business Development Hank Groff told Security Systems News, noting that the first...
NMC first to receive UL 827A listing for central station hosted services
June 29, 2020SSN Staff
LAKE FOREST, Calif.—National Monitoring Center (NMC), a Netwatch Group Company, announced that it is the first monitoring center issued the UL 827A listing for Central Station Hosted Services, allowing it to become a provider of 3rd party IT services.This designation comes from the Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a leading global safety science organization, upon having met strict compliances.“We are extremely honored to be the first monitoring center to earn this designation. Central Stations...
How one hospital battled COVID with a video camera
June 17, 2020Ginger Hill, Managing Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine—A few months ago, COVID upended the normality of the healthcare system, healthcare facilities and the daily, life-saving work of healthcare workers. Hospitals scrambled to meet the influx of infected people, while frontline healthcare workers begged for the rather simple things they were taught to always have when engaging with sick people — personal protection equipment (PPE) — which was and still is scarce. “Limiting unnecessary contact with COVID-19 patients...