Monitoring Matters

Thank you, Willie Nelson, for a song title that is so appropriate given the whirlwind couple of weeks I’ve had, literally, on the road again. No, I did not have the Partridge Family psychedelic tour bus to take me to my destinations, as my family van and JetBlue were my means of transportation in representing Security Systems News at two industry events – one that supports a very important mission, and the other a conference that yours truly attended for the first time, and even got...

Isn’t it great to see people in person again, rather than on a computer screen? Our latest News Poll indicates as such, as more security industry trade shows have returned to an in-person format following two years of dormancy brought on by COVID-19. Let’s face it – conducting business or hosting meetings on Teams or Zoom calls is just not the same as having person-to-person interaction, whether in a workplace setting or on a trade show floor. The News Poll results show...

I just want to celebrate! Yes, that may be a song by the group Rare Earth from 1970, but that’s also how I and my fellow Security Systems News colleagues feel after what was a fantastic and memorable SecurityNext conference in Nashville. We were so thrilled that we could host an in-person event for the first time since COVID-19 entered our lives in 2020. The enthusiasm of the attendees who ascended upon Music City for our conference last week was infectious, from the cocktail reception...

Music City, here we come! We are just days away from the security industry’s must-see event of the year as we proudly present our SecurityNext conference at The Westin Nashville from April 25-27. The Security Systems News team is so excited that SecurityNext is back to an in-person format after the COVID-19 pandemic relegated last year’s conference to a virtual format, which is just not same, don’t you agree? There’s only one word to describe the lineup for this year’s...

A typical weekday morning on a NYC subway train. People sitting or standing in the subway cars on their way to work, school, or wherever else they may be headed. Some reading their newspaper, some looking at their cellphones. Maybe they’re taking a nap or just staring blankly as the train heads toward their destination. Tuesday morning, April 12, 2022, turned out to be anything but typical for those riding on the Manhattan-bound N train around 8:30 a.m. A male passenger on the train, who...

They say that whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. But I’m going to go against the grain and say that my blog is all about what happened in Vegas last week at ISC West 2022. When I landed in Las Vegas, I had a feeling that security industry professionals were itching to get back to the premier trade show of the year after the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted attendance at ISC West in 2021. After five days in “Sin City,” it’s safe to say that my projections...

It’s the final countdown! No, I’m not paying homage to the 80’s hairband Europe (although I absolutely get psyched from the opening riff of that song). I’m super excited because in just a matter of days, myself and my Security Systems News colleagues will be hopping on a plane and headed to Las Vegas for one of the security industry’s premier events on the calendar, ISC West. Over the past several weeks, Publisher/President Sarah Flanagan, Editor Paul Ragusa, and...

For the past week, we have witnessed Russia’s all-out offensive on Ukraine that has resulted in the loss of nearly 2,000 Ukrainian civilians’ lives as I write this, and sadly, more to come. This conflict has been heartbreaking to watch unfold, to say the least. The pictures and videos of Ukrainian civilians, some as old as our grandparents and as young as grade-school children, being given weapons and getting trained to use them to defend their freedoms and fight off the Russian assault...

Technology is all around us. Whether it’s a smartphone, tablet, laptop, smart TV or a home security system, devices evolve over time, with the goal of making people’s lives easier and more efficient. Of course, as we are a publication that focuses on the security industry, we enjoy giving you details on all the new and exciting technologies that are emerging in the commercial, monitoring, residential, supplier and cyber sectors that we cover. In the past week alone, I had the pleasure...

So what if Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning? To quote the Godfather of Soul James Brown, I feel good! Why, you ask? I’m in the process of booking my flights and hotels for ISC West in Las Vegas in March and our SecurityNext conference in April in Nashville, and I couldn’t be more excited to attend both of these shows, as I hope all of you are! The sad reality is that many of us been cooped up these last two-plus years, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, and are just itching...