On The Editor's Desk

Ah, ‘tis the season of giving. It’s the middle of December, and that means it’s that time of year to take out your wallets and spend money on your loved ones for the gifts they have been yearning for. Or perhaps you plan on donating to your favorite charity, or giving a little something to a teacher, or the mailman, or the newspaper delivery person during the holiday season as a token of appreciation for what they do throughout the year. I’m definitely in the giving...

My son and I got up early on Saturday morning, but we didn’t mind at all. We got in the car and drove from New York City to New Jersey, and although getting to the George Washington Bridge was practically a crawl thanks to weekend construction, we were stoked to reach our ultimate destination – the Mission 500 annual softball game. For those who are unfamiliar with Mission 500, the nonprofit organization’s goal is to work together with the security industry to support underprivileged...

As August winds down and September arrives this week, we know that school (for my kids, anyway) and the reemergence of autumn leaves and cooler temperatures are just around the corner. While the title of my blog pays tribute to a classic song by Earth, Wind & Fire (one of my personal favorites by them, I might add), dancing in September seems a fitting description of what I’ll be doing over the next 30 days as this month promises to be a busy, yet very exciting one for yours truly. Why,...

Long time, no blog. I admit, I have been on the blogging sidelines for several weeks now while my new comrade, Managing Editor Ken Showers, has settled in and immediately given his thoughts on various relevant security industry topics under my old blogging banner, Monitoring Matters. As I’m now officially the editor of Security Systems News, my blogs will now fall under the title of On the Editor’s Desk, which you obviously know since you found me and are reading this right now. Now...

As I write these words, Security Systems News Managing Editor Cory Harris (pictured above at the podium) is in one of my favorite cities, Denver, Colo., for PSA TEC, the conference devoted to the systems integrator community. To say that I have some serious FOMO going on seeing all of Cory’s, and other industry peers’ posts on social would be an understatement! But I am very excited Cory gets to experience his first TEC, a rite of passage for any SSN editor, for sure! And what a great...

Can't think of a better time to have a Security Systems News' "40 under 40" takeover of the website than right now as the team here at SSN and many of the winners from this year's class get ready to converge on Nashville for our SecurityNext conference, April 25-27 at The Westin Nashville. Please check out the first eight of the 40 profiles that are appearing here and in print all year long!  For the full list of winners, please click here. And keep...

With temperatures warming up here in chilly Maine – and sights, sounds and smells of spring, rebirth and renewal in the air – the team here at Security Systems News is gearing up for SecurityNext, which returns to an in-person event later this month, April 25-27, in Nashville, the music city. Coming off a successful and exciting ISC West in Las Vegas last month, the theme of rebirth and renewal seems fitting, as ISC West came back strong after a tough year in 2021 due...

Great to be in Las Vegas for ISC West 2022, which is back and buzzing with the same kind of energy and traffic we have seen in past years before the pandemic. Great to see so many familiar faces, catch up with industry news and gossip, as well as see the latest and greatest in new technology and products. Check back here and on the SSN website for the latest news coming out of ISC West, starting with the news form SIA coming out of the Advance, including a new chair, board and committee members. I...

To say I am beaming with pride today is an understatement, as the announcement yesterday – on International Women’s Day – of the inaugural Security Industry Association (SIA) annual Power 100 list is such a monumental step for an industry that I have been fortunate enough to report on these past six years – literally almost to the day. As I mentioned in the Power 100 announcement, serving on the WISF Nominations Committee, I was truly amazed at the high number of quality...

In preparing to announce this year’s recipients of our third annual Security Legend Award to probably the most well-known and liked couple in security, Christine and Andrew Lanning, I started to think back on all of the ways each of them has not only inspired and influenced me as an editor and person, but also the industry itself, as they are the epitome of selfless. They are givers, that much I am sure of, and the industry is so much better because of their tireless efforts. Over the past...