March 14th is Poison Prevention week.  According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, millions of people are unintentionally poisoned every year.  Although children under six years old are at risk, the majority of poisoning fatalities occur in 20 – 59 year old individuals.  SDA is committed to your overall safety and the well being of our community.  If you would like more information or a free brochure on poison control, please contact me and I’ll be happy to send one out to you. 

 Happy Valentine’s Day.  I’m back.  Its been awhile since any regular and consistent postings ….but I am back to stay current with a blog chock-full of great security tips and information about the industry and other fun business experiences.  What a better way to kick off the re-newed blog than with a Valentine post – since Valentine’s day means construction and doilie heart cut-out cards with fun messages for friends and family.  Valentine’s go out to all our valuable customers – we appreciate your business very much.    To any potential new customers….we stand by ready to be of service to you.  Don’t forget to become a fan of SDA Security on Facebook.

June is Internet Safety Month. One of our goals at SDA Security is to raise awareness about responsible Internet use for all of us, particularly children. As a Honeywell Authorized Dealer, we are committed to the safety of our customers and, therefore, we are promoting Internet Safety Month.

We are offering you two booklets that may help foster decision-making skills that are key to using the Internet safely.

Internet Safety booklet:

This booklet provides tips to help educate families about practicing safely on the Internet. It covers topics such as online shopping, e-mail safety, chat rooms and their Internet use.

Cyberbullying brochure:

This brochure explains what cyberbullying is and how this new form of bullying is used through the use of the Internet, cell phones, video game systems, or other technology. Helpful tips are provided to prevent becoming a victim.

If you are interested in receiving one or both of these brochures, please contact me at sharbour@sdasecurity.com.

Competition is no longer only coming from within the field. IT companies are looking at security as the next logical step for their business expansion. The convergence of IT and security is already very evident. Our Central Station and Technology Manager, Dan Tick expects this convergence to expand first in the commercial sphere and explains that with the user’s desire for greater accessibility, it is a natural transition for the IT world to penetrate the security industry, saying, “They are already managing your data and telecommunications systems and now can take on your security, and run it all from the same place.”

Cisco Systems is the chief example of this convergence and announced in September, 2006 a merger with a security company. Using a new product, Hi-O, or Highly Intelligent Operations, the two companies are able to combine traditional security products with an IP network. This product prevents unauthorized users from accessing the network and is intelligent enough to know who these users are based solely on whether or not they used their badges to walk through the door.

Following the trends in video accessibility, IT companies will be able to present the end-users of security systems with the option to control and access their information anywhere and on their own timetable without having to necessarily involve the security company.

For a long time, our biggest competition was with each other. It was very commoditized. We must now acknowledge this merger, as it requires security companies to adapt and modernize to meet the security standards being set by IT companies.

In an effort to keep the customer satisfied, manufacturers and security companies are contracting with one another less and less on products and installation to prevent putting limits on the end-user.  Rather, products are being created to be compatible with a range of brands. 

For years, product delivery has been narrowly chain-driven and specific to dealers, but the move now is to an open architecture, which presents the industry with a challenge. Certainly, this creates a much higher level of competition, which means we need to have the right IT, sales and installation teams as we shift from a culture of peddlers of products to a more sophisticated and knowledgeable approach.

Not specific to the security industry, our customers are used to the idea of their electronic products working across different brands.  We expect our Sony DVD players to work with our Toshiba TVs, so why should our security equipment be any different? 

In the world of security, the use of video is not a new phenomenon, but the way it is being used and accessed has changed dramatically. Video had been used for twenty years, but it has really taken new shape in the last five and will continue to advance.  Twenty years ago, videos had to be viewed line by line, panel by panel, but like television or film, this technology has come a long way, and the advancements go beyond just a clear image or moving footage.

Video is used within the industry as an additional source of verification.  Using the current systems, there is a high propensity for false alarms.  Currently, SDA Security treats every signal as if it is valid, following the same protocol for each one.  We notify the parties involved, and use two call verification, where first the premise is called and then the call list, always before calling the police.  Combining video with alarm systems allows the monitoring party to provide better information to the customer and cut down on false police Dispatches.  We have our own on-site Underwriters Listed/Department of Defense central station, where nearly all our accounts are monitored

Video is also on its way to becoming much more accessible.  While central stations across the country are certainly not on the verge of closing down, customers want access to their security systems anytime, anywhere.  We’ve already moved beyond one person sitting in a computer room monitoring all aspects of a company’s security.  We are getting to the point where anyone who is qualified will be able to access the details of their system anywhere in the world.  I fully expect the next move to involve PDAs, so our customers will be able to get up, peek at their BlackBerries and verify who has been in their buildings or if there have been any abnormal events.

Along the same lines, users will soon be able to sign up to receive a text message when an alarm is set off, informing them that the alarm has been tripped and what is being done about it.  The security industry will quickly see advancements, describing a future where products and systems will be integrated with data networks, so that every aspect of a company’s security is monitored through a homogeneous data networking system, which can be easily accessed by authorized users.

As the world settles into the 21^st Century, the security industry is determined to keep pace. Still, the question on the minds of every security CEO, Executive and Manager is, “Are we ready for it?”

We really have to look at the whole spectrum. Can the manufacturers and vendors meet our needs? Can we keep up with them? Are our customers ready for a technological shift, and if they are, are we prepared to accommodate them? Recognizing the rapid changes in the industry right now is essential to the success of every company involved.

Since 9/11, security has been on everyone’s mind more than ever before. Whether for their families, communities, businesses or even just for themselves, people want to be protected. The public has high expectations of the kinds of security they seek. People want convenience at their fingertips, without giving up any function, stability and peace of mind. To satisfy the customer, security companies nationwide are striving to meet and go beyond their clients’ expectations.

As a long-time regional provider, with 85% of its revenue coming from commercial and industrial sectors and the remaining coming from the residential sector, SDA Security has always felt secure with its business, but with the recent trend toward more sophisticated video technology, the move from proprietary products and services to a more open architecture and the rise of out-of-industry players, SDA Security realizes it must stay up-to-date and on the cutting edge or be passed up.

In the coming posts, we plan to address the trends and specifics of this shift and invite your thoughts and ideas on the matter.

For those of you that are not familiar with the “Sunset” Clause, it is the buzz right now in the alarm industry. The “Sunset” Clause is actually more far reaching than just the alarm industry; it applies to anyone who still is receiving services from a cellular analog provider. This past weekend, the date fell within the 30 day countdown to the actual “sunsetting” date – February 18, 2008. Reports claim that on that day, more than a million cell phones will go out of service. Replacing a cell phone is relatively easy, the challenge comes when the wireless device is embedded in other technology ~ such as an alarm system. Many alarm systems use the wireless link to back up a land line. But increasingly, with more and more homeowners opting out of a traditional phone line, the wireless link is the primary form of communication for the alarm system to a Central Station.

The major carriers have confirmed that they will be shutting down their analog networks on that day, February 18^th, and will then use its new available spectrum to boost their digital services. SDA Security has been notifying its customers for more than 18 months on the impending change and we have changed over 200 units in the field. Are you ready for the sunset?

Growing up on the water and as a young sailor, my dad used to tell me the tale about sunsets, “Red at night, sailor’s delight. Red in the morning, sailors take warning.” The red morning sky is upon us now. Are you prepared?

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and that this post finds you and yours happy and healthy. With 2008 now in full force, I want to take a minute to update everyone on what we’ve been up to at SDA Security.

2007 was a year of changes for us. I was named president and we’ve taken a new approach to customer service to go along with the technological shift in the security industry. As both our customers and the industry become more and more technologically savvy, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to make sure we stay in line with this movement by bringing in the right new people, learning about and using the most innovative, client-appropriate equipment and changing our marketing strategies to reach all of our audiences. We’ll soon be running a series in the blog covering how SDA Security is taking on the specific industry trends.

With another busy year ahead of us, I am excited to have new outlets, like this blog, available so we, as a company, can stay better connected with our customers, peers, friends and families. I look forward to reading your thoughts, stories and experiences throughout 2008 and appreciate all your support thus far.

We are pleased to announce the completion of two significant contracts, Miramar Exchange and San Diego County Central Station. As we live in this time of uncertainty, we were proud to work on these projects as they represent important steps toward increasing the security of the people of San Diego.

The Miramar Exchange job took us onto the Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar, where we retrofitted and remodeled existing video, then upgraded the current system to incorporate several new products, including a DMP, or Digital Monitoring Products, alarm system and the innovative recording device, Honeywell Fusion. This project was very exciting for us as it showcased where we, as a company, would like to go with high-end video.

We’ve also just completed a job for San Diego County Central Station, which involved the upgrade and retrofit of the existing equipment from an older version of Central Station Manager (or CSM) software to the newest and most advanced monitoring software, SIMs, or Security Integration Managers, II. SDA Security also upgraded traffic computers and dispatch stations to over 400 county facilities, keeping all the centers better connected to one another.

The magnitude and importance of military and government projects like these made me realize that while we can’t all be in the armed forces or on Capitol Hill, we can do our parts here. I like to think that at SDA we are locally protecting the freedom and security of citizens at home, which stills pales in comparison to the sacrifice made by our troops abroad.

Being based in the military town of San Diego gives us the great opportunity to serve in places where not only our families, friends and businesses are, but also those of many of the men and women serving the country. We are thrilled to work on projects that substantially contribute to a safer San Diego. Having been here since 1930, we’ve enjoyed the years behind us and look forward to the years ahead as we continue to work to protect San Diego County and expand to all of California.