Chuck Wilson

In addition to new sessions on cyber security and robotics, PSA has also announced various speaker lineups PSA Security Network, the world’s largest electronic security cooperative, recently announced the addition of several new sessions and the lineup of key industry experts slated to speak at PSA TEC 2016 to be held in Westminster, CO on May 9-12, 2016. New sessions that have been added to the schedule for Thursday, May 12 in recent weeks include: Robotic Technologies and the Future of Physical Security; Thursday, May 12 | 8:30 a.m. Robotics and Automated Guarding; Thursday, May 12 | 10:15 a.m. Commercial Integrated Access Control Solution; Thursday, May 12 | 10:15 a.m. Robotic Security: Where it's at and Where it's Going (Panel Discussion); Thursday, May 12 | 1:15 p.m. Assessment, Control and Monitoring Strategies for Internal Cyber Hygiene (Presented by the PSA Cybersecurity Advisory Committee); Thursday, May 12 | 1:15 p.m. Space is limited in these sessions so new attendees are encouraged to register now or current attendees may modify their registrations to add these sessions to their agendas. “We are pleased to announce these new additions to the educational lineup for PSA TEC,” said Anthony Berticelli, director of education for PSA Security Network. “Robotics and cybersecurity are two of the biggest developments in the security market in the last 12 months. We felt it was critical to bring these additional sessions to TEC to ensure our attendees were getting a comprehensive overview of the industry landscape and how these trends might impact their businesses moving forward.” In addition to new sessions, PSA TEC also announced the lineup of speakers for the annual State of the Industry and State of the Integrator panels. This year, the State of the Industry panel will focus on recent market trends, challenges and opportunities facing integrators and manufacturers, and look forward to what the next five years might hold for the industry. State of the Industry panelists: Michael Kaiser, Executive Director, National Cyber Security Alliance Dave Carter, Managing Director, NetOne Chuck Wilson, Executive Director, NSCA John E. Mack, Executive Vice President, Imperial Capital Bill Bozeman, President and CEO of PSA Security Network (moderator) The State of the Integrator Panel will bring together a panel of expert integrators who will discuss new business models, corporate culture and resource management, and vendor relation strategies for success. State of the Integrator panelists: Brent Franklin, President, Unlimited Technology Carey Boethel, Founder, President and CEO, Securadyne Systems LLC Mike Meridith, President, SEi Jeffrey Nunberg, Founder, President and CEO, Integrated Security Systems Paul Boucherle, Founder/Principal, Matterhorn Consulting (moderator)

The PASS guidelines don’t just point to specific technologies; they address security issues and help guide school administrators to make their schools safer and more secure From K-12 to college campuses, schools need integrated solutions and proactive measures to lessen the potential of active shooters while targeting general loss prevention and security. The good news is that technology is available to address nearly every threat and challenge, and systems integrators and others have upped their game, providing comprehensive, proactive consultations to the education market. According to the Institute of Education Sciences and National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), schools continue to use technology increasingly to address security and safety challenges. Overall, there has been an ongoing increase in the use of technology in schools. For example, the NCES cites the percentage of schools that used one or more security cameras to monitor the school in 2013–14 (75 percent) was higher than it was in 2009–10 (61 percent) with other technologies on the upswing as well. PASS takes holistic security approach Security industry organisations, such as the National Systems Contractors Association, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and the Security Industry Association, Silver Spring, Maryland, are working to establish realistic and effective guidelines for school security. The Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS), powered by NSCA and SIA, released its K-12 security guidelines in April 2015 at ISC West in Las Vegas in an effort to make technology easier to implement and help schools become safer. The PASS guidelines Define threats common to schools at each educational level Offer recommendations on parental and community involvement Detail a layered security approach that combats common threats and mitigates risks related to active shooters Provide information for integrators, school administrators, resource officers, and IT staff on technology-focused solutions like video surveillance, duress alarms, and electronic access control Deliver scalable/tiered measures that administrators can implement based on available resources and local risk levels Advance Technology, Scarborough, Maine, as well as other systems integration firms, manufacturers and consultants, is a PASS-endorsing organisation, according to Rob Simopoulos, President, working with the organisation and others to promote unified efforts. PASS recently updated the initial guidelines to include a new position statement on classroom barricade devices. "It's critical for us to be involved in programs such as PASS," says Simopoulos. "Working together as a united front in the industry, we can help schools become proactive and help them become better prepared." "The guidelines and assessment tools from PASS are not designed to simply point schools towards specific technology. They are designed to take a broader brushstroke to challenges and issues and help guide school administrators through the steps they can take in making their schools safer and more secure,” he adds. Programme gaining traction with schools According to Chuck Wilson, NSCA Executive Director and a Steering Committee Director for PASS, the response to the programme has been extremely positive, and it continues to gain traction. “We see this as a great educational tool, a resource, a way to start a technology roadmap, and a way for schools to build an attainable budget. We have been inundated with requests to download the PASS School Security guidelines, and they are beginning to be used in the field.” The next step is the creation and dissemination of a PASS assessment tool and tool kits that piggyback with the guidelines. “With the PASS assessment tool, integrators can work with school officials to find out what technology they have in place, what can be enhanced or modified to meet the guidelines,and what they can budget for. The PASS tool kits will be custom-designed for the specific audience; for example, for school administrators it might provide information on how to write a grant or respond to a school referendum bond targeting security,” Wilson says. The PASS Steering Committee will meet at ISC West 2016 to address those items.