Advance Technology - Experts & Thought Leaders

Focus areas include cybersecurity, marketing, leadership, RMR, project management, and technical topics PSA Security Network, an electronic security cooperative, announced it will host an ISC West 2017 education track with sessions and a workshop during ISC West in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 4-5, 2017. Various PSA Committee members, staff, and other industry experts will lead the eight sessions that are included in the PSA Track. Focus areas include cybersecurity, marketing, leadership, RMR, project management, and technical topics including robotics. The sessions being offered will include: Cybersecurity and Security Installations: Hardening IP Connected Physical Security Equipment April 4, 2017, 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM Unlike previous security methods, a properly designed physical security platform unleashes the value of the Internet of Things by aggregating information from people process, data and things. This unleashing brings a cascade of data from IP-enabled devices, machines and business systems connected via unmodified Ethernet. This panel team will discuss commonly used tools to perform network enumeration, how to uncover potential weaknesses in your system, and best practices to better secure your devices. Presenters: Ray Coulombe, Security Specifiers; Andrew Lanning, Integrated Security Technologies; Chris Peckham, Kratos Public Safety & Security Solutions, Inc.; Wayne Smith, Tech Systems, Inc. Recurring monthly revenue structure is at the forefront of news in the security industry RMR Model in the Security Industry: How It Works and Why We Need It April 4, 2017, 10:10 AM – 11:15 AM Recurring monthly revenue structure is at the forefront of news in the security industry. Not only does it provide a critical infrastructure to increase business and company value, but it also allows customers an affordable way to implement a physical security system and to stay up to date with technology. The panel will discuss ways to implement an RMR model, and why it is the future of the security industry. Presenters: Bill Bozeman, PSA Security Network; Kim Tran, Northland Controls; Rob Simopoulos, Advance Technology; Patrick Berry, BluBØX. Cementing Customer Loyalty in Competitive Times April 4, 2017, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM Do your customers really love you? Or, are you certain or are you guessing? Loyalty comes from building, developing, and maintaining a strong relationship with your customers. Determining both the right attitude and the right behaviours to keep the relationship solid is key in today’s tough market. In this panel discussion, learn to engage with clients and build an atmosphere of trust that will keep your business solid in the heavily competitive environment. Presenters: Paul Cronin, Atrion; Tim Brooks, PSA Security Network; Christine Lanning, Integrated Security Technologies; Sharon Shaw, Tech Systems, Inc.; Mark Krause, Target Corporation. Robotics: Upcoming Legislation and Government Regulations You Need to Know Now April 4, 2017, 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM Robotics are quickly evolving and adapting to many industries and new developments are occurring daily which will affect many industry verticals. While businesses and industries are becoming more aware of the potential impact of robotics technologies on society, they also have the unique ethical and legal challenges which emerge when intelligent machines and humans occupy the same environments. What efforts are being made to address current regulation and legislation? This panel discussion will address what impact these regulations will have on the security industry in the future. Presenters: Bill Bozeman, PSA Security Network; Michael Kobelin, Sharp Robotics Business Development; General William J. Marshall III, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Jack Wu, Nightingale Security. Industry leaders need to manage the risk associated with planned and unplanned departures in key positions Operational Workshop: Project Management in the Physical Security Space April 4, 2017, 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM This session will provide attendees with an understanding of the most efficient processes and procedures to effectively allocate resources to implement physical security programs. Additionally, content will provide security project managers with the application of management best practices to support budget-conscious allocation of physical security resources across an organisation’s portfolio of facilities. Reviewing project life cycle best practices in a collaborative environment will provide best practices to take home and implement immediately. Presenter: Sharon Shaw, Tech Systems, Inc. Leading Through Industry Change: Succession Planning and Leadership in a Merger and Acquisition Market April 4, 2017, 2:45 PM – 3:45 PM Today’s business environment is characterised by near-constant change. It’s an environment where acquisitions and investments are picking up the pace and are modifying the configuration of existing organisations. Industry leaders need to manage the risk associated with planned and unplanned departures in key positions, as well as the prevention of loss of knowledge and relationships that reside with key employees. Managing the impact of demographic shifts in the workplace is a business imperative that executives can no longer afford to ignore. This session will discuss the impact of mergers and acquisitions on a business, as well as creating the right approach to helping their organisations sustain the necessary leadership to support business growth and a smooth succession plan. Presenters: Berry Epstein, Vertex Capital; Eric Yuang, Convergent Technologies; Brent Franklin, Unlimited Technologies; Jim Henry, Kratos Public Safety & Security Solutions, Inc. To protect your organisation, you must take a proactive and comprehensive approach to this quickly increasing risk Increasing Your Brand Recognition Through Social MediaApril 4, 2017; 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Tapping the vast audience of the social web is a low-cost way to catapult a business brand. This presentation will uncover how to effectively build a company’s brand using social media, which allows organisations to develop new relationships and strengthen existing relationships. This will help drive brand awareness, loyalty, and word-of-mouth marketing. Discover networks which support a company’s brand image, identify valuable content, and outline effective social media strategies. Presenter: David Morgan, Security Dealer Marketing. The 7 Questions they Cyber Criminals Don’t Want You to Ask! April 4, 2017; 2:45 PM – 3:45 PM/ April 5, 2017; 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM All leadership in business has a fiduciary responsibility to protect their company, its shareholders, employees, and customers. Part of this responsibility includes detecting cyber risks and mitigating those risks. To protect your organisation, you must take a proactive and comprehensive approach to this quickly increasing risk. This panel discussion led by PSA’s Cybersecurity Committee will address the top seven questions end users and system integrators make sure they have addressed to reduce the risk of cyberattacks. Presenters: Paul Boucherle, Matterhorn Consulting LLC; Darnell Washington, SecureXperts; Sal D’Agostino, IDmachines; Andrew Lanning, Integrated Security Technologies.

Campbell is trained and versed in a variety of systems and processes focusing on superior customer service New Director of Operations Wayne Campbell is bringing his vast knowledge of customer service, leadership and change management to the award-winning and growing Advance Technology, Scarborough, Maine. Campbell is trained and versed in a variety of systems and processes focusing on superior customer service, including Toyota’s ‘Lean’ Tools/Methods and SMART goals and key company performance indicators. Background Most recently Campbell was the Customer Support Group Manager for the billion dollar IDEXX Laboratories in Westbrook, Maine, where he managed a team of nearly 100 customer-facing professionals performing onsite software/hardware installation, onboarding, training and support. He holds an MBA in Leadership (honours) and is also an Eagle Scout, the highest achievement of the Boy Scouts of America. His career has spanned service operations domestically and globally and he sees many synergies between those past endeavours and his current position at Advance Technology. “I’m excited to be part of the future of Advance Technology as it continues to grow. All customers have the same basic needs, and that’s to have a trustworthy, responsive team that performs high-quality work in a timely manner,” he said. Campbell is working closely with the Advance Technology team with the overarching mission to continue to enhance the customer experience and identify opportunities for other operations improvements. “Improving the customer experience is key, and in doing that we will continually refine our processes to make them more effective and efficient. My goal is to provide the tools, mindset and methodology to identify challenges and use cross-functional teamwork to design and implement improvements.” Improving technology side of business Campbell’s entire career has been in the service and customer facing side of business. “There’s a good connection with what Advance Technology wants to continue to accomplish and my experience. I’m picking up the technology side of the business quickly with the help of our fantastic team members.” Advance Technology, led by President Rob Simopoulos, made the successful transition to a holistic managed services and IT-centric security, audiovisual and integrated solutions provider several years ago and its accolades have continued to compound. The firm has consistently ranked as one of the fastest growing, innovative companies in the security and audiovisual industries and is also well-known locally for its accomplishments in the New England area, where it serves many notable, top-tier companies.  “Wayne’s vast knowledge of customer service and operations will be a perfect fit for Advance Technology as we continue to focus on providing custom-designed security, integrated systems and superior support to our customers,” said Simopoulos.

The Hugs Infant Protection Solution tracks the location of babies and provides protection anywhere the infant may be transported Wireless tracking and radio frequency identification (RFID) continue to improve dramatically in range and reliability, allowing Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) pinpointing people, places and things with impressive accuracy. Systems integrator Advance Technology Inc. (ATI), Scarborough, Maine, recently installed a comprehensive, hospital-wide solution at the newly opened Boston Medical Center’s (BMC) Women and Infants Center to provide detection and protection for newborns throughout the facility. The web-browser based system from Stanley Healthcare called the Hugs® Infant Protection Solution is based on the AeroScout® Wi-Fi RTLS platform and MobileView® software. Rob Simopoulos, president of the security and audiovisual managed services firm, said ATI worked in tandem with the Department of Public Safety’s Luigi Martiniello, Assistant Director of Operations and Public Safety, IT Department, Stanley Healthcare, hospital personnel and other stakeholders to install the solution successfully on the hospital’s Wi-Fi network. The installation is one of the first in the New England region. “It’s a full deployment, meaning it tracks the location of babies and provides protection anywhere the infant may be transported, instead of being confined to areas limited to hardwired receivers and repeaters common to other infant protection systems,” said Simopoulos. “It was our first deployment – a highly IT-centric solution that required certification and training by our skilled technicians prior to installation.” In alarm, when an unauthorised person tries to leave the area with a protected child, magnetic doors lock down instantly and hold specified elevators Quick access to location of tagged infants Nurses, administration and other hospital personnel have immediate access to the location status of tagged infants through PC or mobile devices via the MobileView enterprise platform, which serves as the graphical user interface (GUI) for scheduling, control, history and alerts. They can easily place tags into transport mode when an infant needs to leave the floor, but still track the location of these patients ongoing in real-time wherever they travel. Bob Gilbert, ATI’s remote technical support supervisor, said the reliability and integrity of the solution is extremely robust, with tags transmitting every 10 seconds. During installation, which was completed in a fast turnaround of several weeks, ATI used heat-mapping capability to ascertain the density of Wi-Fi access point coverage and assimilate effective distances of RF signals from the tags. The installation included two dedicated, high-availability servers for redundancy and back up. The MobileView platform is installed in the Public Safety Department’s Command and Control Center and integrates with Lenel by United Technologies OnGuard Security Management System. Other highlights of the security installation: The system integrates to all door contacts, access control readers, audible alarms and elevator controls. Exciters, which also act as access points, are installed at every entrance/exit point and work independently should they lose network connectivity, allowing the doors to still lock down in alarm. ATI worked closely with the elevator contractor to implement input controls to prevent the elevator door from opening if a tag is sensed at the door. The access control system also will not unlock if an infant tag is present on the other side of the opening, even when a valid proximity badge is presented. The solution may also be deployed for asset tracking and management, with ATI looking to incorporate that functionality in the near future In alarm, when an unauthorised person tries to leave the area with a protected child, magnetic doors lock down instantly and hold specified elevators. The system can integrate with hospital communication and information systems, strobe lights, sounders and audible devices and video surveillance cameras to capture and view images before an exit alarm occurrence. The solution may also be deployed for asset tracking and management, with ATI looking to incorporate that functionality in the near future. Real-time location system improves protection and detection status “Our goal is to continue to learn and embrace new technology to provide our customers the best protection and detection,” continued Simopoulos. “Providing the hospital with the ability to achieve real-time status and location of system tags beyond the mother-baby unit is critical. Nearly 20 percent of hospital abductions in the U.S. happen outside this area, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. In the past, once infant tags left the range of proprietary receivers in the protected area the infant’s whereabouts became unknown.”

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.

Integrators are embracing the many ways the cloud helps smaller companies succeed Hosted and managed security services aren’t for large enterprises only. SMBs (small-to-medium businesses) are taking advantage of the inherent operational and cost efficiencies of deploying managed services. Web-based or cloud services like access control and video provide convenience, ease of use and lower total cost of ownership. Cloud services are accessed without downloading and maintaining software locally, so servers or additional IT support isn’t necessary. For the integrator, technicians don’t have to circumvent a VPN, as is the case with on-site software. Users decide the “flavour” of managed services – a little control or a lot, and determine what they want the integrator to handle as part of the agreement. Everything as a service Hosted and managed services make sense for the smaller integrator as well as the user. Services are primarily deployed remotely, without a truck roll. Managed services include proactive system health and well-being checks, lessening downtime and keeping service calls predictable and part of regular scheduled maintenance. For the user, there’s also the benefit of using the latest smartphone apps and the ability to get real-time updates on security status from a variety of connected devices. Michael Martin, president of Martin Systems Inc., Green Bay, Wis., recently installed a web-based access control platform for the Holy Cross Parish and Grace Catholic Educational school district. The 130-student campus includes a church, rectory with administrative offices and private school in a rural area of Green Bay. Martin says school and Parish administration wanted increased accessibility, security and the ability to initiate lockdown remotely, without an on-site server. He says the school district likes the fact that the cloud-based service makes it simple to manage permissions and yet yields detailed user data. Martin Security’s managed services contract bills users similar to cell phone providers – with tiered data plans – a concept that’s palatable to customers. Service support provider “For the dealer, a big benefit is recurring revenue,” Martin says. “Managed services also keep the customer connected and coming back. If you simply deliver on-site software, you may never see the customer again. With managed services, the customer knows we’re their support provider and they won’t be left to figure things out on their own,” he says.  Managed services include proactive system health and well-being checks, lessening downtime and keeping service calls predictable and part of regular scheduled maintenance Another plus for the user is remote accessibility. “Everyone wants an app or ‘at your side’ application. For a smaller operation, software can be a pain point, and the cloud takes the pain away.” Rob Simopoulos, president of Advance Technology in Scarborough, Maine, says cloud and hosted services make a lot of sense. “With cloud technologies it’s easier to administer changes. Data is stored redundantly, so users don’t have that expense and don’t have to worry about backups.” Simopoulos says Advance Technology continues to focus on RMR and its “white glove” managed services, with more than half its customers participating. “From a revenue perspective, managed services add a lot of value. We do the work for the customer, such as programming permissions or handling ID management. With hosted technologies our engineers can connect remotely through the cloud rather than transverse the customer’s internal network. And, one of the worst things that can happen is when a non-hosted system goes down and the customer hasn’t done a backup and we have to go in and try to recreate data. Using the cloud ensures data is stored redundantly,” he says. Looking toward the future of managed services, Simopoulos says it’s only the beginning. “More and more physical security technologies are migrating to the cloud because of the cost of server farms and in-house IT expenses. Hosted video is still being held back by bandwidth challenges of streaming images, causing some limitations. But the benefits of moving to cloud-based services is tremendous,” he adds.