Weston in Space

LAKE FOREST, Calif. — Netwatch North America, a leader in proactive video monitoring solutions, is now an authorized partner for Avigilon, a subsidiary of Motorola Solutions, specializing in the design and manufacture of AI-powered video analytics and network video management software and hardware. Through this partnership, Netwatch says its purpose-built platform for proactive video monitoring will integrate with Avigilon Control Center video management software and analytics. “We are extremely pleased to enter this partnership with Avigilon,” says Justin Wilmas, president, Netwatch North America. “Their world-class video management solutions and advanced AI-enabled user interface, paired with our leading Proactive Video Monitoring solution, will make for a winning combination to help protect our customers and their businesses against crime and vandalism.” Related: NMC’s Netwatch Proactive Video Monitoring Aids Sea Turtle Conservation Netwatch technology provides a sophistic

MELVILLE, N.Y. — Electrical device manufacturer Leviton and Schlage , a brand of Allegion, announce the ability to pair the connected lighting functionality of the Leviton Decora Smart Wi-Fi lighting control line with the Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Deadbolt. The integration, via the My Leviton app, is said to enable customers to conveniently trigger lighting activity associated with lock activity for improved home safety, security and convenience. To take advantage of the integrated smart technology, homeowners and professionals install and connect the individual Leviton and Schlage products as instructed. The Decora Smart Wi-Fi devices connect to the My Leviton app, and the Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Deadbolt connects to the Schlage Home app. Integrated functionality is achieved through simple steps within the My Leviton app where residents can align lock status with automatic adjustments to lighting, ceiling fans, small appliances and electronics. Once integrated, homeowners can s

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Jetbuilt, a provider of A/V proposal and project management software, announces Stock, an inventory and warehouse tracking tool for A/V and security integrators. Stock is said to be designed to work seamlessly with Jetbuilt to efficiently organize and follow equipment through the stages of design, purchasing, receiving, warehousing, transporting, installation and service. Jetbuilt will showcase Stock at CEDIA 2021 (Sept. 1-3) . Designers can populate their projects with the awareness of common items that are currently in stock, setting the stage for less friction when the job sells. During purchasing, the team has the options to pull from existing stock or order additional stock for future projects. When received, Stock tells the receiver which items are for a job and which are to be warehoused. After a job is sold within Jetbuilt, purchase orders are created from the populated equipment. As items are delivered to the warehouse the team receives those items

SAN MATEO, Calif. — Brilliant announces a $40 million Series B financing round led by Next47 and Celesta Capital with participation by Resideo Technologies , August Capital, Peak State Ventures, Gaingels and Miramar Ventures. The new capital brings Brilliant’s total funding to date to $61 million and will allow the company to expand its product offerings and double down on its sales strategy for single-family homebuilders, multifamily developers, property managers and professional integrators. “We’re experiencing phenomenal growth and seeing unprecedented demand for our smart home system, which delivers simplicity and interoperability to a wide range of customers,” says Aaron Emigh, CEO of Brilliant. “We’re particularly excited about the homebuilder, developer, and integrator channels, and our new investors will help us further expand in these markets and unlock the full potential of a true smart home experience.” Brilliant’s mass-market home control, lighting and automation system

AMITYVILLE, N.Y. — Speco Technologies announces it recently hired nine people in sales, product management, technical support and customer service. “As we continue to round out our industry leading team, we are very excited to be adding these extremely passionate and professional people to the Speco family.” says Todd Keller, Speco Technologies CEO. The company welcomes new regional sales managers TJ Dally, Julian Cardona, Jim Matheson, Larry Druien and David Miller. Dally, Matheson and Miller all come from China’s largest video surveillance manufacturer, according to the company. Dally is responsible for supporting Speco’s expanding regional sales efforts with a focus on key accounts throughout the Southwest. He is based in Dallas Matheson is responsible for supporting expanding sales efforts throughout the Southern California area and is based in San Diego. Based in Illinois, Miller is responsible for supporting regional sales efforts with an emphasis on key accounts throughout

McLEAN, Va. — It’s all systems go for The Monitoring Association (TMA) to host its Annual Meeting at the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, located on the island of Maui, Hawaii, Oct. 9-13. The TMA Annual Meeting returns as an in-person event for the first time since 2019 after last year’s installment was hosted virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua is a five-star resort on 54 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The hotel’s extensive indoor and outdoor meeting and function space will be utilized for the Annual Meeting’s conference and networking activities. The island setting is complemented by the resort’s dining, two championship golf courses, spa treatments steeped in Hawaiian culture, among other amenities. Along with a full slate of board of directors, executive committee and general business meetings, TMA has assembled a wide-ranging education program aimed at informing and providing C-suite executives in the monitoring and security industry with strategies

While more than eight in 10 (83%) of monitored security professionals acknowledge the pandemic has posed customer and attrition challenges and three in four (76%) note operational and staffing impacts, the industry has come through the COVID-19 catastrophe with flying colors. The average number of monitored residential and commercial accounts as well as recurring monthly revenue per account have increased as compared to a year ago. At that time, 88% were concerned about the pandemic’s effect on sales — meaning many are presently breathing sighs of relief. This news is particularly impressive considering how, in most cases, monitoring facilities had to pivot to facilitating agents responding to signals and calls from home workstations. That new data is derived from Security Sales & Integration ’s second Monitoring Deep Dive study. This research compiles and breaks down statistics from a wide variety of professional installing security firms across the nation that contract with w

ATLANTA —  Improving cybersecurity for operational technology (OT) systems ranks as one of the top priorities for surveyed facility managers over the next 12 to 18 months, according to a report released by Honeywell . This is likely because more than 7 in 10 (71%) of surveyed facility managers consider OT cybersecurity a concern or worry. Moreover, respondents cite OT cybersecurity as the building improvement that would provide the greatest benefit to their stakeholders. The report, “Protecting Operational Technology in Facilities from Cyber Threats: Constraints and Realities,” the third in Honeywell’s 2021 Building Trends series, introduces the challenges, priorities and assessments of surveyed facility managers in the United States, Germany and China across the education, healthcare, data center and commercial real estate industries. The survey findings indicate that facility managers recognize the potential threat of an OT cyberattack and acknowledge the importance for building o

DALLAS — The Foundation for Advancing Security Talent (FAST) announces an extension of its free job listings for Electronic Security Association (ESA) and Security Industry Association members in an effort to aid in the industry’s economic recovery and workforce development efforts following challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. ESA and SIA members will now be able to list jobs on the  FAST Jobs Board  for free through Aug. 31, 2022. SIA and ESA members can post jobs for free by taking these steps: Unlock a 100% discount code available through  ESA  or  SIA Visit the  Post a Job page  and click through to “buy” a 30- or 60-day job posting Log in (if an existing user) or create an account (if a new user) Complete the Post/Create a Job form and enter the promo code Related: Thinking Outside the Box: An Integrator’s Creative Recruiting Practices There is no limit to the number of jobs you can post using this discount code. If your company is interested in posting

PEARL RIVER, N.Y. — Qognify announces the launch of version 6.1 of its Ocularis video management software (VMS). The latest version is said to harness the power of market-leading video content analytics for earlier incident detection, improved real-time response and faster investigations. It also adds new capabilities to protect recorded footage against unauthorized screen recording and sharing. Ocularis 6.1 brings a deep integration of Briefcam video analytics , which is said to make Ocularis one of only a few VMSs to deliver the highest level of integration (level 4) with BriefCam’s market-leading analytics platform. Based on a flexible plugin-based architecture, the Qognify Analytics Interface (QAI) enables customers to easily connect third party video analytics tools to their Ocularis system, thus supporting both camera and server-based applications, according to the company. Related: Qognify Integrates Drones With Ocularis VMS at Southern Illinois Univ. The integration w

August has come and now (mostly) gone, and while there weren’t any major stories to break, there were plenty of noteworthy and pertinent articles that were published. Perhaps the most notable was also fittingly the most read story on SSI in the month of August: the Most Valuable Products of 2021. The purpose of the program is to illuminate how important products and technologies are to the success of security integration companies. It can be difficult for security integrators to keep up with the thousands of products that are introduced throughout the year, so this program makes it easy to find the best of the best in a multitude of categories. Another popular story that all integrators can relate to is AT&T’s looming 3G sunset. Fire Side Chat columnist Shane Clary argues that the sunset combined with the global chip shortage could result in a perfect storm for providers of fire alarm, intrusion detection and PERS. Readers were also curious about this year’s Marvel Monitoring

FISHERS, Ind. — The past year has been challenging for CEDIA. At press time, the association is still in the midst of searching for its next CEO, and the pandemic forced the cancellation of its in-person education, both on the road and in its headquarters, located here. Meanwhile, the market keeps chugging along despite extreme shortages in labor and in products. But despite those challenges, CEDIA is emerging from COVID-19 with eager anticipation of what lies ahead for events, education, and continued market growth. Leading up to the return of an in-person CEDIA Expo this month in Indianapolis, Giles Sutton, CEDIA co-interim CEO, addressed the state of the association in an exclusive interview with SSI sister publication CE Pro. How would you characterize the state of the smart home industry? The smart home industry is at an important inflection point. People have spent the past 18 months confined to their homes, and it has had a massive impact on the adoption of smart home pro

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Camect, a provider of artificial intelligence (AI) and edge-based analytics, has appointed industry veteran Ron Grubbs to head global sales and business development. Camect’s global footprint has grown to more than 30 countries by partnering with wholesale distributors, security integrators and monitoring centers. These partners are said to rely on the company for highly accurate on-site analytics, customizable video monitoring integration and support. Grubbs brings decades of leadership experience to Camect’s sales organization. His background includes over 30 years of partnering with integrators to implement secure solutions for residential and commercial customers. This direct experience with security integrations will enable the continued growth of Camect’s professional dealer program . Related: TMA Executive Director Named Fellow, American Society of Association Executives Additionally, Grubbs has a track record of partnering with wholesale distrib

FISHERS, Ind. — CEDIA doesn’t want integrators to short-change themselves in terms of keeping abreast of the latest technologies and business education; thus, the association has announced it is making the CEDIA Expo 2021 keynote viewable remotely and 50 of its educational sessions will be available on demand for those not coming Indiana in person next week. The virtual training was necessitated due to the heightened concerns among the custom integration community to the Delta variant of COVID-19 . In a message to the industry, co-interim CEOs Giles Sutton and Kory Dickerson said: CEDIA Expo has always represented an opportunity to connect with the entire CEDIA community. That’s no less true this year, even as the re-escalating COVID crisis is poised to prevent many from attending in person. Related: CEDIA Expo 2021: An Overview of Goings-On at the In-Person Event We recognize that some of you may have already set aside the time to attend the show, but have changed your plans

The world is about to get much more convenient as a combination of biometrics and Cloud -based identity management solutions drive an evolution in how people interact with technologies to access to buildings, applications and services. Trusted identities have played a historical role as the means for granting access. However, customers now want technology to make their life more convenient when they experience banking, hospitality, ticketing, vending, retail and access to other services while ensuring trust that the system knows who is interacting with it and that it is not someone else. Companies that adopt a combination of biometrics and Cloud-based identity technologies immediately meet their customer’s expectations by making the user experience more convenient and enjoyable, which results in significantly greater loyalty to their brand.   Related: HID Global Acquires Omni-ID to Extend RFID Capabilities Creating Trusted Interactions Trusted identities on cards have been u

IRVINE, Calif. — Dahua Technology, has released Version 8.0 of its DSS Video Management Software (VMS) to the North American market. The software upgrade is said to incorporate a smaller file size for the installation package, faster startup time and an easy-to-deploy secure design. The new version is also said to facilitate high scalability and performance to maximize the investment of DSS users. DSS 8.0 is billed as designed for ease of use, efficiency and flexibility. Multiple deployment methods allow for more customization: Cloud deployment is supported by AWS and virtualization software is supported by VMware. Device access methods include: IP, P2P, DDNS and Auto-register, giving the user several options for compatibility with third-party devices. Related: Why Community Colleges Should Move Video Surveillance to the Cloud “Version 8.0 gives users greater control over how they utilize the DSS VMS and lets them easily integrate it with third party devices, while not having

DRAPER, Utah — ProdataKey (PDK) has added Anti-Passback to the programmable features of its pdk io Cloud access control platform. Anti-Passback requires individuals who have scanned through an entry reader to scan out through a corresponding exit reader before their credentials can be used to re-enter the premises. By requiring credentials to be used in an “in–out–in” sequence, cardholders cannot “pass back” their access card or credential-enabled mobile device to another person after entry, allowing them to enter too. Anti-Passback rules are defined through the pdk.io software. They may be applied to locations where users pass through designated entrances and exits, like parking garages, and secure areas such as data centers and laboratories that regulate both entry and exit of workers. The feature may also be applied at turnstiles. Should someone swipe a credential in a sequence inconsistent with the Anti-Passback rule, a violation is logged, reported, and depending on how the sy

PITTSBURGH — Vector Security Networks announces a strategic relationship with Barracuda Networks, a provider of Cloud-enabled security solutions, to better secure clients and grow their cybersecurity-as-a-service practice with Barracuda’s Skout Managed XDR. Vector Security Networks has been delivering managed network services for more than 17 years and helps thousands of businesses streamline, support or augment their IT resources to be successful. This new relationship is said to allow for an expansion of Cloud-native threat detection tools that utilize AI and machine learning. The enhanced solution is primarily focused on two areas of cybersecurity : ransomware and compliance. “Many companies are turning to us to provide holistic security and managed services across their businesses — regardless of size,” says David Fisher, division president of Vector Security Networks. “Working with Barracuda, and taking advantage of their Managed XDR offering, will allow us to expand our tradit

McLEAN, Va. – The Monitoring Association ( TMA ) announces its executive director, Celia T. Besore, has been selected to join nine other association executives in the American Society Association Executives’ (ASAE) 2021 Class of Fellows. The Fellows program bestows an honorary recognition upon exceptional association leaders making noteworthy and sustained contributions of leadership to their organizations, ASAE and the association management profession. ASAE is a membership organization of more than 48,000 association executives and industry partners representing 7,400 organizations. The Fellows selection process includes an in-depth application describing the individual’s demonstrated leadership in diversity and inclusion, foresight and commitment to the association community; an interview with two members of the selection committee; and selection from among a group of highly qualified candidates. Besore joins 273 association industry professionals who have received this designati