SDM is very pleased to announce to the industry the recipient of its seventh annual Systems Integrator of the Year Award for 2010 – the Security Solutions Business Unit of Siemens Industry Inc., Building Technologies Division. SDM’s award has been bestowed annually since 2004 to a single company that attains high standards in excellence and value.

Considering this firm’s longevity, security is a relatively new industry to Siemens, having come into existence in 2001. But there is a strong thread of continuity in Siemens’ business history that has prevailed throughout centuries and is still present today. For example, in the 19^th Century Siemens was known around the world for its “successful handling of technically complex, extremely high-risk projects, such as laying major trans-Atlantic cables,” according to Siemens’ historical account. Fast-forward to the 21^st Century and that capability for successful handling of technically complex projects is apparent today in security, too — whether it’s seen in implementing a smart card system for single sign-on of physical and logical access or in the deployment of thousands of IP cameras at hundreds of locations on a major citywide network infrastructure.

Siemens has nationwide capabilities in consultation, design and engineering, installation, service and monitoring through its network of 100 branch locations and two UL-listed and Five Diamond certified central stations. The central stations are a key component of one of the company’s more recent offerings: managed services.

The concept of creating “sustainable value” for customers is a core precept at Siemens Industry Inc. It drives the business unit’s efforts to innovate and it serves as a backdrop for leadership. This thread of sustainable value, manifested in Siemens’ many initiatives and accomplishments.

“In order to create ‘sustainable value’ it means that we have to constantly change and be willing to re-engineer the way we go to market, the way we solve problems and the way we ultimately service customers. For us, sustainability means reliability, and reliability means thought-leadership and constant change,” describes Carey Boethel, vice president and business unit head – Security Solutions, at Siemens.

Many systems integrators pride themselves on being a reliable business partner to their customers based on the fact that they provide prompt, dependable service. At Siemens, reliable partnership is based on a more complex formula. It is the result of a corporate culture built upon three core values: responsible, excellent and innovative.

The first value, responsible, translates to Siemens’ commitment to ethical and responsible actions, to conduct all business according to the highest professional and ethical standards and practices. “Siemens has helped set the bar in establishment of some of the most well-respected ethical business practices, corporate governance and transparency,” Boethel says. “Because we operate in over 160 countries around the world and each one of those countries has its own unique customs and laws, it’s important that we achieve a high level of consistency and transparency with respect to those ethical business practices. So the idea of compliance is an absolute top priority.”

Siemens AG was ranked the best company in its class, in the Dow Jones and SAM sustainability ranking, capturing the No. 1 spot in the Diversified Industrials sector of the Sustainability World Index (DJSI). “We consistently rank at the top of that list because of the compliance programs that we now have in place,” Boethel says.

The second value, excellence, translates to achieving high performance and excellent results.

“We are committed to living a high-performance culture,” Boethel describes. “High performance…for us means continued and perpetual change; it means not only keeping up with, but establishing the pace of technology evolution.” Examples of this are found not only in a new suite of managed security services but also on new products such as Siemens’ situational awareness platforms, Siveillance Command and Siveillance Vantage.

The value of excellence encompasses many facets — including not only technology, but also profitability and accountability to shareholders, quality of services and products, and the satisfaction of customers, all within a fast-changing industry.

“Excellence demands we define a path of continuous improvement, constantly challenging existing processes. It also requires us to embrace change so we are in the right place when new opportunities open up. Excellence also means attracting the best talent in the marketplace and giving them the skills and opportunities they need to become high-achievers,” Boethel shares.

He describes the work environment as one in which “ideas are free to fly, diversity programs capture the strengths of thought rather than ethnicity, and mentoring and training programs take careers to new heights. As one example, Siemens’ Sales Development Program is designed to build a pipeline of talent to fulfill organizational needs through campus recruitment. The structured, 12-month program teaches recent graduates fundamental business skills through instructor-led classes, carefully selected mentors, and on-the-job activities.

The third value, innovative, translates to creating sustainable value.

“Our goal is to become a valued business partner for our customers,” Boethel says, again stressing that sustainability means reliability, and reliability means thought-leadership and constant change. “Our goal is to be a trendsetter in all of our businesses. We measure the success of our innovations by our customers’ success. We constantly renew our portfolio to provide answers to societies’ most vital challenges, enabling us to create sustainable value,” Boethel says.

And that speaks to how Siemens goes to market: through a highly structured business model that focuses on results.

The full story of Siemens’ initiatives and accomplishments that led to the its selection as SDM Systems Integrator of the Year, will be presented in the November issue of SDM, and online soon.