Everyone has heard the old adage, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” In an industry and a year marked by seemingly constant upheaval and change, it can feel like nothing is the same. But is that true?
As remote monitoring becomes more important than ever with the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, drones and robots become less of an ideal for the future, and more of a reality.
Drones and robots have always had sci-fi appeal. Even before the technologies were advanced enough to be very useful in security deployments, the interest was there — everyone wants to check out the new shiny toy.
With a focus on quality over quantity, this year’s Systems Integrator of the Year has achieved phenomenal success, and weathered the COVID-19 crisis without missing a step.
They say a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. So perhaps it was fortuitous that the founding partners of Stone Security — all members of the Edmunds family in Salt Lake City — had no background in security integration when they formed the company in 2006. Steve Edmunds, a retired Air Force captain and Delta Airlines pilot, started the business with his sons and son-in-law after a brief foray into residential security, which they quickly discovered wasn’t for them.
Paxton’s live webinars are now available on-demand online. In June, the company created a series of webinars based on CDC and OSHA guidelines to help installers reduce the risk of infection, promote work safety and help make end user buildings COVID-secure.
Selling and installing security solutions is enough of a challenge under normal circumstances, but a global pandemic can really shake things up. For example, the video management systems (VMS) market was chugging along until COVID-19 reared its ugly head and changed everything.
Visitor management, when done right, is like security, safety, receptionist, and analyst all in one. It keeps the building secure and safe from threats of all kinds (human, viral and other). It checks in visitors, logging who entered the building and when — and all of that valuable data can then be analyzed to tell building owners how the building is being used, and how they may better suit visitors’ needs.
The coronavirus pandemic metrics may fluctuate week-by-week and state-by-state, but many businesses and other public places that had been shuttered are now reopening in some mode — and that begs the question of how security integrators can help them establish safety through technology.