Welcome to 2020. This year has special significance for me, as my oldest son will graduate high school and prepare to go off to college in the fall.

The Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF), an Internet of Things (IoT) standards body, announced that products from BSC Computer GmbH, COMMAX, Haier, LG Electronics, Resideo, Samsung Electronics and SURE Universal will be showcased in completely interoperable smart home demonstrations at the OCF IoT Breakthrough press event at the Barrymore Restaurant in Las Vegas on Jan. 6, 2020, from 3–6 p.m. 

Securitas Electronic Security, the 2019 SDM Integrator of the Year ranked No. 11 on the SDM 100, has acquired the customer contracts and certain select assets of iVerify.US, a full-service interactive security company providing life safety, loss prevention and brand protection. 

What began as a collective effort on the part of eight forward-thinking security industry leaders on a cold night in 1949 has grown and evolved over seven decades to become The Monitoring Association (TMA), the internationally recognized non-profit trade association that represents professional monitoring companies, security systems integrators and providers of products and services to the alarm industry. 

Mission 500, a non-profit charitable organization focusing on the security industry and dedicated to serving children and families in need across the U.S., is now accepting nominees for its 2020 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Award and Humanitarian Award. The awards will be presented at the Security 5/2K ceremony on March 19, 2020 during ISC West in Las Vegas.

DIY video surveillance company Ring and parent company Amazon are facing a federal lawsuit that claims the companies have not done enough to protect their products from security attacks.

Strategic Security Solutions (S3) announced that Ron Oetjen has joined the company as a partner and will assume the role of president effective immediately. 

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) produced a report evaluating the performance of current facial recognition technology across demographic groups. 

Hanwha Techwin, a global supplier of IP and analog video surveillance solutions, today announced its top five key trend predictions for the security industry in 2020.

The deadline for The Monitoring Association’s (TMA) Wage and Salary Survey has been extended to Feb. 28. Companies from across the security industry are invited to participate in this year’s survey — from security dealers and systems integrators to monitoring centers. There is no fee for participation.