Polish Your Company’s Potential at PSA-TEC 2013
Security professionals from across the nation are gearing up to attend the industry’s premier educational event for systems integrators. Along with a new symposium on emergency communications, find out what other training sessions are on tap along with networking activities.
Installing security professionals attend an opening day event at the 2012 PSA-TEC. This year’s training conference will be held May 6-10 at the The Westin Westminster near Denver.
The 2013 PSA-TEC, produced by the PSA Security Network, will return this year with an expanded offering of educational coursework geared to help executives, managers and technicians keep pace with industry trends and the fast-evolving physical security marketplace.
Held May 6-10 at The Westin Westminster near Denver, PSA-TEC (training, education and conference) is regarded as one of the industry’s foremost venues for systems integrators to receive intensive training, plus abundant networking with industry leaders, manufacturers and other stakeholders.
Once again this year, PSA Security Network is authorizing the event’s exhibit hall and training sessions to be open to all electronic security professionals, not simply members of the more than 200-company-strong cooperative. In all, more than 400 course hours will be held during the weeklong conference of which SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION again serves as the official Elite Media Sponsor. What follows is an overview of the available coursework to choose from, as well as a rundown of ancillary goings-on.
Select Among a Multitrack Educational Lineup
PSA-TEC’s extensive curriculum agenda will be sectioned into four categories and instructed by subject matter experts from all segments of the electronic security industry.
Most of the sessions that comprise the Business Optimization category feature a roundtable dialogue of high-level topics to help business owners and senior managers run their organizations. The sessions will emphasize implementing best practices to develop consultative selling methods; using tools such as social media, Web site design and marketing to improve lead generation; project management; purchasing processes and procedures; plus, systems design and delivery.
Following are descriptions of the remaining tracks, plus a sampling of coursework titles:
Information Technology — The track is intended to educate a variety of PSA-TEC attendees, from technicians to business owners, on networking and other IP-based instruction geared specifically for the physical security professional. Included: Cisco Certified Entry-Level Networking Technician; How Big Data & Enterprise Resilience Impact the Physical Security Community; Network Fundamentals for Video Security.
Managed Services — The track is designed to assist systems integrators with developing their managed services offerings and covers a variety of RMR-generating opportunities. Included: The Challenge of Transitioning to a Managed Services Business; Selling RMR Solutions.
Physical Security — PSA-TEC’s core competency training is geared toward sales staff, systems designers, technicians and project managers. Featured curriculum covers the latest in security technology, vertical market strategies, vendor certifications and more. Included: Securing the Campus: A Hard Look at Education Security and Life Safety; Latest in Thermal Imaging Surveillance Technology & Deployment; Mobile Technologies as they Relate to the Physical Security Integrator.
Create New Prospects in Mass Notification
PSA-TEC is teaming up with the National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA) to present a Mass Notification & Emergency Communications (MNEC) Symposium as a featured track on May 9.
Attendees will receive the latest updates for the recent changes to NFPA 72, plus other instruction on various standards that have established new requirements for intelligible emergency communications systems. There is a constant need to understand the changing codes, as well as work with public officials to incorporate the codes and standards while utilizing the latest, best-of-breed technology for this critical marketplace, explains Chuck Wilson, NSCA executive director.
“Security integrators are often highly involved in the risk assessment portion of a life-safety plan,” he says. “The MNEC symposium will shed light on the many aspects of building safety and perhaps open up new growth or partnering opportunities.”
Among the areas of focus, attendees will receive instruction on how to: build strategic partnerships between A/V, fire/life-safety and security industries; communicate with customers/facility managers on the value of emergency systems; and assist clients with a risk assessment to determine vulnerabilities to build the right MNEC system. The latest technologies and applications will be demonstrated through tabletop displays hosted by representatives from leading vendors and consultants. 
An additional highlight of the symposium will be a keynote address by Michael Mulhare, who is director of the office of emergency management at Virginia Tech. Mulhare will provide details of the emergency notification systems, special alerts and protocols refined during the past few years at the university. He will also discuss ways these may be applied to the corporate, health-care and education markets.
Activities Are Big Draws Each Year
As any regular attendee to PSA-TEC would concur, the “all work and no play” grievance does not apply to this event. To encourage networking and taking part in downtime activities, there are a bevy of opportunities for attendees to mix and mingle.
The options include a welcome reception from 5:30-7 p.m. on May 6. The following evening features PSA-TEC’s annual Jam Session, highlighting live music performed, in part, by musically inclined members of PSA among others in attendance. The mood turns decidedly to yuks and guffaws for an Improv Comedy Night on May 8, held in a theater space onsite at the resort. There’s also a bowling tournament scheduled for the evening of May 9.
Also apart from the educational sessions, the PSA Vendor Awards Luncheon (May 7) acknowledges those vendors that provide PSA owners and customers with the best service and quality products. Plus, an extensive technology and services exhibition space will be open throughout the day on May 8.
Rodney Bosch is Managing Editor for SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION. He can be reached at (310) 533-2426 or [email protected].
Making Plans to Attend PSA-TEC 2013
The organizers of PSA-TEC will host a Webinar on April 17 to help attendees make the most of their time while at the event. Beginning at noon (ET), the 30-minute presentation will highlight educational opportunities, networking events, tips on navigating the exhibit hall, plus an overview of how PSA owner companies can use “PSA training bucks” to pay for all expenses to attend the conference. There will also be information on handling travel arrangements, plus meals, dress codes and more. A recorded version of this session will be available on psa-tec.com.
Similar Webinars will be hosted the same day geared for exhibitors and sponsors (2-2:30 p.m. ET), and for instructors and panelists (4-4:30 p.m. ET). For more information or to register for a Webinar, visit psa-tec.com. An app for mobile devices is also available on the Web site, offering conference schedule highlights, exhibitor information, social options and more.
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About the Author
Rodney Bosch, Senior Editor
Although Bosch’s name is quite familiar to those in the security industry, his previous experience has been in daily newspaper journalism. Prior to joining SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION in 2006, he spent 15 years with the Los Angeles Times, where he performed a wide assortment of editorial responsibilities, including feature and metro department assignments as well as content producing for latimes.com. Bosch is a graduate of California State University, Fresno with a degree in Mass Communication & Journalism. In 2007, he successfully completed the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association’s National Training School coursework to become a Certified Level I Alarm Technician.
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