Moon Security’s New Program to Help Dealers Grow RMR by $25K

By Ashley Willis

PASCO, Wash. — For dealers with a large number of commercial accounts looking to increase their recurring monthly revenue (RMR), Mike Miller, vice president of Moon Security, believes he has the solution with the new iLinkx Dealer Program.

“I believe we can grow their RMR by $25,000 to $35,000 a month,” he tells SSI.

The iLinkx system is a supplemental notification service provider primarily for central stations. The platform integrates with monitoring stations and receives the same signal that an alarm system transmits for operators to dispatch to first responders. Within seconds of the signal receipt, the iLinkx system creates color graphic images of the monitored building’s floor plan, which also shows where all alarms and cameras are located throughout the facility.

The system then sends a secure, open protocol PDF attachment to central station operators, via E-mail or text message. In turn, operators can send the images to first responders. To help first responders easily identify where the alarm is coming from, the image displays an encasement of the signaling device, as well as a time-stamped header line of the occurrence.

“They not only receive the graphic, but they know where the signal is coming from,” iLinkx General Manager Rodney Fox tells SSI. “Consequently, users can see what action they need to take to respond to the alarm. Users can open it up and view it through virtually any platform that’s compatible for Windows, Apple, Android and BlackBerry devices without the download of special software. There are no apps, and there isn’t any real learning curve.”

And while conventional notification from central stations to first responders typically averages from three to four minutes after alarm activation, with iLinkx, operators can reach public safety teams within 10 to 15 seconds from the receipt of signal, Fox says.

Fox, a former industry veteran who has installed systems throughout the United States, created iLinkx in response to the 2001 National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) study following the 9/11 attacks.

“The result of that study was that certain technologies existed but they had never been brought together in a uniform manner to the first response community,” Fox says. “My background is such that I’ve had 30-plus years in the graphics and alarm industries, specifically focused on graphics for larger campus environments. So, I took that as a challenge.”

Fox started the project in 2001, and in 2007, he officially left the alarm industry to focus on launching the technology. He teamed up with IBM, which provides the platform for hosted service. Fox also partnered with General Dynamics Itronix, a provider of ultra-rugged notebook computers specifically designed for extreme environments used widely by first responders, government agencies and private industry.

Launched on Jan. 1, 2010, iLinkx customers include the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Sea-Tac Airport. However, Fox wanted to reach more people in the alarm industry. So, by the suggestion of Davis Mergers and Acquisitions Group President Ron Davis, who also pens SSI‘s “The Big Idea” column, Fox approached Miller to be the master dealer of the program.

“Mike understands all the elements of the industry being past president of ESA,” Fox says. “And demographics happen to be such that Moon Security’s in Pasco, Wash., which is two and a half hours away from the iLinkx location in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.”

Miller and his team jumped at the opportunity, recognizing that the enhancement of standard dispatch services (at an added cost to the end user) will generate additional revenues.

“When I talk to people, I say, ‘We have set up a business model that allows us to grow business at both central station and dealers,’” Miller says. “It’s a full viewing platform for access control, fire, intrusion and video surveillance. Because there is no infrastructure requirement, it’s not really going to cost dealers anything up front.”

To determine how much to charge clients for the iLinkx service, dealers can go to the iLinkx Web site to view suggested retail pricing for estimate support. Additionally, the service offers a true savings return for alarm companies in reduced testing times, more efficient acceptance testing and documented audit trails of event activity, Fox says.

To be clear, the iLinkx program will not compete against other traditional dealer programs, such as Honeywell’s First Alert Pro, of which Moon Security is a member. Instead, the program is a supplemental monitoring service, Miller stresses. In fact, he plans to market iLinkx to his contacts in the First Alert program, Electronic Security Association, and other associations in which he’s affiliated.

“They definitely need to have a certain amount of commercial accounts just to make it worth their time, Miller says. “We’re setting up Go To Meeting Webinars so dealers can get the full picture of the program. Our goal is to reach 100 over this next year to get them signed up and working.”

Miller and Fox will demonstrate how dealers can generate RMR at the upcoming ISC West trade show. For more information, contact [email protected].

Ashley Willis is associate editor for SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION. She can be reached at (310) 533-2419.

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