ESX Helps Security Pros Navigate New Residential Frontier
Attendee access to new knowledge, products and partners prepares them to thrive amid new technologies, customer expectations and competition.
Experts said communications, interoperability and technology are keys to preventing or lessening school shooting losses at the ESX 2018 closing keynote.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — “Apple and Google can’t do it on their own, they need us as partners,” said industry veteran Kirk McDowell, during one of the “CounterPoint” sessions at this year’s Electronic Security Expo (ESX).
During the “How Will MAGA (MSOs, Apple, Google, Amazon) Affect You and the Industry” McDowell and the other participants maintained that these large providers (e.g. Comcast is a top MSO, or multiple systems operator) and tech leaders will only serve to make the electronic security industry better and stronger.
“People like Nest need dealer partners to install and maintain those devices and systems,” agreed Robert Few. He, McDowell and moderator George De Marco concurred that the “shiny pennies” will draw attention and grow the industry, but not take it away.
Furthermore, most of those newcomers are focused on home controls and convenience rather than true security or life safety. So it is wise for security dealers to dwell on those services while also offering popular residential controls.
The panel suggested traditional providers concentrate on ensuring optimal customer experiences and consider alternative offerings such as on-demand monitoring.
The residential market for security, home automation, monitored services and recurring monthly revenue (RMR) dominated presentations, exhibits and discussion among the several hundred industry professionals at this year’s ESX, which is jointly owned by the Electronic Security Association (ESA) and The Monitoring Association (TMA).
In addition to the strong educational lineup, the show also featured several hours of vendor exhibition time, awards and special presentations, networking opportunities, and keynotes.
Regarding the latter, the proceedings concluded with an especially poignant session on school security that included the father of one of the victims of this year’s Parkland, Fla., shooting.
On the honors front, NMC captured the inaugural TMA/SSI Monitoring Technology Marvel Award, and its innovation will be spotlighted in Security Sales & Integration’s August issue.
Alarm Detection Systems (ADS) won its second (first was in 2008) Police Dispatch Quality (PDQ) Award, presented jointly by SSI, the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC), False Alarm Reduction Association (FARA) and Honeywell, and its alarm management achievement will be highlighted in SSI’s October issue.
To find out more about what took place in Music City June 18-22 and see for yourself with lots of visuals, scroll through the slideshow. Next year’s ESX, it was announced, for the first time will take place in Indianapolis (June 2-6).
If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!
About the Author
Scott Goldfine
Scott Goldfine is the marketing director for Elite Interactive Solutions. He is the former editor-in-chief and associate publisher of Security Sales & Integration. He can be reached at [email protected].
Related Content
Security Is Our Business, Too
For professionals who recommend, buy and install all types of electronic security equipment, a free subscription to Commercial Integrator + Security Sales & Integration is like having a consultant on call. You’ll find an ideal balance of technology and business coverage, with installation tips and techniques for products and updates on how to add to your bottom line.
A FREE subscription to the top resource for security and integration industry will prove to be invaluable.
