HOLLYWOOD, Fla.— Five of GE Security’s top executives — President/CEO Ken Boyda; Steve Walin, president of Enterprise Solutions; Brian Poggi, president of Commercial Solutions; Jay Pinkert, director of marketing programs and communications for Infrastructure Security; and Jim Clark, vice president of Marketing — fielded questions from leading members of the trade media during the GE Security Customer Conference and Workshop. Here is an edited version of what was discussed:

How has business been for GE lately?
Boyda:We are doing fine. We are finding there is quite a bit of money out there if the return on investment is justified.

What are some of the trends you are encountering?
Boyda:Systems are more interfaced than truly integrated. There needs to be more open architecture. I believe there is a gap between products and solutions. I also believe we will see IT involved more in the decision-making process when it comes to security.

Clark:Consolidation is needed to help this industry advance. It’s all about emphasizing value rather than price.

GE is such a prized brand name. How do you intend to protect it?
Walin:We conduct end-user surveys to ensure satisfaction and we also thoroughly train and certify our integrators.

Pinkert:We are very careful in how we allow the branding to be used and guide our channel partners in doing so.

Clark:One of the greatest benefits of our new integrator program is the ability it affords participating companies to leverage the GE brand, as well as all the support services that come along with that.

Boyda:We can bring in GE Capital and many other areas of the company to assist their businesses.

Poggi:We have three training centers set up to assist these integrators. They are located in Costa Mesa, Calif., Boca Raton, Fla., and Tualatin, Ore.

Do you have any intention of selling direct to the end user?
Boyda:Absolutely not. We prefer to work with systems integrators. But it is important for us to have direct contact with the users of our products so we can best meet their needs.

Clark:The industry is moving from one of protection to one of productivity. We must know the end user better so we can design systems accordingly.

What can we expect to see from GE Security in the near future?
Boyda:Our drive now is toward organic growth. That’s what GE likes. We are looking at enhancing some areas of our portfolio, such as RFID and GPS. Whichever way we go, we intend to be a leader.

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