Higher Learning at PSA-TEC ‘University’
The 2009 PSA®-TEC, presented by the PSA Security Network, will return this year with newly revamped programming intended to meet the increasing urgency for security professionals to keep pace with the convergence of physical and logical security.
Held May 4-8 at the Pheasant Run Resort & Spa in St. Charles, Ill., PSA-TEC (training, education and conference) is regarded as one of the industry’s foremost venues for systems integrators and technicians to receive intensive training, plus abundant networking with industry leaders, manufacturers and end users.
The PSA Security Network is marking the second year that the event’s exhibit hall and training sessions will be open to all electronic security professionals, not simply members of the more than 200-strong cooperative. In all, more than 400 course hours will be held during the weeklong conference of which SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION (Booth No. 501) serves as the official Elite Media Sponsor.
Abundant IT Training in the Offing
The PSA-TEC curriculum will be sectioned into three distinctive categories and instructed by more than 25 highly respected professionals from all segments of the electronic security industry. And while physical security has always been and remains the bedrock of the education, the 2009 installment will feature two new tracks: IT and Business Acumen.
PSA Security Network worked closely with 1nService, a collaborative organization of high-level and advanced technology solution providers, to build a comprehensive agenda of IT coursework that centers on the convergence of physical security over an IP-based network. 
“A good percentage of the physical security devices are becoming deployed on the network — we all know that — but it’s not quite as easy as many of the physical security integrators thought,” says Bill Bozeman, CEO of PSA Security Network. “It is absolutely imperative the physical security integrator gets up to speed on installing products on the network without royally messing everything up, which, believe me, happens a lot.”
The IP-centric track will include three separate levels of IT instruction. Among the considerable breadth of lessons, for the first time the conference will feature ISC Education’s IP Institute. Led by Jim Gompers, the curriculum provides comprehensive convergence training on a complete integrated security system, including video, access control, storage and more.
Getting Down to Business
The Business Acumen track is geared for a company’s upper management and explores business practices that can better prepare and assist electronic security operations for success in rough economic waters.
“In these uncertain times we are in right now a lot of companies are retracting and pulling in, and I think they are putting themselves at further risk,” says Mike Bradley, president of Safeguard Security & Communications of Scottsdale, Ariz. “The companies that are smart are the ones that are investing in their people and taking this opportunity while business is slower to really up the ante on training so that their people will be ahead of the curve when things get better.”
Bradley serves as chair of PSA’s Leadership Committee, which took an active role in designing the Business Acumen track. The coursework features sessions such as “Accelerating the Vision of Convergence” and “Hire and Retain the Best … Let Your Competitors Have the Rest!”
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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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