30 Products Score Perfect 10s

No disrespect to Bo Derrick, the most famous "10" of all, but SSI's 2012 Top Technology Innovations are just as well equipped in all the right places. Whether it's the latest in video, access, detection or breakthroughs in wireless, thermal or cloud technology, our tech experts have it covered. See which products made the cut and why.

Published: December 2, 2012Paul Boucherle

With flashy new gizmos like the iPhone 5, Kindle Fire HD and their smartphone/tablet brethren dominating mainstream media and preoccupying the masses (draining their bank accounts all the while), technology has never been hotter or more topical. This obsession with mobile communications/computing and rapid advancements in those technologies is also profoundly affecting the research & development and introduction of many security products. So while by and large off the general public’s radar, the electronic security industry has plenty of its own amazing technology to crow about. Much of it is spotlighted in SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION’s 2012 Top 30 Technology Innovations.

Whether you are looking to increase profitability, become more efficient, make installations and troubleshooting easier, expand your business’ portfolio of offerings, satisfy random curiosity or sate your inner tech geek, you’re assured of discovering something in this year’s Top 30 picks that scratches you right where you itch. Although each manufacturer is limited to a single notice, this year’s list encompasses almost as many types of technologies as entries.

As you might expect, the choices by SSI columnists Bob Dolph (“Tech Talk”) and Paul Boucherle (“Convergence Channel”) are by and large indicative of their respective fortes. What all the selections share in common is offering owners/managers, salespeople and technicians of installing security providers a wealth of opportunities and benefits.

In addition to choices in the familiar categories of access control, fire/life-safety, intrusion detection and video surveillance, also included are: lighting; environmental controls; cabling infrastructure; testing equipment; mobile alerting; vehicle inspection; service and installation aids; solar powers; cloud-based applications; wireless devices; biometrics; and even air conditioner protection. There is more than enough to capture the attention of even the most devout security technology buff.

Besides being a great reference for opportunity-hungry industry professionals, the Top 30 is subjective and lends itself to enjoyable discussion and debate. With that in mind, SSI presents (in alphabetical order by writer) 2012’s Top 30 Technology Innovations.

Paul Boucherle’s Picks: