SALT LAKE CITY — Kudos to The Monitoring Association for pulling off what has to be considered a highly successful staging of its inaugural TMA Technology Summit.
A specialized boutique event of sorts, the Summit attracted CTOs, CIOs and IT directors of monitoring companies, as well as security dealers and TMA member companies from the manufacturing sector.
“We thought we would possibly get somewhere around 40 to 50 in attendance and we ended up with over 70, so we are ecstatic about that,” TMA Technology Committee Co-Chair Sascha Kylau told me at the conclusion of the event.
The main draw for attendees was an educational line-up that focused on emerging technologies, Big Data, Cloud data management solutions, cybersecurity, data encryption, firewalls, video verification, among other topics to assist in operating and securing an effective monitoring business.
What I found especially unique about the event, held here March 19-21, was the range of subject matter experts from outside the physical security industry. The featured sessions were delivered by representatives from Amazon Web Services (AWS), AT&T, Fortinet, I-View Now, Microsoft, Rubrik, Secuvant, Symantec and Telarus.
Each presenter delivered insights and perspectives that can assist central stations with technology refresh cycles, as well as minimize downtown and protect their businesses from internal and external threats.
Another facet of the event I thought useful: at the end of each day, attendees broke into small roundtable groups to discuss key takeaways. A volunteer from each group then addressed the whole gathering to review what was talked about. It’s a shining example of the dialogue and learning opportunity available only through participation in industry associations.
Be sure to click through the accompanying image gallery to view many of the presenters, read informative tidbits and more.
