SAMMYs Stand Out Amid Sea of ISC Chaos

My back, feet and mind may never be the same. You see I recently returned from a whirlwind ISC West where the turnout was high, the mood upbeat and the outlook cautiously optimistic.

Although there was not much in the way of earth-shattering news, what was evident was much more of the same (mostly video) — more IP cameras, analog-to-IP migration methods, video management systems, hosted (SaaS) platforms, analytics, storage solutions, megapixel cameras, thermal imaging cameras, video verification devices and standardization of H.264. The biggest buzz in access control was managed access solutions and smart cards. Intrusion was paced by a continued trend toward IP connectivity and control via mobile devices, as well as motion sensors with further refinements in false alarm immunity. IP connectivity is also making headway in fire/life safety, as well as more sophisticated detectors and scalable addressable systems.

One other development of interest, besides ISC East being repositioned as ISC Solutions (featuring SSI’s sister publication Campus Safety as organizer of the education vertical market focus), was seeing some prominent vendors radically shift how they go to market, in some cases demolishing the silos within their organizations to offer a broader array of products and solutions. Examples included the first public showing of the unified UTC-GE; Tyco bringing together its American Dynamics, Software House, DSC, Sur-Gard and Kantech brands; Panasonic adding IP PBX communication systems, color touchscreen IP phones, HD visual communications systems, POS workstations and emergency pendants to its video surveillance offerings; and Samsung finally clearing up the Techwin-GVI confusion to more aggressively pursue the security market. Such synergies and strategies had been speculated for some time, but apparently it took today’s economic pressures and the dire necessity to run businesses lean, mean and smart to make it reality.

For me though, amid the countless meetings, demos, press conferences, educational sessions, mixers, parties, dinners, producing electronic show daily, video and audio taped interviews, running an exhibit booth, etc., one of the things I enjoy most is our own annual Sales & Marketing (SAMMY) Awards gala.


Some of 2010’s SAMMY award winners show off their prizes at the 15th annual event.

Held each year the evening before ISC West begins and hosted by yours truly, this year’s 15th annual event also included the induction ceremony for those being enshrined into SSI’s Industry Hall of Fame. Being the industry’s only program of its kind that recognizes and honors installing security dealers and integrators for their marketing, business, installation and overall excellence, the SAMMYs offers a breath of fresh air amid the rigors and hardships of today’s grueling economic climate while saluting sound and creative practices that help meet and overcome any challenges. The best marketing entries stood out for their clarity of message, design, appearance, ease of use and, what has become more critical than ever, cost effectiveness.


New Hall of Fame member Ralph Sevinor (center) with Scott Goldfine (right) and Ron Davis.

To learn more about these events and pick up marketing, installation and general success tips, check out the March (Hall of Fame), June (SAMMYs) and July (Installer and Integrated Installation of the Year) issues of SSI, or view the content online at securitysales.com.

The SAMMYs are free to enter so make sure your company participates later this year to boost morale and leverage the ensuing exposure. Best of luck if you do, and throughout 2010!

So, did you make it to ISC West? If so, what were your impressions? If you did not go, why not? Be on the lookout for my upcoming Under Surveillance account of some of the many interesting companies and people I visited with at the show, as well as some standout technologies and products.

As always, thanks for reading …

Scott Goldfine
Editor-in-Chief
SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION 

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About the Author

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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].

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