How big is the market for electronic security systems in Canada? For those in the business, that is the multi-million dollar question. For manufacturers, distributors and contractors, understanding the size of the market, and usage rates is the key to forecasting market growth potential, which in turn, forms the basis for long-term planning and future investment.

 

When looking at the convergence of the security industry with the IT industry, it seems that many of the traditional security providers are simply staying the course. It’s just business as usual. Maybe they are confident that by simply adding a little more IP to the product line, they should be able to keep pace with the normal evolution of the business. But what if, instead, we are in the midst of a revolution?


 

With the sale of Intercon to ADT there is concern by many end-users, and no doubt Intercon employees, about what will happen as it is assimilated into the U.S. security giant.

How will the deal impact large end-users who have either just finished or recently entered into large integration projects?

So you alerted your clients of the impending cellular network changes and proactively got on them to change their transmitters. Our good friends at Rogers decided to pull the plug before the Feb. 18, 2008 date established by the FCC in the U.S.. Then Bell Mobility is now delaying implementation until Nov. 1 2008 in many parts of Canada.

In an increasingly security conscious society, it was inevitable that regulation of the electronic security sector would rear its head in Ontario. Quebec addressed this issue when it passed Bill 88 in 2005. British Columbia rammed Bill 15 through the legislature in 2007. Nova Scotia’s review of private security legislation in 2007 has slowed to a crawl subsequent to the industry’s demand for meaningful consultations. What was unexpected was the source of the proposed regulatory authority, and the business drivers putting de-facto regulation on the public agenda. In Ontario, the first step toward government regulation didn’t come from the province; the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services has its hands full with the implementation of Bill 159, which regulates private investigators and security guards. In fact, the first move toward regulation in Ontario isn’t even province-wide; it came in the form of a sweeping ‘Alarms Management Program Service Agreement’ (Service Agreement) authorized in a municipal by-law in the Regional Municipality of Durham.

Have you noticed how much you are involved with computers, servers, and software when it comes to CCTV and access control solutions? It makes one wonder: are you in the security industry or the computer and software business? Servers, networks, software licenses, and commissioning are now a major component of every system sale. The physical security industry is not alone; many other industries are dealing with this same issue.

CANASA is once again seeking to achieve self-regulation for its members in Ontario. It’s going to take considerable lobbying of government, police associations across the province and most importantly, its members. The question is, are they ready for the scrutiny and public exposure that comes with self-regulation?

Fast Forward is a new column about trends and technologies in the electronic security industry. In this space I will look at how these changes impact the way you do business. The convergence of the physical security and IT worlds is no longer a futuristic concept — it is the reality.

As a “traditional” type of alarm guy, I have had a long love/ hate relationship with wireless detection devices. Of course, I know I will get phone calls from manufacturers and suppliers calling me an archaic dinosaur. But when my company specifies a security system, unless we are in a situation where passing a wire is simply not possible, we believe in hardwiring each and every device, and in most cases home running those hardwired devices. That being said, when I moved to my 100-year-old home, we were unable to pass wires to the two smoke detectors on the top floor. I used wireless smoke detectors, and yes they did work and yes they did provide me and my family peace of mind. But once I had some work done and some wriggle room in our 18-inch flat roof, I passed wires to provide a hardwired solution.

At the November meeting of CANASA’s Southwest Ontario Chapter, the guest speaker knew little about security systems integration. He couldn’t talk about IP transmission and its impact on low speed modems. It didn’t matter that Guy Parent, the CEO of London, Ont.-based Corporate Investigation Services, isn’t an expert on electronic security because Parent relies on electronic security professionals. That, in a nutshell, was the essence of his address: the private security industry is interdependent.
 

When a customer asks a security professional to install a video surveillance system in and around their property, in most cases the last thing on their mind is whether their cameras will be infringing the privacy of others. By the time most business owners have arrived at the decision to put in cameras, the reality is they are more concerned about protecting their assets than privacy.