Integration News
Dan Marston launches new security venture

Marston was previously Senior Director & General Manager – Securitas ES Canada, which was formerly Diebold’s electronic security business prior to its acquisition by Securitas in 2015 (the deal closed early 2016). Marston, who worked at Diebold/Securitas for a combined 11 years, says his goal with Dfendus is to create a new breed of company that is able to offer a variety of security services including networking services, automation and IoT.

“I really think there’s a market here for an entrepreneurial company that’s privately held that can [offer] service and bring all of these emerging technologies… into something new, fresh and built around servicing a customer,” he says.

Dfendus closed its first acquisition on Dec. 1: Hamilton, Ont.-based Inforce Security Corp. Toronto-based consulting firm Final Image Inc. acted as lead financial advisor on the deal. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 2005 by company president Arie Pekar, Inforce Security is a systems integrator serving Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe and the Greater Toronto Area. The company provides services including surveillance systems, access control and intrusion alarms. Pekar and existing Inforce staff will continue with company operations. Marston says he is planning another three to five acquisitions in the first half of 2018 to provide additional critical mass for Dfendus. In the short term, the plan is to maintain acquired companies as separate but allied business operations with some common back-office and operational functionality. Dfendus may step forward as the leading brand in the future, but those types of decisions have yet to be made, says Marston.

According to Marston, the word “Dfendus” has tested well, particularly with the Millennial audience, due to its simple yet descriptive message. As such, it may appear on branded products in the future. Marston adds that the commercial mid-market will be the company’s main customer goal in the immediate future but residential is another potential target. Marston adds that one of the company’s major goals is to be proactive with clients, and offer more preventative maintenance to decrease the possibility of systems downtime or malfunction. Ultimately the client should be more involved in systems integration, explained Marston, and a “partner” in the process.