Columnist Roy Pollack challenges professionals to test their knowledge in the latest 5 Minute Tech quiz.

Initiated in 2020, the standard provides a method of creating an alarm scoring or classification metric for unauthorized human activity detected by alarm systems.

Established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the SOC 2 Type 1 audit and examination ensures the personal assets of their potential and existing customers are protected to build trust and confidence.

As monitoring companies take advantage of new video technology and grow their businesses to include video monitoring services, it is important to understand that there is a significant difference between installing a video system and a monitoring-ready video system.

The new TMA ANSI standard is approaching publication and implementation.

Artificial intelligence, analytics and other sensing technologies are expected to play a key role in responding to intrusion and other life safety alarm events.

Mark McCall, Chair of the TMA AVS-01 Committee, explains the collaborative effort between the alarm industry and public safety professionals and how the new standard aims to refine alarm notifications and the quality of alarm information.

David Holl speaks to executives from monitoring centers and emergency communication centers about their involvement in the initial pilot programs for the AVS-01 standard.

SDM spoke with the 2023 TMA Monitoring Center Manager of the Year. Ayala is the director of operations at Rapid Response Monitoring Services.

Industry insiders convened at ISC West to discuss AVS-01, a new ANSI-accredited standard aimed at improving alarm validation and enhancing communication between the security sector and public safety agencies.

Washington — OSHA has published COVID-19-related guidance intended to help employers in the oil and gas industry reduce exposure among workers, including personnel in the subindustries and those whose tasks “make up the broader oil and gas industrial sector.”

Washington — The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has “continued to fulfill its mission” during the COVID-19 pandemic by performing safety and environmental inspections for offshore oil and gas operations, the Department of the Interior Office of Inspector General concludes in a report issued Sept. 21.

Fifteen-passenger vans can move multiple workers from one location to the next in one vehicle, cutting transportation costs. But it’s important to know that these vehicles present serious hazards.

In 2017, 132 workers died in roadway work zone crashes, according to WorkZoneSafety.org.

Commissioned by Eagle Eye Networks, the survey found that a federal mandate was preferred by 56 percent of parents, 29 percent wanted a community-level requirement, and 11 percent favored a school district mandate.  

Atlanta — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published a series of fact sheets for airport, airline and transit employers to help protect their workers from exposure to COVID-19.

Dallas — A recent report from the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ Volunteer and Combination Officers Section and the National Volunteer Fire Council details 11 best practices for minimizing cancer risk among firefighters.

Final rule expands OSHA’s digger-derrick exemption and the agency launches its annual heat campaign in this week’s OSHA Roundup.

Washington — OSHA has warned Arizona, South Carolina and Utah to adopt their own version of the agency’s emergency temporary standard on COVID-19 for health care workers or face possible revocation of their State Plan status, according to multiple reports.

Sacramento, CA — Additional revisions to California’s emergency temporary standards on COVID-19 have been adopted by the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, to include the California Department of Public Health’s latest recommendations for reducing the spread of the disease.

Oakland, CA — Two fact sheets, along with an updated FAQ document, from the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health highlight the latest revisions to the state’s emergency temporary standards on COVID-19 – adopted April 21 by the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board.

Sacramento, CA — California’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board has voted to adopt non-emergency COVID-19 prevention regulations.

Salem, OR — Oregon OSHA is encouraging all employers and workers in the state to “celebrate their safety and health achievements” and examine and renew their current safety efforts during the agency’s 20th annual Safety Break for Oregon.

Atlanta — Occupational exposures may have contributed to 11 percent to 21 percent of all asthma-related deaths among 15- to 64-year-olds between 1999 and 2016, according to a recently released report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Washington — In the absence of an emergency temporary standard on infectious disease from OSHA amid the COVID-19 pandemic, North America’s Building Trades Unions and CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training have developed national guidance on infectious disease exposure control practices for construction sites.

2017 was a good year for the economy — and manufacturers, dealers and integrators definitely felt the positive impact of these trends.

In an economy that is staying strong, with a projected commercial construction growth rate of 4 percent annually through 2019, there is much to be happy about.

If responses from more than 30 manufacturers, integrators and other industry practitioners are any indication, share-of-revenue from access control may be picking up.

The video surveillance market is strong and will continue to grow. It is less a lumbering giant, though, and more an agile athlete, able to pivot and adapt — it just happens to be the largest one on the security court.

Doomsday didn’t happen. For all the concern many security dealers have shown in recent years — particularly about the rapidly changing residential market — all indicators seem to finally point to what was always the hope in the midst of the fear: that all the new entrants, technologies and business models would start to grow the pie for all.

The U.S. fire market was steady and strong in 2018, with an equal or better outlook for 2019.

For decades the dominant story in access control has been that it was a victim of its own success: that is, customers were reluctant to change out what was still working — even 15 or 20 years on — and didn’t see the benefit in spending the money to upgrade, even for significantly new or different features.

Is the smart home market maturing and stabilizing, showing a clear path forward for security dealers wanting to capitalize on the new desires of homeowners to interact with many areas of their home life, including security? Not exactly. But there are definitely signs that it has moved to another level of adoption and interest, making the time ripe for action on the part of those who want to adjust their business model to capture opportunities and revenue in this fast-growing space.

While 2020 affected the confidence of some in the video market, professionals remain optimistic going into 2021, with the increased adoption of new, more advanced technologies, and a potential end to the coronavirus pandemic in sight.

The story of the 100 largest security dealers and how they performed in 2009 can be told in a Twitter update of 140 characters or less: The SDM 100 is

View an abridged version of the SDM 100 report as well download the entire report.The SDM 100 has been published since 1991. Its primary objective is to measure consumer dollars gained by security companies, in order to present an account of the size of the market captured by the 100 largest security providers.

Take a look at the facts and figures featured in the SDM 100 report for 2011: There’s much to smile about this year, as more than eight in 10 of SDM 100 companies (82 percent) thinks 2011 will bestow increased revenues compared with last year. 

Turning the corner on the 2010 economy was like telling off a friend who had it coming — you got to offload some of the poison, and you could move forward with a lesser burden. While the performance of the security industry in 2010 was less than stellar, there were some generally positive economic indicators in the first two quarters of 2011 that hold promise.

The SDM 100 has been published since 1991. Its primary objective is to measure consumer dollars gained by alarm companies, in order to present an account of the size of the market captured by the 100 largest security providers. SDM 100 firms are ranked by their recurring monthly revenue. RMR is the amount of contractually recurring revenues due from customers, for such services as monitoring, contracted service and system maintenance, and leasing of security systems.

The 2012 SDM 100 ranks U.S. companies that provide electronic security systems and services to both residential and non-residential customers. This ranking is based on information provided to or, in few cases, estimated by SDM. Ranked companies were asked to submit either an audited or reviewed financial statement, or a copy of their income tax return showing total gross receipts for the stated period. The vast majority of the firms ranked are privately held.

Not only does the SDM 100 now have a new top 3, but signs of the SDM 100 becoming more of a services-focused business model are apparent. Since the SDM 100 began ranking security companies by their recurring monthly revenue (RMR) in 2007, the top three companies have been ADT, Protection 1 and Monitronics (with the exception of Brink’s Home Security/Broadview, which subsequently was acquired by ADT).

The complete ranking of the 2013 SDM 100.

The metamorphosis of the security industry into a services-based business capable of serving many sectors has taken hold, evidenced by the largest security providers — the 2013 SDM 100.

The 2014 SDM 100 ranks U.S. companies that provide electronic security systems and services to both residential and non-residential customers. This ranking is based on information provided to or, in few cases, estimated by SDM. Ranked companies were asked to submit an audited or reviewed financial statement, or a copy of their income tax return.

World Wide Security & GC Alarm Inc., ranked No. 73, concurs there was “greater demand for security services and an increase in budgets to accomplish security goals.” The company, which logged a 3.2 percent increase in RMR, notes the best growth areas were video and managed services.

The 2014 SDM 100 ranks U.S. companies that provide electronic security systems and services to both residential and non-residential customers. This ranking is based on information provided to or, in few cases, estimated by SDM. Ranked companies were asked to submit an audited or reviewed financial statement, or a copy of their income tax return.

Most of the largest security dealers in the industry confirm they were on solid footing in 2014, and their 3.8 percent aggregate growth in RMR proves it. But for many dealers, new competitors are too close for comfort.

The security industry looks to the SDM 100 — a group of 100 of the largest security companies ranked by their recurring monthly revenue — as a wellspring of industry trends and operational best practices. So, which manufacturers and distributors are behind the SDM 100, supporting them with the products, solutions and services that have helped make them successful?

In 2015 we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the SDM 100 and honored eight companies for being ranked on the first SDM 100 Report in 1991 and all of the reports thereafter.

It’s used in many different ways by different people, but the primary objective of the SDM 100 remains the same after 25 years: to measure consumer dollars gained by alarm companies, in order to present an account of the size of the market captured by the 100 largest security providers.