Tyco IS unveils new mobile platform at ISC West 2013

Security systems integrator Tyco Integrated Security (Tyco IS) on Tuesday announced that it is launching a new Mobile Security Management system that will enable its customers to manage their security systems using any web-enabled device such as a smartphone or tablet.

According to Jay Hauhn, vice president of product management and industry relations for Tyco IS, remote connectivity to video surveillance, intrusion detection and other security systems via a mobile device is key in developing any new security solution.

“One of the things I’ve been saying for the last year is any company that is doing product development or releasing products to consumers and commercial users really need to be thinking these days about connection to those products from a mobile perspective, as opposed to a browser sitting on a PC,” Hauhn said. “Five years ago, you had to be able to connect to a product portfolio from a browser – Internet Explorer of whatever you were using on your PC. You still need to do those things, but it is kind of secondary. Any company that is looking to develop a product these days needs to put how that person is going to interact  with it from that mobile device that they are carrying in their hand all of the time now.”

Hauhn added that when you talk to customers, they are concerned about how their security system is going to interact with their iPhone, iPad or Android device and they want remote control capability through these devices to be a standard feature.

“It comes down to customers saying they want to be able to connect to that burglar alarm panel… being able to turn that burglar alarm panel off from outside the location or being able to turn it on away from their house,” he said. “They want to be able to look at their phone and say ‘yeah, I did turn that on’ or if something happens at that location, they want to get an indication on their phone that a sensor was tripped.”

In addition to being able to remotely arm or disarm an alarm system, Tyco IS’ Mobile Security Management system also offers users access to real-time video, alerts with attached video clips based on user-defined criteria, and the ability to respond to an incident anytime and anywhere with just a smartphone.

“As a security company, you have to make sure your security offerings are not just the old school thinking of dealing with it while you’re on site or only while you’re sitting in front of your PC,” Hauhn explained. “Having that mobile connection to intrusion detection or a mobile connection into a video system is not just nice to have, it’s a must have offering.”

And while the push towards mobile connectivity occurred in the residential security market first, Hauhn said that business owners have seen the benefits that mobile connectivity provides and are now clamoring for this same functionality in their commercial systems.

“We always knew there would be a demand from commercial customers for it, it just had to be done in residential first because, quite frankly, the market was bigger,” he explained. “But the demand from commercial customers is there. They’re saying they want the same capability and that’s understandable. Being able to expedite certain things by having it in your hand at your disposal no matter where you are is just an extreme convenience, even in commercial.”

Although this new mobile platform is being pushed towards the core commercial market first, Hauhn believes that it will be quickly adopted at the enterprise/multi-location level.