There’s a new doorman in town—a remote one that can add to the monthly recurring revenue coffers for integrators.
Video Doorman™ is the brainchild and creation of Larry Dolin, president and chief executive officer of American Security Systems of Long Island City, N.Y. He’s had the solution ready for some time and has been testing the waters and is now in the process of recruiting dealers for the program, which will operate under the name American Remote Video.
Untapped residential vertical
Video Doorman is targeted at the condominium and multifamily markets and is designed to provide secure package delivery and notification to building tenants. It's an integrated security and surveillance system consisting of 24/7 access control, cameras, speakers and DVR recording equipment, linked to operators at American Security's UL-listed central monitoring station. The service also provides on-call live operators to escort tenants to their floors.
Video Doorman is primarily aimed at tenants in non-doorman buildings but may also be used to secure remote doors within a building or to reduce expenses by relieving a doorman shift during certain times or hours of the day.
"You're away for the day, or at work. You need to have groceries delivered or a package or dry cleaning picked up from your building. Video Doorman is there for you," said Larry Dolin."It provides safe package delivery plus better building security for about $1 a day."
"Nothing generates this amount of recurring revenue," he continued. "Dealers in the program hold the rights to market and sell the product in their area, and they will have a consistent marketing plan to use. They get a portion of the RMR and also have a healthy mark up on the system."
Robert Attisano, president of SRA Security Systems Inc., Bayonne, N.J., is one of the new dealers selected by Dolin for the program. He liked the fit of the product with his current customer base (he has a large installed base of condominiums in densely populated areas) and felt the solution would work well for him in retrofit applications now and new installations in the future.
"This seemed to be a good fit for me and gave me a way in which I could expand my business," Attisano said. "I hold an electrician's license and an alarm license and also service and install fire extinguishers and was looking for another avenue for business that was logical and could generate additional RMR."
Attisano has become the Video Doorman dealer for the state of New Jersey and is already receiving attention from property managers interested in the concept. “Not only can it be used as a total, in place solution but a lot of people were interested in having a doorman perhaps relieved for a work shift. I like to think outside the box and this product helps me do that,” he said.
Toshiba Security cameras secure PODs…Comdesco Group, Chicago, one of the pioneering companies driving POD technology, continues to rely upon dome cameras from Toshiba Surveillance & IP Video, a leading supplier of video surveillance solutions, for its ARVIS system, most recently the Toshiba IK-DP30A. Police Observation Devices, (PODs) are nothing out of the ordinary visible on particular street corners of Chicago. First unveiled in 2003 in a pilot program by the Chicago Police Department, PODs are mounted atop of light fixtures at intersections well-known for drug and gang activity and recognizable by their flashing blue lights and large police logo. Comdesco deployed IK-DP30A-equipped ARVIS in a wide variety of public safety applications, as well as in privately-owned locations such as housing developments and construction sites.
“The Toshiba domes tested well with our encoders and other onboard hardware within the ARVIS that permitted integration into virtually any IP-based infrastructure,” said John Plese, vice president, Comdesco. "The camera's imaging capabilities are excellent, especially at night." Visit www.securityinfowatch.com/sdi/einquiry 143.
Xtralis ICAM now compliant with EN 54-20…Xtralis, Norwell, Mass., a global provider of intelligent fire and security solutions, announced that its ICAM range of early and very early warning fire detection products joins its VESDA technology in receiving the EC Certificate of Conformity and meeting the demanding requirements of EN 54-20. As of May 2009, both Xtralis VESDA and ICAM products are compliant with EN 54-20 which specifies the requirements, test methods and performance criteria for aspirating smoke detectors for use in fire detection and fire alarm systems installed in buildings. It becomes a mandatory requirement across most of Europe by July 1, 2009 and, for the first time, introduces performance requirements for high sensitivity detection systems. Visit www.securityinfowatch.com/sdi/einquiry 144.
Access accessibility gaining ground across campus…Getting a foot in the door at major universities across the country just got a whole lot easier. Terry Quinn, systems manager for the Information Technology Services Department, University of Idaho, recently licensed a Web-based product that reduces time, money and headache for granting and denying access to doors on campus. Dubbed, “Secure Access Management (SAM)" online, the seven-year-old pet project will soon debut on campuses across the nation.
“When I first saw the program I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is terrific!’” said Bill Terry, president and CEO of Genesis Security Design, Wenatchee, Wash., who bought the rights to license the program. “There has to be a market out there for this.”
SAM online specifically integrates with universities using Banner and CS Gold, though Quinn hopes eventually to make it universally functional. According to Terry, 43 universities use this combination of student database management and campus ID card system,and initial interest in SAM online has been sky high. It is estimated that SAM online can reduce overhead costs in time and money for door security management 95 percent by streamlining access requests into a one-stop online portal. Visit www.securityinfowatch.com/sdi/einquiry 145.
SoleraTec supports forensics-based video surveillance…SoleraTec, San Diego, Calif., a provider of innovative digital asset management and storage software solutions, incorporated support for the Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) and Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) that allows for the direct video feed capture of IP-based video surveillance cameras. The new 5.2 version of the Phoenix™ Surveillance Video Manager™ (SVM) sets a new industry standard for supporting the needs of the growing forensics-based video surveillance market. Where the video surveillance industry has routinely been forced to accept seven, 14 or maybe even 30-days worth of video surveillance file retention storage, Phoenix SVM, through its multi-tiered storage management capabilities, gives peace of mind in setting the user's video file retention policy, whether it be 30 day, 180 day, one year or unlimited.
