PSA-TEC 2013 continues to take systems integration companies into the future—including working with end-users from companies such as Google.
Google’s Robert Bastida, regional safety and security manager, gave insights into the massive Mountain View, California-based company and its idiosyncrasies, including bikes campus-wide and a life-sized T. Rex skeleton and offbeat perks at the location referred to as the Googleplex in his keynote session: “What Integrator’s Need to Know: An End-User’s Perspective.”
Bastida has logged 23 years on the end-user side of the business, and just prior to starting with Google worked in a similar capacity for Oracle. He said he sees that the security systems integration business is rapidly changing. “End users today want everything integrated,” he said. Bastida’s first task when he joined Google was to build out the access control system for the corporate headquarters.
“Speed in responding to RFPs and of course speed of service is critical to the end user. The days of global contracts are dead. The people of PSA have a tremendous opportunity to get in on these contracts. If you have a small integration business and have all the necessary certifications, we want to do business with you,” Bastida said.
He reasoned that smaller integration companies, like many of those in PSA Security Network, are more responsive to the end-user customer.
“We are also looking for new solutions for integrations. But most often systems integrators come see us when there is a need. I think it should be the other way around. You should be calling companies and end users and telling them what you have and how you can help them. You should be calling them with new solutions and that isn’t happening right now. When you start doing that you will be the integrator of choice,” he said.
Bastida also focused on the future of security and technology. He said that people are a critical component—brain trust—for Google and should also be for systems integrators. “Today’s systems are so sophisticated that who you hire is extremely important. You should be hiring application engineers and database engineers and people certified in certain technologies. If you want to be the integrator of choice you have to have those folks on staff. I can’t stress that enough.”
In his parting words, Bastida said the company is looking at a new program for driverless cars, that will be programmed to destinations, currently working with the California Department of Transportation on that endeavor. As far as access control, he said that the ‘Dick Tracy’ type of technology sophistication is on its way. “That’s where it’s all going and you are going to play a role in that. Instead of an access control card or using the phone to gain entrance there will be a chip on your glasses that will let you in. Those are some of the things we play with at Google.”
