APX becomes Vivint™

APX becomes Vivint™We have lots of breaking stories in the February issue of SD&I magazine so be sure to check out the digital content at http://sdi.epubxpress.com (any day now) and also the print edition, following shortly. Some of the stories, proposed NY licensing, municipalities in monitoring, have been reported as top news on SIW. Here’s another hot story, and we probably reported it first because our February issue went to press the middle of January: APX Alarm Security Solutions Inc., one of the nation’s largest security and home services companies, changed its name to Vivint™ February 1.According to Kristi Knight, Vivint’s vice president of Corporate Communications, the new name gives the company a nomenclature conducive to the way the company is moving—to energy management and home automation. “Viv,” she said, “signifies ‘to live’ and ‘int’ bodes of intelligence.” The company also announced the launch of new products and services under the Vivint name. With this move, the company has transitioned from a residential security company to a provider of automation services designed to deliver increased safety, improved energy efficiency and greater convenience for customers.

“Energy management and smart grids are the biggest area of growth in home automation and we wanted a name that was indicative of who we are and what we stand for,” Knight said.

New products and services include automatic door locks, video surveillance and lighting and small appliance control. Vivint’s new home automation products are specifically designed to integrate with the company’s existing security and energy management systems.  At the center is the Vivint Go!Control panel, a central touchscreen panel that communicates between each home automation product, giving customers access to their system via the touch of a button or remote control access via their smartphone or Internet browser.In another earlier related move, in mid-January the company acquired Meter Solutions, an independent installation provider of smart meter technologies. Alex Dunn, chief operating officer of Vivint, told attendees at the ESA Leadership Summit in January that the company generally grows organically and not through acquisition. However, all the pieces have now been put in place with the recent name change.  Read more about it on page 42 of the February 2011 edition of SD&I magazine. –Deborah L. O’Mara, editor, SD&I magazine