This article originally appeared in the March 2023 issue of Security Business magazine. When sharing, don’t forget to mention Security Business magazine on LinkedIn and @SecBusinessMag on Twitter.
Be sure to arrive a day before the ISC West show floor opens in Las Vegas, as that Tuesday is chock full of educational sessions as well as events targeted specifically at integrators.
Cant-Miss Special Events
Here's a list of a handful of special events planned for the week:
TUESDAY, MARCH 28 - The FAST Golf Classic, 7:45 a.m., Desert Pines Golf Club
Through a partnership industry associations ESA and SIA, the Foundation for Advancing Security Talent (FAST) brings awareness to career advancement within the security industry. Proceeds from this annual golf event support workforce development initiatives and will be funneled into public relations, education and outreach efforts to spotlight the electronic security industry as an outlet of choice for the next generation of employees. https://advancingsecurity.org/fast-events
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29 - SIA New Products & Solutions Awards
Ceremony, 3:30 p.m., The Bridge - Booth 25063
Find out which products and solutions were chosen by a panel of judges at the 2023 SIA New Products + Solutions Awards. New products and solutions are reviewed by a panel of judges with extensive industry experience, and entrants compete for awards in 36 categories, as well as the prestigious Best New Product and Judges’ Choice awards. www.securityindustry.org/about-sia/sia-awards/new-product-showcase
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29 - SD Marketing Free Event, “Viva Las Selfies,” 5:30-9 p.m., Museum of Selfies in the LINQ Promenade
Join us for Hors d’oeuvres and cocktails and a different type of networking. This event will be open to all integrators and dealers. Sponsored by Eyeforce, Emergency24, Actuate, Essex Electronics, and SecuraTrac. RSVP required. #itsallaboutyou www.sd.marketing/viva-las-selfies
THURSDAY, MARCH 30 - Mission 500 Security 5K/2K, 7:30 a.m., Sunset Park
The annual Security 5k (run)/2k (walk) fundraiser brings the industry together to benefit children in need. Following the event, a reception honoring the fastest runners, top fundraisers, and announcement of Mission 500’s CSR and Humanitarian Awards will take place on the show floor at 4 p.m. https://runsignup.com/Race/NV/LasVegas/Security5KforChildren
FRIDAY, MARCH 31 - SIA Women in Security Forum Networking Breakfast and Power 100 Celebration, 9:15 a.m., The Bridge - Booth 25063
Join SIA WISF members for a free networking breakfast sponsored by dormakaba that will recognize and celebrate the 2023 recipients of the SIA WISF Power 100. After the breakfast, stay for a keynote from Alison Levine, who captained the first American Women’s Everest Expedition. www.securityindustry.org/women-in-security-forum-breakfast
Integrator- and Consultant-Focused Educational Sessions
Check out this cultivated list of the SIA Education@ISC West sessions that should appeal to integrators and consultants. Times, dates and locations are subject to change, so remember to consult www.discoverisc.com/west/en-us/session-list.html#/sessions as you plan your attendance.
TUESDAY, MARCH 28
Company Culture & Improving Workplace Engagement, 10 a.m., Venetian 304: Join integrators Shaun Castillo of Preferred Technologies, John Nemerofsky of SAGE Integration, and Bret Van Haren of SecurAlarm to discuss best practices on how to change a company’s culture.
Securing and Monitoring the Endpoints, 10 a.m., Venetian 202: Integration experts Christopher Peckham of Ollivier Corp., and Josh Cummings of Paladin Technologies this session will cover how endpoints – including access control devices, IP cameras, video encoders, and miscellaneous IoT sensors – can be installed and operated securely.
Why the Security Industry Needs Diversity & Inclusion, 10 a.m., Venetian 309: HID Global’s Arin Lopez will explain what diversity and inclusion in the workplace entails, why D&I are critical to outperforming peers, and fundamental first steps to implementing D&I business strategies.
Equitable and Responsible Use of Biometrics in Security, 11:15 a.m., Venetian 302: Jake Parker, Sr. Director of Government Relations for SIA, and Microsoft’s Jim Black will outline how SIA’s Identity and Biometric Technology Board is engaging with public- and private-sector critical infrastructure operators to promote advancement and adoption of biometrics without discrimination against any particular individual or groups.
The Power of Higher-Performing Finance Teams, 11:15 a.m., Venetian 304: An integrator panel including Markus Leghart of SAGE Integration, Douglas Patete of Preferred Technologies, and Todd Van Haren of SecurAlarm will discuss methods of establishing an engaged and highly effective financial team, along with the needed reports and measurements for a healthy financial organization.
Growing Security Sales Professionals, 1 p.m., Venetian 304: Security Business monthly columnist and sales training guru Chris Peterson joins integrators John Nemerofsky of SAGE Integration and Grady Jett of Preferred Technologies, as well as Ben Shour of PSA Security, to discuss how to recruit a new generation of salespeople, the differences in training different generations, and understanding what factors motivate a sales team.
How to Leverage WMBEs, WBEs, VBEs and MBEs to Win Contracts, 1 p.m., Venetian 309: Join Brian Valenza and Daniel Kime of integration company VIRSIG, as well as business consultant Jean Kristensen, to discuss the benefits of partnering with WMBE (Woman Minority-Owned Business Enterprise), WBE (Woman-Owned Business Enterprise), VBE (Veteran Owned Business Enterprise) and MBE (Minority-Owned Business Enterprise) owned companies to help attain or win more government or state contracts.
Beyond Analytics Jargon: AI and ML Simply Explained, 2:15 p.m., Venetian 302: Amit Kumar, Founder and CEO of Dragonfruit AI, will provide easy-to-understand explanations of terms such as machine learning, ANN/CNN, deep learning, inference, computer vision, and many more.
Cyber/Physical Risk Assessment for Oil and Natural Gas, 2:15 p.m., Venetian 101: While convergence of automation system technologies and traditional enterprise IT systems has benefits, it also brings inherent risk to oil and natural gas operations. Marco Ayala, of Burns & McDonnell Engineering, will review the standards-based approach and the Consequence-driven Cyber-informed Engineering methodologies sponsored by DoE.
Technology to Increase Integrator Operational Efficiency, 2:15 p.m., Venetian 304: PSA Security CEO Matt Barnette joins Josh Cummings of Paladin Technologies, Jim Lonie of Integrated Security & Communications, and Elliott Gabriel of Preferred Technologies to show how technology can streamline an integration business through productivity monitoring, system usage, remote management and monitoring, and more.
Key Elements to Profitable Sales Estimating, 2:15 p.m., Venetian 309: Getting sales estimating right equates to increasing profitability, positive organizational growth, and increased customer satisfaction. Join Tracy Larson of WeSuite, along with integrators Ken Whelan of Engineered Security Systems and John Nemerofsky of SAGE Integration, to outline key areas of systems integration estimating and best practices to get it right.
How to Make a Business Case for Security, 2:15 p.m., Venetian 402: Join a panel from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) for insight on how to build a business case for security, methodologies for completing a benefit-cost analysis, how to apply those concepts to risk management, and how to measure success.
Sales, Margins, Profitability & Business Valuation, 2:15 p.m., Venetian 307: An expert panel including Kelly Bond of Davis Group, John Maffey of M3T Corp., Dan Gundry of VuWall, and Paul Metzheiser of TAMCO, will expose what integrators need to know to maximize sales, profitability and business valuation. Are you sitting on untapped margins? Does your revenue health align with margins and profitability? Learn about these issues and much more.
How Ted Lasso, Major League Baseball and Toyota Can Help You Hire and Inspire, 3:30 p.m., Venetian 309: Vector Firm’s Gannon Switzer will apply well-known anecdotes from Hollywood, sports and business to guide a simple framework for creating talent optimization deliverables that can be immediately implemented within an organization.
How to Build a Managed Service Pricing Model, 3:30 p.m., Venetian 304: For an integration company transitioning to managed services, pricing, sales and service delivery are top considerations. Michael Hanlon of Allied Universal, John Maffey of M3T Corp., John Nemerofsky of SAGE Integration, and Ben Shour of PSA, will help decipher the best fit between the model and how customers want to buy services.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29
How Cybersecurity, Edge Analytics, and AI Have Impacted Physical Security Systems, 10 a.m., Venetian 307: Explore the “new convergence” and science of physical security design, and how systems integrators and managed service providers who were once relegated to supporting specific system classifications (physical security systems and networked systems, respectively) are often now competing on the same playing field.
School Safety after Shootings in Oxford, Mich., and Uvalde, Texas - Lessons Learned, 10 a.m., Venetian 302: Tom Wheeler, former Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice, and General Mick Zais, former Acting Secretary of Education, will conduct this presentation focused on policy areas identified by SIA as impacted by the recent school shootings in Oxford, Mich., and Uvalde, Texas.
How To Design, Price and Sell Service Agreements, 1 p.m., Venetian 202: Consultant and security integration veteran Alan Kruglak will guide integrators on the basic principles of how to sell, price and deliver on service agreements.
Leveraging Security Technology to Secure Places Where People Gather, 1 p.m., Venetian 304: This interactive panel discussion including Aaron Simpson from Stone Security and Ken Smaellie of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will examine the physical and social elements that can help protect community and public gatherings from the potential threats and risks.
Legal and Ethical Issues in Facial Biometric Use, 2:15 p.m., Venetian 302: Join consultants Jon Polly and Donald Zoufal, who will examine the legalities and ethics when it comes to the use of facial biometrics in access control, investigations, and general surveillance.
Staying Motivated and Managing Sales Performance Anxiety, 2:15 p.m., Venetian 202: In no other occupation besides professional athletics is one’s performance measured more intensely and more frequently than sales. With performance comes performance anxiety. Join sales expert Chris Peterson of Vector Firm to discuss how to stay motivated and manage sales performance anxiety.
Workforce Development: Attracting and Retaining Talent, 3:30 p.m., Exhibit Hall Career Zone: Join Foundation for Advancing Security Talent (FAST) Board of Directors members John Nemerofsky, Kerri Sutherland, and Yaron Zussman to examine workforce development challenges and present strategies to help companies find and train committed and qualified employees.
THURSDAY, MARCH 30
How to Increase Cyber Awareness for Integrators, 10 a.m., Venetian 202: Preventing a cyber attack starts with employees: Making them aware of the threats and training them to deal with them is essential. Integrators Gary Hoffner of PSLA Security, Josh Cummings of Paladin Technologies, Christopher Peckham of Ollivier Corp., and Tyrone Chambliss of Northland Controls, will examine the steps to take to minimize the risk of a cyber attack.
SIA’s Security Megatrends: Impact and Analysis, 10 a.m., Venetian 307: This panel of industry leaders will analyze the 10 top “megatrends” shaping the security industry.
Improving Relationships: End-Users and Integrators, 1 p.m., Venetian 309: This session offers a cathartic airing of what end-users want system integrators to know and vice versa.
How Subscription-Based and Managed Services are Changing the Security Landscape, 2:15 p.m., Venetian 307: This session will focus on the integrator’s perspective on adding value by moving to subscription-based and managed services.
Paul Rothman is Editor-in-Chief of Security Business magazine, a printed partner publication of SecurityInfoWatch.com. Access the current issue, archives and subscribe at www.securitybusinessmag.com.
