SIA New Member Profile: VuTeur

VuTeur, based in Austin Texas, offers internal real-time intelligence software using two-way communication and analytics in coordination with existing physical security systems including access control, video surveillance, intercoms, intrusion detection, emergency management systems and more. The software, like the company, is called VuTeur. To learn more about it, SIA caught up with VuTeur CEO Jana Rankin. Visit the company’s website at www.VuTeur.com.

How did you get into the security industry?

By chance, really. I’ve had more than 25 years of experience in leadership, creating and managing venture startups in marketing, commercial printing, manufacturing and data management, so the technology piece of the puzzle is a natural extension of that. It was at the Detroit Auto Show that the idea for VuTeur​ came about, as we developed a way to track the assets going to and from the show. It was at that time I took off my business hat and put on my parent hat and thought, “Why can’t this work for my child’s school?” That was in 2015, and today, we’ve developed a platform that offers not only asset protection, but also access control, emergency and routine communication, intrusion detection, incident management, and analytics and reporting functionality to help streamline operations for an organization.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

Right now, I’m enjoying getting to know the security industry more, as well as working with some of the best in the business with regard to developing strong technology and a solid solution to bring to market. I’ve also enjoyed working with end users and customers to hear about the challenges they face within their organization, then try and figure out how we can build a VuTeur solution that meets these challenges and converges multiple systems together to form a better solution that keeps assets and people safe.

What’s your company’s biggest challenge right now?

Brand awareness. Being new to the security market, we’re coming into the market without much brand recognition, but we’re building that slowly but surely. We have a presence on social media and have made some key announcements this year already, which is a great step toward letting people know who we are and what we do. When we are meeting with a potential customer or integrator partner, we hear how our solution fills a hole in the market and will allow schools, hospitals, airports and transportation hubs, corporate campuses, entertainment venues and many more the ability to communicate effectively not only in the event of an emergency, but also in everyday communications. This not only makes our solution a security-centric tool, but also a business operations tool.

What trends does your company foresee for the security industry in the next year?

I think we will see emerging technology that’s different than we’ve seen used before in the security industry, including real-time location system (RTLS) technology to communicate routine and threat-based messages. Integration will continue to be a big trend in the next year as well, as it is critical for security systems to “talk” to each other, such at RTLS talking to access control and mobile devices to create a more holistic approach to protecting critical assets and people.

What does your organization receive from membership in SIA? How do you plan to be active in the association in the near future?

We’re really hoping to partner with SIA to build brand awareness for VuTeur as an emerging technology leader. We would love to bring our customers and integrators together to present webinars on threat-based communication strategies and the use of RTLS technology in today’s market. We would also love to utilize the various shows with which SIA is involved to maximize our presence and awareness.

The views and opinions expressed in guest posts and/or profiles are those of the authors or sources and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Security Industry Association (SIA).