A SIA Priority: R&D for Critical Infrastructure Protection at DHS
Earlier this month, the Security Industry Association (SIA) wrotea letter of support to Rep. Pat Meehan (R-Pa.) to support H.R. 2952, the Critical Infrastructure Research and Development Act of 2013 (CIRDA). This legislation calls for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop a research and development strategy for critical infrastructure technologies, to increase public-private…
Keep Reading »Concerns About GSA Reverse Auctions
Recently, the Security Industry Association (SIA) wrote to the General Services Administration (GSA) to express its concerns about the GSA Reverse Auctions Program. On July 1, GSA launched GSA Reverse Auctions, online at http://reverseauctions.gsa.gov, to buy “non-complex commodities and simple services” through competitive “bidding down” by vendors, allowing a federal agency to make an award…
Keep Reading »2012: A Good Year for SIA
Recently, the Security Industry Association (SIA) published its 2012 Annual Report, which gave SIA Members insight into an outstanding year for SIA. In 2012, SIA grew stronger, added new members, strengthened its government outreach, provided strong educational opportunities and expanded its standards activity. An association such as ours is only as good as its membership,…
Keep Reading »SNMP for Network Security Devices? Now We’re Talking.
It’s inescapable. These days, any piece of technology introduced into an environment must be able to run on the enterprise network. Moreover, devices can’t just “sit there” on the network; they must actively communicate with other devices plugged into it. As the bright lines between security and IT become more and more blurred, it is…
Keep Reading »SIA Technology Insights Provides Exclusive Analyses of Security Solutions
For the past few years, SIA has worked toward enhancing its standing as a “thought leader” in the security industry. The association has long been known for its effective government relations, standards and education programs, and we now want to enhance its reputation as an information resource for members, end-users and the public. A key…
Keep Reading »Counterfeit Goods Could Be Threatening Your Brand; SIA Launching Committee to Help
SIA will be launching an anti-counterfeiting committee in the coming months, and as part of the preparation for that project, SIA CEO Don Erickson and I attended the UL Brand Protection Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on June 11-12. The conference, while not focused on security products, provided a good overview of the counterfeiting/brand theft…
Keep Reading »SIA Member Profile: Johnson Yang, Vice President of Sales, Plustek Security
How did you get into the Security Industry? Plustek started its business since 1986. The major business is a professional scanner manufacturer that provides a variety of scanner product lines. It includes general consumer scanners, professional document and film scanners, as well as various embedded and standalone scanners. Plustek believes embedded software solutions would be…
Keep Reading »SIA Member Profile: John Convy, Sr. VP Strategic Alliances, BRS Labs
How did you get into the security business? I sold the software company I started 10 years earlier, and had a 3 year non-compete agreement with the buyers, so I was looking around for new challenges when 9/11 happened. An friend of mine had just been appointed Deputy Sergeant at Arms for Security at the…
Keep Reading »Good Training Is a Prime Directive for Integrators
When a systems integrator puts a strong focus on training their staff, it is a winning situation for everyone. For the customer, there is the benefit of having a team certified in the equipment being deployed, which in turn delivers a better quality installation. The integrator gets the advantage of providing better quality work, creating…
Keep Reading »Inside the SIA NPS: A Judge’s Perspective
A few years ago I accepted an invitation to become a judge on the SIA New Product Showcase (NPS) judging committee at ISC West. As a security consultant, a former registered architect and former end user, I thought it would be a great opportunity to identify new and emerging technologies, and to provide input to…
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