Ron Virden

An aging employee population and the influx of a new generation of workers and customers is driving change in the physical security industry. Millennials – those born in the 1980s and mid-1990s – are especially impacting how the industry operates, the technologies it produces, and the customers it serves. This tech-savvy generation grew up with the Internet at their fingertips. They embrace innovation in all its glory and expect it to play a seamless role in their lives – and work. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How are millennials changing how security systems are designed, installed and/or operated?

What is a business, or an industry, but a collection of people and the results of their work? People make all the difference in the destiny of a business or industry. And the people involved in a business reflect the impact of demographic changes – and the passage of time. The security industry has been largely built by Baby Boomers, who are getting older and increasingly stepping aside to make way for younger folks. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Is there a “new generation” of employees and managers entering the physical security marketplace, and what will be the impact?

Using a smart phone as an access control credential is an idea whose time has come – or has it? The flexible uses of smart phones are transforming our lives in multiple ways, and the devices are replacing everything from our alarm clocks to our wallets to our televisions. However, the transformation from using a card to using a mobile credential for access control is far from a no-brainer for many organizations, which obstacles to a fast or easy transition. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: When will mobile credentials dominate access control, and what are the obstacles to greater adoption?

The physical security industry is embracing the cloud in a big way. Cloud-based systems – which involve accessing a shared pool of information technology resources via the Internet – are much higher-profile in the video and access control markets, and large and small companies are getting on the cloud bandwagon. We asked this week's Expert Panel Roundtable: What factors are contributing to growth in cloud systems in the security market?

Look who’s talking about the top issues in the physical security industry in 2019. Our website’s Expert Panel Roundtable discussions in 2019 reflected some of the most timely and important topics in the industry. The very most-clicked-on Expert Panel Roundtable discussion in 2019 was about the year before – reviewing what caused disruptions in 2018. The second most popular was about 2019, the year ahead. Other hot topics that made the Top-10 list of roundtable discussions included what makes a good security salesperson, the need for greater cybersecurity awareness, and how millennials are changing the industry. Here is a roundup of the Top 10 Expert Panel Roundtable discussions posted in 2019, along with a “sound bite” from each discussion and links back to the full articles. Thanks to everyone who contributed to Expert Panel Roundtable in 2019 (including the quotable panelists named and linked below). 1. What caused the most disruption in 2018 in the physical security space? “The industry is in the midst of a dynamic technology revolution, and we are seeing increased use of security solutions that leverage machine-based learning, artificial intelligence, and robotics. This past year, the market embraced these emerging technologies, with a myriad of solutions now being embedded with these capabilities, including IP cameras, access control systems, security robots, and drones.” – Travis Deyle, Cobalt Robotics 2. What technology trend will have the biggest impact on physical security in 2019? “IoT (Internet of Things) will continue to make us more efficient. We’re already seeing the increased integration of IoT devices into enterprise-level solutions. The rise in city-living is also putting pressure on infrastructure, so it will become increasingly important for the truly smart and safe city to move beyond a vision into reality.” – Jamie Barnfield, IDIS 3. What are the security challenges of hospitals and the healthcare industry? “Preventing security incidents is a priority and a challenge for healthcare directors. Traditionally, the success of a healthcare facility’s safety program has been equated to the number of issues that warranted a response; though, the simple number of emergency responses is not helpful in preventing the same situations from occurring again.” – Julie Brown, Johnson Controls 4. What characteristics do salespeople require in the physical security industry? “To be a good salesperson, you must understand each customer’s needs and help them solve their problems. In physical security, this need is typically some kind of risk mitigation – guarding themselves and their organizations against threats, danger and liability. This makes the conversation more fraught than if you were selling a business product such as lighting, HR software or insurance, since ultimately you are talking about people’s lives and livelihoods.” – Dave Whitis, Boon Edam 5. How does security technology make our schools safer? “IP-based physical security solutions can help deliver safer environments so that students, staff, and faculty can focus on learning. Video surveillance provides a live and recorded visual representation of what’s happening across a school and can readily be called upon to access important information during an investigation. Electronic access control on doors and barriers not only regulates who goes where, but also provides protection for property and assets.” – Terry Schulenberg, Genetec 6. Is greater awareness helping to increase cybersecurity? “On a daily basis, we hear of widely publicized cybersecurity incidents which affect our customer’s businesses, peace of mind, and assets. This new world is one the physical security industry has not been familiar with. What follows these well-publicized events is frustration and confusion, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses. Confusion then leads to application of ineffective security tools or, worse, inaction.” – Drew Alexander, STANLEY Security 7. What security markets are likely to embrace AI? “Transportation seems to be the market that could benefit the most from embracing artificial intelligence. As it relates to people tracking, AI could single out deviating behavior, such as someone walking against the flow of rush-hour traffic, and in turn could initiate a real-time response so authorities can determine whether or not intervening is necessary.” – Per Björkdahl, ONVIF 8. How are Millennials changing the security industry? “Over the last few years, we’ve seen the Millennial generation have a profound impact on the security industry, and this is largely due to the fact that those born in this time period have a very knowledgeable and in-depth experience with technology. Millennials are accustomed to smart devices, automation and at-your-fingertips accessibility, which has created new and unfamiliar demands when it comes to security systems and solutions.” – Ron Virden, ACRE 9. What are the mainstream uses for thermal cameras? “Thermal cameras have been the go-to solution for perimeter protection applications for decades. This year, we’re seeing more integrations of thermal cameras with other solutions like radar to improve redundancy, long-range detection and alarm verification for airports and other large sites. Thanks to new technology partnerships and thermal offerings, customers are seeing the value of thermal beyond traditional use cases.” – Fredrik Wallberg, FLIR Systems 10. How do software improvements drive physical security? “Software improvements ultimately drive greater interoperability among technology partners and system integration in physical security solutions. From a surveillance standpoint, software is also increasingly used to enhance system performance and overall longevity by identifying anomalies. For example, to ensure video data is preserved and not lost, customers are using health monitoring software on surveillance hard drives.” – Jessica Burton, Seagate Technology

Cloud platforms and applications are becoming prevalent across security solutions. In the simplest terms, cloud systems store and access data and programs over the Internet instead of using an on-premises computer server. The cloud is a metaphor for the Internet. This technology helps security integrators provide managed services and the advantages of off-site systems and services to customers, which is why cloud computing is often mentioned among the 'megatrends' in the physical security industry. Here is part one of our Cloud Security series. Cloud Computing The way users purchase services and products is changing in all walks of life, including the physical security market. The traditional concept of buying and owning a product is giving way to the idea that it is possible to purchase the services it offers instead.  Data capture form to appear here! This approach has come from the consumer realization that the outcome is more important than the tools to achieve it. For example, this approach is evident with the rise of music streaming services as opposed to downloads or physical products. And it coincides with a rise in cloud computing. The cloud is a metaphor for the Internet and the way users purchase services and products is changing in all walks of life, including the physical security market With the physical security industry becoming ever more integrated – and truly open systems now a reality – there is every reason to assume this service-led trend will come to dominate the way our industry interacts with its clients as well. Customer choice equates to a change of focus and interest, with physical products being eclipsed by the benefits of the overall solution. Cloud-based services put the onus on the result rather than which device the user chooses. There are benefits for security providers too. Rather than simply 'shifting boxes' and enduring the inevitable sales peaks and troughs this creates; Security as a Service (SaaS) sales allow manufacturers and installers to enjoy a more stable business model. Cloud-Based Solutions Will Have Large Impact “Cloud-based solutions will continue to have a large impact across the security industry in 2019,” says Fawzia Atcha, Vice President, Imron Corp., one of our Expert Panelists. “We saw this trend dominate product offerings in the home security market throughout 2018. We expect the commercial and industrial markets to move in this direction as well, thanks to customer demand." More and more businesses are realising that leveraging the cloud is the most efficient way to solve emerging challenges" "End users are looking for more streamlined experiences, opting for applications that can be accessed remotely from mobile devices as opposed to desktop software or through a server. Dealers and integrators are seeking to increase recurring monthly revenue through managed services to drive their bottom line. These are just some of the factors driving strong adoption of hosted and web-based cloud solutions.” “More and more businesses are realizing that leveraging the cloud is the most efficient way to solve emerging challenges,” says Ron Virden, Chief Operating Officer, ACRE, LLC, another Expert Panelist. “Cloud-based applications offer significant financial savings by enabling more cost-effective scaling, as well as a reduction in hardware maintenance and management costs, more resilience, ease of mobile support, flexibility, and greater user experience.” Integrators are adjusting business models to leverage cloud-based solutions and there has been a rise of cloud-based products and offerings Accessibility, Infrastructure And Management Wayne Jared, VP Engineering of 3XLOGIC, Inc., another Expert Panelist, lists three features of cloud-based SaaS that are the most valuable: Eliminating the need for internal infrastructure, and thus upfront costs and long-term maintenance issues; Allowing “experts” to manage the environment and take the burden off stretched or non-existent IT staff; Accessibility from anywhere for ease of use with higher-level security. There has been a rise of cloud-based products and service offerings that security integrators have access to. While a few key players have offered cloud-based solutions for a couple of years, on the video side in particular, now the cloud is really picking up steam across all other security and life safety solutions. As a result, integrators are adjusting their business models to leverage these cloud-based solutions into recurring revenue models as managed security service providers (MSSP). Part two, coming soon.

ACRE, a global provider of integrated technology solutions and services, announced that ACRE, Vanderbilt and its subsidiaries, has entered into a strategic alliance with AlertEnterprise to expand and diversify technology options for customers. The AlertEnterprise suite of security convergence software, including its Physical Identity and Access Management (PIAM) solution, combined with the Vanderbilt Security Management Solution (SMS), will offer predictive analytics, compliance and advanced insider threat management capabilities to customers. This combination delivers large-scale enterprises and critical infrastructure customers the most advanced and tightly integrated security solution available anywhere. Providing Best-In-Class Integrated Solutions The agreement represents ACRE's vision to provide best-in-class integrated technology solutions and services through valuable partnerships with companies that share the same goals “Functional integration with ACRE and its brands accelerates our goal to provide enterprise-class physical identity and access management solutions to a broad, global market of technically discriminating clients,” said Jasvir Gill, Founder and CEO, AlertEnterprise. “This agreement enables ACRE and AlertEnterprise to cement global leadership in enterprise-class operational environments with advanced state-of-the-art IT-Physical-OT Security Convergence protection.” The agreement represents ACRE's vision to provide best-in-class integrated technology solutions and services through valuable partnerships with companies that share the same goals. By integrating innovative technology with its Vanderbilt and ComNet brands, ACRE ensures the continuous delivery of advanced security technology and networking communications solutions to thousands of customers around the world. Comprehensive Approach “Partnering with AlertEnterprise also allows ACRE to offer corporations and critical infrastructure verticals a comprehensive approach to physical identity and access management across the enterprise,” said Ron Virden, COO, ACRE. “Our vision is to better predict threats and provide our customers, through meaningful collaboration, the ability to adopt cutting-edge technology that increases security, visibility and control.”

In the short video, Kim Loy, Director of Communications and Technology, David Sullivan, Executive Vice President of Global Sales, and Ron Virden, President of Vanderbilt International, discuss the culture and experience behind the winning team at Vanderbilt. “We make a practice of hiring a lot of new young people so that we can infiltrate the organization with fresh new ideas to compliment some of the tribal knowledge that we’ve had in the company for many years,” said Kim Loy, Director of Communications & Technology. Right Time To Join The Company We’re excited about the acquisition pipeline that we have right now and we’re looking forward to making a few strategic acquisitions in the next year" David Sullivan touches on the culture of empowerment at play in Vanderbilt, and the flexible measure of control that employees can enjoy in their position. “We want to make sure that decisions are made in the field, so our culture here does provide empowerment, and it gives a lot of autonomy at being able to work in your position,” said David Sullivan, Executive Vice President of Global Sales. Pointing toward the positive horizon at Vanderbilt, Ron Virden summarises why now is the right time to join in the company ranks. “We’ve got the research and backing to purchase additional companies that offer a variety of different technologies. We’re excited about the acquisition pipeline that we have right now and we’re looking forward to making a few strategic acquisitions in the next year. Now is the right time to join Vanderbilt,” commented Ron Virden, President of Vanderbilt International.

ACRE, a global provider of security products and solutions for the access control, intrusion, smart traffic and video surveillance markets, has announced the appointment of Ronald Virden as Chief Operating Officer, effective April 1, 2018. With extensive experience in senior leadership roles with global entities, Virden will help to elevate ACRE’s position in the electronic security marketplace, seek new opportunities for growth, and strengthen the momentum following recent strategic deals. “Following the divestiture of our Mercury Security business last year, ACRE fully expects to focus again on growth, both organically and through new acquisitions,” said Joe Grillo, CEO of ACRE. “In order to do so, we were looking to expand our already strong management team. Adding someone with Ron’s experience represents a great opportunity for ACRE. His experience and track record are impressive.”Virden is a seasoned global executive with extensive experience with Fortune 50 organizations Business Expertise “ACRE has built a significant business by combining the powers of multiple brands that deliver disruptive technologies and services addressing a wide variety of organizational requirements,” said Virden. “Having led companies through rapid growth periods to significant scale and business success, I saw that my experience could help propel ACRE to even greater success and I am pleased to have the opportunity to join the company as it continues to evolve.” Virden is a seasoned global executive with extensive experience with Fortune 50 organizations. He most recently served as President and Managing Director for Global Security Products, Americas/Global Access Solutions at UTC, encompassing UTC's Interlogix and GE Security brands, as well as Supra, Onity and Lenel. Prior to that, Virden was President and Managing Director of GE Industrial Systems, GE Security/Supra, where he more than doubled international revenue and drove the strategic development of products to address specific market needs globally. He holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix.

To recognize their business relationship, Mercury has named Lenel it’s first-ever Platinum Premier partner Since 1995, Lenel, a provider of advanced security systems, and Mercury Security, a leader in the supply of OEM access control hardware, have collaborated to deliver innovative, open access control solutions to security professionals around the globe. To recognize this significant and long-established business relationship, Mercury has named Lenel it’s first-ever Platinum Premier partner. Lenel is part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. New Mercury Partner Program Category “Our valued business relationships are essential to Mercury’s business and ongoing growth,” said Matthew Barnette, President of Mercury Security.  “We consider a range of factors when we look at our technology collaborators. Lenel’s commitment and our joint success drove the formation of a new Mercury partner program category, with the appointment of Lenel as the first to obtain Platinum Premier status.” The companies hit a significant milestone with the celebration of their 20-year relationship in September 2015, followed by the November 2016 release of the jointly-developed InfoGraphics bridge board for Facility Commander™ Wnx (FC Wnx), Diamond II and Sapphire customers – available only through Lenel. Ron Virden, Managing Director, global access solutions, UTC Climate, Controls & Security, said: “This announcement builds on the rich history between our two companies. Lenel’s focus on software and Mercury’s hardware expertise, combined with a mutual commitment to deliver powerful end-to-end solutions, has created a great value proposition for our customers.” Lenel has simultaneously reinvented the OnGuard experience to make it more Web and mobile friendly Joint Commitment To Advancing The Industry Over the last two years, both companies have experienced an exciting period of innovation.  Mercury released new hardware to Lenel, including the LNL-1300e IP single door and alarm panel interface, and the LNL-4420 advanced dual reader controller with increased system capacities. They also provided different options for Honeywell, Tyco and legacy Lenel systems customers to move from their formerly proprietary hardware to open Mercury solutions. In addition, Mercury enhanced their feature set in areas such as BACnet and OSDP v2 support. In that same time, Lenel has released four major versions of its leading OnGuard® platform, supporting all of Mercury’s new boards, migration solutions and many new features. Virden went on to say that, “Lenel has simultaneously reinvented the OnGuard experience to make it more Web and mobile friendly, plus we released our exciting BlueDiamond™ mobile credentialing solution, which includes encrypted Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP) communications to many of the Mercury panels we offer.” “Both companies continue to innovate individually and collaboratively to deliver significant customer benefits, and Lenel’s new Platinum Premier status truly reflects Lenel and Mercury’s joint commitment to advancing our industry,” added Barnette.

This is the 18th year the Little League World Baseball® Series has been secured by Lenel Teams from around the world converged on Williamsport in central Pennsylvania for the 70th annual Little League Baseball World Series championship, which ran through August 28. And, as it has for the past 18 years, Lenel, a provider in advanced security systems, is there to help keep the iconic summer event safe and secure. From Lenel mobile apps that allow on-site officers to monitor and share video to – new to the games – Interlogix technology to help protect the on-site police station, advanced security solutions are in place throughout the World Series complex. Lenel and Interlogix are parts of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. Latest In Electronic Security Little League’s long-term association with Lenel allows the organization to keep the focus where it should be – on the games’ young players, according to James Ferguson, director of security for Little League International. “Lenel’s donation of time, expertise and systems gives us the latest in electronic security,” Ferguson said. “That lets us provide top level security, so fans, coaches, volunteers, families and players can enjoy and celebrate the games.” The Little League Baseball World Series (LLBWS) is a special summer youth sporting event celebrating sportsmanship, hard work and fun for leagues from 7,000 communities and 83 countries. Ron Virden, General Manager, Electronic Access Control Solutions, UTC Climate, Controls & Security, shared that, “The company’s mission is to provide safety and security for people where they work, live and play and our long-term LLBWS relationship is an excellent example. We are proud to be able to provide the most updated, unified security systems based on our industry-leading OnGuard security platform.” Remote Monitoring And Access Control "Lenel lets us provide top levelsecurity, so fans, coaches,volunteers, families and playerscan enjoy and celebrate thegames" Upon arrival, each player, staff member, volunteer and vendor is enrolled in the OnGuard system and receives a photo identification badge for use during the series. The personalized badges allow entry to selected areas of the facility. Only players and select staff are allowed access to the LLBWS dormitory areas where players sleep, eat and rest. As badge holders move throughout the facility they must present their credentials at key checkpoints. The access control system taps into the video system presenting a live video feed and the cardholder’s database photo for easy identification by security guards. This year the OnGuard platform features the web-based dashboard OnGuard WATCH. This diagnostics tool offers an intuitive graphical interface that makes it even easier for LLBWS security professionals to gather data and respond quickly to system needs. The system will also use Lenel Prism, an open IP-based video management system, providing situational awareness for the LLBWS security operations center. The on-site team will also be able to remotely monitor and send video throughout the complex through Prism Mobile. Other Benefits Of The System Include: Video analytics that help find lost children in the crowd or identify suspicious packages and vehicles The ability to send video from the security operations center or remotely to first responders Emergency evacuation with a roll call feature to facilitate everyone’s safe exit out of the facility Another first this year is the use of the award-winning UltraSync self-contained intrusion detection and smart hub by Interlogix at the LLBWS on-site police station. Sensor technology will allow officers to remotely control lights, lock/unlock doors and view footage from video cameras using the UltraSync mobile app. Save Save Save Save

Lenel is there for the 17th consecutive year helping to protect players, coaches, officials and fans As 16 teams from around the world converge for the 69th annual Little League World Series, Lenel, a leading provider in advanced security systems, is there for the 17th consecutive year helping to protect players, coaches, officials and fans. Lenel is part of UTC Building & Industrial Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp. Annual Participation Each year, Lenel contributes its technology, supplies, service and expertise to help protect attendees of the 10-day event, which culminates this year with the world championship game on Aug. 30. James Ferguson, director of security for Little League International, said Lenel’s annual participation is important to his department as it works to ensure the tournament’s safe conduct. “The time, talent and resources provided by Lenel have made them a long-term and valued partner of the Little League World Series,” Ferguson said. “With the latest electronic security technology available to us, we know we are doing all we can to ensure the safety of the players, coaches, spectators and volunteers who make this an exciting global event.” Ron Virden, general manager, electronic access control solutions at UTC Building & Industrial Systems, said Lenel is deeply committed to the youth baseball organization, which now involves more than 2.6 million children in more than 75 countries. “The Little League World Series is an iconic summer event and it’s our privilege to help provide a safer and more secure environment for all involved,” Virden said. “Each year we ensure that Little League Baseball has the latest updates of our industry-leading OnGuard® integrated security platform and other integrated security products.” Remote Monitoring With Prism New this year, Lenel is piloting the latest version of its Prism® open IP video management system in the tournament command center. This new version features Prism Mobile, enabling security guards in the field to remotely monitor surveillance cameras throughout the complex. Prism’s embedded Video Matrix feature allows Little League security to share video with local first responders. Upon arrival at the Little League complex, each player is enrolled in the OnGuard system and receives a photo identification badge to wear throughout the series. The badges allow players to access areas throughout the Creighton J. Hale International Grove, where they live, eat and relax between games. Visual Verification And Identification The OnGuard system also links with the complex’s video surveillance, allowing video verification of people accessing selected areas. When a person presents a badge to a card reader, live video is displayed along with the cardholder’s database photo. This enables security personnel to visually verify the person’s identity. In addition to identity verification and safeguarding children, the OnGuard platform is safeguarding many other activities, including: Locating lost children – the OnGuard system’s video analytics can help spot children that may have wandered away from The Grove or spectator areas. Evacuations — the system provides a roll call ensuring that all cardholders are accounted for. Averting threats and locating lost articles — OnGuard’s intelligent video algorithms can help locate lost articles, detect suspicious packages left unattended, vehicles in forbidden areas and other out-of-the-ordinary activity. Medical intervention — Sick or injured individuals can be quickly located so that medical attention can be provided.