Cyber Security, Understanding Personalities in Your Workforce, and Crisis Communications Are Featured Topics at 2015 CSAA Annual Meeting

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Keynote Address by Stan Stahl, Ph.D. on Cybercrime Challenges Leads Strong Roster of Speakers and Sessions

And now for something a little different! CSAA International has just announced the first three featured speakers for its 2015 Annual Meeting in Sonoma, CA, October 10-14. (Education sessions will be held October 12-14).

The 2015 meeting marks the beginning of a multi-year reimagining of CSAA’s annual event. “Over the next several years, CSAA will be restructuring our traditional annual meeting in order to bring the greatest possible value to our members who attend,” said CSAA President Pamela J. Petrow.

”Members will start to see these changes in Sonoma, where we have already assembled an exciting roster of speakers to present on topics that will help them advance their businesses,” said Petrow. The announced speakers are:

Keynote Speaker: Stan Stahl, Ph.D. — “Meeting the Information Security Management Challenge: The Financial Implications of Cybercrime on the Alarm Monitoring Industry” (Sponsored by Honeywell Security Products)

Stan Stahl low resStan Stahl, President of Citadel Information Group, an information security management services firm, says that cybercrime costs businesses and non-profits billions of dollars annually in theft, fraud, embezzlement, and other losses, and that meeting the cyber security challenge requires Executive Management and their Boards to take cyber security as seriously as they take operations and finance. His keynote address will illustrate the dangers of cybercrime, show how we let cyber-criminals onto our networks and provide actionable management strategies and tactics every business can take to effectively manage its cyber-risk.

“Managing cyber-risk has become the new normal, whether it’s protecting your network from cyber-criminals who want to steal your online bank credentials, dishonest competitors wanting to steal your customer lists or thieves wanting to disrupt the IP connection between you and your customers,” said Stahl. “Statistics suggest that more than 30% of cybercrime victims are small businesses like many of those in CSAA, and that 60% of these victims are out-of-business within 6 months of being hacked.”

Featured Speaker: David Margulies –“Protect Your Reputation: Crisis ManagementMargulies in the Cyber Age”

Communications guru David Margulies frequently reminds audiences that in the Cyber Age, “A lie can be halfway around the world before the truth has an opportunity to put its pants on.” At his presentation in Sonoma, he will demonstrate to attendees that “what you don’t know about crisis management in the Cyber Age can kill your business.” He will share strategies and tactics for managing unforeseen events to protect company brand and reputation.

Featured Speaker: Robert A. Rohm, Ph.D. — “Why Can’t You Be Normal…Like Me!”

Robert_A_RohmRobert A. Rohm is a dynamic speaker, best-selling author, educational consultant and guest lecturer whose message focuses on transforming people into leaders who can maximize their individual potential. Describing his special session at the CSAA Annual Meeting, Rohm says, “In the normal course of a day we meet all kinds of people. Some of them we really connect with and others… well – let’s just say we don’t quite understand them. Have you ever considered the fact that most people do not do things against you as much as they do things for themselves? This will be a lively, interactive session that will help you understand yourself and others better than you ever thought possible.”

Read the complete announcement.

Schedule and Housing Info

For more information, contact Elizabeth Lasko at CSAA, 703-242-4670 x 16 or ewlasko@csaaintl.org.

Pamela J. Petrow Named President of CSAA International

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Pamela J. Petrow, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vector Security, Inc., is the new President of CSAA International. Her term will extend through October 2017.

Pam-Petrow[1]“It is an honor and a privilege to be able to lead CSAA during this period of transformation for the alarm industry,” said Petrow. “As president, I will build on our past successes, looking to transition the Association to meet the current and future needs of our members.”

Petrow says that her vision for her term focuses specifically on member engagement and membership value. “My objectives are threefold,” she said. “One, to improve membership value and relevance; two, to help our members position their companies for the future; and three, to grow membership overall.”

“I believe in the power and value of associations, and I also understand the challenges they face in communicating their benefits to members, both current and prospective,” said Petrow. “We have already begun a review of the structure of CSAA, because our members are diverse and need more customized benefits than they have received in the past. Over my term, CSAA leadership and I will talk to every member to discuss their individual needs and determine how to bring them relevant and valuable benefits.”

In addition, she said, “One of my biggest challenges will be to reawaken enthusiasm and participation among our members. We will discover new ways that every member can make a contribution, to volunteer and share in our association community.”

“We must build on our members’ passion and tap into their expertise to improve and advance the whole alarm industry,” concluded Petrow.

Read the complete release

–Elizabeth Lasko, CSAA, May 4, 2015

CSAA 365: CSAA Wikis are a Secret Weapon for Members’ Success

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Got a minute? Find out about a CSAA membership benefit you may have been missing.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT2fEom43Ho&w=560&h=315]

Check out all of the CSAA Wikis, just one of the services CSAA provides to help our members advance their businesses all year long.

ASAP® Program: No If’s, And’s or Butts

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By Ron Walters

This post is a guest editorial that appeared in the March 2015 issue of Northeast/Midwest Sentinel. (View the article online.) Posted with permission of the publisher and author.

It wasn’t a headline or feature story butt it caught my eye. In spite of the perception that the alarm industry is the biggest issue for law enforcement, perhaps we aren’t. After all, the alarm industry’s relationship with Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPS) in our joint attempt to reduce dispatches is well documented.

As reported by Businessweek, FCC Commissioner Michael O’Reilly just announced that our nation’s PSAPS are experiencing 84 million false 9-1-1 calls annually, with 70% coming from cellular phones. To make matters worse, half of these were inadvertent “butt calls”. These calls have become so prevalent because our elected representatives decided that whether a phone was locked or not, it should be 9-1-1 capable. On the surface an honorable mission, but as Sir Isaac Newton said so many years ago, “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”.

For the last two years our industry has supported the Association of Police Communication Officers (APCO) in fighting the FCC and this same FCC Commissioner from requiring every device that connects to the Internet to be 9-1-1 capable. Really? Can you imagine the impact of every game console being connected to 9-1-1? Heck, you can’t even call a game console back.

If we truly have a common mission with law enforcement then we need to actively support them. That’s what this article is really about.

ASAP-Concept1DThe largest joint project in the history of our relationship is without question the up and coming ASAP to PSAP project. The Automated Secure Alarm Protocol to the Public Sector Answering Point(s) is a direct link between the PSAP and our central stations. Over the last 25 years there have been several attempts to launch similar programs; however, the biggest hurdle was always having direct communications with law enforcements Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) software. For security, no outside source was allowed to directly interface with these CAD programs. Also, if there was ever going to be any such connection it would require that all CAD vendors and all monitoring automation vendors come together to develop compatible software.

So what exactly is the point of ASAP to PSAP?

First and foremost is the “hands off” functionality. This means we can dispatch to the PSAP, and they can receive it, without any human interaction. Also, the dispatch can be canceled in the same fashion. In fact in some communities the alarm dispatch could potentially end up on a computer screen in a patrol car without ever having been read at the PSAP.

On the industry side the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) has not only spearheaded this effort, their members have helped finance it. Influential industry leaders such as Pam Petrow of Vector Security, Ed Bonifas of EDS and Bill Hobgood from the City of Richmond, Virginia have taken the leadership position in ASAP to PSAP and their efforts should be applauded.

ASAP to PSAP is the perfect example of how we work with law enforcement. It is truly a joint effort and promises to have a huge impact on reducing false dispatches. If you are on the monitoring side of our industry you need to contact the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) at www.csaaintl.org.

ASAP to PSAP is a monumental step in our relationship with law enforcement. No If’s, And’s or Butt’s about it, whether you are on the installation or monitoring side of the industry, you should follow the link to learn more about this vital program that promises to alter the landscape of police dispatches to alarms.

Ron Walters is a Director of SIAC and is a 35 year veteran of the alarm industry. He can be reached at ronw@siacinc.org.

Verified Alarms Lead to Priority Response

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Attending ISC West this month? Then you have a golden opportunity to learn from law enforcement how verified alarms lead to priority response. 

FreePPVAR 1 Session Sponsored by PPVAR: April 16, 4-6:00 PM 

Sheriffs and police chiefs from across the country come together on a panel hosted by the PPVAR (Partnership for Priority Verified Alarm Response) to share how video verified alarms impact alarm response in their communities.  A key focus will be law enforcement’s perspective on how the PPVAR’s new BEST PRACTICES strengthen the partnership between the “alarm industry” and “law enforcement” to deliver arrests and safer communities – with more RMR and stickier customers.

  • Discover how law enforcement view video verified alarms as a “force multiplier” to help them combat property crime and build public/private partnerships to be more effective in community policing.
  • Better understand how priority response and arrests impact loss control and impact property/casualty insurers.
  • Align your alarm company with leading industry experts as they underscore the benefits and value of video verified alarms from separate and unique perspectives.

Reception following! More information.

Follow Up: Comcast Dropped Signals

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PROBLEM:

Starting late Thursday, March 26, errors began to occur on DACT systems, not only on calls primarily originating from Comcast network customers but also other originator’s networks. These errors started to increase exponentially. The calls were coming from multiple regions across North America. All DACT formats were impacted during this episode. When actually measuring the timing of Contact ID DTMF signals, it appeared the inter-digit spacing was increased to as much as 70 milliseconds. With other formats there appeared to be echo and waveform distortion. Typically in VoIP systems, this is usually indicative of either poor network performance or the use of other than G711 CODEC.

This problem occurred before signals were handed off to affected central stations, so there was little any central station could have done to mitigate this problem, even if it is served by multiple carriers.

Many central stations were overwhelmed with the numbers of calls as panels tried to communicate, then redialing up to 16 times. This has the additional effect of reducing available capacity on incoming lines for other than Comcast customer panels.

THE WAY PSTN NETWORK WORKS TODAY:

Virtually all calls these days are transported by VoIP, somewhere along the way, even if the customer’s panel is connected to a legacy PSTN.

Regarding the issue at hand, this diagram shows how these signals are transported from a customer’s panel beginning with the Comcast network, then ultimately to the central station.

Carrier+Routing+Comcast2

In this instance Comcast calls that were originated from Comcast customers traveled though the Comcast network but are then handed off to an interexchange carrier.  In this case the interexchange carrier was Peerless Networks. Since Comcast uses multiple vendors for this traffic, some Comcast calls would be effected, others would not.  A very high percentage of the calls routed through Peerless seemed to fail.

WHAT WAS DONE:

Several of the national monitoring/alarm companies contacted Comcast at a high level on March 30, and by the morning of March 31 Comcast was able to move the traffic away from Peerless. This, for the most part, slowed down the error rate to manageable levels. Central stations may still be receiving communication troubles messages and other signals as communications start to restore.

NOW WHAT:

We are continuing to follow this issue. AICC has started a project to work with the carriers. But what we really need is evidence. So that we effectively move forward, please complete the AICC DACT Dropped Call Survey.

American Alarm Makes First ASAP Dispatch in New England

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On March 22, 2015 at 7:06 p.m., a motion sensor alarm was received from an American Alarm and Communications customer in Richmond, VA. Upon call verification, American Alarm Central Station Operator Bob Goulet used the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP) to contact Richmond police and transfer information to the Richmond PSAP. It was the first ASAP dispatch made from a central station in New England.

“After working hard with the CSAA to implement ASAP, we were very excited to put the system into live action,” said Chris Newhook, Central Station Manager at American Alarm. “Our team is trained and ready to react. Bob did an excellent job.”

The alarm came from the Richmond location of a multi-state retail operation headquartered in Massachusetts. American Alarm operates its own dedicated Five Diamond Central Station  and now has ASAP capability in Richmond, Washington D.C. and Tempe, AZ. American Alarm and the CSAA are now working with the City of Boston to implement ASAP as part of the city’s ongoing dispatch center upgrade.

Find out more about ASAP.

Security Incentive Bob Goulet, left, receives a $50 gift card from American Alarm CFO Louis Sampson for making the first dispatch using ASAP.

Central station operator Bob Goulet, left, receives a $50 gift card from American Alarm CFO Louis Sampson for making the first dispatch using ASAP.

Jay Hauhn is New Executive Director of CSAA International

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Industry Veteran Tapped to Lead Association Representing Professional Monitoring Companies

VIENNA, VA (March 31, 2015) – Jay Hauhn, a 38-year veteran of the security industry, is the new executive director of CSAA International. Hauhn will assume his new role, which is the lead staff position of the association, on April 6.

“Jay brings a unique combination of strength in technology, existing relationships with public safety liaisons and sister associations, knowledge of new players in the market, and an understanding of the values and goals of the association,” said CSAA First Vice President Pam Petrow. “With his leadership, CSAA will be able to engage our members and collaborators in new ways to keep us relevant and stronger than ever.”

Jay Hauhn headshot 2013

Jay Hauhn

“I am excited to have the chance to lead CSAA, and to work with the board of directors, the volunteer committees and the staff, particularly at this time when rapidly-changing technology impacts our industry like never before,” said Hauhn, who has close ties with CSAA, having served as president of the association since October 2013.

“I started my career in the security industry working in a central station, and it’s a remarkable opportunity to cap off my career as the executive director of the association that represents monitoring companies and protects their interests,” he continued.

Hauhn recently retired as chief technology officer and vice president of industry relations at Tyco Integrated Security, where he was responsible for product technology and innovation along with industry and government relations. He led product and service solution development and engineering as well as development and implementation of product strategy. He was also responsible for interaction with industry associations, regulatory agencies and local, state and federal governments.

Previously, Hauhn served as chairman of the Security Industry Association (SIA) and currently sits on the board of directors of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC). He is the recipient of numerous industry awards, including SIA’s “Statesman Award” in 2009 and SIAC’s William Mooney award in 2011. In April 2011, he was inducted into the Security Industry Hall of Fame. Hauhn was also recognized as one of the “Security Industry’s Most Influential People” in 2012 and named one of the forty “Most influential People in Security & Fire” by IFSEC (International Fire and Security Exhibition and Conference) in 2013.

As CSAA executive director, Hauhn will follow Steve Doyle, who retired in September 2014, and Louis T. Fiore, a CSAA past president, who filled the executive position while the CSAA board conducted its search. “The members of the CSAA board would like to thank Lou Fiore for taking on the responsibilities of interim executive director,” said Petrow.  “Lou, a distinguished industry veteran, has ably filled the executive role by leading the staff and sustaining our relationships with members and partner associations, in addition to maintaining his leadership roles with the Alarm Industry Communications Committee and the Standards Committee.”

For more information, contact Elizabeth Lasko at CSAA, 703-242-4670 x 16 or ewlasko@csaaintl.org.

About CSAA International

The Central Station Alarm Association International (CSAA) is an internationally-recognized non-profit trade association that represents professional monitoring companies that are listed by a CSAA-approved Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory, such as FM Global, Intertek/ETL or UL. CSAA is legally entitled to represent its members before Congress and regulatory agencies on the local, state and federal levels, and other authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs) over the industry. Since its incorporation in 1950, CSAA has served its members’ interests through education, online training, meetings and conventions, certification, insurance, and industry standards. www.csaaintl.org. For more information, contact Elizabeth Lasko at CSAA, 703-242-4670 x 16.

Breaking: Issue with Receiving Alarm Signals via Comcast

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From AICC Chair Lou Fiore:

“We have received word of central stations complaining of issues receiving alarm signals since Friday, March 24. It turns out that the majority of the issues have Comcast as the originating carrier. The issue seems widespread from Massachusetts to Texas at the moment and may be spreading beyond. The majority of the issues are with the Contact ID format. It appears that the DTMF tones and the spaces between them are being lengthened.

“I have reached out to our contact at Comcast. They are aware of the problem, know the cause and are in the process of resolving it — hopefully within hours.

“I urge all affected central stations to fill out the AICC DACT survey so that we can track this issue and other similar issues.”

— March 31, 2015

Complete the AICC DACT Survey

CSAA Releases Results of Survey of Central Station Monitoring Companies’ Wage and Salary Practices

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CSAA International has released the results of the 2013 Wage and Salary Survey, which will assist businesses within the industry with competitive compensation practices. The survey is the most extensive snapshot of industry practices to date.

The purpose of the survey is to assist monitoring companies with hiring and compensation decisions.  “The information gathered will be very useful to central station companies looking to impro2014-WageSalaryPractices-Iconve or expand their businesses,” said CSAA Past President Bud Wulforst, who was instrumental in the development of the survey. “If, for instance, you are a national monitoring company, how do you know what is a fair and competitive wage in Missouri vs. California? And what if you are only monitoring video, as opposed to fire, burglary, PERS, temperature, or other monitoring outlets? This survey will help get you that data.”

The data will be particularly useful to the human resources staff at alarm companies.

The survey collected information from the year 2013 in the following areas:

  • Demographic Data
  • Types of Monitoring
  • Executive & Operational Management
  • Central Station, Office, Sales, and Marketing Positions
  • Dealer & Customer Support, Data
  • IT & Telecom Services
  • Benefits Packages
  • Position Descriptions

Confidential participation was open to all monitoring companies—both CSAA members and non-members. The survey was created by the CSAA Contract Council and was facilitated by Barnes Associates, an advisory and consulting firm that specializes in the security alarm industry.

“This survey is an example of CSAA volunteers working to create resources that will be invaluable to all our members,” said CSAA President Jay Hauhn. “We especially thank the leadership of the Contract Monitoring Council for the efforts they made to gather the content. And a very special thank you goes to Barnes Associates for the extraordinary work they did to assemble the data in such a user-friendly format.”

To purchase the survey results, visit http://csaaintl.org/csaa-wage-salary-survey/ .

Additional resource: the Security Industry Recruitment Center is the premiere online recruiting resource for the electronic security industry. Post your open positions today!