UL Releases Remote Virtual Audit Procedures

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UL has posted content on their website to provide detailed information on the new virtual audit policy and procedure.

Due to the safety concerns of our its customers and audit staff surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, UL is announcing a virtual or remote audit (RA) option for completing the annual compliance audit of UL Listed monitoring facilities for the remainder of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The virtual RA will follow a similar process as the on-site audits normally conducted but will be conducted utilizing a combination of information gathering techniques through discussion, question  and answer, document screensharing, webcam, FaceTime, and/or similar video sharing methods.

Go to https://www.ul.com/resources/monitoring-station-virtual-remote-audit-procedures for details.

Cyber-attacks – Are you prepared?

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Over the past few weeks, TMA has virtually hosted its 2020 Annual Meeting and the first portions of its OPS-TECH 2020. Cyber attacks and ransomware has been a thread through both programs.

When it comes to cyber-attacks, it’s no longer “if”; it’s when

Our Annual Meeting cyber panel of experts definitely got the hearts and minds of attendees racing with the news that it isn’t “if” your company is attacked; it’s when. The incidents of ransomware has more than doubled in the period between the end of 2019 and Q3 2020. According to the panel’s moderator, Sacha Kylau, Director Business Development, OnTel, “It is getting worse and worse. Plan for the day you will be hit.” Plans should include a business continuity plan and a disaster plan. The panel stated that company and customer data must be protected, but emphasized that it is impossible to 100% secure data. The panel advised attendees to implement a multi-layered approach. Staff training in accordance with the plans is imperative. Be proactive. It is too late when something happens.

US FBI offers tools and assistance to businesses

On Tues., Nov. 17th, FBI Special Agent Brian, the third portion of our OPS-TECH 2020 kicks-off with a keynote address by Brian Cyprian, a Special Agent for the FBI and Supervisor of the Charlotte Cyber Task Force. Special Agent Cyprian will deliver a cyber threat update, explaining the latest trends in current and evolving cyber-attacks with guidance and best practices for managing these threats.

He’ll share strategies for preparation, prevention, and responding to cyber-attacks in partnership with the FBI. Learn how your IT teams can benefit from access to the tools and assistance that is available from your local FBI office.

Learn more about the technology portion of our OPS-TECH 2020 meeting, opening tomorrow, and register to take part in the topical, timely subject matters impacting your business today and in the future. Go online to http://tma.us/events/operations-technology-seminar/

Access Recordings of TMA Fall Meetings – Save 25% on 11/30/20

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TMA’s 2020 Annual Meeting (10/20) and OPS-TECH 2020 (11/20) offered monitoring center and security industry professionals multiple days of valuable, virtual learning. Our attendees rated all sessions highly for content, value, and speaker quality!

If you were not able to attend, or if you did, but would like to share some sessions with colleagues, TMA has uploaded all available recordings for on-demand viewing. And, for just one-day (Monday, Nov. 30th), TMA is offering 25% off access fees on both full meeting packages and individual sessions.

It’s an opportune time to purchase sessions for colleagues and peers who did not attend!

For full details, go to http://tma.us/eve…/tma-fall-2020-events-session-recordings/

Session Topics Include:

  1. 2020 Annual Meeting: http://tma.us/events/annual-meeting/#toggle-id-4
    1. Home Security Market
    2. Working from Home
    3. Attrition Study
    4. Finance/M&As
    5. Cyber
    6. More!
  2. OPS-TECH 2020 : http://tma.us/events/operations-technology-seminar/#toggle-id-4
    1. Operations
    2. Video
    3. Technology

A friend in need…

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A member and valued friend of TMA, industry consultant Bob Harris, Attrition Busters, has been hospitalized with COVID-19 for the last month and has been on a ventilator in recent weeks. While his condition has slightly improved, he remains in very critical condition.

Bob and his family need our support at this time in the form of positive thoughts, prayers, and financial donations.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to collect donations for the family. Please take a moment to visit the page and make a donation of any size. https://gf.me/u/zan2y2

Thank you for your support.

Our holiday gift to you – Save 20% on TMA's operator training

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As this year comes to a close, all of us at TMA wanted to say, “Thank You!” We are so grateful for your membership and participation in the professional monitoring community. It’s been a year of unforeseen obstacles for all of us—personally and professionally. 

To show our appreciation, we are offering a 20% discount on all operator training delivered through our training portal at TMATraining.org, now through Dec. 31st.  

While we couldn’t solve every challenge 2020 threw our collective way, we’ve worked hard to support you virtually through our Town Halls, Annual Meeting, and OPS-TECH events curated to make your job easier.  

Next year, we’re focused on making access to collaboration even easier, by continuing with our virtual education platform, expanding our training resources, and enhancing your ability to apply industry best-practices.  Here are just a few items we’re excited about delivering in 2021:

  1. MYM, April 20-22
  2. Online Operator Candidate Assessment Tool
  3. Proprietary Member Users Forum
  4. Upgrades to TMATraining.org
  5. Annual Meeting, October 9-13, Ritz Carlton Kapalua, Maui
  6. OPS-TECH, Charlotte, NC – Hosted by CPI Security (Dates TBD)

We’re committed to delivering content you’ll love in 2021. Make sure to keep an eye on TMA.us for registration information and other updates.

TMA’s Operator Online Courses

To learn more about TMA’s Operator Online Training programs, visit the TMA website (Links below). When you are ready to purchase, contact our helpdesk (8 AM- 8 PM) by calling (502) 254-1506 or emailing support@TMATraining.org. (Note: Special pricing only available for a maximum of 10 course purchases.)  

Just remember…this special offer expires December 31st at midnight!

  1. TMA Operator Online – Level 1
  2. TMA Operator Online – Level 2

Giving back to your professional community

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As we begin a new year, it’s a great time to reflect on how we can give back to our professional community. The past year demonstrated what can happen when we come together and share our resources with one another. Knowledge and experience are two of the most valuable assets that professionals possess. Giving back is often as easy as connecting with peers and sharing your knowledge and experience. This can take many forms, including, writing and speaking. As we begin to prepare for our 2021 Mid-year Meeting, we’re reaching out to TMA members in search of speakers.

Our 2021 Mid-year Meeting will be presented virtually, April 20-22, 2021. If you or someone you know is interested in sharing your experience and expertise with your colleagues in the professional monitoring industry, we would like to hear from you!

The three-day event will offer monitoring center professionals a series of educational sessions on best practices and trends in leadership, operations, and technology.

Start off the year with your commitment to give back and make a valuable contribution to the profession’s field of knowledge.

The deadline to submit your proposal is COB, Friday, January 22, 2021. Go to https://lnkd.in/eaF8huS

Questions? Contact education@tma.us.

New Year…Exciting New Beginnings

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As some of you may recall, Mallory Todd left TMA about a year ago to pursue new career opportunities. She served in an administrative capacity, supporting all of us at TMA in many ways. With the onset of COVID-19 about the time of her departure and the uncertainty that ensued, we opted to delay a search for her replacement. In true team fashion, the remaining six staff members picked up and carried on, but we sorely missed having someone in that pivotal role.

But, with the turn of the calendar, TMA added a new staff member! We are so excited to welcome Ms. Tara R. Compher to our headquarters’ team. In her new role as TMA’s Programs and Administrative Coordinator, Tara will oversee TMA’s Five Diamond, IQ, and FirstNet programs, in addition to assisting with CRM data management and other projects and serving as the staff liaison to TMA’s NextGen group.

“Tara brings a broad range of valuable business and administrative experience to TMA,” stated TMA Executive Director Celia T. Besore. “In her previous roles, Tara demonstrated an outstanding commitment to quality and to customer service, which make her ideally suited to this pivotal, customer-focused position within our organization.”

“I am excited for this new chapter in my life, but more importantly, I am looking forward to helping The Monitoring Association achieve their mission of creating a safer world for everyone,” said Ms. Compher.

Prior to accepting her new position within TMA, Ms. Compher worked for the U.S. Courts as a probation clerk and as a front office coordinator in a dental practice.   

Please join us in welcoming Tara to our community! She can be reached at tcompher@tma.us.

sunset, sea, horizon

Just Announced – Verizon to Delay 3G Sunset until Jan. 1, 2023

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AICC Chair Lou Fiore shared recently released news from Verizon of their delayed 3G Sunset target date today. In an article written by Mike Dano, Editorial Director for Light Reading, Verizon spokesperson Kevin King stated, “that’s the “absolute last possible date” for the shutdown.” Dano wrote, “Verizon continues to work to move customers off its […]

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UL’s 2021 Monitoring Station Audit – Information Update

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Steve Schmit, UL, prepared this update on 2021 Monitoring Center Audits and asked TMA to share it. You may download a PDF of the update from the TMA website.

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 brought the concepts of remote inspection, virtual audits, and working from home into full-fledged practical use, at a speed few would have predicted. The experience was a dramatic demonstration of the value of collaborative problem solving and clear communications. In that spirit, UL would like to share plans for 2021.

Standards and Confirmation of Compliance

Developing requirements that aligned with COVID-19 public health risk mitigations brought focus and visibility to the Standards making process.  While the experience was new to many, TMA’s UL Standards committee has been productively engaged in driving change for many years and continues to work an active agenda intended to keep the Standards current and relevant.

As Standards change, UL’s Certification Programs do also, incorporating new technical requirements into the annual audit process for monitoring stations. The 2021 audit cycle will include focus on the last 2 sets of revisions to UL827, Standard for Central Stations Services

Work From Home

On October 27, 2020, UL827 was revised to adapt Sec 51, Operation During a Regional/National Disruption. These requirements were developed by a Task Group of monitoring industry subject matter experts and built on early UL Guidelines for operating during the pandemic (published on March 16). They achieved ANSI consensus through UL’s Collaborative Standards Development Process to become part of the American National Standard.

For purposes of application within UL’s Certificate Program, Sec 51 was considered effective upon publication. During the 2021 audit cycle, UL staff will assess compliance for stations using remotely located operators under current COVID-19 mitigation conditions, and those stations that plan to do so in the event of future national or regional disruptions.

In early April, UL will publish details intended to clarify the evidence of compliance that UL auditors will look for during the 2021 audit.

As the nation’s vaccination campaign progresses, governmental emergency declarations and associated health safety guidance will change. Early indications suggest that there will not be a universal “all clear” lifting of scientifically based health guidelines, but rather a gradual reduction in social distancing metrics, with dependency on vaccination status, COVID variant emergence, and other variables. UL envisions working with monitoring stations to determine applicability of Sec 51 requirements, based on conditions in their location, with the goal of distilling universal guidelines for handling the dynamically evolving situation.

At the same time, TMA’s UL Standards Committee is making a UL827 revision proposal for requirements that would enable a monitoring-from-home option under any conditions. The Committee has addressed concerns brought forward during the emergency conditions discussions, but the proposal is in the very early stages of the consensus process.

If adapted, stations will continue to have a continued monitor-from-home option. However, stations should start planning for returning operators to in-station duty in the event that there is a gap between lifting of emergency conditions and adoption of non-emergency condition home based monitoring requirements.

Cybersecurity and Power Supply Requirements

On April 11, 2019, UL827 was revised to include new requirements for secondary power supplies and cybersecurity measures. These requirements were developed by TMA’s UL Standards Committee and went through 2 public comment periods as part of the consensus process.

UL’s pre-pandemic 2020 audit plan included focus on compliance with these requirements. Those plans had to be deferred when priorities shifted to operating safely within health and safety mandates.

As shared in the Summer 2019 TMA Dispatch newsletter, revisions were made in Section 11, Power Supply, and Section 17, Central Station Automation Systems. Material that could have potentially significant impact includes secondary power requirements in paragraph 11.5.1 and Table 11.1, and cybersecurity requirements in paragraph 17.15, along with its references.

For purposes of application within UL’s Certificate Program, these requirements will be effective 12/31/2022. This means UL Certification beyond that date is contingent on demonstration of compliance.

UL’s formal notice to Certification holders will be sent in early April and will include a plain language explanation of the requirements. In addition, UL will offer Town Hall style webinars (date/time to be announced shortly) to review the requirements and audit expectations.

During the 2021 audit cycle, UL staff will assess compliance status with the new requirements. Corrective action on any items of noncompliance will be assessed during the 2022 audit cycle.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your UL auditor or any of the following:

Steve Schmit – steven.a.schmit@ul.com

Nancy Murphy – Nancy.Murphy@ul.com

Javier Olarte – Javier.Olarte@ul.com

UL Revises Virtual Workplace Guidelines

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Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL) has revised its March 16th Virtual Workplace Guidelines and seeks feedback from security industry practitioners prior to publication.

Since the initial release of the Guidelines, it’s become clear that health risk mitigation measures will likely be required for longer than any of us had anticipated. UL now seeks feedback from industry stakeholders that rely on UL Certifications as part of their own risk management programs to review the updated Guideline revisions, which are intended to better define virtual workplace security measures.

Please review the revised draft of the Virtual Workplace Guidelines.


Steve Schmit, Senior Staff Engineer, UL, will review the draft Guidelines TMA’s Virtual Town Hall on Monday, April 20th at 11:00AM (EDT). You can share your questions and comments during the Virtual Town Hall and/or send your comments directly to Steve at steve.a.schmit@ul.com.