Tag Archive for: ADT

ADT appoints Wayne Thorsen to Chief Business Officer role

On January 9th,  ADT announced the appointment of Wayne Thorsen to the newly created role of Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer, effective immediately. Thorsen will be responsible for leading ADT’s product, innovation and new business development teams.

“Wayne is a seasoned executive who brings valuable experience in business development, strategic partnerships and product marketing and development,” said Jim DeVries, ADT President and CEO. “Wayne’s expertise will accelerate our strategy to sustainably grow our business and continue to attract strategic partners by showcasing ADT’s market leadership.”

“ADT’s innovation and strategic partnerships with fellow marquee brands, like State Farm and Google, are creating fantastic value that consumers are seeking from their preferred brands today,” Thorsen said. “It’s an exciting time for ADT, and I’m eager to join the teams building market-leading safe, smart and sustainable solutions for more customers in more places.”

Thorsen joins ADT from Google, where he served as Vice President, Devices and Services Business Development. Throughout his career, Thorsen held leadership roles at SoFi, Viacom, Telefónica Digital and Microsoft.

Ford and ADT to Form Joint Venture to Fortify Vehicle Security

Ford (NYSE: F) and ADT Inc. (NYSE: ADT) will invest in a new joint venture called Canopy that combines ADT’s professional
security monitoring and Ford’s AI-driven video camera technology to help customers strengthen security of new and existing vehicles across automotive brands.

“The combination of our technologies and our deep security experience creates a new category
of protection for work and personal vehicles,” said Elliot Cohen, ADT chief business
development officer. “Vehicles represent the second-most-valuable asset for consumers, and
helping to protect them extends ADT’s safe, smart, and sustainable solutions far beyond the
home.”

Canopy plans to launch industry-first, multi-sensor security systems with available professional
monitoring early next year. The first products to be manufactured and sold will be available in
the U.S. and the U.K. for the industry’s highest-volume commercial and retail pickups and vans
– including the Ford F-150, F-150 Lightning, Transit vans and E-Transit – and will be easily
installable by customers to protect expensive work and recreational equipment.

“Thieves have been even more active during the pandemic and know business owners store
valuable equipment in vehicles, often hauling more than $50,000 of gear. Canopy is here for
those who’ve had enough of thefts that threaten their livelihoods,” said Franck Louis-Victor, vice
president, Ford New Business Platform. “Key to Ford’s software-led transformation are new
ideas such as Canopy and collaborating with other innovators such as ADT, which brings to
vehicle security their leadership protecting families, homes, and businesses.”

The FBI estimates [1] that stolen work equipment cost more than $7.4 billion in 2020 in the U.S.,
and theft of valuable work equipment is believed to be underestimated in stolen vehicle reports.
Small business owners face even greater opportunity costs with the deferral or loss of jobs while
replacing stolen items.

Canopy also plans to begin integrating camera security solutions in Ford vehicles next year for
seamless protection inside and outside vehicles. Canopy will seek factory-vehicle integrations
with other automakers over time.

  • Canopy’s first smart vehicle security system accessory offering will make use of acoustic
    sensors for vans, onboard cameras, radar, LTE, and GPS. The initial product will have a
    camera that can be mounted in either a van’s cargo area or on a pickup facing the bed. The
    platform will use AI technology to identify and report credible threats while reducing false alarm
    signals.
  • Customers will be connected to the system via the Canopy app to livestream video from
    the vehicle, get notified of suspicious activity, or review past events.
  • The system will trigger a smartphone alert of any indicators of potential criminal activity,
    such as breaking glass, metal cutting, or suspicious motion or sound near the vehicle.
  • Customers can warn potential thieves they are being monitored by speaking through the
    smartphone app, enabled by a two-way audio feature that will be available by next year.
  • The system’s AI is designed to distinguish true threats from benign acts – such as a cat
    jumping into a pickup bed or construction sounds near a vehicle – before alerting the
    owner or ADT monitoring agents of potential theft.
  • The system will alert ADT monitoring professionals if it detects a person loitering around
    or breaching the vehicle [2].

ADT monitoring agents can then contact customers, fleet managers, or police to take additional
measures to help prevent theft. Credible threats will trigger additional responses, including
audible alerts and programmable voice recordings and two-way audio in future updates.
The first-of-its-kind Canopy products will be sold through vehicle dealerships, major retailers,
and online. Ford Pro will be an important launch partner delivering these solutions to
commercial and government customers of all sizes, helping drive business forward and
accelerate productivity at a global scale.

“Commercial customers around the world are laser focused on protecting investments from
costly replacements that can impact their bottom lines,” said Ted Cannis, CEO, Ford Pro.
“Canopy will help Ford Pro deliver another service to fleets helping to improve total cost of
ownership by staying productive and avoiding downtime associated with stolen tools and
damaged vehicles – including the majority with mixed fleets since Canopy technology will be
available across brands.”

The Canopy team has been developing and testing its first technologies for two years as part of
Ford’s New Business Platform innovation incubation group. They will now be headquartered in
Detroit and London and led by Interim CEO Christian Moran.

Canopy also will seek relationships with other automotive, insurance, and technology
companies to expand offerings, explore insurance benefits for use of the technology, and cocreate new innovations.
Ford and ADT’s investment in Canopy is subject to certain conditions, including regulatory
approvals, and initial funding is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022. The partners
expect to invest approximately $100 million during the next three years.

For more information, visit www.canopy.security

Footnotes:

1 U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Report.
2 Requires subscription to ADT professional monitoring tier

Affiliated Monitoring is TMA 2018 Monitoring Center of the Year

ADT, Vector and Affiliated Honored with Personnel Awards

The four winners of the 2018 TMA Monitoring Center of the Year Awards were announced at the 2018 Electronic Security Expo (ESX) on June 19. They are:

  • Monitoring Center of the Year: Affiliated Monitoring
  • Monitoring Center Support Person of the Year: Beth Bailey, ADT LLC
  • Monitoring Center Manager of the Year: Carmelo Mosca, Affiliated Monitoring
  • Monitoring Center Operator of the Year: Patricia Fody, Vector Security

Single logo - color“All of us at Affiliated Monitoring are gratified to receive this honor,” said Daniel Oppenheim, Executive Vice President, Affiliated. “It validates our deeply held beliefs in professionalism, kindness and technological innovation. The Monitoring Association represents the best of our industry and being recognized in this way is very fulfilling. Affiliated looks forward to supporting our dealers and their customers through this exciting era of growth and opportunity.”

From left: Carmelo Mosca, Affiliated; Patricia Fody, Vector; Beth Bailey, ADT LLC

Affiliated 2

From left: Affiliated’s Stanley Oppenheim, SDM Editor Laura Stapanek, TMA President Ivan Spector

“This award belongs to our ADT team members on the phones right now protecting our neighbors, family members, and our communities,” said Support Person of the Year Beth Bailey, ADT Sr. Manager, Customer Care. “It is my honor to support them and my passion to find ways to make it easier for them to do what they do best – take care of our customers.” ADT had finalists in all four categories this year.

“I feel grateful and honored to receive this award from The Monitoring Association,” said Manager of the Year Carmelo Mosca, Managing Director, Monitoring Operations, Affiliated. “It’s a pleasure to go to work every day with the hundreds of caring and hardworking monitoring specialists in Texas and New Jersey. I’m proud of this personal award and how it reflects positively on the entire Affiliated family.”

The TMA Monitoring Center Excellence Awards recognize any FM Approvals, Intertek/ETL or UL-listed monitoring center (TMA members and non-members) and outstanding personnel who perform in the highest professional manner, thereby making a significant contribution to the betterment of the alarm industry and the alarm profession while demonstrating exceptional service to their customers and community.

The purpose of the awards program is to:

  • Establish and promote the inherent value of professional monitoring services in general.
  • Honor those who have made the most significant contributions to the service.
  • Promote the distinct level of professionalism attained by NRTL-approved monitoring centers.

The TMA Monitoring Center Excellence Awards Program is sponsored by SDM Magazine, which will publish a feature story detailing the accomplishments of the winners later this summer. Entries are judged by a blue-ribbon volunteer judging panel appointed by TMA.

“Each nominee must submit an extensive application detailing company systems like disaster recovery plan, education and training programs, technical innovations, and even community outreach,” said Lasko. “In the case of individual nominations, we ask for examples of how these employees go above and beyond their job descriptions to pursue excellence. Our judges had an extremely difficult time choosing winners from the amazing submissions we receive each year. We hope everyone will read SDM’s profiles of the winners this summer for inspiration!”

For past winners and more information, visit www.tma.us.

 

BBB Helps Fight Fraud at the Front Door by Teaming with ADT and Other Security Leaders

As summer selling season kicks off, news conference with Louisiana State Fire Marshal features victims and tips on stopping deceptive sales in the security industry

Baton Rouge, LA (May 18, 2018) – Despite a downward trend in the number of home security customers victimized by fraudulent door-to-door security sales representatives, the Better Business Bureau is continuing to team with leading organizations, including The Monitoring Association, the Electronic Security Association, and ADT LLC, to educate consumers.

During a news conference hosted today by Louisiana’s State Fire Marshal, H. “Butch” Browning, BBB helped sound the alarm about deceptive sales practices.

“We applaud the industry for continuing to root out the few bad apples who practice deceptive sales and con consumers,” said Carmen Million of the Better Business Bureaus Serving Baton Rouge. “Through today’s outreach we hope to prevent more front-door fraud.”

In 2017, over 700,000 consumers across North America used BBB resources to research information about home security companies. But thousands also complained about dishonest and misleading sales pitches, or reported door-to-door scams.

jay at ADT BBB Baton Rouge Deceptive Practices event 2018

TMA Executive Director Jay Hauhn addresses the issue of deceptive practices in the security industry.

Two of those victims spoke out today and shared how unscrupulous sales reps tried to con them out of their contracts with ADT, an A+, BBB Accredited Business and National Partner.

“I was misled into signing a contract with a salesman whom I thought was representing ADT,” said 62-year-old James Bourg of Greismar, LA. “After he quickly installed a new security panel, I did my homework and found out I was duped. I cancelled the next day.”

In 2016, nearly 3,400 customers complained to ADT about deceptive sales from competitors. There were 800 less last year. While complaints are declining, ADT vows to keep fighting.

“Whether we are bringing offenders to justice in a court of law or educating consumers in the court of public opinion, ADT will continue trying to stop deceptive sales in our industry,” said P. Gray Finney, ADT Chief Legal Officer.

At today’s event, BBB shared tips for consumers who are considering a home security system (bbb.org/homesecurity), and also released advice to potential employees who are being recruited to spend their summers knocking on doors (bbb.org/alarmsales).

“We urge those who are selling security systems to abide by the BBB Standards for Trust,” said Million. “Tell the truth, honor promises, and embody integrity.”

Additional coverage:

For more than 100 years, Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2016, people turned to BBB more than 167 million times for BBB Business Profiles on more than 5.2 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at bbb.org. The Council of Better Business Bureaus is the umbrella organization for the local, independent BBBs in the United States, Canada and Mexico, as well as home to its national and international programs on dispute resolution, advertising review, and industry self-regulation.