CCTV Systems

ATLANTA — Full-service fire protection, life safety and service service provider  Pye-Barker Fire & Safety has named Kelly Rooney as president , according to a company announcement. In this newly created role, she will work directly with CEO Bart Proctor to “oversee operations, spearhead growth and champion company culture,” the announcement says. Rooney joins Pye-Barker from uniforms and workwear supplier UniFirst, where she served as chief operating officer. Prior to UniFirst, she spent much of her career in the environmental services industry, where she held senior operating and leadership roles, including at WM (formerly Waste Management). Throughout her career, Rooney “has led large-scale field operations with significant growth responsibility across multiple markets and geographies,” according to the Pye-Barker announcement. During her tenure as chief human resources officer of WM, she “drew on her extensive frontline operating experience t...

IRVING, Texas — The Electronic Security Association ( ESA ) recently announced a new strategic partnership with nFACT, Inc., a B2B labor sourcing marketplace, connecting electronic security and life safety integrators with subcontractors from across the United States. Through the partnership, nFACT “will become ESA’s preferred technology partner for subcontractor search, giving ESA members new tools to increase marketplace visibility and identify qualified partners,” according to the joint announcement. According to a 2025 NCCER workforce surveys, 45% of all construction firms reported project delays caused by shortages of their own workers or subcontractors’ workers. “As these labor constraints continue to affect project delivery across the skilled trades, ESA members need faster, more reliable ways to identify qualified service partners,” says Jillian Bateman-McIntosh, chief operating officer of ESA, in the joint announcement. “We are committed to ensuring ESA member...

CONCORD, Calif., and CHICAGO — D-Tools, Inc. and Portal.io have merged, uniting the widely used software platforms for residential and commercial integration, audio/video and security professionals, according to a joint announcement. Together, the companies will give integrators a portfolio of purpose-built products that scale with their business, from their first proposal through enterprise deployment. According to the statement, they come together with a single purpose: to build the next generation of software integrators use to run their businesses. What Will the Combined D-Tools and Portal.io Company Look Like? According to the combined company, G Paul Hess continues as CEO . Meanwhile, Kirk Chisholm, founder and CEO of Portal.io, joins as chief product officer, with responsibility for product vision and strategy across the portfolio. Josh Willits, Portal.io’s chief operating officer, will also serve as head of Portal.io, continuing to lead the Portal business unit. D-To...

The newest addition to the Best Advice Q&A series is Zeus Fire and Security founder and executive chairman Scott R. Elkins. He reveals the best advice he’s ever heard, gives pointers to security industry pros on the rise and singles out his ultimate business inspiration. Security Sales & Integration: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Scott Elkins: One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received is to fail fast. That doesn’t mean taking unnecessary risks or accepting failure. It means recognizing when something isn’t working, learning from it quickly and having the courage to change course. Whether it’s hiring the wrong person, pursuing a strategy that isn’t gaining traction or investing in a new initiative, the longer you wait to acknowledge reality, the more expensive the lesson becomes. I’ve learned that successful leaders aren’t the ones who avoid mistakes but rather they’re the ones who i...

PITTSBURGH –– AlarMax Distributors, Inc., a national wholesale distributor of security, fire, access control, surveillance, AV, networking and low-voltage solutions, today announces the opening of its new AlarMax Product Experience (APEX) Innovation Lab and National Fulfillment Center. These two strategic investments are “designed to enhance customer education, strengthen supplier collaboration, expand inventory capabilities and improve nationwide distribution as the company continues its next phase of growth,” according to the AlarMax announcement. “As demand for integrated security and low-voltage solutions continues to evolve, distributors play an increasingly important role in helping customers access not only products but also technical expertise, training and dependable supply chain support,” the announcement says. “Together, these new facilities position AlarMax to deliver greater value across every stage of the customer experience.” Wha...

Artificial intelligence is driving the largest macro technology refresh in the history of physical security, transforming everything from video surveillance to access control. Yet, as companies rush to implement AI, a roadblock has emerged in enterprise security strategy: the “missing middle,” which can be defined as the operational gap between acquiring advanced, AI-enabled edge tools and actually weaving them into an interconnected, network-wide security ecosystem. It is the gap between systems that can describe isolated events and systems that can explain incidents in context. Businesses are purchasing isolated, one-off AI tools that may successfully flag security problems, but they are failing to connect these advanced systems to their broader corporate security networks. This creates “AI sprawl,” or a state where an organization accumulates advanced technical capabilities without a clear path to actual business results. When a business piles on fragmented technology, it in...