Tegile Systems, a pioneer in primary storage de-duplication in virtualized server and desktop environments, announced today that Billion Automobile, GMC's fourth largest U.S. dealership, has implemented Tegile's Zebi Storage Array.

Premier Stitching, a sewing specialty dealer in Bryan Texas, needed a new website and sewing specialty focus that was achieved by the Marketing Heroes Team to better highlight the dealer's dedicated services for clients seeking all types of sewing, quilting, and embroidery machine purchases as well as maintenance work in the greater Brazos Valley area.

Several vehicles on an Edinburgh forecourt had windows smashed and body work scratched during widespread disorder.

Tuche Coskun, 21, stabbed 42-year-old Gavin Hubbard during a dispute over drugs, a jury is told.

Aim/Purpose: The topic of this study is the ICT-enabled transformation of car dealerships to regional providers of sustainable mobility (e.g., car sharing). Background: Car dealerships offer specific conditions that enable a sustainable mobility offer, based on individual motorized transport like car sharing. This is especially useful in small towns or rural areas where people’s mobility is strongly dominated by private cars, and public transport coverage is limited. However, these new mobility services are combined services with the need of a deep integration of information systems, and these services are not yet related to car dealerships and customer acquisition has to be supported. Methodology: An empirical study with an inductive approach was chosen. The study consists of interviews with three focus groups of different stakeholders of car dealerships. Within the frame of the research project, “ReCaB – Regional Car-Balancing” a qualitative research approach was chosen. Within a design science approach the existing SusCRM architecture was adapted based on the elaborated requirements. Contribution: A software architecture is proposed, where Customer Relationship Management (CRM) components to market new sustainable mobility offers are vital parts and existing information systems of car dealerships are integrated. Findings: The basic feasibility of the establishment and customer acceptance has been demonstrated, at least in the area of car sharing within ReCaB. The execution in the car sharing field has already started and a number of car dealerships are already bringing their own offers to market. Major findings for the SusCRM architecture have been elaborated in a design science approach in the national German research project “Showcase for electro mobility”. Recommendations for Practitioners: There is still no fully functional prototype developed for this specific use case and evaluated in the car dealership environment. An implementation only, based on own efforts, is difficult for car dealerships because of the dealership’s lack of know-how as well as tight IT budgets. However, this approach appears particularly successful in rural areas where public transport services are heavily declining. For full implementation, the presented ICT support is imperative. Recommendation for Researchers: The research on the retailer level, especially in combination with a digital trans-formation by the use of ICT systems, is still fragmentary. Research in this area that both addresses sustainability goals on a general level and supports economical goals on the company level of automotive retailers would be useful. Impact on Society: Creation of sustainable offers as a substitute or supplement for mobility based on their own car is a promising way to reduce negative effects of mobility. Enhancement of the mobility of the people in rural areas is leading to a more active lifestyle by reaching the leisure facilities, workplaces and educational institutions in a sustainable manner. Future Research: In terms of the fast changing mobility landscape, especially on a technical level with the development of autonomous vehicles and digitalization of entire businesses new solutions are becoming accessible, that have to be integrated in further research.

Monitronics International's new application, eContract, enables its dealers to fill out contract information electronically. The new application eliminates the hard-copy paperwork that is traditionally filled out for a new customer contract.

Following a successful pilot phase, Dallas-based Monitronics International’s electronic “eContract” application — designed to eliminate the hard-copy paperwork that is traditionally filled out for a new customer contract — is now available in production for its Authorized Dealer program.

While most people like the idea of conserving energy and going green, moving from theory to practice in their daily lives requires more than just a philosophy. “Everybody likes being green if it’s not too much work,” explains Gene Jordan, president of Advanced Security Engineering, an Alarm.com dealer located in Pleasanton, Calif.

A woman alleged a defective smoke alarm led to severe burns on her hand while frying chicken. An appellate court decided otherwise.

A plaintiff argued that the terms of an original alarm services agreement were immaterial because it wasn’t suing on the contract, but on tort and implied warranty theories.

From large storage capacity network video recorders (NVRs) with high capacity RAID backup recording to video security cameras with built-in audio, Hikvision technology meets these stringent compliance mandates at competitive price points.

Offering Black Friday and holiday season shopping deals aren’t just for the retail industry. Security dealers can get in on the action too. 

Wholesale monitoring executives discuss trends, technologies and services that dominant today’s monitoring ecosystem and where independent security dealers can find success. 

Installing security contractors share guidance and wisdom — hard earned and battle proven — to help pave the way for other industry brethren excel in the exciting realm of remote video monitoring.

Collectively, the SDM 100 security dealers grew their RMR 4.2 percent, from $618 million to $643 million last year. Among the top 100 there were 88 dealers who individually improved their RMR rate in 2017 over 2016.

IoT, DIY/MIY, cyber security, active shooters — SDM 100 dealers talk about the issues that will have the biggest impact, either positive or negative, on their businesses this year.

Washington – Automobile dealerships should remain exempt from OSHA’s injury and illness recordkeeping requirements, the National Automobile Dealers Association stated during a March 26 meeting officials from OSHA and the Office of Management and Budget.

Two generations of the Pastore family direct Crime Prevention Security Systems—and consider employees their extended family. From left: Office Manager Jessica Pastore; Vice President of Sales Randi Elrad; President John

This year, as hundreds of companies all over the country shrunk and cut back, one security company in Provo, Utah, did something unusual. APX Alarm Security Solutions Inc. (APX) grew

When The Protection Bureau saw the recession coming, it decided on what some would call a risky course of action. The company chose to use an offensive — not defensive — growth strategy, expanding its offerings and growing its customer service department. It proactively connected with its current clients through a new Client Care Department and a company-wide, downright fanatical focus on customer satisfaction and intentional interaction.

Talk to a Protection 1 employee and there is a palpable energy that radiates outward about their job, the company and the customer. Chicago-based Protection 1, has always contained a deep-rooted love for the customer. But while employees embraced the concept, the execution was missing, as Protection 1 experienced declining growth for seven consecutive years.

Steady and rapid growth in the dealer program market, like the kind Security Networks, SDM’s 2012 Dealer of the Year Honoree, has had in recent years requires more than a good marketing program or exciting services. Security Networks, West Palm Beach, Fla., prides itself on an average of 40 percent growth year-over-year for the past eight years, its president, Richard Perry, tells SDM.

Protection 1, Chicago, acquired Vintage Security, Washington, D.C. The new addition is the largest acquisition in Protection 1’s history.

 ADS Security is a successful oxymoron. The company has a unique ability to combine the stability of a traditional, nationally recognized security company with the freshness of a young company with trending offerings. The results are solid growth, raving fans, and a bright future.  

Curious about who has won in the past? Over the last 38 years an incredible range of dealers have impressed SDM with their unmistakable success, innovation, use of industry best practices, and notable growth and accomplishments. Each year the winners are truly a snapshot of what is great about the industry.

SDM’s 2015 Dealer of the Year combines both old and new ideas to pave the way for the future.

They say necessity is the mother of invention.

SDM has extended the deadline to July 7 for companies to apply to become the 2017 SDM Dealer of the Year, an annual recognition of companies that demonstrate unmistakable success, a high level of innovation, the use of industry best practices, and notable growth and accomplishments in the security dealer industry.

The ADT brand is synonymous with security — instantly recognizable by virtually every competitor and potential customer in the United States. Its 143-year history, combined with its massive size (an estimated $4.3 billion in gross revenues in 2017 and ranked No. 1 on the SDM 100 Report every year since its inception in 1991) puts this security dealer in the ranks of some of the largest companies in the country.

Lexington, Ky., is known for a few things: horses, bluegrass, bourbon, a historic downtown area, and — when it comes to security systems — Bates Security/Sonitrol of Lexington.

From its humble beginnings in a Toyota Corolla, CPI Security — originally Crime Prevention Inc. — has operated with a singular focus.

What do termites, diamonds and security have in common? All three are components of the history of this year’s SDM Dealer of the Year. Sonitrol began when Al Cronk, a police officer, was interested in verifying alarms using audio; Bob Baxter invented microphones to detect termites in trees.

With deep, long-standing roots in the community, this company’s service-based culture and strong commitment to both employees and customers have earned it the distinction of being named SDM’s 2021 Dealer of the Year.

When it comes to maintaining relationships with customers, this company is at the top of its game, all while increasing revenue and keeping employees healthy, happy and engaged. 

Faced with debt, higher than desired attrition, challenges in retaining employees, inflation and supply chain issues caused by a global pandemic, this company managed to get completely debt-free, lower attrition, raise both wages and prices, and still make a profit — all of which resulted in a “war chest” that helped them invest in key cyber and marketing efforts.

FieldHub and Affiliated Monitoring's partnership offers a comprehensive solution for managing operations in a single cloud-based platform.

Field sales teams from Honeywell will work to pull in business for security dealers and systems integrators as they roll out the new Honeywell Builder Program introduced at the 2005

As part of the arrangement, SS&Si will print Peak Alarm’s logo on hardware from manufacturers including Qolsys, Alarm.com and ProDataKey.

Don’t spend all your time focusing on the single-family residential sector. You should be including a strategy to capitalize on the multifamily housing trend. 

Research continues to show that tenants both want and expect smart home technology from their rental properties and security solutions are some of the most prioritized.

As the smart home market continues to expand, security dealers are seeking reliable and innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of homeowners and businesses.

Hopefully you’re already deep into strategic planning for 2018, but here are a few recommendations based on industry trends and predictions to help aim you in the right direction, as well as a look back at some of this year’s published columns to help you get there.

Ideal candidates are organizations already serving the security marketplace, including security consultants, investigators, and product vendors.

SDM taps into the expertise of security professionals to gain insight into the growing DIY/DIWM vertical, and whether they see it as a threat or a benefit to traditional dealers.

Wireless companies have recently had the calls appear as spam on caller ID. Without being able to cancel an alarm, this has caused unneeded dispatches to PSAPs. The result has been more false dispatches.

A Google search for “laminate retailers” will retrieve over a million results in about 30 seconds.

Abacus Plumbing's whole-house carbon water filtration, softener and reverse osmosis equipment can dramatically reduce water contaminates.

Unique Boat and RV Research Website Drives New Sales in the USA

RV Advisor Founder and CEO Gigi Stetler is encouraging RV dealers to get certified to have a competitive edge this holiday season. By getting certified with the RV Advisor, dealers instill confidence in consumers that service is top priority.