Conference Program Highlights: NexTech, Central Station Tech

This year's ESX introduced two new mini-tracks to the Conference and Education program: NexTech, focusing on technologies like automation, networking, IT and A/V and sponsored by SDM, and Central Station Technology, discussing the new technologies for the 21st century central station, sponsored by Bold Technologies.

These two mini-tracks have included sessions on generating new forms of recurring monthly revenue (RMR), solving problems in the central station and the impact of IP-based video.

"In the NexTech mini-track, we really concentrated on the impact and opportunity of the new technologies hitting the market, and how integration and monitoring companies can create new streams of RMR from these technologies," says John Galante, president, AE Ventures, who participated in the NexTech sessions "Achieving RMR from Home & Building Automation," "Creating RMR from IT Networks" and "Generating RMR from Distributed Audio & Video."

"Our panelists are experts in their fields, and they shared their experiences and knowledge to help attendees successfully adopt these technologies and grow their profits in these areas."

Wednesday's Central Station Technology mini-track features two sessions, "Video Changes the Whole Game" and "Diagnosing and Solving Central Station Problems." Both sessions provided attendees with insights into the evolving central station, focused on the impact of new technologies like IP, network and hosted video solutions.

The Conference and Education program continues Thursday afternoon with a full lineup of seminars. Let's take a quick peek at some of the can't miss sessions.

Prepare for Exit on Day One: The Art of Buying and Selling an Alarm Company
Buying or selling an alarm company is an art and a science. In today's increasingly competitive market, operators must excel at both in order to maximize the value of their enterprise. In this seminar, long-time industry acquisition pros, including Eric Pritchard of Kleinbard Bell & Brecker LLP, Marc Gilbert of Elko & Associates Ltd and Ron Davis of Davis Mergers & Acquisitions, share their experiences and expertise developed over the course of hundreds of acquisitions.
2:15 PM in Room 204

Monitoring for More Than Senior Moments
Senior citizens make up the largest age group in the U.S., providing the backdrop for a huge RMR opportunity for health and safety monitoring, such as wandering, taking of medicine, medical conditions, and in-home accidents and care. The session, presented by Jason Ray of SimplyHome, will illustrate the many real-life applications for the PERs market and the necessary steps for a successful offering. You won't want to miss this session about how your company can provide peace of mind for seniors and their families while increasing your bottom line.
3:45 PM in Room 209

The Path to Paperless
In this session, Michael Jagger of Provident Security Corp. will talk about how his company transitioned from a home security company that once had an entire office filled with filing cabinets to eliminating virtually every single piece of paper. Getting rid of Microsoft Exchange in favor of Google Apps, putting a scanner on every desk, implementing electronic signatures on all contracts and using employee edited wikis to replace Policy & Procedure manuals, Mike will outline Provident’s path to paperless, the tools that added value... and those that just got in the way.
5:00 PM in Room 208