SDM: Security in an Insecure World

We live in times where, for better or worse, security is an issue that cannot be overlooked. There is no question that, as dawn breaks over a new age of mankind and his creations, that the seamier elements of society have achieved new levels of sophistication in their pursuit of ill-gotten gains. Fortunately, we are not alone in our struggle. The same technology that has enabled bandits and thieves to take from us has given us the means to protect ourselves. Yes, security is the "buzzword" for the new millennium, and Security Distributing and Marketing shows us how far the field has come since the days of our ancestors sitting fearfully in the dark, praying for safety from prowlers and wolves.

Security Distributing and Marketing, in its ten years of publication, has grown to dominate the field. Indeed, it is not one magazine but two. The first, the titular warhorse, is a window into the glamour and glitz of the professional security industry; its selections for the "SDM 100", made in the May 2000 issue, carry such heft that those not selected can do little but stir up controversy. "Some of SDM's readers, in the past, have gotten mad about this issue of the magazine," says Senior Editor Laura Stepanek on page 11. "'What about the smaller dealers?' they ask." Fortunately, Laura is quick with advice on how to "secure" your hand even as the underdog. "[T]he SDM 100 presents detailed information not only about the top 10 national/regional security firms, but about 90 other regional/local businesses-- some of which your firms probably compete with." In other words, learn about your enemies and arm yourselves to destroy them. Such is the cut-throat nature of the business.

With this in mind, SDM presents its second publication: Dealer/Installer Marketplace. It is here that a small security company, or perhaps a new business, just starting out, can learn about the new products shaping the life of the security professional. If the flagship publication is the beacon, then Marketplace is the port in the storm. Once brought over into this exciting and glamorous world by SDM, this sister publication shows you what you need to have to make the dream work for you.

And a compelling dream it is. Who would not have dreams of being a security professional, with devices straight from a James Bond movie? For instance, on page 8 of the May 2000 issue, Schurter's new Vandal Resistant Switches are profiled. These items "combine a durable outer construction with a standard electro-switch, able to withstand more than one million actuations." No one need fear vandals with these sorts of switches on their control panel! The mere idea would bring a true security professional to salivate, especially when combined with a product such as the BankEyes Recording System from CCS International on page 28. "The system can con-nect up to 32 cameras to one system and can view each site directly from any PC, lap-top, or separate video monitor." Not only can today's control panels be made vandal-resistant, but any roguish attempt to sabotage one can be recorded and security called. Who would think twice of the need for SDM's twin battleships after having perused SDM's Marketplace, a veritable cornucopia of security genius, stocked durable plastic of such technology dispatched by the security professional with hyphenated ease? Imagine the look on the face of a potential saboteur, when he or she discovers that the buttons that were to be destroyed, employ a "mechanical end stop" which defy any attempt to abuse the circuits hidden within? And further, the look of absolute awe when the BankEyes Recording System allows the on-duty officer to seize and arrest him or her?

Yes, it is a brave new world, the world of a security professional. But it is a world that is now within the grasp of an ambitious entrepreneur. With SDM as your guide, the boundaries between the world of the frightened, cowering citizen of the 21st century and the confident, towering professional in the security industry have all but disappeared. The gate is ready. SDM is the key.