Page 50 - Security Today, November/December 2023

CAMPUS VIEWPOINT THE SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION BY MATT JONES H ere at Campus Security Today, we work with a lot of different vendors in the security industry to help spread the word about their solutions. Their specialties run the gamut from access control to video surveillance to AI analytics to weapons detection and more. K–12 and higher education campuses have a lot of bases to cover to ensure a holistic degree of protection for students, faculty, and staff. In years past, their only real option was to buy piecemeal—security cameras from this vendor, metal detectors from that one, emergency response systems from a third, etc. More recently, however, the name of the game has become unified solutions— integrated systems that offer multiple types of solutions beneath a single umbrella. At GSX in Dallas this past September, I took note of what seems like an increasing level of collaboration among competitors. Security vendors are teaming up to meld their various specialties into a single product that can provide comprehensive solutions for an entire campus. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 The analogy might seem crude, but I can’t help but think of fast food. In my humble opinion, Whataburger has the best fast-food burger out there. I prefer McDonald’s fries, though, or maybe Sonic’s tater tots. For dessert, nothing beats a Dairy Queen Blizzard. Most normal people would pick a single restaurant and eat their entire meal there. But imagine a world where restaurants collaborated to serve meals together—a combo meal featuring the best of three worlds. Unfortunately, most people would also agree that that’s not quite how capitalism works. The security industry, though, serves a loftier goal than providing a quick lunch. They’re tasked with protecting lives. Against the backdrop of increasing school shootings and national tension regarding gun violence, the end goal of keeping children safe while they learn seems a lot further off and more difficult than it should be. I have to admire security vendors’ willingness to reach out across the aisle and huddle with one another to put product over brand. Matt Jones mjones@1105media.com CAMPUS SECURITY TODAY TEAM PUBLISHER: ralph c. jensen; SENIOR EDITOR: matt jones; ENEWS EDITOR: brent dirks; SENIOR ART DIRECTOR: laurie layman; PRINT MEDIA TECHNICIAN: joanne kim; INTEGRATED MEDIA CONSULTANT–WEST COAST & MIDWEST: brian rendine, 972.687.6761; INTEGRATED MEDIA CONSULTANT– EAST COAST & MIDWEST: randy easton, 678.591.2822; INTEGRATED MEDIA CONSULTANT–U.K. & EUROPE: sam baird, +44 1883 715 697 INFRASTRUCTURE SOLUTIONS GROUP PRESIDENT: dan labianca; PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF: ralph c. jensen; CIRCULATION DIRECTOR: Irene Fincher; WEBINAR ADMINISTRATOR: tammy renne 1105 MEDIA, INC. EXECUTIVE TEAM CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICE: rajeev kapur; CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER: sanjay tanwani; CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER: eric a. lindgren; EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT: michael j. valenti; CONNECT WITH US EDITORS AND CONTACT INFORMATION: available at www.campussecuritytoday.com; CORPORATE OFFICE: m-f, 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. pt, 818.814.5200, 6300 canoga avenue, suite 1150, woodland hills, ca 91367 6