Security Summit Addresses Building Security, Automation
Experts discussed various cyber and physical security topics at the conference.
The event was held at the University of Massachusetts Boston's Campus Center Ballroom.
BCM Controls Corporation held its annual security conference for end users at the University of Massachusetts Boston Oct. 12.
The conference featured speakers from across the security industry with expertise in areas such as cybersecurity, active shooter detection, security master plan development, data analytics and more.
“We try to provide information from a wide variety of industry sources,” BCM Controls President Steven Feinberg says. “Some of our speakers are with vendors we have existing partnerships with and others are just experts that we knew our attendees would be interested in hearing from.”
It was the fifth year of the conference for BCM Controls, which provides building automation and security systems and other energy services. Approximately half of the attendees were people who do business with BCM while others came for the value of the educational sessions.
“I’m in IT so the networking stuff really appealed to me,” Brad Cotran of Littleton Public Schools says. “There was a lot of great information at this year’s show. I’m glad I was able to attend, even for the stuff that didn’t necessarily relate directly to my job.”
Feinberg listed the changing threat from active shooters and terrorists, the dangers of being stuck in a silo and the opportunity to hear from industry lifers as reasons people attended.
“The goal was to try to give a high level view of how to plan for implementation of security systems,” Feinberg says. “We just want to give people new ideas to consider as they think about how they’re going to address their security needs.”
The conference agenda had attendees rotating between sitting in on educational sessions and taking breaks, which Feinberg says can be just as important and educational as the sessions.
Overall, the theme of the day may have been forward thinking and staying prepared.
“You need to have a security master plan that stretches several years, because it’s not just about developing a budget for one year,” Feinberg explains. “It’s about establishing a plan that takes care of the long term aspect of security preparedness.”
Read Next: How an Outsider Transformed a School District’s Security Structure
If you appreciated this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!
Related Content
Leading in Turbulent Times: Effective Campus Public Safety Leadership for the 21st Century
This new webcast will discuss how campus public safety leaders can effectively incorporate Clery Act, Title IX, customer service, “helicopter” parents, emergency notification, town-gown relationships, brand management, Greek Life, student recruitment, faculty, and more into their roles and develop the necessary skills to successfully lead their departments. Register today to attend this free webcast!
