The Necessity of Training

We all need training from time to time. It's often in the best interest of the company and the client. Training is the life blood that ensures that your company's product or service remains the industry standard.

Last week, I attended a media day at Siemens Building Technologies in Buffalo Grove, Ill. While it wasn't all about training, the bulk of the tour gave business journalists a look at how this company provides an inside advantage to its customers, clients and workforce.

Siemens built its customer center about a year ago. The purpose was to ensure customers could experience a hands-on demonstration of products and services. The 6,000 square foot center includes an all-interior conference center that amazingly filters the outside atmosphere through its glass-walled interior. Advantage one: A stimulating learning environment.

One of the world's largest—if not the largest—integrators, Siemens included a product room where students or clients are encouraged to pick things up and try them out. For instance, they had several biometrics products on display with the intention of demonstrating how biometric products interact with card readers, and how the customer can best install and integrate various products.

Now, all of these products are not Siemens brand, but the concept is to give the customer relative comfort in knowing that various products integrate well together, ensuring a strict and strong security solution. What company officials are saying is that third-party products and integration will work seamlessly with what the customer already has in place.

What Siemens officials are looking for with their customers is exactly what every integrator should determine. What are the customer's needs? Can we provide what the customer wants? And, of course, can various products provide interoperability?

Not every customer will likely get to see what I witnessed at the customer center in Illinois, but the company so strongly believes in training and customer satisfaction that they have similar, smaller centers at regional briefing centers throughout the country.

I appreciate tours like this. It proves to me that security integrators care about their customers and will go to great lengths to ensure that they are getting the right product for the right application.

About the Author

Ralph C. Jensen is the Publisher/Editor in chief of Security Today magazine.

Featured

  • Smarter Access Starts with Flexibility

    Today’s workplaces are undergoing a rapid evolution, driven by hybrid work models, emerging smart technologies, and flexible work schedules. To keep pace with growing workplace demands, buildings are becoming more dynamic – capable of adapting to how people move, work, and interact in real-time. Read Now

  • Trends Keeping an Eye on Business Decisions

    Today, AI continues to transform the way data is used to make important business decisions. AI and the cloud together are redefining how video surveillance systems are being used to simulate human intelligence by combining data analysis, prediction, and process automation with minimal human intervention. Many organizations are upgrading their surveillance systems to reap the benefits of technologies like AI and cloud applications. Read Now

  • The Future is Happening Outside the Cloud

    For years, the cloud has captivated the physical security industry. And for good reason. Remote access, elastic scalability and simplified maintenance reshaped how we think about deploying and managing systems. But as the number of cameras grows and resolutions push from HD to 4K and beyond, the cloud’s limits are becoming unavoidable. Bandwidth bottlenecks. Latency lags. Rising storage costs. These are not abstract concerns. Read Now

  • Right-Wing Activist Charlie Kirk Dies After Utah Valley University Shooting

    Charlie Kirk, a popular conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, died Wednesday after being shot during an on-campus event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah Read Now

  • The Impact of Convergence Between IT and Physical Security

    For years, the worlds of physical security and information technology (IT) remained separate. While they shared common goals and interests, they often worked in silos. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • Mobile Safe Shield

    Mobile Safe Shield

    SafeWood Designs, Inc., a manufacturer of patented bullet resistant products, is excited to announce the launch of the Mobile Safe Shield. The Mobile Safe Shield is a moveable bullet resistant shield that provides protection in the event of an assailant and supplies cover in the event of an active shooter. With a heavy-duty steel frame, quality castor wheels, and bullet resistant core, the Mobile Safe Shield is a perfect addition to any guard station, security desks, courthouses, police stations, schools, office spaces and more. The Mobile Safe Shield is incredibly customizable. Bullet resistant materials are available in UL 752 Levels 1 through 8 and include glass, white board, tack board, veneer, and plastic laminate. Flexibility in bullet resistant materials allows for the Mobile Safe Shield to blend more with current interior décor for a seamless design aesthetic. Optional custom paint colors are also available for the steel frame.

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.