Who’s in Charge South of the Border?

En Español...

Security, for all intents and purposes, is a male dominated industry, or as Lucy Rivero puts it, “Mexico is full of machos.” But make no mistake, Lucy is security south of the U.S. border.

I met Lucy yesterday morning by chance as I was poring over e-mail and text messages. She and her son were making their way toward the entrance of the tradeshow when a couple of well-dressed men wanted a moment of her time.

I knew right then that Lucy was someone I had to meet and introduce to our readers.

Lucy is the president of InAlarm, a well-established distribution house in Mexico City, but the company also has 11 other branches in Mexico, as well as one in Guatemala and one in the United States.

For 25 years, InAlarm and Lucy Rivero have been synonymous with security in Mexico.

Lucy’s story is an interesting one; she started in Dallas as a secretary for a distribution company. During that time, she became acquainted with the products and the people that bought them. The company went out of business, and Lucy wanted to return home to Mexico. She did, with a dream and an idea.

“People ask me for advice about going into business,” Lucy said. “First I warn them and tell them to get an education. Training is one of the most important parts of the business world. Then be patient.”

Among the key elements Lucy prescribes is to love your work and attack it with a passion. And Lucy knows a thing or two about passion: She  started her business in Mexico City with only $5,000 and an idea. Simply described, for her, passion was a willingness to knock on doors to get the business up and running. InAlarm now distributes alarms , CCTVs, access control products, fire detection equipment and the newest converging technology, IP communications.

After you've established your business, then what? Training and customer service.

“Customers deserve service,” Lucy said. “Distribution is hurting worldwide and we have to describe ourselves as service providers in order to be successful.

“Opportunities happen every five minutes. You have to work with passion.”

Yes, sometimes I’m a little pushy, but I’m happy I walked up to get an appointment with Lucy. It was the best 20 minute interview I’ve had in a long time. And, I’m happy I came down south to learn about working with passion.


 

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Ransomware Attacks Rise for the First Time in Six Months

    Ransomware attacks have risen for the first time in six months, increasing by 28% month-on-month to 421 attacks. While overall attack volume remained below 500, the uptick may signal a renewed escalation heading into the year’s most active period for cyber criminals. Read Now

  • Report: 47 Percent of Security Service Providers Are Not Yet Using AI or Automation Tools

    Trackforce, a provider of security workforce management platforms, today announced the launch of its 2025 Physical Security Operations Benchmark Report, an industry-first study that benchmarks both private security service providers and corporate security teams side by side. Based on a survey of over 300 security professionals across the globe, the report provides a comprehensive look at the state of physical security operations. Read Now

    • Guard Services

  • Identity Governance at the Crossroads of Complexity and Scale

    Modern enterprises are grappling with an increasing number of identities, both human and machine, across an ever-growing number of systems. They must also deal with increased operational demands, including faster onboarding, more scalable models, and tighter security enforcement. Navigating these ever-growing challenges with speed and accuracy requires a new approach to identity governance that is built for the future enterprise. Read Now

  • Eagle Eye Networks Launches AI Camera Gun Detection

    Eagle Eye Networks, a provider of cloud video surveillance, recently introduced Eagle Eye Gun Detection, a new layer of protection for schools and businesses that works with existing security cameras and infrastructure. Eagle Eye Networks is the first to build gun detection into its platform. Read Now

  • Report: AI is Supercharging Old-School Cybercriminal Tactics

    AI isn’t just transforming how we work. It’s reshaping how cybercriminals attack, with threat actors exploiting AI to mass produce malicious code loaders, steal browser credentials and accelerate cloud attacks, according to a new report from Elastic. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.