Monitoring Matters

• By Ralph C. Jensen
• Jul 01, 2017

If you are not familiar with Red Hawk Fire & Security, that’s too bad. The security and fire integrator has 35 locations nationwide, and has recently partnered with Affiliated (central station) Monitoring. The technology merger allows Red Hawk technicians the ability to test security and fire systems on their phones, for instant results.

According to Michael B. Lohr, the senior director of marketing at Red Hawk, they now have access to monitoring management services that the company did not have before. Because of the partnership with Affiliated, Red Hawk is now able to offer customers such things as video alarm verification or a video guard tour.

“We were also able to help Affiliated Monitoring better understand the opportunities they were not using at the time,” said Rick Tampier, senior director of sales and product strategy at Red Hawk. “Technically, we are just one of many Affiliated Monitoring customers, but we’re employing all technology available to us and our customers.”

Red Hawk is immersed in the security industry as an integrator, but at the same time, they integrate an equal number of fire solutions. The trend is moving more toward security, said Michael McWilliams, president and CEO of Red Hawk. That doesn’t mean fire is going away any time soon, but he said the security industry is just a bigger portion of the pie these days.

Red Hawk, a spinoff from UTC, is a privately held company only five years old but with an abundance of industry knowledge from numerous industry veterans. The company employs about 1,200 people, the majority of their work on the East and West coasts, and along the southern Texas Gulf Coast. They also have a presence in the Chicagoland area.

The company keeps several topics top of mind, including Cybersecurity.

“We’re concerned about it,” Tampier said. “Nothing is fool-proof, but our first priority is to do no harm, to protect network servers and the server rooms. We have to look at this from the manufacturer’s point of view in order to protect products. All equipment we use is vetted by our team before it goes into the field for installation.”

Red Hawk works with the architect and engineering community, and is quite aware of fire regulations. Their customers are the benefactors of their ongoing concerns. While they don’t talk specifically about their clients, growth is fueled by several key end users.

They also maintain critical agreements with well-funded manufacturers who also have the end user in mind. This is accomplished by due diligence, and offering a little bit of consulting to their customers. For instance, customers should always have a software support agreement in place and always maintain an honest and hard-working company reputation.

Sometimes, maintaining a flawless reputation comes by making sure that they understand and can meet the customer’s needs fully. While no one likes to pass on an opportunity, McWilliams said in the unlikely event Red Hawk is unable to provide the requested products or services, they will pass. He knows a customer relationship based on trust and professional performance is critical, but he also knows the Red Hawk staff offers the latest technology advancements as well as a team of experienced people who keep the commitments they make to customers.

This article originally appeared in the July 2017 issue of Security Today.