Growing an Idea

I have a great job. I’ve met many wonderful people in the past 20 or so years, and when we started Dealer Strategies, it gave me the opportunity to go one on one with company CEOs and some of their staff.

Such is the case with Bastion Security, located in Portland, Ore. I’ve been to Portland (and Seattle) several times, and the funny thing is, it has never rained when I’ve been there. On this trip to Portland, I took full advantage of meeting with Josh Daniels and David Raske. Daniels is the president and CEO; Raske is the chief marketing & business development officer.

What I enjoyed about this visit was the transparency about Bastion Security, and how they operate.

Here’s the picture: Bastion Security has a call center in Southern California. What I found fascinating was their monitoring power in places where their security equipment is installed, whether it is for less than two years, or for a longer period of time. They drop a trailer with a pole and camera attached at the top. It monitors the entire site, and the equipment has a speaker system attached where an employee at the call center can tell a person who has no business onsite to leave.

It’s not just a voice telling someone they been caught, it’s the power of remote monitoring that tells someone not only have they been spotted, but they have been seen and know who you are. Law enforcement is on the way, so that person better high-tail it out of there or risk apprehension. The goal is to just keep unwanted people away.

These are a couple of tricks to the trade, and we’ve seen and talked about them before. Bastion Security is driven by its mutually beneficial partnerships in the industry, and a successful leadership team that puts the employee first. Daniels also is aware that growth in the industry often means acquisitions, and there are leadership conversations about this every day.

This is an interesting story and look at Bastion Security. It is the cover story in our Dealer Strategies issue. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing about them. It’s a story about a class of service that lends itself to success.

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

About the Author

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

Featured

  • 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

  • Pragmatism, Productivity, and the Push for Accountability in 2025-2026

    Every year, the security industry debates whether artificial intelligence is a disruption, an enabler, or a distraction. By 2025, that conversation matured, where AI became a working dimension in physical identity and access management (PIAM) programs. Observations from 2025 highlight this turning point in AI’s role in access control and define how security leaders are being distinguished based on how they apply it. Read Now

New Products

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.

  • 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.