Growth in the Electronic Age
How integration firm CG&E Systems Group built a security empire on voice and data in the 21st century
- By Ralph C. Jensen
- Jan 01, 2018
Let’s just say the timing was not
ideal. GC&E Systems Group
had just hired a key executive to
spearhead business development
and growth within Florida. But
Mother Nature had different ideas. Hurricane
Irma had just ravaged the entire state
of Florida and the company was eager to onboard
its newest management team member.
NEW TO THE TEAM
“During my first week with the company,
I was scheduled to be in Atlanta to kick off
key discussions and strategy building with
the corporate team,” said Rob Hile, general
manager of Florida, GC&E Systems. “But
instead, I was completely focused on getting
back home after evacuating my family out of
the storm’s way. The company couldn’t have
been more supportive. Our CEO called me
directly and told me to focus on my family
and that whatever I needed, just say the word
and it would be done.”
That’s just the kind of company GC&E
is and strives to continue to be. Customers
satisfaction and employee empowerment are
king, and it’s that exact focus that has helped
the company reach its growth targets since
its inception in 1999, when it was known as
Georgia Network Cabling Corp.
“I decided to launch my own business,
and the original business plan focused on
the installation of high-speed voice and data
cabling, and fiber optic backbones for organizations
within the Atlanta area,” said Dan
O’Sullivan, CEO, GC&E. “But after 9/11, we
found that customers were just as interested
in adding physical security measures. I was
hesitant at first because I had little knowledge
of the industry, but we agreed to install
a few cameras for some existing government
customers and we have been deploying these
systems ever since.”
The company’s foray into physical security
turned into a new business segment that
complemented the network segment, especially
as the convergence between physical
and IT security has occurred. Today, GC&E
divides its business into two divisions:
GC&E’s Federal Division supports information
technology, information assurance and
telecommunications-related opportunities
while the Commercial Division focuses on
Electronic Security deployments.
“In our market, we are one of only a few
firms that have the capability to provide the
full lifecycle of electronic security system
solutions and support services required by
our customers,” O’Sullivan said. “We have
the ability to provide upfront strategic consulting,
support security system investment
strategies and conduct vulnerability and risk
assessments to ensure we are providing the
right security solution to meet our customers’
business and operational security support
requirements. We are forward-thinking
in the application of technology as well as the
integration of information assurance and cybersecurity
considerations to ensure system
reliability, availability and resilience.”
CUSTOMER CENTRIC
The company’s overarching goal is to become
its customers’ trusted adviser so that when a
security need arises, an incident happens or
they require technical insight, they will contact
GC&E to provide the council, guidance
and support required. The company’s seasoned
managers, account managers, project
managers, systems engineers, estimators and
technicians all have the extensive experience
and expertise required to allow them to successfully
pursue and execute any system integration
project of any scope, size and complexity.
The organization has also invested in
advanced equipment and service area capabilities,
such as ESS Health Monitoring-asa-
Service, a Security Operations Center that
provides remote maintenance and customer
support services, and its Technician Now
suite of services, which include service and
maintenance agreements and dispatching of
technicians when required.
“GC&E has never been afraid to make
investments in the future, be it through our
people, embracing new technology or expanding
and diversifying the products, solutions
and services offered,” O’Sullivan said.
“We truly believe that our employees are our No. 1 asset. Without highly qualified, talented, motivated and conscientious
managers, subject matter experts and technical and administrative
professionals who serve on the front-lines of our business,
we would not have had the success we have been fortunate to have.”
GC&E’s seven Core Values define the businesses’ identity and
culture. These values — People, Integrity, Quality, Innovation, Trust,
Teamwork and Service — serve as the guiding principles on how the
company makes decisions, performs work, solves problems, empowers
employees and provides customer service. GC&E’s “One Team”
culture sets the standard on how it operates on a day-to-day basis.
Furthermore, GC&E has a “Customer First” philosophy: the combination
of quality, communication and service equals customer satisfaction.
All employees follow this creed, and quality initiatives are
woven throughout internal operating procedures. Proactive communication
with the customer and ongoing internal communication is
promoted through all levels of management and across departmental
lines. Service delivery is measured and monitored to ensure expectations
are met and exceeded.
“These fundamental business practices ensure customer satisfaction,”
O’Sullivan said. “We do not hesitate to roll up our sleeves
to support a project where an extra hand is needed or go the extra
mile to keep the project on budget and schedule. We are proactive
in providing ongoing and timely communication to our customers
to keep them informed on the status of our work, identify issues and
concerns so they are quickly resolved and ensure customer- and performance-
related expectations are clearly defined and met.”
Ensuring that customers understand the benefits and potential
challenges of converged security is a critical component of the
company’s customer outreach initiatives. In early 2017, it hosted its
inaugural Converged Security Summit (CSS), a one-day comprehensive
program that brings together experts in information and
physical security to discuss best practices and countermeasures to
safeguarding IT infrastructure and information assets. In addition,
the event allows GC&E an opportunity to highlight its solutions,
services and support offerings, including proven solutions for perimeter
security, intrusion protection and personal safety in public
and private sectors.
“It is important for us to help drive conversation around today’s
most prevalent industry issues. This year’s CSS provided our attendees
the perfect opportunity to network, share ideas and learn from
subject-matter experts, vendors and other industry professionals
ways to better manage and mitigate risks associated with information
and physical security assets,” O’Sullivan said. “We envision CSS to be
a key part of our customer and industry engagement strategy moving
forward. In fact, we have already started planning for CSS 2018 and
promise to make it bigger, more informative and focused on the most
prevalent information and physical security concerns and issues facing
the industry.”
BUSINESS EXPANSION
When the company looked to expand its presence in the southeast
into Florida, it sought out a person who had existing relationships
in the market and significant knowledge of the industry. After an exhaustive
search, GC&E appointed Rob Hile to spearhead the company’s
entrance into the Florida region. Hile is an industry veteran
with significant expertise in enterprise-level and government market
opportunities and building relationships with technology partners,
consultants and A&E firms. Recognized as a leading voice in the industry,
Hile has more than 25 years of security industry experience in
senior-level roles with Siemens Industry, Integrated Fire and Security,
G4S, GVI Security and TAC, encompassing sales and business leadership
to further position GC&E as “the” premier integration firm
within the southeastern United States.
The newest office location, which is set to officially open in Tampa,
Fla., in January, will serve as the centralized management site for
all activities within the state and allow Hile to build a team from the
large talent base in the Tampa Bay region. The immediate focus will
be the Interstate-4 corridor from Tampa to Orlando but will eventually
expand per customer demands.
“Tampa is a great market with a wide array of public and private
sector opportunities,” O’Sullivan said. “With Rob’s experience within
both sectors, we feel strongly that it will provide GC&E with a solid
platform to expand our business and open additional locations within
the state. We see a $10 million market in Florida over the next
three years.”
“I have a tremendous foundation to build from here in Florida
and all the support I could ever need from the GC&E Corporate
team,” Hile said. “GC&E was built from the network up, and we take
the network assurance piece very seriously. Our IT staff is comprised
of a high number of individuals who hold Information Assurance or
Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certifications and they ensure that
the foundation of any system installed is designed to be secure from
outside influences and that it stays that way moving forward. This
foundation, coupled with all the other technology offerings including
voice, data, network monitoring and physical security, puts us in an
envious position in the markets that we serve.”
Hile said GC&E’s diverse solutions and services will allow him
to meet growing customer demand for emerging technologies. The
company plans to begin offering a new suite of integrated services
to include remote monitoring, management and maintenance combined
with lifecycle management of system assets. This comprehensive
service offering will provide customers with real-time visibility
into system operations, performance trends and reliability, and instant
notifications of issues or failures, or allow them to schedule a
service call, all while tracking overall health and the history of specific
activities performed for each system device. This enables GC&E
to proactively work to schedule maintenance and service calls before
issues occur and to better support clients in the forecasting of system
upgrades, enhancements or replacements based on the reliability and
availability of the system or device.
There is also interest in adding diverse options for cloud storage,
information assurance and cybersecurity, backup and disaster recovery,
and management of ESS through mobile applications. GC&E
also recognizes that the Internet of Things (IoT) evolution is a major
driver of digital transformation.
“We will leverage evolving IoT-based technologies, trends and
service offerings to create new business models that will ultimately
streamline and improve system operations and reliability,” O’Sullivan
said. “We believe staying on the forefront of these trends is imperative
for sustained growth in the future.”
With a forward-thinking leader like O’Sullivan at the helm and
the great management team of seasoned professionals he has put together,
the sky’s the limit for what this company will accomplish in
the years to come.
This article originally appeared in the January 2018 issue of Security Today.