The profile of today’s security end user is often not that of a security manager – many are from an IT background or facilities management, and have had security added to their job description.
With this in mind, members of the Harmony Alliance believe that the complex array of security products available, each with their own claims of being ‘best in breed’, can be especially daunting.
The alliance, launched at last week’s Global Security Summit, is trying to change this: Four companies – Texecom, TDSI, GJD and Elmdene – have formed the alliance to provide integrated security solutions that don’t compromise on using the best products.
Elmdene International specialises in efficient power supplies, sounders and magnetic contacts; TDSi manufacture integrated access control systems; GJD offers exterior detection equipment alongside CCTV and lighting controllers; and Texecom manufacture intruder alarm products.
By combining their efforts, the companies are able to market the Harmony Alliance to end users who are looking for one solution made up of the most appropriate products for each element.
Harmony Alliance members provide a wide array of solutions from perimeter security to power management, alarm systems and access control. The alliance believes that, in many instances, end users have had to compromise on certain parts of their systems in order to have a solution that was fully interoperable. In these cases the customer’s reliance on a single major vendor for systems integration could be huge.
At the launch of the alliance, spokesman Clym Brown said:
“At this stage of the Harmony Alliance we are very much in listening mode. Where end users have specific project requirements we really want to understand their needs and at a wider level their thoughts on how they would like to work with us.”
We spoke to the managing directors of the founder members to ask why they joined the Harmony Alliance.
Jim Ludwig, managing director at Texecom
“I’ve always been intrigued about finding ways for businesses to add value – where a collective contribution could equal more than the sum of the individual parts. End users selecting security equipment today have to weigh up the balance between one-stop shop providers and a system comprised from many vendors.
“In some ways, a one-stop shop offers the reassurance that there is only one person to ‘blame’ if something goes wrong – but at the expense of sacrificing system performance for those areas where the vendor may not be world-class”
John Davies, managing director, TDSi
“I knew the senior teams at Elmdene, GJD and Texecom well and we started to chat about the idea. This led on to doing some joint exhibitions in southeast Asia in 2011 and then discussions later in the year. We liked the results we were getting from our few joint activities and decided to formalise things by establishing Harmony.
“With Harmony, the key benefit is not marketing but rather a closer working and collaborative relationship between the members that is aimed squarely at providing innovative solutions to end user security issues.”
Ian Moore, managing director, Elmdene International Limited
“There is a preconceived idea that working with a larger single player takes away issues and concerns. The reality is that you will often find a performance gap in key areas because it is nigh on impossible for one big company to be the best at what they do in every single discipline. Ultimately, the Harmony Alliance provides an opportunity to come up with a broader based modular approach, tailored to a project’s requirements, with the reassurance that everything should work together.”
Mark Tibbenham, managing director, GJD
“Being part of a ‘best in breed team’ gives us a stronger voice within the industry.
“Alliance members are able to integrate their complementary technologies and expertise to offer innovative security solutions and at the same time have peace of mind that each part of the system will work together seamlessly.”
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