NEWS

DIY Platform Implementation

DIY platform has had a huge impact on our industry. Over the years, many companies have considered implementing a DIY platform but realized that it can be complicated because of in house programming and shipping. With this program, you will not need to do programming or shipping.

Data Points:

73% of consumers that installed their security system themselves rated the installation task as easy, only 3% rated the installation process as not easy.
Nearly 40% of householders installed their security system to save money.

We are connected with two companies that have developed and implemented an awesome DIY platform that would make adding this platform to your business very easy and effective. The program provides: equipment / shipping and your DIY customer support.

Contact us for more information.

OPERATIONS ASSISTANCE

Coming soon.

Project Management

New projects are temporary and unique endeavors and can place an excessive burden on your staff.

Effective project management involves 5 distinctive life cycle phases:

Initiation
Planning and Design
Construction and Execution
Monitoring and Control
Completion

We can assist you in any way / every way necessary.

Contact us for more information.

LICENSING

Statutes, ordinances, employee registrations, training and certification requirements for licensing vary not only from state to state but county to county and city to city.

Staying current with the latest regulations is in itself, a monumental task. Understanding the rules, knowing where and how to get answers and diligence is the key to keeping your company in good standing with the licensing authority. We specialize in Licensing and Compliance.

If you are a company looking to expand into new markets, a startup that needs a qualifier, or you simply need assistance with licensing, contact us here for more information. A representative will contact you. We can assist you in a variety of ways.

If you an individual that currently holds a state license and would be interested in working with qualifying a company, contact us for more information.

Quality Assurance Programs

Do all of your installations meet industry standards? Do they meet your standards? Are they inspected? Do you grade your technicians on the quality of their work and provide training for areas that need improvement? If you look at an install, can you tell which of your installers completed the work without looking at any paperwork? We can assist with the development and implementation of a QA program that will move the quality of your installation to a whole new level and increase the overall value of your business.

Contact us for more information.

Process Improvement

We will review, evaluate and document any processes you currently have in place and recommend design improvements that will allow you to be more efficient and save you time and money.

Contact us for more information.

Monitoring/Central Station Evaluation

We are experts in evaluating monitoring providers, contract terms, pricing, and more. Whether you are looking to evaluate your current monitoring center, locate a new one, or perform an analysis of whether to switch from your own operation to 3rd party we can help.

Effective project management involves 5 distinctive life cycle phases:

Pricing analysis to peers
Services review
Technology and software comparison
Performance analysis
3rd party vs ownership vs hybrid
Signal pathway mapping
Overall suggestions for cost reduction

We have seen hundreds of monitoring center agreements and invoices, and with this knowledge we can help you maximize the value you receive from your current or future monitoring partner. This is highly confidential information so we will work with you under an NDA.

Contact us for more information.

PARTNERS

THE HAXAKAIN GROUP, LLC

Haxakain is a 20+ year consulting firm specializing in helping companies achieve their primary objective in marketing, business development, sales and revenue growth. Haxakain’s founder Hank Groff has over 30 years working as a sales leader, company consultant and business advisor to various recurring monthly revenue companies of less than $10MM to $300+MM in the public and private sector. ADT, Brinks, Vector , Dynamark, Guardian Protection, and many others have taken advantage of his expertise. Haxakain specializes in growing companies in the following industries: security & surveillance, smart home, clean energy utility, commercial fitness, home warranty, and others. Trying to double your annual revenues in the next five years? Looking to expand business operations into a new region or across the country? Want to develop a marketing strategy to increase qualified leads? We have helped others achieve their primary objective. Now, let us help you.

X-it Strategy Consulting and Founder Ken Wiesenfeld

X-it Strategy, a financial consulting firm, is focused primarily on the electronic security industry, assisting small to middle market companies, improving the value embedded within their finance/accounting resources, optimizing their business processes and organizing their environment for a capital event.

Over 20 years of progressive financial and operational experience.
Chief Financial Officer at Security Networks (2006-2013), an electronic security provider to over 200,000 customers and more than $100 million in annual revenue (2013), having grown the company from $5 million in annual revenues when he began with the company.
CFO of Guardian International (2001-2005) in Hollywood, FL.
Prior to that position, held various management positions at Security Technologies Group and Sensormatic Electronics Corporation, starting his career at Price Waterhouse
Graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania

X-it Strategy Engagements

Member of the Board of an SDM 100 Company, acting as an industry partner and offering consulting services to the CEO/CFO to further advance various board objectives
Obtaining a senior credit facility, in connection with 2 acquisition opportunities (where Xit is assisting in the buyer due diligence and conversion planning)
Capital planning, streamlining its operation, assessing a new software platform, and improving the finance/accounting function
Optimizing a client’s use of a Sedona Office Accounting/CRM system
Completed assignment as Interim VP Accounting of an SDM 100 Company to elevate the accounting function to “World Class”
Created a “Vendor Management database” which yielded cost savings via re-negotiation and multiple bid processes
Worked as Interim Acting CFO for a high growth technology company within the security industry, tasked with organizing the accounting and finance functions, working with senior management and the board to evaluate the capital structure and financing options
Performed Due Diligence on a SDM 100 Company acquisition
Assisted Bank in Due Diligence on a recent placement of debt with a SDM Top 20 Company
Talent Sourcing – hiring key members of the finance and operations management team
Implementation of Software upgrade – assisted Client in the project management efforts to upgrade accounting software to latest version

Aspenroot, LLC and Founder Lori Gottschalk

With twenty years experience in Information Systems and Accounting and over fifteen years in the security industry, AspenRoot is a software development company capable of solving the most complex IT problems. Our development teams are formed project by project, custom-tailored to the specific needs of the project. This decentralized structure allows us to eliminate costly overhead and focus directly on a client's requirements, resulting in lower costs and a rapid development cycle for our clients.

AspenRoot consultants are highly skilled in the latest technology, specializing in areas such as C#.NET, MVC, AJAX, Entity Framework, Responsive Design, web services development and consumption, mobile app development, and SQL Server database development.

Through our business practices, we are able to provide on-time, on-budget, quality work, capable of growing with our customers.

AspenRoot Engagements

Developed dealer portal for Security Networks to streamline customer onboarding, due diligence, e-signature, dealer funding, service, retention data, etc., synchronized across five back end systems to reduce costs, improve efficiency and eliminate double entry.
Built Dealer Funding application for an SDM 100 Company to increase efficiency, improve communication and provide real-time information to Dealers about funding data.
Partnered with security industry CRM company to build API for their product. Consulted with numerous security companies to implement API with Salesforce.com and other custom front end systems.
Created a map-based mobile application for tracking sales opportunities and converting to customers, seamlessly integrating with back end CRM and monitoring software.
Performed data conversions to migrate highly sensitive customer data from legacy systems to new CRMs.

Alarm Consulting Group, Inc. - REFFERALS

referrals

"I want to acknowledge Kurt Becker for being a great human being. This above any other reason is why you want Kurt to be a part of your team. He is the genuine, honest, kind, and loyal and he will improve your team dynamics, guaranteed.

And yes, it is also true that Kurt Becker recently completed a project where he coordinated with dozens of sub-contractor groups to successfully execute 3G panel upgrades for 50,000 of our valued customers in under 16 months.

But the part about being a great human, that’s the secret sauce."

Nick B. Thomas
Ackerman Security
Chief Operating Officer

"Kurt Becker joined Security Networks as General Manager of our Charlotte office back in 2004 where he quickly demonstrated that he was an executive with unique business skills and an amazing attitude and work ethic. These attributes allowed Kurt to rise quickly through the ranks of the company where he soon became Vice President of Operations. Under Kurt’s leadership, along with his fellow senior executives, Security Networks became one of the fastest growing and most profitable companies in the security alarm industry, and was ultimately sold at one of the highest valuations on record. Kurt is particularly strong in the areas of product development and information technology, and he is also a people person who knows how to build an organization and get the most out of his resources. I am confident that Kurt will add value to any company that utilizes his skills."

Richard W. Perry
Perry Companies, Inc.
founder and former CEO for Security Networks

"I have known and worked with Kurt Becker for a number of years in the alarm industry, and have witnessed the significant contribution he has made across a number of operational areas. Kurt is rare in having the strategic understanding of what is required to grow and run a successful alarm enterprise, but can also execute at the tactical level, where the details really matter.

I can also attest to Kurt’s work ethic and sense of urgency. Kurt has built a reputation for results, and for getting it right the first time – because he knows what it takes to accomplish the mission. He also works extremely well both in a highly structured situation, as well as in environments where more personal initiative is needed. Lastly – and this is perhaps his most important attribute – I trust Kurt implicitly to do the right thing.

All this may sound like high praise – and it is! That’s because Kurt is truly a seasoned alarm professional, for whom I have tremendous respect. I believe he will be asset to any organization smart enough to retain his services."

Peter Rogers
Co-Founder & Senior Advisor
FrontPoint Security

"Alarm Services Group has been a top dealer in the Security Networks dealer program since October 2008. During our time as an affiliate with Security Networks we have had the pleasure with working with some of the Top Professionals in the industry. One such individual being Mr.Kurt Becker. Mr. Becker has proven to be extremely knowledgeable in running a very effective program. He knows what it takes to be successful in the industry and implements the procedures in a fair and effective manner. We have always found Mr. Becker to be accessible and easy to work with, although we haven't always gotten our way, he has always had and been willing to explain his reasons for making the decisions he has made. He has proven to be effective in helping us grow our company in a manner that has allowed all parties to be profitable and prosperous. We have enjoyed our time working as partners with Mr. Becker and everyone on the Security Networks team."

Thomas P. Brady
Alarm Services Group

“I always admired the Security Network’s team and we worked closely with them as a peer company. We had similar approaches to doing business and taking care of customers, so over the years, we got to know Kurt Becker and the value that he brought to his organization. Kurt knows the industry and how it works and how to build an operation that truly supports growth, which is difficult to do in this industry and particularly so with Security Network’s rapid growth. Kurt is a detailed, hardworking individual, who knows how to talk the talk and walk the walk when it comes to service and operations in our industry. Kurt not only knows how to successfully manage and grow an operation, but he is someone that one can trust implicitly to do the right thing and ask the right questions.”

Amy V. Kothari
President & CEO
Alarm Capital Alliance

“Kurt is hands on and one of the best at evaluating industry products. Very knowledgeable and experience in the security space with products and operations. Kurt helped built a wonderful company at Security Networks.”

Lance Dean
Co-Founder
2Gig

“Kurt has a unique skill set that combines operational prowess, with a straight talk, can do attitude. His work ethic is no doubt tied to his W. PA roots. I have relied on Kurt more than once for outstanding counsel. Kurt is also a well know security professional with a proven track record. He has been a key contributor to Security Networks success, as well as the industries “go to” person on operational issues.”

Nate Natale
Alarm.com
VP of Sales

“Kurt is trusted by many and a valuable resource to support a company’s journey with elevated operations, licensing and compliance. He has extensive experience and a track record of building companies that win. He excels at getting in the trenches to focus on where the value-add is needed and how to achieve results. He is always humble to share his crown of knowledge and experience, appreciate all he continues to do for the industry and his customers.”

Doug Marshall
Honeywell
National Account Manager

LIBRARY

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PDFs for Download

about

The Alarm Consulting Group, Inc. was founded by Kurt W. Becker, an industry veteran with over 28 years of operations experience.

The company provides consulting services to security companies across the country in areas such as licensing and compliance, operation efficiency, field operations management, software design and implementation, finance, exit planning, process improvement and project management.

Kurt W. Becker - Founder & President/CEO

The Alarm Consulting Group, Inc was founded by Kurt W. Becker, a seasoned security industry veteran with over 28 years of industry experience in a broad range of disciplines. Most recently, Mr. Becker was the Vice President of Operations at Security Networks. As a member of the senior management team, he was involved is all areas of the business with primary areas of responsibility field and branch operations, tech support, dispatch, licensing/compliance, central station operations and infrastructure design / implementation. He also led efforts in product development and information technology, which included software design and implementation.

Mr. Becker’s efforts at Security Networks were a key factor in the successful sale of the company in 2013 at one of the highest valuations on record. Through his Alarm Consulting Group, Mr. Becker can now help you achieve your operational goals in order to maximize the enterprise value of your business. Areas of expertise include but are not limited to:

Licensing & Compliance: Mr. Becker holds numerous alarm licenses across the country and understands the process for obtaining and maintaining these licenses through the various state agencies.
Software Design & Implementation: Mr. Becker was instrumental in the development and implementation of software that integrated two separate CRM’s and allowed affiliates to more efficiently onboard accounts.
Process Improvement: Mr. Becker has the ability to review current process, map them out and make recommendations for process improvement.
Quality Assurance Program Development & Implementation: Mr. Becker was responsible for development and implementation of one of the most comprehensive QA programs for his field service team in the industry.
Project Management: This is an area that virtually all companies struggle. Day to day operations make it difficult to undertake new directives/projects. Mr. Becker has the unique ability to manage day to day operations yet thrives on the challenge of new projects.
Product Development: With his comprehensive technical background, Mr. Becker has developed relationships with various manufacturers and worked closely with the engineers at companies including Alarm.com, 2Gig, ipDatatel and Honeywell.

Through the Alarm Consulting Group, Mr. Becker can help you identify and achieve your goals within your business.