Alula Expands Team To Reinforce Importance of the Dealer Channel

ST. PAUL, Minn., Feb. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Alula, a leader in smart home security and automation systems for professional installers, announced the addition of Warren Hill as Director of Partner Development. In this role, Hill will continue to drive the company’s engagement within the professional dealer channel and deepen Alula’s partnerships within the smart home security industry.

Hill joins Alula from UTC Fire & Security, a division of United Technologies, where he spent nearly a decade in various leadership roles. Most recently as Vice President of Partner Solutions, Hill designed, built, launched and grew the company’s customer loyalty program and led the development of a customer web portal.

“I look forward to continuing my work supporting professional security partners in my new role with Alula,” Hill said. “Our industry is evolving and I believe Alula is well positioned to help professionals keep pace with enhancements in technology and tools that will help grow their business.”

Prior to Hill’s time at UTC Fire & Security, he was the Director of Small Business Sales at American Express where he led a number of sales and services teams and initiated the start up of multiple new processes. As a Global Product Manager at General Electric, Hill managed the lifecycle of multiple software and technical products.

“We’re excited to have Warren join the team,” said Brad LaRock, VP of Marketing at Alula. “The Connect Family of Products is seeing strong adoption in the professional installer community and that interest helped us grow our core base of partners by over 30% last year. Warren will help us advance the complete offering we’ve built for Alula Pros, including our new Pro Program.”

The Alula Pro Program was launched earlier this year and supports partners with the marketing, training and sales assets needed to succeed and grow their business with Alula. This comprehensive new program creates community and empowers independent, local security companies to compete with large tech companies that have encroached on the security space with well-funded marketing operations.

“At Alula, we recognize professional dealers are an integral piece of the industry’s growth and innovation,” added Todd Hokunson, SVP of Sales at Alula. “We are thrilled to have Warren join the team. He will connect new and existing partners to Alula’s Pro Program, giving them access to a robust set of tools and services to help them serve their customers and promote their business.”

ABOUT ALULA
Alula is the only vertically integrated security and home automation platform purpose-built for today’s independent security and installation professionals. From sensors to hub to network, Alula offers a complete, end-to-end solution and one accountable partner. Today, thousands of partners across North America have nearly 300,000 active locations secured and connected with Alula. Designed for professionals, the Alula platform provides a complete security, automation and video solution for renters, homeowners and commercial installations. Alula is a business-driven platform designed to reduce truck rolls, increase RMR, simplify inventory and put today’s professional providers in control of their business, their customers and their revenue. The Alula platform is available nationwide through distributors that cater to the alarm and integrator industry. For more information about Alula, visit https://alula.com/.

Alula empowers partners with Pro Partner Program

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Alula, a provider of smart security and automation systems for professional installers and the award-winning inventors of the Connect+ platform, announced the launch of a professional partner program that provides incentives, marketing support, product training and access to an online resource center.

The Alula Pro Partner Program supports partners with all the marketing, training and sales assets needed to succeed and grow their business. This comprehensive new program empowers independent, local security companies to compete with large tech companies that have encroached on the security space with well-funded marketing operations.

“Over the past year, we’ve had the opportunity to engage and learn with our smart home security dealer community and industry experts,” said Alula VP of Marketing Brad LaRock. “We learned that they were eager for digital marketing support and training opportunities to help them keep pace with rapid technological change. This program provides instant access to the marketing and training resources our partners need to help them focus on their growth and expansion.”

The Pro Partner Program gives dealers access to a robust set of tools and services to help them serve their customers and promote their business. There is no charge or minimum purchase requirements to gain access to the program.

“It’s not enough to simply offer the best all-in-one platform and interactive services package; we also want to help our partners with marketing and sales support,” LaRock said. “That’s why we developed the program and made it available to all our partners to help them grow. We know a lot of other companies require fees or minimum installation numbers, but for us, it was more important to empower our pros to help them succeed, regardless of their market position.”

The program includes a welcome kit that helps new partners ramp up product training and knowledge as swiftly as possible by providing information on how to quickly and easily connect with Alula’s sales and marketing teams. The program also provides Pro Day Training — virtual and on-site tutelage so teams can feel confident about installing products in any scenario.

As part of the program, Alula also launched the Partner Resource Center. This exclusive portal for Alula partners offers a one-stop shop for training and marketing assets. This includes digital collateral and other marketing brochures that can be easily customized with the partner’s logo and contact information. The resource center also provides a well-organized, searchable library of install guides, training videos, product specs and image files.

“Alula has done a great job of helping us with ideas and supplying us marketing assets to work with,” said Nicholas Luciano, business development and team lead for residential/small commercial at Floyd Total Security, a mid-size integrator in Minneapolis, Minn. “Alula understands the fact that when they help one dealer, they’re essentially helping all their dealers.”

For more information about how to become an Alula pro, visit Alula.com/pro-signup. 

Category M1 Cellular – Why is it Important?

There’s a lot of buzz about the internet-of-things (IoT) these days, and the largest companies in the world are starting to get into the act.  In all the excitement, it’s easy to conclude that this concept of transferring data from homes to remote locations is a new idea. In reality, the security industry has been practicing this basic functionality for many decades.  Starting in the 1960s with the ability to transfer data acoustically over telephone lines, the Security Industry has been in the “IoT” business. We just didn’t know what it was called!

Security continues to cast a large shadow in the IoT space.  IDC estimates that Smart Security, which is the convergence of security, video, and home automation, will increase its share of “Smart Home Device” shipments from 39.7% in 2019 to 54.1% in 2023.  Similarly, in the commercial space, security applications continue to have a strong and growing presence. In recent years, cellular networks have been the communication channel of choice for security manufacturers and integrators.  This paper discusses recent developments in cellular IoT, and how the Connect™ Family of products from Alula takes advantage of the many benefits offered by these new technologies.

Download the CAT-M1 whitepaper here.

Alula’s Enhanced Website and Tagline Reinforce The Company’s Dealer Focus

ST. PAUL, MINN. (PRWEB) JANUARY 14, 2020

Alula, the leader in smart security and automation systems for professional installers and the award-winning inventors of the Connect+ platform, doubled down on its commitment to professional security installers by making them the centerpiece of the company’s new tagline and website.

Previously known for “Simplifying Security,” Alula has reinvented its tagline for 2020 and will now highlight “Professional Smart Security.” While ease of installation is still an important part of Alula’s value to customers, the new tagline further emphasizes that Alula only sells to professional installers and differentiates it from the slew of DIY offerings that have crowded the marketplace.

“Over the past few short years, we have seen a number of marketing companies enter the security space with DIY offerings that go around the professionals who made this business great,” says Alula CEO Brian McLaughlin. “Alula was built on and has always been committed to maintaining a partnership with the professional dealer and installer community. We still believe that the best security is provided by local professionals.”

As the smart home security industry enters a new decade, Alula’s goal is to clearly represent its unique position in the marketplace, and more importantly, the company’s trusted partnership with installers. As the tagline suggests, Alula puts “Professional” first.

Along with the new tagline, Alula launched a new website at https://Alula.com (previously at alula.net.) Like the new tagline, the refreshed website is an expression of Alula’s professional-first mindset. The website, designed specifically for professional security installers, includes several tools and programs to enhance profitability. Among the new features:

  • An interactive demo showing the breadth of Alula’s solutions
  • Easy access to all key info for product features, SKUs, and technical sheets
  • Rebate programs for professionals to help them capture new business
  • A newly launched program that rewards referrals
  • Resources that include install guides and a robust library of webinars

“Alula is the first all-in-one hardware and interactive services provider that is 100% focused on professional partners,” says McLaughlin. “This refresh of the Alula brand puts our partners front and center and reminds their customers of the value of hiring a trusted local security consultant.”

ABOUT ALULA
Alula is the only vertically integrated security and home automation platform purpose-built for today’s independent security and installation professionals. From sensors to hub to network, Alula offers a complete, end-to-end solution and one accountable partner. Today, thousands of partners across North America have nearly 300,000 active locations secured and connected with Alula. Designed for professionals, the Alula platform provides a complete security, automation and video solution for renters, homeowners and commercial installations. Alula is a business-driven platform designed to reduce truck rolls, increase RMR, simplify inventory and put today’s professional providers in control of their business, their customers and their revenue. The Alula platform is available nationwide through distributors that cater to the alarm and integrator industry. For more information about Alula, visit https://alula.com.

Alula Awarded Product of the Year for BAT-Connect at Consumer Electronics Show

Alula, the leader in smart security and automation systems for professional installers and the award-winning inventors of the Connect+ platform, announced the BAT-Connect communicator has won the Mark of Excellence Award for Security and Surveillance Product of the Year at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The award recognizes the best new or improved security and video surveillance products.

Launched in the back half of 2019, this is the 5th award Alula’s BAT-Connect communicator has won — affirming the market need for a device that allows dealers an efficient and effective way to takeover or upgrade a residential smart home system.

More than a basic communicator, this intuitive device connects intrusion security, video and automation with the award-winning Alula Smartphone App, bringing interactive features to legacy security systems. Fueled by the secure Alula network, system control is delivered instantly to Apple and Android smartphones as well as Alula’s new Slimline Touchpad.

“We’re honored to be recognized by the Consumer Technology Association for BAT-Connect, one of the latest in the Connect family of products,” explained Alula VP of Engineering Paul Saldin. “The BAT-Connect allows a security system to become smart, integrated and automated. There is a real need to bring these new interactive features to legacy systems. BAT-Connect is also great for new installs and allows our customers to standardize their entire business on a secure and fully integrated offering.”

BAT-Connect is the first communicator with three paths of communication, including the first to use Cat-M1 cellular, the communications path optimized for the Internet of Things. With the use of Cat-M1 cellular technology, the BAT-Connect not only rescues 3G and CDMA cellular systems from the impending sunset, it also will bridge the gap to 5G and keep running long into the future.

“Cellular sunsets have long been a major problem for security professionals, and we aim to help them stop wasting time and money by updating systems every time cellular providers decide to harvest network bandwidth optimized for cell phones,” says Russell Vail, Alula’s Executive Vice President of Market Development and an industry-leading expert on cellular sunsets. “We have to get this industry out of this crazy loop where we keep repeating the same behavior and expecting different results. The BAT-Connect is a game changer that solves sunsets once and for all.”

ABOUT ALULA
Alula is the only vertically integrated security and home automation platform purpose-built for today’s independent security and installation professionals. From sensors to hub to network, Alula offers a complete, end-to-end solution and one accountable partner. Today, thousands of partners across North America have nearly 300,000 active locations secured and connected with Alula. Designed for professionals, the Alula platform provides a complete security, automation and video solution for renters, homeowners and commercial installations. Alula is a business-driven platform designed to reduce truck rolls, increase RMR, simplify inventory and put today’s professional providers in control of their business, their customers and their revenue. The Alula platform is available nationwide through distributors that cater to the alarm and integrator industry. For more information about the BAT-Connect, visit https://alula.com/communicators/bat-connect/. For more information about Alula, visit https://www.alula.com.

Interlogix shutdown creates an opportunity

Security integrators were caught off guard by the sudden announcement that UTC’s Interlogix division – one of the most popular brands in the industry – would be shutting down by the end of the year (see www.securityinfowatch.com article); in fact, integrators and long-time Interlogix customers may be wondering what their next move should be.

In the security business, the integrator’s next step should always be taken with a nod toward the future – not what has been done in the past; thus, integration businesses should see the shutdown as an opportunity to grow their business into the future.

Instead of looking around for a new hardware partner to replace the one they lost, integrators should seize this moment to make the move to a streamlined, vertically-integrated solution that encompasses both hardware and software. This will prepare integrators for a future that is predicted to include much more disruption, from both inside and outside the industry.

The Past as a Guide

Many of the integrators affected by the Interlogix shutdown are used to upheaval; in fact, many of these businesses were actually built during, or even because of, major industry disruptions. Such changes ultimately helped integrators increase their revenue by simplifying installation. Here are a few recent examples:

The introduction of reliable wireless technology meant integrators were suddenly able to set up a system in a fraction of the time it took to run wires. Additionally, the creation of self-contained panels brought the User Interface and the CPU together into a single unit, cutting labor costs and enabling multiple installations in a day. The low-labor, rapid installs that wireless and self-contained panels enabled gave rise to the fast-paced door-to-door summer sales model (another disruption) that ultimately folded back into the standard professional model.

With the launch of interactive services and the smartphone came remote control, as well as the addition of a range of services that ultimately meant more revenue for integrators, and a more engaged consumer user base.

These were seismic changes that felt disruptive at the time, but in the end they left forward-looking integrators in a stronger position. The integrators that did not embrace those disruptions are not in business today.

More Disruption Ahead

The Interlogix shutdown is the latest example of disruption coming from within the industry. This trend is likely to continue, as companies continue to innovate and change the way integrators do business; and there is more disruption coming – some of it from outside the industry. Tech giants like Google and Amazon are releasing smart security products that claim to blend seamlessly with the tech-enabled home of the future, and consumers are paying attention.

These new developments, coupled with the looming sunset of the 4G LTE standard, feel like gathering storm clouds for the security integrator, who must grapple with technologies going obsolete at the same time tech giants are invading their turf.

The industry has weathered plenty of storms in the past, and there’s no reason that integrators can’t once again come out in a stronger position.

Preparing for the Future

High RMR, lowered installation costs and reliability have always been the building blocks of successful security integration firms. Now that tech giants are bearing down on the security space, what is the more feasible approach for maintaining those principles: a vertically integrated solution or a two-way arrangement with network provider and a separate hardware provider?

Major tech is appealing to consumers with seamless, vertically integrated solutions; but security businesses can do this as well, in fact, many forward-looking companies already are. The Interlogix shutdown is an opportunity for integrators who are still using separate services and hardware providers to make this move, instead of looking for a new hardware partner that will help them cling to an aging business model.

The old model was all about a common interactive services provider rolling out features, distributing their development efforts and feature roadmap more or less equally amongst all the hardware players. It has been difficult for any one hardware player to distinguish itself substantially from the rest, and new developments tend to come slowly.

The future of this business is all about leveraging the full hardware/services stack. There are multiple benefits to an elegantly-designed system, as opposed to two parts glued together.

With new entrants in the market, consumers will expect a comprehensive and seamless experience – not so different from driving a great car. The dashboard should be wonderful, but beneath it there must be an amazing suspension system that absorbs all the bumps, turns and uncertainties the road can deliver. Bottom line is: the best of class services and best in class hardware are the ones that were designed together.

The hardware solutions integrators choose must enable the security integrator to continue to deliver a smooth solution for a long time to come. The shutdown of Interlogix was one more surprise in an industry that’s full of surprises and disruptions. Hopefully, integrators will see this moment as the opportunity it really is.

Brian Seemann is EVP of Operations Development for Alula. He was formerly VP of Engineering for GE-Interlogix. Connect with him via LinkedIn, at www.linkedin.com/in/brianseemann. Request more info about Alula at www.securityinfowatch.com/ .

Alula Offers Connect-XT to Extend the Life of Popular Simon Panels after Interlogix Shutdown

ST. PAUL, MINN. (PRWEB) OCTOBER 16, 2019 — Alula, the leader in smart security and automation systems for professional installers, announced it will keep popular Simon panels by Interlogix operating far into the future with the introduction of a sunset fix that features the latest in cellular radio technology, Cat-M1.

Connect-XT easily upgrades Simon XT, XTi and XTi5 panels to a modern, interactive security experience, adding smartphone control to these legacy security panels. The Connect-XT replaces 3G CDMA or GSM cards that will cease to function with the pending 3G cellular sunset.

The new cellular card interacts with the Simon panel serial automation interface, providing full sensor status, system status and arming controls. Connect-XT features Cat-M1 LTE radio technology, which provides improved range from tower to panel over traditional LTE, allowing for more flexibility in difficult installations where cell signals struggle to penetrate.

“Like the rest of the industry, we were surprised by the announcement of the pending closure of Interlogix,” said Alula Vice President of Product Management, Dave Mayne. “Our focus is on helping dealers impacted by this to have an elegant and cost-effective transition path going forward and offer them a solution for Sunset and panel upgrades that will help them continue doing business smoothly.”

In addition to improved performance over older LTE technologies being shipped by most manufacturers, Cat-M1 also brings the advantage of 5G compatibility. This means that dealers installing Cat-M1 cellular cards today can be confident that they will be supported by cellular carriers long into the future

Connect-XT communicates alarm signals over Cat-M1 via Verizon or AT&T, and is available in versions with or without Z-Wave automation. Customers with Simon panels installed can easily upgrade to a fully automated home with video monitoring, including the popular Video Doorbell, using the new card, even if they are still using landlines.

Alula’s popular Sunset rebate program will apply to Simon upgrades as well. Eligible installers can receive up to $50 when they replace a Sunset-prone Simon radio with the new Connect-XT, helping relieve the burden imposed on installers by the sudden shutdown.

ABOUT ALULA
Alula is the only vertically integrated security and home automation platform purpose-built for today’s independent security and installation professionals. From sensors to hub to network, Alula offers a complete, end-to-end solution and one accountable partner. Today, thousands of partners across North America have nearly 300,000 active locations secured and connected with Alula. Designed for professionals, the Alula platform provides a complete security, automation and video solution for renters, homeowners and commercial installations. Alula is a business-driven platform designed to reduce truck rolls, increase RMR, simplify inventory and put today’s professional providers in control of their business, their customers and their revenue. The Alula platform is available nationwide through distributors that cater to the alarm and integrator industry. For more information about the Connect+ platform, visit https://alula.net/connect/. For more information about Alula, visit http://www.alula.net.
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