In The Boardroom With...

Ms. Jody Ross
Vice President of Business Development
AMAG Technology, Inc.
www.AMAG.com

This is the 3rd in our series of interviews with AMAG. Please also see our previous interviews with: Mr. Robert Sawyer, President & CEO and Mr. Matt Barnette, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Thank you for joining us today, Jody. Before drilling down into the latest developments at AMAG and the new Symmetry SR Controller product line, please tell us about your background.

Jody Ross: Thank you for having me. I am the Vice President of Business Development where I lead the business development, national accounts and One Facility Software Solutions Sales groups at AMAG Technology.  I also spearhead the global strategic accounts to help bring Symmetry Products into the world-wide marketplace.  Prior to joining AMAG, I was with Andover Controls/Integral Technology for 12 years, where I was the company’s national accounts manager and Northeast Regional Sales manager.  I was responsible for the growth of multimillion dollar accounts, developing new business opportunities to increase sales.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: We read with great interest at AMAG.com about the 21 reasons that will convince end-users to switch to Symmetry. Care to elaborate?

Jody Ross:  AMAG’s Symmetry access control system is the best software on the market today. Our software and hardware come packed with features that other manufacturers charge for.  The GUI is similar to Microsoft’s so it’s familiar to everyone, reducing training time, and it integrates to a wide variety of technology partners to provide video, audio, HR, etc. options to customers who need those options.  Innovative features such as Alarm Workflow, Task Manager and Threat Level Manager allow security directors to better manage their security team’s response times and actions, and secure their building during crisis situations.  

Symmetry is a leading-edge security system designed for buildings of any kind, which combines all aspects of security into a single well-designed and future-proof software solution suitable for small, large or very large applications.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Is it truly easy for end-users to migrate legacy systems to the Symmetry SR Retrofit System? Please tell us more about this new product line, the main features and the benefits.

Jody Ross: Yes. It is very easy for end-users to migrate their legacy systems to the Symmetry SR Retrofit System.  Our system allows end users to migrate without losing their initial investment in wiring infrastructure, card readers, cards and enclosures.  It literally takes less than two minutes to change out the legacy controller and install a Symmetry SR Controller.

Customers can also easily transfer large amounts of data from their legacy system to Symmetry.  Symmetry’s conversion utility saves countless hours of time and money, and eliminates the challenges that come with re-entering data. This is a big plus for large customers with hundreds or thousands of card holders.

This product line was developed to help Casi Rusco Picture Perfect, Secure Perfect and FCWnx customers migrate to Symmetry.  In addition to saving money on installation and hardware, customers upgrade to AMAG’s powerful Symmetry access control system. Symmetry has many features that come standard, where our competitors charge extra.  End users receive identity management, visitor management, and video management features within their access control software.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Congratulations on the “win” with DCH Regional Medical Center which selected AMAG Technology’s Symmetry™ SR Controller Retrofit Solution. Can you tell us more about the solution AMAG provided here?

Jody Ross: When DCH Regional Medical Center learned their Casi Rusco system was no longer being supported and no clear upgrade path had been determined at that point, they grew concerned.  They weren’t receiving support from their manufacturer and their budget was tight.  They took a close look at the Symmetry Retrofit Solution and when they learned they could reuse their 40+ card readers and existing wiring infrastructure, it became an easy decision.  Choosing the Symmetry SR Controller retrofit solution allowed them to stay within budget and saved them thousands of dollars.  I invite you to click on the link and read the full case study. DCH Medical Center

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Any other wins or success stories you’d like to discuss?

Jody Ross: Many Casi Rusco end users have made the decision to migrate to our Symmetry SR Retrofit Solution.  Yale University is installing Symmetry across their entire campus and have published articles about the security upgrade.  Two of the largest access control customers in the world, the largest energy provider in the US, and a well-known manufacturing company have also chosen AMAG’s Symmetry SR Retrofit solution.  Of course, many smaller companies are also making the switch to the Symmetry SR Solution.  They are finding the transition to Symmetry easy, affordable and most of all, they are pleased to be working with a company that treats them like a partner.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: With a 42 year track record and over 35,000 systems installed in over 110 countries – AMAG’s track record and brand recognition is second to none. How would you summarize AMAG’s competitive advantages vs. the other guys?

Jody Ross: It comes down to a few points.  First, AMAG ispart of G4S Technology, the world’s largest security company in the world.  We manufacture our own products.  Having this control allows us to design new products or make enhancements to existing product quickly, like we did with our SR Retrofit solution.  Our competitors rely on a third party company to supply their panels and have to coordinate product updates or add their updates to a long list before any changes or enhancements are made.

Second, our company philosophy is to apply Exceptional Customer Service to everything we do. Our president’s philosophy is to treat everyone, whether they are customers, technology partners or employees with exceptional customer service. We want our customers to know that we appreciate their business and will do everything we can to ensure their experience in working with AMAG was a positive one.  

Third, you can’t beat our product.  Symmetry is powerful, easy to use and offers a robust feature set and module span to provide a flexible access control system. End users can do almost anything with the product, and if it doesn’t fittheir requirements exactly, our Professional Services team is available to customize Symmetry to fit their needs. We also back our product 100% by offering backward compatibility and forward mobility with every product, ensuring no one is left behind.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: AMAG’s list of “partners” reads like a Who’s Who in the security industry with names like: ASSA ABLOY, BOSCH, HID, Panasonic, Pelco, Sony, Stentofon and Verint, just to name a few. How does this network benefit your resellers and end-users?

Jody Ross: We understand that our customers need a variety of solutions to secure their buildings, people and assets.  By integrating with a variety of companies, we are able to offer our customers the power of Symmetry, along with the opportunity to select their desired camera company or video technology.  Our open platform allows us to deliver options to end users, and that is what they want.   

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Thanks for joining us today, Jody.