David Antar
By Holly Dutton
Six months after the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, and as the country is still reeling from the Boston Marathon bombing, enhanced security has become a top priority.
And demand for more cameras in the workplace has prompted the opening of a first-of-its-kind “Global Fusion Center” that can monitor security cameras everywhere.
David Antar, president of A+ Technology and Security Solutions, said the visual security monitoring system located in Bay Shore, Long Island, acts as a cloud command center for clients.
“What’s changed is more widespread acceptance for security cameras,” said Antar of the high volume of demand his company has seen since the Boston Marathon bombing in March.
The company has worked with clients across the globe, including the presidential palace in Afghanistan, the Panama Canal, and more locally, in K-12 schools in New York and eight of the 23 CUNY campuses.
“It has brought more people’s attention to high resolution cameras, which is what allowed them to identify the Boston bombers. For building owners to have quality video for liability issues is critical; good quality video can prevent frivolous lawsuits.”
Using the cloud system means clients don’t necessarily need to have the company’s hardware to work with them. It means multiple systems like fire alarm systems, boilers, and air conditioning can be managed through video cameras.
“If a boiler shuts down in the middle of the night, we can have cameras trained on gauges to see what’s going on,” said Antar. In addition, the service can provide a virtual guard tour, and monitor an employee leaving the facility through cameras to make sure they get safely to their vehicle.
“Building owners can manage their buildings with less people, less money, and they can automate functions and outsource to the fusion center,” said Antar. And after the problems Hurricane Sandy caused building owners last year, the all-in-one center’s opening couldn’t have come at a better time.
The Downtown Manhattan Heliport, which was badly damaged from Hurricane Sandy last year, is one of the company’s clients.
“We got everything back up and running there,” said Antar. “It helps them from a real estate point of view in that the cameras document everything that happened, which is a valuable asset for insurance purposes.”
Other clients in Manhattan include private equity firm Apollo Management, FDNY, CUNY and Con Edison as clients, and is currently in talks to land a major television network as client.
In March, A+ received $12 million in venture capital funding from Long Island-based Westbury Partners, according to a Newsday article. As a part of the deal, Westbury received a minority equity stake the company.
The company will use the money to hire 30 employees in marketing, sales and engineering this year.
“The possibilities are endless,” said Antar of the capabilities of the center. “It takes the creativity of the building owners and how they can apply it to their specific needs.”
