NSCA’s 2021 Stepping Up Award winner in the Achievement category, SIGNET Electronic Systems, opened its network operations center and propelled its business with new remote monitoring services amid the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Typically, during the annual Business & Leadership Conference (BLC), NSCA’s Excellence in Business awards honor systems integration firms and their efforts to implement new strategies to navigate the constantly changing industry; however, the past year hasn’t been typical. NSCA has seen its members pivot and rise to the occasion in the face of daunting business challenges. So, during the 2021 BLC, NSCA recognized five integration companies that stepped up in various ways with our one-time-only Stepping Up Awards.

SIGNET Electronic Systems earned a 2021 Stepping Up Award in the Achievement category.

It’s not that SIGNET Electronic Systems didn’t have second thoughts about launching its 1,200-square-foot network operations center (NOC) and tiered remote monitoring and service program during the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Construction began in February 2020 and the Norwell, MA-based integration company did consider halting construction when the pandemic hit. “But we decided to move forward, and it was a great decision,” says Bradford Caron, president at SIGNET.

During pre-pandemic times, a well-planned investment in a service-based offering would certainly seem logical. Amid the pandemic, however, it’s bold – but it paid off in unique ways.

The Remote Smart services offered through the dedicated facility allows SIGNET to provide remote monitoring and as-needed troubleshooting to vital communication and security technologies – often proactively addressing technology issues prior to developing into a system failure.

This allowed SIGNET to remain extremely – and remotely – connected to its customers during the pandemic and tap into a demand for touchless support. “We had several high-profile clients – hospitals, court systems, prisons – that were hesitant about giving us access to their network in the past,” Caron explains. “But the pandemic opened their eyes because they were having issues and we couldn’t be [physically] in their facilities. Remote Smart [helped customers] see the significance of what we were providing, and they would open up their networks for us.”

Recurring Revenue Boost

Meanwhile, SIGNET launched two tiers of its Remote Start service – Remote Response Services (reactive support) and Proactive Monitoring Services (proactive support) – which created new business opportunities aligned with new value for customers.

As Caron explains in a video interview with NSCA (above), SIGNET created SKUs that allow it to add Remote Start to existing service agreements. Customers can choose the tier. “We are adding revenue dollars onto every agreement that we have automatically.”

Meanwhile, Caron says the NOC and Remote Smart offerings have elevated the company in other ways. SIGNET has always had highly qualified technicians. The business model around remote monitoring requires a more IT- and network-trained staff. It also necessitates high cybersecurity standards. As such, “it opens up a whole new pool of staffing – that whole world of the networking and IT industry,” says Caron.

Learn more about SIGNET’s NOC and remote monitoring launch in this Commercial Integrator column.

NSCA congratulates all the 2021 Stepping Up Award winners. For more on the Stepping Up Awards and the 23^rd annual Business & Leadership Conference, click here.

Learn More about SIGNET’s Remote Start in NSCA’s Quarterly Trade Journal