We expanded our footprint in ASAP, the electronic dispatching method supported by CSAA and its members. ASAP stands for Automated Secure Alarm Protocol and DICE took the lead on this mission critical project alongside one of our larger clients, United Central Controls (UCC) of San Antonio, TX. Working as a team, DICE and UCC took 30,000 accounts live on the CAD dispatching system in Houston, TX in the beginning of 2011.

At the heart of this project was Julie Coppens, DICE Director of Design & Development. Mrs. Coppens is credited for creating the ePad project code used in the test trials of Shanona Valley. After the 911 terrorist attacks, it became paramount as it was promoted by the President of the United States as the Federal and Local Interconnection. This project was to become the XML transport used in the first deployment ever in Virginia by Vector Security of Pittsburgh, PA for a 911 electronic transmission, now known as ASAP.

All of the parties involved in this project learned a tremendous amount at every angle in regards to this deployment, which provided for the needed insight for DICE to make additional advancements within our dispatching engine and data entry engine.  These advancements are key components that will make DICE clients more efficient in respect to other monitoring businesses who use ASAP in the future, as more and more cities and alarm centers become connected.

As more and more 911 centers go to electronic dispatching, DICE is set to dominate the field with some very special processing capacities that allow our clients to do more with less people - making our clients look prepared, efficient, and positioned as partners with 911 centers throughout the United States.

Deadline for sponsorship in CSAA’s ASAP Program is January 31st.  For more information about the ASAP-to-PSAP program, contact Ed Bonifas at 630-844-5310, ebonifas@adsalarm.com; or Pam Petrow at 412-364-2600, pjpetrow@vectorsecurity.com.

After more than two years of work by a team of ground-level developers and systems designers working below the radar, the brain child of Mr. Dice's rapid development engine strategy began to take hold. In 2011, there was a noticeable increase in use of our developer tools by manufacturers, clients, web developers and software device integrators. The product allows a developer outside of DICE the capacity to build additional web applications, reports, or charts using any database with an exposed data dictionary, all within the DICE platform that allows tight data integration and a single point of data entry and storage.

As the product has now reached more than 30 developers and designers using and building web products each day in MADE, the word "efficiency" becomes an understatement. Not only does DICE stand behind this product, but we actually use MADE to actually build all of the Matrix products. It alone has allowed DICE to build web products at a pace unheard of before. The speed of monitoring application data retrieval is unmatched in any product on the market today as well, which makes for very quick web applications.

More new projects came about for DICE Corporation in 2011, when DICE started back up the Loans and Financing division, which was made public knowledge to DICE clients during the DICE Users Group (DUG) conference. This was designed back in the 90's as a way to rapidly expand the DICE products among clients and prospects. Last year, DICE loaned out over half a million dollars to clients on a limited basis, and expects to inject more then seven figures into our client sites in 2012, as more than half of all quotes done for clients in the 4th quarter of 2011 were in some way or another a financing agreement. Through this division, the DICE Partner Program (DPP) provides full financing on all hardware, PBX's, Voice Gateways, IVR's, software, services, conversions, and DSC Sur-Gard receivers.

DICE Corporation also financed some specific technology placements and ownerships in 2011 with its clients, which included DICE investing in alarm centers by providing complete technology solutions of hardware, networking equipment, PBXs, software, services, and a telecommunications infrastructure. Through the agreement, DICE would retain the ownership and management of the complete IT for a center (including staffing of IT personnel), while the client simply had a fixed cost amount per month and the calm reassurance that they'd never have to deal with technology or IT situations per the length of the partnership. The DPP provided a few clients with a set cost of operation for the technology and DICE Corporation, being the owner of the equipment and products, continues to upgrade the systems and keep the center on the cutting edge without the client having to make any capital expenditures far into the future.

The DICE Partnership Program was designed by Mr. Dice, who started his career in finance. This type of financing provides a very smart way of outsourcing the costs associated with a monitoring center, and 2012 could see more financing of products, as DICE is looking for ways to get products out and into the hands of clients in a way that allow them to fit the various IT capital expenditures into their tax plans, loan obligations, and covenants.

As we begin this 2012 year, I have never been more excited about the alarm industry, the challenges and the growth opportunities. The alarm industry is moving quickly towards connected and interactive advanced technologies. The products and tools that clients will use in the next few years will be tightly interconnected, requiring additional integration among the platforms for monitoring, service & accounting systems, to allow clients to interact in real time and on larger scales than ever before.  Our industry will move from being a singular proprietary controlled industry to a large scale data centric multiverse.  What this means to our industry is that it will be connected to so many other industries using technologies and controls - which may be hard to envision at first, but in time will be a way of life.   

Some of you may be concerned about the new and large players entering the industry, at the same time we have in many directions the large expansion of certain sectors within our own industry.  To me, this means more clients willing to pay for services, more monitoring centers willing to provide such services, and the part I like the best, more of a need for software companies to perfect new products, integrate technologies, and provide advanced services that clients require to be competitive.  It is such an honor and a privilege for me to be such an important part of the heart of your business.

As for one of my new interests, the rapid advancement of PSIM, Physical Security Information Management, centers is very encouraging, and the tools both in the field and in the managed service center (monitoring center) is encouraging to say the least.

Lastly, 2011 marked the year that DICE Corporation provided many remote tool products, these remote tools run on Apple and Android OS, linked to both our accounting and monitoring software systems.  Fire Inspection, Service Management, Mobile Sales Management all with online contracts, credit card processing, and signature capture, are the highlights of the special products only offered by DICE Corporation.  Today at DICE, 2012 and beyond means growth and more advancement of products that others will be unable to offer on all facets.  DICE clients can plan on us to build our products for the new market, the new industry, and the great opportunities that are before us in this close-knit and important industry.  We are so happy to have such great clients, with so many great people to partner with.

Have a great 2012,
CVD