The SecurityHive.com community voted during the summer of 2014 and selected the Physical Security and Video Surveillance industry’s Top 12 Influencers. – This Profile is one in the series of 12 making a difference in our industry

Victoria has served as the Micro Key President since October 2011. Prior to her role as president, Victoria held the Business Development Manager position. Since joining Micro Key Solutions in 2002, she has been a top sales producer and product specialist for our Millennium Management product line. Since assuming her role as President, Victoria has implemented many positive changes to the company including the creation of Micro Key University which empowers customers to fully utilize their software investment, the institution of a formal Implementation Team to ensure customer success when going live with our product, and also assembling a “dream team” of core managers. All of these while keeping the Micro Key staff excited and motivated every day.

In her spare time, Victoria enjoys cooking, reading, movies, theatre, and working out (enjoy may be too strong of a term for that last one). She spends most of her free time enjoying the company of friends and family (although she never actually stops working)!

A community of over 8000 industry professionals has just selected you as one of the Top 12 industry Influencers for 2014. What is your reaction to that?

I am very passionate about the industry and the role Micro Key Solutions plays in that industry, so it was a great honor to be recognized by my peers.

How long have you been active in the physical security/video surveillance industry and what brought you into this industry?

I recently celebrated my 14th year with Micro Key and the industry. It was a twist of fate that I found Micro Key and I quickly fell in love with the company, product, customers and our Industry and I have been moving full force ever since.

How did you get started (what was your first job) in this industry?

I actually started my career in this industry as a Business Development Representative with Micro Key. This position landed me front and center with dealers, installers, and central station owners from all over the world. Since Sales and Business Development are more about listening than selling, I became acquainted with their needs and pains. My experience continues to drive our development in relevant aspects of our industry.

What are some of the changes in the industry that you saw coming and are most proud about being accurate?

I am a person who is always on the road and I recognized the need for business owners to be connected to their businesses remotely. Mobile & Web Applications are now a staple in our day to day businesses and personal lives.

How have you seen the industry change over the past few years?

Technological Evolution! Technology is now common place and the average dealer or central station owner not only demands the latest technology, but understands how it will benefit their businesses and customers.

What do you see has been the single most impactful technology in the industry?

Video monitoring, Web & Mobile Apps, and Cloud technology has revolutionized the way our consumers digest security for their businesses and homes.

As an industry influencer, can you share with us a business success story or case study that you are most proud about?

Micro Key’s products and services are applicable to large and small dealers and central stations. The power in those products is streamlining operations with automation to enable companies to focus their efforts in growing their businesses instead of being weighed down by minutia. I am proud to have helped many dealers and central stations grow their businesses and increase their businesses value.

Please share with us your visions of this industry and what it will look like for manufacturers, integrators, installers, central stations, and end-users in:

Tell us about a current industry FAD or trend that you do _not_ see being around in the future (i.e.: NFC, gesture technology for access control, body worn cameras, patient biometric authentication, etc)

While the thought of biometric authentication as access control is an incredibly cool concept that is prevalent in movies and TV, it would seem it’s future remains to be reserved for high end, exclusive entities with a big budget to support that technology.

Are there any current trends you think will be short-lived? If so, why?

There was a trend for “Social Media” monitoring that was marketed pretty heavily as an RMR generator but never was really embraced by consumers as a “must have’. I don’t think it has longevity because most social media outlets have notification tools that do that job for you for free.

Tell us about a newer technology that you think is going to significantly alter the industry landscape:

Complete home automation, including alarm and video monitoring and deeper integration with mobile technology. Panels will truly be the command center for homes and businesses and mobile devices will be the control devices.

What vertical market do you think is going to witness the biggest impact of industry advancements and why? (Airports, Seaports, Campus (K12/Univ), Hospitals, Law Enforcement, Banking, Oil/Gas, Retail, etc)

The vertical market that will witness the biggest impact of industry advancement is definitely the medical monitoring field. Even within the last two years, this industry has branched out to mobile PERS monitoring, integrated with GPS, enabling seniors and individuals with special needs to live life outside their homes with a safety net. Monitoring people anytime, anywhere. This is the tip of the iceberg.

I think medical and home health care is going to be a natural extension and expansion of PERS monitoring given demand with an aging population.

What are your thoughts on laws or legislation that are currently being considered or do you think may be forthcoming that will have an impact on the industry: ( i.e: Banning of LPR cameras for police, cruise lines to requiring shipboard video surveillance, schools banned from collecting biometric data on students, etc)

It is imperative to balance personal privacy rights with the newer technologies that will help us to proactively deter, detect and prevent crimes from happening. I defer the “fine line” to the experts in that area but I do support stopping heinous crimes before they occur.

What are your thoughts about technologies that may be intersecting with more individual/personal applications (i.e.: cloud, IoT, wearables, etc.)?

Wearables like watches may become trendy with app, music and camera integration but I feel like that will attract a specific high tech consumer.

Complete home automation, including alarm and video monitoring and deeper integration with mobile technology is going to significantly alter the [industry] landscape.

I would look for the next generation and new wave of mobile applications to deliver more functionality for a broader range of hardware and software applications in our industry,

The industry has seen a significant increase in the merger and acquisition activity lately. What M&A activity do you think has been significant and what do you see happening with companies in the near future?

I have noticed a trend in smaller, independently owned centrals becoming acquired by larger corporate entities. I think this trend will continue. Hopefully, the specialized customer support the smaller centrals were able to offer their customers does not get lost in the transition.

Is there anything in the “lab” that you’re currently working on or involved with that you would like to share with our readership?

Micro Key is constantly evolving. We have many business changing add-on modules in the works to launch at our Users Conference, March 2015, as we celebrate our 30th Anniversary.

Who do you look to as an industry influencer? Who or what are some resources that you follow?

Professionally, I follow anything and everything industry related to stay abreast of happenings and changes. There are many industry influencers that I have a tremendous amount of respect for their input, opinions, and vision. Standouts in particular, Micro Key CEO, Wayne Torrens, Micro Key CTO, Luis Ortega, NMC Vice President of Sales, Sharon Elder, and Vice President of Operations for RRM, Morgan Hershel.

Please provide any other feedback or comments you wish our readers to know about you or your position in the industry.

I have the best job in the world. Micro Key has the BEST team and the BEST customers and I am lucky to get to be a part of something so amazing.