In The Boardroom™ With...

Mr. Rich Cillessen
Vice President, Enterprise Security
Siemens Industry, Inc., Building Technologies Division

www.usa.siemens.com/es

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Thank you for joining us again today, Rich. In our first interview with you prior to ASIS 2014, you said, “Today, some of the threats to the security market are not going to be the traditional ones of the past. I predict that the security industry will change more in the next five years than it has in the last 20 years. While many security experts in our space have looked at physical security, in the near future, their focus is going to be more from a logical or identity standpoint.” What is your perspective regarding Siemens’ ongoing commitment to the Security market and product development on the software side in this environment?”

Rich Cillessen:  Thank you. I have worked in the security industry for almost 20 years, the last 15 with Siemens. In my current role as Vice President of the Enterprise Security Business Line, I am the senior executive charged with building business and delivering results for the Enterprise Security segment of our Building Technologies division. My team is responsible for strategic account management of our key security clients.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: The security environment today seems to be more challenging than ever before with unprecedented security threats on the one hand and limited budgets and legacy systems on the other. Your thoughts?

Rich Cillessen:  The landscape of the security world has changed drastically in the last three years. The threats our customers are encountering have also drastically changed. As a result, we see physical, logical, and identity security becoming more aligned than ever before - creating new opportunities for technology.

Today, some of the threats to the security market are not going to be the traditional ones of the past. I predict that the security industry will change more in the next five years than it has in the last 20 years. While many security experts in our space have looked at physical security, in the near future, their focus is going to be more from a logical or identity standpoint.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: What is the value proposition Siemens brings to the table in this environment?

Rich Cillessen:  For Siemens, we are taking a practitioner's approach to our customer's business by focusing on developing a deeper understanding on what is important to them and learning how we can help leverage our technology to support their overall business drivers and strategies.

For example, I recently met with a customer whose strategic initiatives were positioned around providing outstanding customer service, a strong brand, and an excellent supply chain. These initiatives set them apart from competition in their market. We discussed in depth what it would mean to support them as far as process and procedures to help safeguard their assets and ensure their supply chain was both nimble and secure. In addition, we also discussed how to better leverage existing assets such as video surveillance to gather marketing information and use this to improve their customers' experience.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Any new Siemens products or solutions you'd like to discuss?

Rich Cillessen:  One of our newest solutions is Desigo® Mass Notification, which is a fully integrated multi-modal routine and emergency communications solution. Desigo Mass Notification helps make sure your message gets through to the right people, no matter where they are or what they are doing. This is just one component of Siemens Desigo CC global workstation platform that allows our customers to unite their security, fire, building automation, and lighting controls in a single platform.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Rich, Siemens' brand recognition and track record in every market segment is second to none...are there any "wins" or success stories you'd like to mention?

Rich Cillessen:  We recently completed a complex PSIM deployment at a large port. As any PSIM provider can attest to, highly integrated solutions deployed in a challenge physical environment can be taxing on integrator and customer both. Where this story really departs from others is our ability to leverage our Center of Competence (CoC). Our CoC is a dedicated team that excels in effectively maneuvering through complex deployments and delivers both the technical solution required to support the customer's processes and departmental requirements while assisting in achieving their business objectives.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: May we have an overview of the key trends and highlights Siemens will be discussing at ASIS 2014?

Rich Cillessen:  We are focused and excited about Total Building Solutions that incorporate multiple technology solutions for our customers. We will be featuring our own access control, video, command and control, mass notification, fire and building controls product demonstrations on the show floor this year.

Likewise, the future is for those "in the know." We invite you to come to our booth and hear one of our thought leaders on the latest trends and proven formulas from experts in the security industry.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Rich, can we discuss the Internet of Things for a moment? The benefits of IoT are clear...in seconds with our mobile devices we can all pay a bill, send a gift, make a dinner reservation, check the stock market, and in growing numbers, control the HVAC and security systems in our homes. But, we all know there are bad guys out there. The Target breach is still causing repercussions and Russian hackers recently stole over 1 billion passwords. Are we also more vulnerable now? Your thoughts?

Rich Cillessen:  I think we are absolutely more vulnerable today. I see that instead of the "Internet of Things," it will quickly become the "Internet of Everything". As all of these points of data come online, they can be collected and mined into actionable intelligence. The threats are always going to be there and expanding, but this actionable intelligence will offset these threats allowing all of us to raise our awareness, become more vigilant and apply technology in a more meaningful way.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Thanks again for joining us today, Rich.