SIA New Member Profile: Keystone Security Services

New Security Industry Association (SIA) member Keystone Security Services specializes in using the latest cameras and surveillance technology to keep residential, commercial and industrial properties safe and secure. The company is headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, with its central station out of New Delhi, India, a remote team based out of London, England, and affiliated offices in Dallas, Texas, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates as well.

SIA spoke with Sonny Bhalla, CEO of Keystone Security Services, about the company, the security industry and working with SIA.

Tell us the story of your company.

Sonny Bhalla: Keystone Security Services was founded in 2014, but to fully understand the origins of the business we need to go back a bit further to my upbringing and business operation history. I was born and raised in India until the age of 16, the age at which I moved to the United States. At the age of 21 I started my entrepreneurial journey and got into the retail business. After 30+ years of retail businesses experience in the U.S., I developed an understanding of the security systems that I had installed in my stores and decided to jump into the security alarm industry, but not in the U.S.

Given my childhood and my affinity for India, I decided to start Keystone with the vision of bringing the security alarm industry to India; however, at that time the Indian market was not ready for the security alarm industry. I had to pivot the business and found a niche in location labor services for central stations with a focus on video alarm monitoring. We have become quite proficient in video alarm monitoring over the past eight years, and during that time India’s security ecosystem has been developing, finally bringing Keystone’s original vision back into focus. We are now focused on two main business verticals: 1) filtering out false alarms for central stations with a specialization in video alarms and 2) installing and monitoring security alarms systems in India.

What solutions/services does your business offer in the security industry? And what makes your offerings or your company unique?

SB: Keystone is primarily a staffing and false alarm reduction solution for central stations. With our 24/7/365 central station out of New Delhi, we build teams of operators for each central station partner we work with. Our remote teams filter out false alarms so operators in the U.S. can focus on the events that matter. We specialize in video alarm monitoring, data entry and other back-office monitoring needs. Our business is platform agnostic – meaning we work on the platform that our central station partners are using (Immix, Bold, Dice, etc.) so that our central station partners have full visibility into everything that is happening. With 8+ years of experience and a track record of saving 45% on operational costs on average, we take a lot of pride in Keystone’s commitment to our central station partners.

Keystone’s second and fairly new business vertical is focused on installing and monitoring security systems in India. I am extremely grateful to have this opportunity and am excited to see where the Indian market goes!

What’s something we might not know about your company – or something new you’re doing in security?

SB: Keystone provides central stations with flexible cost-effective staffing solutions for monitoring and other back-office work. We have a strong commitment to providing coverage for our central station partners no matter what, especially when it comes to covering cover last-minute shift changes or employee absences. With teams in the U.S., U.K. and India, we always ensure that we have at least two senior managers available for our clients to contact in case of last-minute changes or emergencies. It is critical in our line of work to have all time zones covered and always be available.

What is your company’s vision, and what are your goals for the security industry?

SB: I envision our staffing solutions side of the business becoming the leader in delivering exceptional location labor services to the security industry in the U.S. and other countries around the globe. I envision our installation and monitoring business for India becoming the leader in advanced security monitoring services across all commercial, residential and industrial sectors of the Indian economy.

Keystone’s commitment is grounded in strictly adhering to international security industry standards and building long-lasting relationships with our customers. Our goal is to provide complete peace of mind for everyone that we work with.

What do you think are the biggest opportunities in the security industry right now?

SB: The biggest opportunities lie in the growing demand for affordable and cutting-edge security solutions, especially around video. As technology, business operations and business models evolve, video will continue to proliferate and become more accessible. Additional opportunities lie in growth markets like India and other Southeast Asian countries that have an increasing need for security solutions.

What are your predictions for the security industry in the short and long term?

SB: In the short term, we anticipate a greater emphasis on video with a wide variety of technology and service providers focused on video. In the long term, we see video cameras moving beyond just a security sensor, but a general activity sensor that will provide end users with a plethora of valuable information of what is happening in their monitored environments.

What are the biggest challenges facing your company and/or others in the security industry?

SB: We see lots of central stations trying to get into video monitoring but having difficulty in doing so. Video alarm monitoring is different from traditional fire and burglar alarms in that in most cases central stations will require new software suites, different pricing models, additional operator training, different market verticals and use cases, as well as other changes. It’s not easy to implement these changes, but the sooner central stations make the transition, the better off they will be because video is the future and the market continues moving that way.

We’ve worked with central stations that have gone through this transition and are happy to provide guidance for any central station looking at getting into video alarm monitoring.

What do you enjoy most about being at your company – and in the security industry?

SB: It has been extremely fulfilling building Keystone as we play a crucial role in ensuring public safety. I know firsthand the difference a security systems can play from my retail stores that my wife still runs to this day. In addition to safety, the dynamic nature of the industry, the growth of a new market in India, and the innovation occurring in the space make each day exciting.

The most enjoyable part of this journey has been building Keystone with my family. My son, Shawn, started working with us in 2021, and now my daughter, Nikita, is working with us part-time. Working together as a family to provide safety and peace of mind for our clients and the public has by far been the most fulfilling part of this journey for me.

What does SIA offer that is most important to you/your company? And what do you most hope to get out of your membership with SIA?

SB: I find the community and culture that SIA fosters as one of the most valuable parts of the organization. I believe that the security alarm industry is a healthy industry, and SIA plays a key role in this. We very much enjoy the collaborative nature of SIA and the member companies as it has been quite helpful in growing our knowledge base over the past eight years.

How does your organization engage with SIA? What are your plans for involvement in the next year?

SB: With Keystone’s commitment to the latest industry standards, collaboration with SIA events and accessing professional development for our employees will continue to be integral to our growth. In addition to the professional development SIA provides, we will be participating in the leadership events as well, which provide lot of insight on new technologies and where the industry is heading.

The views and opinions expressed in guest posts and/or profiles are those of the authors or sources and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Security Industry Association.