SIA New Member Profile: SoloSquid

New Security Industry Association (SIA) member SoloSquid is an intelligent security solutions agency with a broad range of software, hardware and professional services to audit, deploy, optimize and maintain new and existing systems. The company is headquartered in Ontario, Canada, and has worked with customers across Canada and the United States.

SIA spoke with Jason Kloss, president at SoloSquid, about the company, the security industry and working with SIA.

Tell us the story of your company.

Jason Kloss: SoloSquid was started to help fill what we saw as a gap in the industry with respect to how software was being deployed and maintained for enterprise end customers. With the end customers’ needs rapidly changing and new technologies coming to the forefront, like artificial intelligence- (AI-) based video analytics, it is unrealistic to expect that the same person installing the camera, other hardware and pulling the cable can be expected to also deploy a complex software solution. We felt there was a need for a complimentary solution to a traditional security integrator (SI), so SoloSquid was born to help end customers and security integrators audit, deploy, optimize and maintain their enterprise software as well as develop custom integrations and automations across platforms.

We wanted a business name that set us apart from other companies in our space, but one that was also meaningful to us as we move forward. I am one of a few people who have conquered a solo swim across Lake Huron (from Port Sanilac, Michigan to Grand Bend, Ontario), completing the swim in 26 hours and 3 minutes and raising over $22,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society. My swim concluded on the 20th anniversary of my grandfather (and coach)’s swim across the same lake. Much of my success can be attributed to the lessons learned in my year of training and the actual swim itself, and so we chose “squid” because it’s a swift swimmer with 10 arms and multiple hearts. To us, “SoloSquid” represents our ability to move quickly while offering a variety of services, with one destination in mind – smoother waters.

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

JK: Unlike a traditional SI that sells the hardware, pulls the cable and sets up the software, our focus is on the software piece. Our goal is to deliver the best experience to the end customer, and to do that, having trained experts in complex software solutions is crucial. Although pro services are offered from the manufacturers directly, with the SoloSquid team we can work across platforms from the video management system to the cameras and into the video analytics and beyond, leveraging nontraditional tools in the security industry like Power Automate, Slack and Teams.

What is something we might not know about your company – or something new you are doing in security?

JK: We have a developer on our team that can create custom integrations across systems from developing custom code or leveraging a low- to no-code platform to develop a lower-cost, out-of-the-box-type solution.

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

JK: I think the biggest challenge we see, which is where we are usually brought into a customer directly or through an SI, is a shortage of trained professionals to work with the complex software solutions. We plan to solve this problem through our team as well as software solutions that assist partners to audit, deploy, optimize and maintain their enterprise systems.

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?

JK: I think the community is the biggest asset to any organization, especially one getting started. I think SIA has a strong hold on the U.S. market, but hopefully we will see it expand further into Canada as membership grows, and I would love to be part of that growth.

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.