Axis Communications highlight how Stone Security benefited from using Axis online tools

Formed in 2006, by a former US Air Force pilot, a US Secret Service agent and IT professionals, Stone Security of Salt Lake City, Utah, has an impeccable pedigree when it comes to providing modern security solutions.

Stone Security offers solutions on video surveillance and access control, along with intrusion detection, and targets all kinds of businesses and organisations.

Security systems installation

The company also designs the security systems and does installations, and performs service, as well as upgrades of existing systems. The clients’ systems go from four to five cameras, up in the thousands, with a typical system comprising 15 to 20 cameras.

Stone Security also has a strong background in IT, explains Inside Sales Director, Dave Maynes, stating “When we started growing in the commercial security industry, we wanted to get away from the old analogue-based stuff. Axis was at the forefront of network-based video security and we really liked their products, so we became partners.”

Global security integration partnership

We take pride in being a global security integration partner and that eight languages are spoken in our office"

Dave Maynes and Lead Estimator, Patrick Kilbourn, work out of the office, supporting the outside sales representatives with designs and estimates, and sending quotes to customers.

“All the quotes that Stone Security produces, across Colorado and Utah, as well as the rest of the US and globally, will pass Dave’s or my desk,” said Patrick Kilbourn, adding “We take pride in being a global security integration partner and that eight languages are spoken in our office.”

Axis free online tools

On average, Dave Maynes and Patrick Kilbourn send out some 30 quotes every day. They stress that they wouldn’t be able to do this efficiently without using Axis free online tools. “You get jobs quoted accurately from the get-go, which is a great benefit,” adds Patrick Kilbourn.

Dave Maynes points out that Axis online tools really speed up the quotation process. With some of the competitors, the product information isn’t on their website and not easily accessible, so it can take a long time to hear back from their sales people.

Finding the right cameras and parts

It can be incredibly difficult to find the right parts and the right cameras. With Axis tools, they are literally saving days. Finding the right part only takes minutes, sometimes even seconds. The majority of the quotes are given out the same day, which is a big reason why Stone Security is so successful.

The Axis online tool that Dave and Patrick use the most is the accessory selector. “I use that maybe 10 times every day,” says Patrick, adding “What’s nice about the Axis website, particularly the accessory tool, is that it’s very user-friendly and intuitive. It makes finding the right part super-easy. You get the right hardware from the start, so down the line, there are no change orders. It keeps the end-user happy.”

Accessory selector tool

The accessory selector made it simpler to decide how far the camera could be brought down from the ceiling"

One project where the Axis accessory tool really helped out was a large customer with camera surveillance in their warehouse. There’s a lot of machinery moving around and the cameras must function, even if they are hit by the machinery.

Patrick Kilbourn said, “The accessory selector made it simpler to decide how far the camera could be brought down from the ceiling and what the right mounts were.” Stone Security finds the accessory selector being a really useful tool when deciding which parts to choose.

Another prime example is one of the local religious sites. Dave Maynes said, “It was very important for the customer that the cameras didn’t get in the way of the architecture or engineering design. The cameras should be hidden, which was kind of tricky, but we used the accessory selector to find the right parts.”

Product selector tool

The product selector is another Axis free online tool that is Stone Security’s favorite. “We use that for comparing cameras,” said Dave Maynes, adding “Finding the difference between model A and model B, we can then send this as a PDF to the customer and it’s easy for them to compare.”

Being able to choose between lots of different product characteristics and functionality, including resolution, IR and audio, is something else that Dave and Patrick figure makes the product selector so useful.

Multiple cameras installed in building

There are different cameras all around the building for our customers to come in and play around with"

When they have the time, Dave Maynes and Patrick Kilbourn work on marketing activities, ‘getting the word out’, and putting together marketing or training events.

“We have our own small Axis experience centre in the office,” said Patrick Kilbourn, adding “There are different cameras all around the building for our customers to come in and play around with. We’ve got lots of cool stuff in here.”

Return Material Authorisation (RMA) process

There are Axis online tools to help out during all stages of a project, which at Stone Security includes the RMA (Return Material Authorisation) process. Customer relations are considered to be a top priority at the company and its support team has grown significantly to keep customers happy.

“When you try to maintain a good relationship, you’ve got to provide good support,” said Dave Maynes, adding “One of the big things that helps our support team, is the ease of working with Axis and using their website, because it really simplifies things such as replacing broken cameras. This is another reason why we like working with Axis.”