The complexity of servicing a global organization becomes more and more intense as the number of locations increases, especially if those locations are in different countries. The global accounts team at Convergint Technologies helps to simplify global security integration, with coverage across North America, Europe, and Asia.
Adrian Hill CPP, PSP, Convergint’s Commercial Director for EMEA, is responsible for the growth of teams across this region. Here Adrian shares some of his thoughts on emerging trends and provides insights for security professionals who are looking for more answers on how to successfully manage the challenges of global accounts.
Tell us about your professional background and role at Convergint.
I have been in the electronic security industry for 25 years. Through the apprentice route, I started as an engineer serving the first 12 years of my career, working in England. I have spent the last 13 years in the Irish security industry in a variety of security consultancy and sales development roles. I’ve sort of grown up in the industry through wide, diverse experiences across the whole of Europe.
Where is Convergint located in Europe?
Convergint is located in Ireland, UK, France, Germany, and Switzerland. Though these are where we have our brick-and-mortar locations, our service capabilities span throughout different regions in EMEA.
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How is Convergint different from other security integrators in the region?
It is Convergint’s Values & Beliefs, which have created an organization centered entirely around service. Many of our competitors are very interested in large projects, but then they don’t scale the service along with it.
Locally we have built the business on the foundation of service, and we grow our client base in that regard. We complement the work of our own colleagues with the assistance from local service partners in certain areas, because it is important to us that service is consistent and top-of-mind for our clients, wherever they are located.
Can you tell us about an interesting project that was delivered recently?
I am involved in several global accounts on a daily basis. We were very successful recently in securing a large global pharmaceutical company in Europe, based out of the Irish business. They selected Convergint to be their partner of choice in the European market, based on our service footprint. We are planning to be working with them in 5 countries in the near future.
What are some common mistakes or pitfalls you see repeated when it comes to security in your regions?
The biggest challenge that we see at the moment is the lack of understanding of Europe’s multicultural environment. There are multiple different languages, multiple different cultures, and it all varies from country to country. Some countries share a border with one another but will not speak to each other. Our team can be a single point of contact for them, which helps break down those barriers and not leave someone in North America trying to understand and manage 5 or 6 different languages and cultures. These kind of challenges are significant, and many organizations underestimate them, which is why clients need someone like Convergint, who has experience managing them.
“Our team can be a single point of contact for them, which helps break down those barriers and not leave someone in North America trying to understand and manage 5 or 6 different languages and cultures.”
How do you coordinate teams across a global company?
We work very closely with our Director of Program Management and his team of global program managers to ensure consistency of delivery. We now have several global program managers based out of EMEA so that our customers can have a single point of contact, helping create global consistency. We found that working very closely with this one point of contact even internally means that we can deliver better business and security outcomes for our clients.
What are some trends you are seeing in the industry?
I have seen a lot of interest in artificial intelligence and how it can revolutionize the electronic security market. It gives us new technology that can help reduce costs for our clients and also improve performance. Along with AI, there is a lot of interest in facial biometric technology. Smart facial identification can truly help for access control systems or identifying persons of interest.
I have also noticed clients wanting to consolidate their security providers. So instead of having multiple providers across the region, they are looking for one company in EMEA and one for APAC, or even one company to cover their account globally. This trend of consolidation has caused Convergint’s global accounts to probably triple in the last three years, as we are able to provide consistent service on a global scale across the world.
Convergint believes in “fun & laughter on a daily basis”. How does your team live this out?
Our team in Ireland is very naturally aligned with Convergint’s culture of “fun & laughter on a daily basis”! We started three years ago when I was the first colleague, and now we have grown to 90 local colleagues. We make a point to prioritize fun events, like the time for Saint Patrick’s Day where we all dressed up in silly costumes and took a picture next to our first Convergint vehicle. Also, fun & laughter here in Ireland usually involves a Guinness or two, of course!