DICE Corporation

DUG'11 Partner: A.R.M. Solutions

2011-09-28T08:02:00.000-04:00

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The Leader in Disaster Recovery, Now Redesigned

2011-06-15T07:13:00.000-04:00

Español

Visit our website www.dicecorp.com to learn more and to contact us to speak with a DICE Professional about your wants and interests in moving your business forward.

Expansion of DICE Corporation Continues as Planned

2011-06-07T17:25:00.001-04:00

Español

Visit our website www.dicecorp.com to learn more and to contact us to speak with a DICE Professional about your wants and interests in moving your business forward.

Equipping Technicians With Mobility: It’s Just the Beginning

2011-03-25T07:54:00.000-04:00

As many of you in the alarm and emergency center industry already know, it's through the efforts and communication of our pilot programs that innovation in DICE products happen. Such products, like the Mobile Service Management Tools by DICE, were engineered with the help of combined companies for testing and development.
The DICE team would like to extend their appreciation to Ackerman Security Systems who not only was an essential part in the pilot program, but was also recently featured in the SDM magazine for their successful increase in efficiency and RMR due to deploying these next generation products by DICE in their central station operation.
To read the entire article by Sabrina Gasulla, click here to register with SDM online:

http://www.sdmmag.com/articles/86329-equipping-technicians-with-mobility-its-just-the-beginning

Visit our website http://www.dicecorp.com/ to learn more and to contact us to speak with a DICE Professional about your wants and interests in moving your business forward.

Dice Corporation upgrades Matrix Aware alarm diagnostics system

2011-02-28T14:24:00.000-05:00

Atlanta, Ga

Dice Corporation's flagship queue priority system for live screen activities and status monitors, Matrix Aware, now provides graphical charts and graphs for constant overhead viewing and quick diagnostics of alarms.

Matrix Aware represents the flow of alarms into the call centre and specifies the type of phone calls received via the Automatic Answering queue.
We have probably all interacted with automated phone systems and heard prompts like “…press one for …and two for…” When calling such a system, your call is received in a specific order and then it is placed into a queue with the same type of calls. Matrix Aware displays the calls that the phone switch is holding, shows the number of calls it is holding, displays the type of call, notes the amount of time it has holding in the queue, displays the average time held in the queue at any given moment, and colour codes calls accordingly if any type of call is past the company’s expected goal of service level.
To provide further analytics and comparisons on service levels, this product shows the alarm queues alongside the prioritised phone traffic queues. The system also provides information and insight into the actual phone calls taken to operators to be prioritised along with the alarm signals, which allows centres who do take calls and handle alarms together to associate the calls accordingly and provide better service than ever before.
Currently, the product provides three graphs. One graph, named the Inbound Call Engine, shows inbound phone calls along withthe type of alarm it is associated with.The queue size and the number of simultaneously dropped calls are displayed to give insight into why certain types of drops may be occurring. This also shows the time in red when the call is over your stated service level. For instance, if “cancel alarm” calls, service calls, “testing your account” calls were driven to your operators, with this product you would be able to see the service level of those certain calls being taken during high and low times - while tracking the drops, giving you the necessary information to help plan certain shifts and departments accordingly. Another graph will display how many operators are logged in, how many are available by department, and how many are open for the handling of alarms. Lastly, there is a pie chart depicting the service level, breaking levels down by every 15 seconds that calls are waiting in a queue, and then showing any time over your service level in red.
This product aligns central station personnel and management to the goals of the centre makes them aware of the status of their callers at a glance. The Matrix Aware product can be broken down further to show one screen for each type of queue, alarm and/or phone traffic integrated and sorted by their priority either separately or together.

Visit our website www.dicecorp.com to learn more and to contact us to speak with a DICE Professional about your wants and interests in moving your business forward.

Leading Credit Card Processor BluePay Provides Software Integration Solution for DICE Corporation

2011-02-07T14:05:00.000-05:00

BluePay, a Top Chicago Credit Card Processing Company, Seamlessly Integrates Company's Software for a More Streamlined Process

CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - February 7, 2011) - BluePay, an industry leader in secure credit card processing solutions, recently performed seamless software integration for DICE Corporation's alarm software. DICE Corporation provides enterprise level platforms for monitoring, accounting, service, mobile sales management and more.

2010 DICE Year-End Newsletter

2010-12-23T14:50:00.001-05:00

READ ENTIRE NEWSLETTER IN ENGLISH HERE
EN ESPAÑOL

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DICE Newsletter - Fall 2010

2010-10-26T13:12:00.000-04:00

View DICE Newsletter in English - Español

Visit our website www.dicecorp.com to learn more and to contact us to speak with a DICE Professional about your wants and interests in moving your business forward.

Summing Up the DICE Users Group 2010

2010-08-27T14:54:00.000-04:00

Bay City, Michigan – As the 7th annual DICE Users Group conference has now come to a close, we first wanted to thank all of those that were able to participate. We know that it is a rough time of year for everyone to get away, even for a day sometimes – as the call of duty in the security industry is ever present. We are happy to note that the conference was well attended with many companies from various states and even out-of-country, with a great group of 11 sponsors and partnering companies exhibiting at the mini-tradeshow.
For those that were not able to attend all or any of the events, the following is a short synopsis of some of the DUG’10 highlights. The next E-Newsletter from DICE Corporation will offer more information on various sessions and product development statuses. Please contact Melissa Courville, Head of Marketing, at 989-891-2951 or melissac@dicecorp.com to request any of the DICE presentations that were held during the conference week.

In addition to the DUG’10 theme this year of “Massive Changes and Massive Opportunities”, something new was added to the agenda this year. With overwhelming success and through the combined efforts of some key companies, we created the Best Practices Sessions to cover discussion within both Installing Companies and Dealer Central Stations. The Installing Companies section was led by Jeff Cohen and Al Oliver of Ackerman Security Systems, along with Tammie Kooienga and Amy Jo Feliciano of Engineered Protection Systems, Inc. Topics discussed were everything from Laserfiche, testing new product integrations, competitor tricks, payment intervals, preventative maintenance techniques and more. The following is a client perspective about this session:

“The term ‘Best Practices’ was unclear for most of us at the onset, but under the excellent leadership of the moderators, we quickly developed a good conversation on the different DICE and other related products so that all present were able to experience the benefits and limitless uses available to them and their client bases."
- Ted Green from The Monitoring Center

The Dera DeRoche-Jolet of Alarm Monitoring Services along with Mark McCall of United Central Control directed the Dealer Central Stations. The discussion had about 15 in attendance, representing eight or nine wholesale centrals.

Mark McCall had this to say, “Based on feedback provided at the end of the session, I feel the ‘Best Practices Session’ was very successful and provided beneficial information to the attendees with 100% participation – as everyone had some input. We covered issues related to VoIP, employees, Disaster Recovery and IP monitoring. We certainly filled the two hours and could have gone through a third.”
Some of the VoIP issues discussed, McCall noted, were managing the technical impact and troubleshooting, education for dealers and their customers as to how to best diagnose the nature of their problems and come up with resolutions. The employee-related issues involved everything from hiring, retention, training, motivation, incentives and scheduling. Disaster Recovery discussions touched the basic questions of “What are the centrals doing for DR”, “What are some possible scenarios of declaring DR”, “Locations for DR sites”, “Managing personnel during a disaster”, and other related topics. The IP monitoring discussion had a general thought that it is “security” monitoring, just as we do with our traditional accounts. With this theory, it was concluded that there is a need to apply the same thoughts of redundancy to the IP signaling path as done to the phone line.

To wrap the entire Dealer Central Station session, McCall admits, “For me this type of session is one of the most important for a user’s group. It allows companies to share business practices they do well with others and to learn how to do some things better. Add the fact that we were able to group by similar central types and I believe this was a valuable addition to the 2010 DUG. I hope to see this session on next year’s agenda.” The following are other comments from attending clients about this session:

“The ‘Best Practices’ session was one of the highlights of this year’s DUG. To be able to discuss some of the bigger issues that relate to my business with other centrals and see how they are handling them was invaluable. The only negative was that it was too short.”
- Steve Coppola from Statewide Monitoring

“The ‘Best Practices’ meeting is one of the highlights of the DUG meeting for me; I am always interested in what other companies are doing to become more efficient. It’s an opportunity to hear firsthand what is working and what may not be working for some. I always leave with new ideas and a bit fired up, until we meet again.”
- Dana Brumfield from Post Alarm Systems, Inc.

All and all, the 7th annual conference in Bay City was a balanced mix of brainstorming and training classes, networking opportunities, informative presentations, and of course – voting on your free annual upgrade.
To date, there were 87 submissions for Alarm enhancements alone –7% of which were already completed and obsolete to the vote count. Accounting collected 32 submissions of which 28% was completed, and lastly, 8 submissions for service.
Don’t forget enhancement submissions for 2011 are being taken now until July 1, 2011. Please contact a DICE team member if you have questions on the voting process, but keep in mind that a member of DICE Corporation cannot place the entry for you and you must be present to vote.
We hope to see you at the 8th annual DICE Users Group conference; dates are still being determined by the DUG Committee and will be announced shortly. To close this letter – we want to thank you all again for partnering with DICE Corporation to raise the bars in your business and other DICE client companies, as well as in the alarm and security industry. We close with the following feedback from another user’s perspective about DUG’10:

“Rick and I enjoyed meeting the new DICE people and we were really happy to see the positive changes that are happening within the DICE company."

- Dera DeRoche-Jolet from Alarm Monitoring Services

Take a look at the new logo for the DICE Users Group! This logo was approved by the DUG committee just recently for an updated look that is uniquely belonging to you… the DICE Users!

View pictures from the event by going to the DUG’10 album on www.facebook.com/dicecorporation

DICE Offers Best Practices Roundtable Discussion Meetings During DUG'10

2010-07-20T09:52:00.000-04:00

Bay City, Michigan - After the 3rd evening of DUG’10, August 11th 2010, 4 companies will be hosting 2 different roundtable discussions for Best Practices. Held at the same time, companies will separate into two groups:

Installing Companies | Dealer Central Stations

Take this time to be introduced to those companies that have volunteered their time and will be sharing valuable information with you, as well as creating open discussions for you to join in on what you’ve proven to have work and not work for your business.

Meet the Hosts

Users and guests alike are asked to register here by July 23rd to ensure class-size accommodations are met.

Visit our website www.dicecorp.com to learn more and to contact us to speak with a DICE Professional about your wants and interests in moving your business forward.

DICE Corporation Asks for Your "Help Through Charity"

2010-07-06T12:19:00.000-04:00

As we plan a DICE staff outing to enjoy the summer with our families and team members, it’s important to remember that others out there are not able to attend baseball games, some of which aren’t even able to have a place call their work to go and support their family and strengthen their skills. DICE Corporation is known to hire local and help support our surrounding businesses through what seems a crippling economy, especially here in Michigan.

We have an opportunity here where we can give back and help our young people through the Nathan Weidner Foundation.

The NRF’s first objective is to provide college scholarships for financially challenged youth in our community - to date, they have awarded over 100 scholarships to Delta College and hope to expand to 4-year institutions. The second objective is to help abused and neglected children through funding The Nathan Weidner Children’s Advocacy Center at 715 N. Euclid Ave. The third objective is to build a home to shelter and aid neglected and abused children. If you would like to help by offering a monetary donation, and/or by assisting your special skills or services in a way that could assist monetarily, please submit to Melissa Courville, DICE Head of Marketing and Sales, before July 30th. Not sure how you can help? Contact Melissa Courville with DICE at 989-891-2951 or melissac@dicecorp.com

Everyone is welcome to a 14th annual chicken BBQ in the Veterans Park pavilion on August 1st – from 11AM – 6PM, the amount is $9/adults and children 6 & under are free. We’d like to get a DICE group together to attend, and if you are interested in coming as a team to support this local foundation, a signup sheet is available at the executive office at DICE or call 989-891-2951. With enough interest, we may be looking into getting some t-shirts made up. You can note your interest in purchasing a t-shirt for you and/or your family upon signing up.

A little about Nathan Weidner: A tragic accident occurred to Nathan, a Bay City native, and he died at a very young age. Nathan was known as an exceptional child in many respects, and one of his most striking personality traits was his ability to draw children to him who were less fortunate than himself, and he would help them in any way he could.

“Nathan was always bringing home children that had parents that abused them, that were hungry, or were in some sad way in need of some kindness in their life. He brought them home with him where he knew there was kindness and a warm meal.”

– Jack Weidner, Nathan’s father

Visit our website www.dicecorp.com to learn more and to contact us to speak with a DICE Professional about your wants and interests in moving your business forward.

ESX Maximum Impact Award Winners Announced

2010-06-28T14:16:00.000-04:00

June 16, 2010 – Today, the Electronic Security Expo (ESX) awarded its Maximum Impact Award Recipients on their largest exhibit show floor ever.

The Maximum Impact Awards program is the first and only awards program to critically examine the business impact of a product or service as the foremost criterion for praise. The awards recognize both new and recently introduced products in a wide variety of electronic security product and service categories.

This year’s award winners included:

• DICE Corporation for the Mobile Service Management with Signature Capture in the Accessories and Aids: Dealer Company Software Category

Additionally, the overall winner, earning the 2011 Best Maximum Impact Award, was presented to Next Level Security Systems for the NLSS Gateway Micro.
ESX offers education and networking opportunities and an expo floor packed with close to 175 exhibiting companies ready to help you grow revenues, profits and company value. ESX is took place until June 17, 2010 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA. ESX features nearly 50 seminars and exclusive networking opportunities. For exhibiting and sponsorship opportunities for ESX 2011 in Charlotte, NC, contact Shannon Murphy at smurphy@ae-ventures.com or 508-618-4224.

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About ESX: Owned, directed and sponsored by industry leading trade associations, ESA and CSAA, ESX is the education and networking event for security integration and monitoring companies. ESX offers the highest quality and most comprehensive seminar program, the most interesting and enjoyable networking events and the most focused exposition in the industry. ESX attracts the biggest, best and most progressive installing and monitoring companies in the world to meet with hundreds of exhibiting electronic security equipment vendors and industry service providers. For more information, visit www.ESXweb.com.

About ESA: Formerly the NBFAA, the Electronic Security Association (ESA) is the largest and longest established trade association representing the electronic life safety and security industry. Member companies install, integrate and monitor intrusion and fire detection, video surveillance and electronic access control systems for commercial, residential, industrial and governmental clients. In cooperation with an alliance of chapter associations, ESA provides technical and management training, government advocacy and delivers information, advice, tools, and services that members use to grow their businesses and prosper. The ESA may be reached at (888) 447-1689 or on the Web at www.ESAweb.com.

About CSAA: The Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) is a trade association representing providers, users, bureaus, and other agencies of Central Station protection services that are certified by one of the CSAA-approved NRTLs. It is legally entitled to represent its members before Congress, regulatory agencies on the local, state and federal levels, and other authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs) over the industry. Now in its 60th year, CSAA continues to serve its members' interests in an ever-increasing variety of ways. The CSAA may be reached at 703-242-4670 or on the Web at www.csaaintl.org.
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Clifford V. Dice, President and CEO, started DICE Corporation in 1983. With fully integrated software for alarm monitoring, accounting, service and more, we offer in multi OS and browsers - designed especially to fit custom business wants and interests.
Visit our website www.dicecorp.com to learn more and to contact us to speak with a DICE Professional about your wants and interests in moving your business forward.

DICE Client Writes Invigorating POTS Article Featured in Security Sales & Integration

2010-06-23T12:55:00.000-04:00

Shift, and Get Off the POTS!
by Mark Matlock

I know what you’re thinking after reading the headline. “Here’s one more article about plain old telephone service (POTS) going away. For crying out loud, tell me something I don’t know!” Indeed, POTS is going away, whether by sunset or by sheer consumer demand. The problem is too many companies are slow to respond.

I recently heard that an estimated 70,000 POTS lines are being cancelled every week. The alarm industry is in a paradigm shift, and we are at a crucial juncture where creative solutions are desperately needed.

The market is ripe for technology companies that could care less about POTS. I suspect we will see many new entrants into the electronic security space from other IP-based industries. If you are a traditional alarm dealer that still connects POTS lines to control panel dialers, this is not good news for you.

A CALL TO ACTION

Interactive platforms that deliver information such as alarm data, video, home automation and energy management are the wave of the future. These interactive platforms create additional monthly revenue for alarm dealers as well as offer much more value to the customer.
As an example, alarm dealers have for years sold customers on the precept that the property insurance discount will provide a significant offset to the monthly monitoring expense. Today, the more advanced companies are selling the concept that the energy savings will provide an even bigger offset to the monthly monitoring and “hosting” expense.

As the conventional digital dialer continues to gradually disappear — hastened by lifestyle changes and consumer expectations for connectivity — alarm signal transmission is increasingly becoming a wireless process.
Therefore, the traditional alarm dealer should be actively seeking new IP-based solutions; there are many companies in the marketplace that offer these types of services.

Here again, you must change your mindset. I encourage you to conduct your business with the assumption, “POTS is going away within a year.” If that were the case, you wouldn’t hook up any new systems to POTS lines because in less than one year you would have to convert them. Well, then stop doing it now! POTS is going away.

I also constantly hear the argument that POTS is way more reliable than IP. True enough, but if POTS is going away what difference does it make? It’s like being on a sinking ship and adamantly declaring its shattered hull is made of the finest steel. For the alarm company operators with their heads buried in the sand, I predict they will see attrition numbers they never imagined possible. I don’t say this in a condemning manner, but rather as a call to action.
ENDEAVOR TO BE ON THE FOREFRONT
So let’s do some easy math. Assuming 70,000 POTS lines are going away each week and assuming that alarm monitoring has penetrated 30 percent of U.S. households and businesses, one could conclude approximately 21,000 POTS alarm accounts per week are being converted to some other technology.

In many cases the customer is unaware their alarm system has ceased to properly communicate to the central station. This creates massive liability. Alarm dealers need to carefully monitor “late to test” (assuming a test signal is programmed) reports to determine if a customer may have a communication issue.
If you’re an old school alarm dealer, then its time the old dog learned some new tricks! Alarm dealers need to begin offering new solutions to existing customers. Remember, there is no guarantee that even GSM will be supported by cellular carriers down the road. For traditional alarm dealers, this information may be a bitter pill to swallow.

If you take away no other point in this article, understand this: traditional alarm dealers must change their mindset in order to stay competitive.

Mark Matlock is Senior Vice President at United Central Control Inc., a wholesale monitoring station based in San Antonio.

Visit our website www.dicecorp.com to learn more and to contact us to speak with a DICE Professional about your wants and interests in moving your business forward.

DICE adds functionality - Opens up platform to developers, gets all techs AltiGen certified

2010-06-10T07:47:00.000-04:00

By Daniel Gelinas

BAY CITY, Mich.—Central station automation platform provider DICE Corp. has taken steps to make the DICE platform more functional by allowing for much greater customization of its product by centrals and by providing much more expertise in phone-switch technology.

First, the company on May 5 announced the release of a programming development environment that allows industry application programmers and developers to write their own monitoring, accounting, service and web applications around the DICE platform. So just what does that mean for central stations? According to DICE president and CEO Clifford Dice, the result is greater functionality for DICE users.

“We have a lot of large companies that have their own programmers and they want to be unique. They want to be able to write their own web products,” Dice said. “The ADTs and the P1s of the world want to write their own applications that are special to them. To do that, you have to have a language environment that allows their programmers to actually work within the engine and build their applications right into it as if it were part of the automation software. So this programming development environment gives the ability to build an entire infrastructure product and integrate it with the data in a way that has not been possible before.”

DICE network operation center director Josh Greko agreed the new functionality from DICE would allow clients a greater degree of control. “I’m a car guy. What we do now is we provide you with the V8 engine and the crankshaft and you can build any kind of car you want around that,” Greko said. “Any kind of accounting application, monitoring application, reporting application, service application—anything you want to tie into it.”

Second, DICE on May 13 also announced that all its hardware technicians are AltiGen certified, meaning they are fully trained in AltiGen phone switch systems and would be able to bring new levels of call automation to the table. “The alarm industry has been changing over the last few years to where automation software isn’t just running on a computer handling signals anymore. It’s more and more becoming the phone switch so that inbound calls are being driven to the operator who has the alarm on their desk. And the phone switch is starting to do two-call verification, calling people and talking to them and no human is involved,” Dice said. “You’re going to see—with Pam Petrow and that PSAP initiative - you’re going to see a central station where all the PSAPs are notified electronically and all the customers are notified through the phone switch electronically by voice, and there’ll be no human involved … So when we say we’ve certified all our telco infrastructure people in AltiGen, it means they’re all fully trained in supporting these telephone systems.”

Will added functionality such as this lead to the demise of the traditional central station operator? Not according to Melissa Courville, head of marketing at DICE. “If something’s a serious issue, of course end users will always have a live body on the line,” Courville said. “Operators will be happier and more successful in their jobs because they’re not going to be rushed and they’re only handling the priority calls.”

About Security Systems News: Security Systems News (SSN) is a publication from United Publications, Inc., publishers of specialized business and consumer magazines. Subscription Information for the Security Systems News is: PO BOX 1742 Lowell, MA 01853, 978-671-0449 | http://www.securitysystemsnews.com/

About DICE Corporation: Fully integrated software and service solutions at enterprise and Windows OS levels for alarm monitoring, accounting, service and more. DICE solutions are designed especially to fit custom business wants and interests, where businesses can make it their own. DICE is a known leader in the industry, as it was the first with: integrated video and sound; medical PERS integration; national and commercial specific software; dealer billing systems; complete conversion services; Disaster Recovery Center; integrated PBX built into the alarm software are a few of the note-worthy examples. Today, the company has several central station clients, with the largest client servicing 825,000 accounts, on one application. Many clients have over 100,000 accounts in one call center with a client average of around 30,000 accounts.
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About Dan Gelinas: Mr. Gelinas, a writer/editor with Security Systems News, is responsible for covering the monitoring beat. Dan follows up on press releases, conducts cold calls, interviews relevant people from the industry and reports on anything newsworthy.

About Clifford Dice: Mr. Clifford V. Dice is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Bay City, Michigan-based DICE Corporation, founding the business in 1983. Clifford Dice focused on alarm software integration for financial systems first, then designed and built over 70 robust and secure products for the alarm industry.

About Joshua Greko: Mr. Greko, now Director of Network Operations Center (NOC), heads the MIS department and is the technical management of DICE Corporation's widely-acclaimed Disaster Recovery Center, helping guide the selection of equipment and processes concerning hardware, receivers, networks, and Telco implementations.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ACKERMAN SECURITY SYSTEMS

2010-05-19T09:10:00.003-04:00

READ ARTICLE HERE:

English | Español

We want to congratulate Ackerman Security Systems in being highlighted on page 113 of the SDM magazine, May issue 2010, for being the fastest growing security company in America and for highlighting how DICE products and services have helped in the process.

DICE DOES ARTWORK FOR SDM MAGAZINE

2010-05-19T09:02:00.000-04:00

We want to highlight how proud we are of the DICE marketing and graphics department and Melissa Courville for the hard work that was done in development of the 20th anniversary SDM magazine cover, May issue 2010, which showcases the top 10 industry professionals, including a poster of the top 100.

Entire DICE Department Becomes AltiGen Certified

2010-05-18T13:09:00.000-04:00

English | Español

Visit our website www.dicecorp.com to learn more and to contact us to speak with a DICE Professional about your wants and interests in moving your business forward.

DICE Corporation Brings You a Monitoring Application Developers Environment

2010-05-07T14:47:00.000-04:00

English | Español

Visit our website www.dicecorp.com to learn more and to contact us to speak with a DICE Professional about your wants and interests in moving your business forward.

DICE Corporation makes the Michigan 50 Companies to Watch list

2010-05-05T11:09:00.002-04:00

View Newsletter Here

En Español

Visit our website www.dicecorp.com to learn more and to contact us to speak with a DICE Professional about your wants and interests in moving your business forward.

DICE Corporation Recognized During Ceremony

2010-04-30T14:09:00.000-04:00

(Left to Right - Victoria Dice, Governor Jennifer Grandholm, Clifford Dice)

Clifford and Victoria Dice, of DICE Corporation, spent an evening with Governor Jennifer Grandholm of Michigan as the company receives its award of being one of the top 50 companies in Michigan. In the region where DICE Corporation is located, which is comprised of the Midland, Bay, and Saginaw counties and beyond, 136 companies applied to be recognized for the award. Only DICE Corporation was selected due to its great profit margins, revenue growth and increase in employee count during the 2009 season. What makes this so remarkable is that this was all achieved after Mr. Dice returned to the company in March of 2009. What Clifford Dice, President and CEO, has to say is, “The company shot up like a rocket ship once again and took its place as the leader of technology in the alarm & security surveillance industry.”

Visit our website http://www.dicecorp.com/ to learn more and to contact us to speak with a DICE Professional about your wants and interests in moving your business forward.

Clifford Dice of DICE Corp speaks at BFAAM annual meeting

2010-04-26T07:42:00.003-04:00

Lansing, MI – On April 22nd, Clifford Dice, the President, CEO and founder of DICE Corporation, was requested to be a speaker for the annual Burglar & Fire Alarm Association of Michigan meeting held in Lansing, Michigan.

The focus of Mr. Dice’s discussions were on IP technologies and the affect of the changes IP brings into security. Also during this Thursday event, Cliff Dice initiated topics of conversation about the influence of PERS monitoring technologies as it relates to the emergency and alarm center industry.

Some of the top contenders in the industry were present for this annual meet, including SDM 100 leaders from the state of Michigan.

The entire event was filled with positive networking and conversations about what security companies can do to raise the bar in their business and the industry for the good of their customers.

About BFAAM
The Burglar and Fire Alarm Association of Michigan located in the Lansing area is the inside track to a growing, dynamic business that fills an important need. BFAAM to keep those concerned all ahead, as alarm technology changes fast and new competitive challenges seem to come along every day. Visit www.bfaam.org to learn more.

About DICE Corporation
The only large scale software company in the alarm and security industry that provides a seamless software suite of alarm monitoring, accounting, service and sales with various integrated capabilities that cover the GPS, Telephony, Access Control, 2-Way and more. With clients for life on six continents, and a growing number of professional team members that are able to serve 24/7, DICE is honored to call several Fortune 5000 and SDM 100 companies their clients. Visit www.dicecorp.com to learn more.

Visit our website http://www.dicecorp.com/ to learn more and to contact us to speak with a DICE Professional about your wants and interests in moving your business forward.

Not Your Average Phone Vendor Relationship: Ackerman Security Systems and DICE Corporation

2010-04-23T13:08:00.002-04:00

Español
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DICE Client, Ackerman, wins Five Diamond Certification

2010-04-07T08:27:00.001-04:00

ATLANTA, GA - Read Entire Security Systems News brief here:

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DICE Corporation Honored as One of the 2010 “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch”

2010-03-30T10:13:00.001-04:00

(Bay City) – DICE Corporation has been recognized as one of the 2010 “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch,” an awards program sponsored by the Edward Lowe Foundation and presented by Michigan Celebrates Small Business.

DICE Corporation will be honored at an awards ceremony during the sixth annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business event, April 29 in Lansing, Mich.

ABOUT DICE Corporation
DICE Corporation is committed to building clients for life, and understand that means providing clients with excellence in products, service, innovation, and value. DICE helps provide clients with new avenues to increase their RMR by customizing our already-robust automation software solutions for central station monitoring, accounting, service and sales by adding video integrations, GPS functionality, access control, web functionality, and advanced telephony functionality, among other services. DICE introduces ways to decrease overhead, as well as provide additional efficiency in business with software solutions like: accurate job costing, artificial intelligence in signal handling, and inbound/outbound voice response systems.

DICE offers existing and potential clients fully-integrated software solutions in two platforms – DICE has development teams consistently enhancing the OpenCORESQL and QuantumSQL product lines. OpenCORESQL is the large scale enterprise system, while QuantumSQL is the Windows operating system built with smaller central station needs in mind.

At DICE Corporation, clients are promoted and not penalize them for being successful. That is why customizations and FREE annual upgrades are offered, allowing competitiveness as well as cutting-edge capabilities to each business. DICE also doesn’t limit the users and will look into integrations at their suggestions to give them the best solutions for their business.

DICE clients, along with the service-oriented support staff of DICE Corporation, continually strive to raise the bar in the alarm industry – looking ever forward to opportunities in offering innovation and stability.

For more information, contact DICE at www.dicecorp.com or call 1-800-RUN-DICE.

“On behalf of the DICE team we are very honored to receive this award as it symbolizes a way to look forward and what to look towards. In an economy that is very challenging to many companies, one could focus on what is wrong, rather then what is right. DICE has focused on what is right, what we can take advantage of, and how we can use this time to gain more market share on others weakened by the situation. It is this focus that has us growing at double digit rates and using our state of Michigan as a launching pad to build our company larger and more successful. Thanks to everyone who has pitched in a helping hand.”

-Clifford V. Dice, President and CEO

“Now 300 strong, the second-stage businesses that comprise the Michigan 50 Companies to Watch have not only persevered through challenging times, but also found opportunities to grow,” says Penny Lewandowski, director of entrepreneurship development at the Edward Lowe Foundation. “They continue to hire and develop new markets for their products and services. Some have attracted significant amounts of venture capital, while others have been awarded prestigious federal grants. They are making a substantial difference in their communities — and their industries. Our 2010 inductees are proof that entrepreneurs are, and always have been, the future of Michigan’s economy.”

Companies making it to the “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch” list are a remarkable group of second-stage companies. Defined as having 6 to 99 full-time-equivalent employees and generating $750,000 to $50 million in annual revenue or working capital from investors or grants, these companies form the back-bone of Michigan’s economy. Representing all regions of the state and a diverse range of industries, companies like DICE Corporation are known for their exceptional entrepreneurial leadership, creation of innovation or use of innovation in creative ways, and their sustainable competitive advantage.
Winners were selected by Michigan-based judges from the banking, economic development, entrepreneurship development and venture capital communities.
---

Michigan 50 Companies to Watch is presented by Michigan Celebrates Small Business.

PNC Bank is the lead underwriter for Michigan Celebrates Small Business, with additional underwriting support from Clark Hill PLC, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Michigan Certified Development Corporation, Accident Fund Insurance Company of America, Comcast Business Class, Comcast Spotlight, and Dynamic Edge.
Michigan Celebrates Small Business is presented in association with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center, Small Business Association of Michigan, the U.S. Small Business Administration – Michigan, and the Edward Lowe Foundation.

Information about the 2010 Michigan 50 Companies to Watch program can be found at http://michigan.companiestowatch.org/. For information about Michigan Celebrates Small Business, visit http://michigancelebrates.biz/.

Central Station Now Largest in Ohio

2010-03-18T07:18:00.002-04:00

Security Systems News had it right in their recent March 2010 issue of their publication when noting that the recent acquisition made by DICE client, Quick Response, made them the ‘largest wholesale central in Ohio’.

It is a known fact that DICE Corporation is the only large scale automation software in the industry, but why do many large and successful companies partner with DICE?

Jeff Cohen, Owner and President of Quick Response, can answer that best with the following message:

“Over 10 years ago, we chose to partner with DICE as our automation supplier based on the quality of the platform, the support of their staff, and the innovative thinking of Clifford Dice. DICE has worked with us over the years to customize and improve the efficiency of our own systems. We started simple with an automation package, and over the years expanded it with many of DICE’s other product offerings; with our long-term goal of integrating our various independent systems into one seamless, easy-to-use, system. Most recently, we have begun working with the skilled people at DICE Corporation build our own Disaster Recovery Center.”

DICE Corporation is committed to building smart and successful relationships for life. In fact, DICE doesn’t stop at just excellence in software, we are more than a software monitoring system - but rather an entire company environment designed for monitoring companies. Because we can provide off-site redundancy to an entire operation, from automation to telephony, we help a client company manage their entire business through our software and hardware systems. The main reason we can provide an entire company environment, and support it, is that we promote the success of our current clients and limit the amount of new clients we Go-Live with each year. This means we only provide our systems to the leading companies who dominate their markets regionally, nationally as well as internationally.

Visit our website http://www.dicecorp.com/ to learn more and to contact us to speak with a DICE Professional about your wants and interests in moving your business forward.

Niscayah Presents Security Expo

2010-03-16T09:04:00.000-04:00

Valued DICE client, Niscayah, is presenting an expo for healthcare security this April 8th, 2010 in Dallas, Texas. More information is available in the March issue of Security Systems News, or you can RSVP here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JP9Y6XJ

DICE Corporation has seen a common trend, and is pleased to note that over half of new DICE clients have been healthcare-related companies in just the past year. These clients, some of which are very large and notable providers in the healthcare industry, are looking to expand their business into more PERS monitoring operations as well as focusing on other health-related technologies. Their involvement with DICE in the shaping of the software is vital, as DICE Corporation is committed to being powerful enough to be called the only large scale automation software with the versatility, adaptability, and creative thinking with custom enhancements to ensure each business stands apart and is in direct management of their specific operation.

Visit our website www.dicecorp.com to learn more and to contact us to speak with a DICE Professional about your wants and interests in moving your business forward.

Network monitoring up to the challenge

2010-02-25T07:52:00.000-05:00

Central stations dig deep into IT space - read full article here by Deborah L. O'Mara - posted on their website and in their February 2010 issue.

Updated: 02-8-2010 2:58 pm

Visit our website www.dicecorp.com to learn more and to contact us to speak with a DICE Professional about your wants and interests in moving your business forward.

Acadian Monitoring Services Running all Centrals on DICE Software

2010-02-24T10:13:00.001-05:00

Chicago, IL – Valued DICE client, Acadian Monitoring Services, already has success and positive feedback in their plan for a full conversion to the DICE central station automation platform for all their four centrals located in Texas, Illinois, and Louisiana. Two of the four centers have been rolling with the DICE OpenCORE software all along, and Acadian decided now was the best time to have all four central stations running on the stability and security of the DICE platform, the only large scale automation software in the alarm industry.

Clifford V. Dice, President and CEO of DICE Corporation, is overjoyed at Acadian’s strategic move and further confirmed that, “Acadian is the first central that I know of that has complete redundancy between multiple centers. The roll-out of those centers actually moves data to all four for all the accounts, all the signals, all the history.”
Kenny Savoie, Acadian Director of Operations, made a mention to the Security System News in their February 2010 issue that the dealers came out the real winners. “Our dealers will have access to more services, a unified DICE platform with four-way redundancies to ensure the integrity of our national account base from ISP and Telecom outages, and weather-related incidences such as hurricanes in the Gulf and severe ice and winter snow storms in the Midwest.”
The total conversion to DICE is now complete in Chicago and all parties are pleased to say we met their requirements and projected timelines. Everyone is looking forward to finishing the process with the final move to DICE at the Baton Rouge, LA location at the end of the 2nd quarter of this year.

Kristin Hebert, Operations Manager of Midwest Division for Acadian, gladly notes, “The dealers are really appreciating all that (DICE Corporation) is doing and are excited about the new levels of account management and service they now have access to.

DICE Corporation specializes in software solutions on multiple operating systems in multiple browsers with a focus on seamless automation platforms in central station alarm monitoring, accounting, service, sales and more with the help of integrating partners. The DICE team of professionals does not limit their clients to box software, and strives to raise the bar in the alarm industry by listening to clients and enhancing the software at their recommendations. DICE understands that no two businesses are alike, and generic software would never due, the best asset of DICE Corporation is the customizations that are done at client requests to make them unique and competitive in the business world for the ever-changing safety interests and requirements that emergency and call centers face every day.

Visit our website http://www.dicecorp.com/ to learn more and to contact us to speak with a DICE Professional about your wants and interests in moving your business forward.

To ISC West or Not to ISC West?

2010-01-28T13:01:00.000-05:00

Hope this new year is bringing in much excitement to all of you, as it is here at the DICE headquarters for our team. Please email melissac@dicecorp.com, if planning on attending or sending attendees to the ISC West show in Las Vegas this coming March. We’d love to make a point of seeing you! As always, thank you for making such a big impact in our lives as well as in the security industry.

2010 CSAA Social Media Webinar

2010-01-26T12:25:00.001-05:00

Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Wikis - these words seem to crop up everywhere.

Why is the Central Station Alarm Association involved in these? Should you use these new social networking/collaborative tools in your business?

Find answers to your questions and more in this FREE webinar brought to you by CSAA.

Meet Your DICEWise Wiki Specialist, Katherine Hess

2010-01-19T13:18:00.001-05:00

ESPAÑOL

Katherine Hess began her career at the Dow Chemical Company in Midland, MI. Hired in as a technical writer, she wrote safety system procedures for use in the field as well as a variety of procedures/documents for use throughout the site. Later, Hess joined the course creation team at Dow and developed training modules for the operators.

Prior to Dow and college graduation, Ms. Hess worked as a freelance designer in both print and digital formats. Working closely with a classmate as a team, the two were able to design a book to document a writing and art workshop at Saginaw Valley that was offered to high school students. This book was printed and distributed to students and staff. Also, Hess’ interest in web design landed her work with a high-end skin care company in California, Jady Aesthetics. Hess developed and designed the web site as well as various promotional materials for the business.

Ms. Hess has been developing the look and feel of DICE Corporation’s new DICEWise Wiki site. Working closely with DICE software specialists, she has begun the process of gathering and editing documentation to add to the site. Within the next couple of months, Hess hopes to see a good portion of documentation

already available on the site for clients and team members, while editing and uploading videos to the site’s content.

Hess has a BA from Saginaw Valley State University with a double major in both professional & technical writing and graphic design.

DICE Sets New Year's Resolution for 2010, Industry Impact Large

2010-01-14T12:45:00.001-05:00

English | Español

DICE Corporation is announcing the beginning of its documentation, training, and industry best practices Wiki engine, to be deployed in pilot form to its client base over the next few months. During the 4th quarter of 2009, DICE began testing and analyzing how the Wiki could change the way training and documentation are delivered to its end users and clients. Historically, software companies have had trouble with lack of up-to-date documentation and training aids resulting from the inability to keep up with software development. To make matters worse, the documents created received minimal use from the end users. These factors result in users who are unable to use large scale applications, such as the DICE system, which is a problem for both the user and the software company.

Mr. Clifford V. Dice states,

“I want to make the documentation and training the most important aspect of the system. I want to reach out and grab every user and help them be the best they can be—to understand the industry and to inspire them within their company. I don’t want to wait for them to come to us; I want to go get them.”

Most people see a wiki as something you search or review, but Clifford Dice’s vision requires some innovation with regard to information delivery. Our new wiki will keep employees current with the latest documentation updates specific to their job/expertise. Also, DICE Corporation is creating a new automated system that takes advantage of new technologies. These technologies will allow collaborative documentation and, therefore, provide a collection of knowledge from the design team’s ideas, developer thoughts, trainer methods, and also clients’ best practices.

Brad Glore of A-Com Protection Services has been instrumental in pushing for more methods of training and documentation within the DICE Users Group. He will begin late in the 1st quarter of this year to gather other users and appoint client groups to head-up the wiki's product specific forums and review documentation. In addition, Ackerman Security Sytsems in Atlanta, GA has been instrumental in pushing for more methods of best practices for the alarm industry and using these approaches to develop standards in software. Ackerman will be one of the first to review the wiki documentation and add best practices from the industry. The best part is that this is just the beginning. Each client can review, edit, and add their changes, advancements, and thoughts to the documentation. Each additon will be reviewed and discussed in the forums, and approved by each group. Every client can join the wiki and expand on any area, including best practices, which are important collaborative aspects as they differ from center to center (dealer centers, proprietary centers, and installing alarm centers).

It is DICE Corporation's goal to make each one of our clients more effective and enable them to operate their busienss better than anyone else. Clifford V. Dice says,

"My strategy is to build the most automated systems and have a grass roots effort of training everybody to the highest level so that DICE Centers can offer better service than anyone else!"

Runaway Signals

2010-01-11T13:00:00.000-05:00

DICE Corporation sent the following from Melissa Courville, DICE Head of Marketing, in collaboration with Clifford Dice, President and CEO, as well as Adam Eurich, DICE Manager of Central Station.

I also checked with our technical writers and our software procedure people to help answer your question further.
The options built into our software for runaway signals have certain procedures which our clients use by default. This will give you the policy choices for runaway signals and how they are handled by our clients. Please keep in mind that our software is focused on very large center operations and many of the functions are build to manage the very largest centers in the industry. The reviewed procedure is used as the policy on more than 5 million subscribers in north America so it is a fair amount of the industry to help you understand how it is done.
First thing you need to understand is that policy on runaways is defined by receiver and each receiver can have a different policy threshold.

1. The center sets the number of signals received “same zone” and the amount of time limit. So let’s say you will allow up to 5 zone trips in a minute, but anything more than 5 of the same zone in a minute is considered a run away.

2. The center sets the number of total signals received from a subscriber and the amount of time limit. So let’s say you will allow up to 10 zones trips of different types in a minute, but anything more than this would be considered an account in run away.
Once the account is flagged as a runaway under this policy, the options are to do the following:
1. Delay the signals until all other signals are handled

2. Eliminate the signals, and don’t send them at all.

3. Large Center Repeat, which basically allows suppression automatically with one alarm being sent at the time the number is reached. Another words, if I said that 100 trips from an account in 20 minutes was a runaway. This option would send one alarm called a runaway every 20 minutes, which is a notification of the runaway. This alarm can automatically be emailed to dealers or national chain accounts etc… Under this approach the center would get one alarm signal every 20 minutes until the runaway status stops.
Note: There is also a defined number that can place a message on the screen of an operator with no action being taken. So the centers set their numbers and thresholds and the system sets policy going forward based on what activity matches their policy.

Hope this helps you with your policy.
Sent in response to Accent inquiry from:

I’m wondering what is your policy on Runaway Signals. What volume is considered Runaway? What is your protocol to handle runaway signals keeping in mind liability issues? Is there a difference for Burglary vs. Fire applications? Would it be the AHJ who makes those decisions?
Thanks.

Sincerely,
Jin Thao

About Turner Security
Turner Security Systems, Inc. is a subsidiary of Don Turner & Associates, a local private investigations agency founded in 1970. Don Turner established Turner Security Systems in 1972, in response to an overwhelming demand for an effective and professional private security service in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Turner Security is locally owned and operated, with more than three decades of proven professional experience in providing a wide variety of private security services. These services include security guard services, security vehicle patrol inspections and response, burglar / fire alarm installation, monitoring & response and remote camera monitoring by their team of dispatchers at our Central Monitoring Station through the use of a high speed T1 Internet connection.

More DICE Clients are New CSAA Members

2010-01-08T10:34:00.000-05:00

In an earlier article, we mentioned that 1/3 of every CSAA member is a DICE client. That exciting ratio continues to grow! DICE Corporation congratulates Statewide Central Station and Savannah River Monitoring for their recent induction into the Central Station Alarm Association.

For those still looking to be involved with CSAA, you will be joining some of the best in the business - we recommend that you contact CSAA today to find out more about hwo this valuable group can strengthen your business and improve your operation overall!

About Statewide Central Station
Location: Staten Island, NY - minority-owned, UL-listed central station providing contract services to its commercial and industrial customers. Qualifying for "small business" status, Statewide Central Station meets requirements for special projets. Services include secured access, voice access, GPS monitoring, and real time notification for monitoring.

About Savannah River Monitoring
Location: Aiken, SC - The proprietary central station of The Savannah River Site, owned by the U.S. Department of Energy. The managment and operating contractor is Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC. SRNS Partners include Fluor Daniel, Northrop Grumman, Honeywell and DICE Corporation.

About CSAA
The Central Stastion Alarm Association (CSAA) is a trade association representing providers, users, bureaus, and other agencies of UL-Listed and/or FM-Approved Central Station protection services. It is legally entitled to represent its members before Congress, regulatory agencies on the local, state and federal levels, and other authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs) over the industry. Now in its 60th year, CSAA continues to serve its members' interests in an ever-increasing variety of ways. The CSAA may be reached at 703-242-4670 or on the Web at http://www.csaaul.org/.

Visit our website www.dicecorp.com to learn more and to contact us to speak with a DICE Professioanl about your wants and interests in moving your business forward.

DICE December 2010 Newsletter

2009-12-08T09:40:00.001-05:00

Get DICE NEWS NOW - Visit our website http://www.dicecorp.com/ to learn more and to contact us to speak about your wants and interests to move your business forward.

DICE Client, Acadian, in the News

2009-12-03T11:14:00.000-05:00

Acadian Companies, with offices in Louisiana, Texas, and Illinois, just recently purchased two more DICE automation systems for two more of their centers. One of these centers will go live this December and the other in January 2010. With four fully-redundant centers, Acadian has the capability to fail over alarm and voice traffic to any center within the cluster of locations. DICE continues to expand in the healthcare and PERS monitoring sector of the industry and Acadian is one of DICE's largest and fastest growing companies. To continue on to the published news article about Acadian please view the following:

Security Systems News - Dec09 Issue

Accepting Credit Cards | Accent Response by DICE

2009-12-03T09:45:00.000-05:00

Just recently, Jeffry Gilbert, General Manager of Aprotex, expressed concern regarding accepting credit cards on the security industry email colaboration list.

Here is what Philip DuPont, DICE Director of Operations had to say:

"The DICE Accounting software has allowed credit cards as well as checking and saving accounts to be entered and processed since 1998. Information can be captured as early as the proposal stage and is stored in compliance with the PCI Standards.

The DICE Web product allows the end user to login and edit the debit information to be used on their monthly recurring. They can also review invoices and make onetime charges of any dollar amount towards those invoices.

The onetime charge entry is also integrated with the DICE Collections module so the collector can enter the charge while on the phone with the customer. This entry also allows for future dates to be enterted to simulate a payment plan. For example, an entry can be made to process a charge today, and then a month from today to allow the cusotmer to pay over two months (the number of months is basically unlimited).

We allow our clients to choose which bank and processing center they want to use. This in effect allows you to choose any processing center and get the best rates you can possibly get. We then work with that processing company to complete the integration."

REFERENCE BIO: Aprotex Corporation has offices located in Midland, San Antonio, Lubbock and the Metroploex all of Texas, also New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Louisiana.

If you wish to join the industry colaboration list as well, called Accent, please email Kim Roberts at kroberts@siaonline.org to request, thank you.

Should standards be developed to promote hot-redundant phone switches and failover to a DR center?

2009-11-12T08:43:00.002-05:00

Visit the CSAA or our website www.dicecorp.com to learn more and to contact us to speak about your wants and interests to move your business forward.

SureView announces more integrations to strengthen DICE integration module

2009-11-05T06:40:00.001-05:00

CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW DETAILS

Visit our website www.dicecorp.com to learn more and to contact us to speak about your wants and interests to move your business forward.

Tax Savings in 2009

2009-10-29T09:14:00.000-04:00

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Section 179 Tax Deduction for 2009- $250,000 for software and equipment expenditures.

Did you know that the provisions of Internal Revenue Code Section 179 allow most businesses to fully expense tangible property in the year it is purchased and put into service? In 2009, a business can expense up to $250,000 in capital expenditures plus there can be additional incentives for up to $800,000 in qualifying purchases.

Now might be a good time to consider purchasing that new DICE module or the Quantum CS product you ahve been putting off - and more. Get the most from your DICE system, and a big tax deduction as well.

Call us to see what products and services will enhance your system, your business, and get a great tax benefit at the same time. As with any tax deduction we recommend consulting your accountant or tax specialist for specific details.

Contact the DICE team of professionals directly about your system and options at:

(800) RUN DICE or Email Us

DICE Corporation to Receive EDJT Grant Funding

2009-10-26T15:12:00.001-04:00

Bay City, MICHIGAN - DICE Corporation, a leading provider of automation software and professional services for the alarm industry, has been approved by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) for inclusion in the EDJT Pilot Program Grant. The Economic Development Job Training (EDJT) Pilot Program will allow DICE to send 35 team members for training.

The EDJT program seeks to ensure that Michigan has the training resources to retain and attract intuitive businesses and people. Grants are funded by the MEDC as part of the Manufacturing Competitiveness Program (MCP), an initiative to encourage an innovative worforce "As we work to attract businesses and investments to Michigan, our highly skilled and adaptable workforce is a critical asset," Governor Granhom, an active part of the President Obama Administration said. "Upgrading the skills of our workers today will ensure Michigan manufacturers continue to be competitive in a 21st century economy."

"We are honored and excited at this opportunity to support local, state, and national training entities, as well as the State of Michigan's direction to keep businesses geared towards advancements," exclaims Cliff Dice, President and CEO of DICE Corporation.

Strengthening Michigan's econommy is only part of the DICE plan, with job training as one of the tools used to enhance the service-oriented dedication of DICE Corporation for their clients and the alarm industry.

Quantum-CORE is Unified Communications

2009-10-21T09:32:00.003-04:00

Select this News Link to read more about part 2 of the Quantum-CORE unified communications that is now a certified Microsoft partner!

DICE at CSAA 2009 Annual Meet

2009-10-19T08:52:00.000-04:00

ATHENS, Greece - Mr. Clifford Dice is actively in attendance at the CSAA annual meeting currently being held this week in Greece. These notable CSAA meetings are represented by some of the largest and most successful alarm companies in the world. Of the group that was able to meet this year in Athens, 30% are using DICE as their central station software as well as in their back end accounting systems. This client percentage is more than any other software company represented at this annual meeting for CSAA. The DICE client-base in the past six month has seen a lot of growth through acquistion, deploying many of the new technologies that DICE has to offer, especially in the new famed VoIP phone switch - which has already been widely reducing costs for the DICE client centers across the board.

Partner is Microsoft Certified!

2009-10-19T06:24:00.000-04:00

Please take a few moments to read this News Link from DICE Corporation in regards to a valued relationship becoming a Microsoft Certified Partner!

A Word from A DUG'09 Sponsor

2009-09-24T14:15:00.001-04:00

Xanboo invites you to contact their team of professionals to learn more about their full-of-value video verification product.

Click Here or On The Headline to View Their Email Blast!

1 out of 3 With DICE

2009-09-24T12:12:00.002-04:00

As the CSAA Member Directory lists the top central stations who have earned the highest training standards of being a "5-Diamond" alarm central station - the recent number totals 97 businesses. DICE Corporation is happy to announce that 27 of the centers listed are clients. All and all, this means that almost one out of every three of the best trained alarm centers do business and operate with software specialized by DICE Corporation.

Want to learn more about the CSAA Five Diamond Program - click on the enclosed link:
http://www.csaaul.org/FiveDiamondsCentralStations.htm

Were You Unable to Attend All the Classes At DUG'09?

2009-09-21T07:24:00.001-04:00

Hello DICE Users!

For those who were unable to attend the DICE Users' Group Conference this year, as well as those who did not participate in every class offered - please view the following link for more information.
http://www.dicecorp.com/cutsheets/DUG09ClassInfo.htm
As always, it is a pleasure to work with and serve you!

2009 CSAA Fall Operations Management Seminar

2009-09-17T06:53:00.001-04:00

ADDISON, TX - DICE Corporation CEO, Cliff Dice, along with the DICE Director of Operations, Philip DuPont, actively participated in the 2009 CSAA Fall Operations Management Seminar held this week in Addison, Texas. Both Mr. Dice and Mr. DuPont attended to help and guide the industry into new technologies and assist with overcoming any issues experienced in operation centers.

Also in attendance were over 60 people representing some of the major alarm companies in the industry. Dice and DuPont, representing DICE Corporation and affiliated partners, participated in the various focus groups and round table discussions to hear firsthand what key administrators, managers, and other personnel experience in their businesses. Additionally, they listened to what the industry representatives recommend for improving and enhancing this industry.

Other than DICE Corporation, there were no other software providers in attendance at the open discussions and round table focus groups. Cliff Dice notes, "It's essential to be active in all circles and to hear what others are talking about. Crucial is the key word here when talking about paying attention and listening to what the true wants are for moving forward, as with any technology and business - what applies today will not necessarily apply tomorrow or for every situation."

Visit our website www.dicecorp.com to learn more and to contact us to speak about your wants and interests to move your business forward.

" ' Seamless solution' " - Security Systems News | September 2009 Issue

2009-09-15T06:33:00.000-04:00

Immix, DICE integrate for universal vid/alarm

By Daniel Gelinas, associate editor

TAMPA, Fla., BAY CITY, Mich. and BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - SureView Systems and DICE Corporation on July 30 announced an integration between their two automation platforms. The integration allows central stations to utilize the advanced video monitoring features of Immix while updating the alarm and history information into the DICE database.
   DICE president Cliff Dice said the integration will benefit users and could very well set a trend of more integrations. "From DICE's standpoint, the more we're integrated, the better off the customer is," Dice said. "One of the things about Immix over other video products is the capacity to have history ... Immix with DICE is really the first time I've ever seen a video product in my alarm history be able to show everything."
   Immix is a video-centric automation platform to manage all video/CCTV, access control, and VoIP audio. The DICE automation platform is a management system for processing burg/fire alarms, as well as an integrated accounting, sales and service management system.
   Matt Krebs, EVP at SureView, agreed the integration had big implications for the industry. "DICE has -- as we do -- universal interface capabilities with other automation providers, so we can actually be an industry-wide impact solution," Krebs said. "We wanted to deliver a seamless product to the marketplace that could take automation across all technology sectors - from burg to fire, access, video, audio - and present it's an all in one unified solution."
   ESC Central of Birmingham, Ala., is the first to install the integration that will be officially rolled out at the DICE Users' Group in August. Kristi Harris, ESC Central VP, said the integration makes life at ESC easier. "In the past we ahve had to train our operators on each DVR platform for video monitoring." Harris said in an email interview. "In my view we have increased our efficiency and productivity while decreasing our risk of making simple mistakes." SSN

Visit our website www.dicecorp.com to learn more and to contact us to speak about your wants and interests to move your business forward.

"DICE Users Group Ready to Roll" - Security Systems News | September 2009 Issue

2009-09-04T16:52:00.000-04:00

BAY CITY, Mich. -- The annual Dice Users Group meeting is gearing up for its late August run from Aug. 24-26 at the DoubleTree Hotel here. The mission of the DUG is to work together in providing constructive guidance to the DICE team as it relates to improvements or enhancements in the DICE software packages and client support functions.

CenterPoint Technology VP operations and business development MJ Vance will be attending this year and says the previous DUGs were not to be missed. "When I started going six years ago there were some pretty heated discussions and some very upset people," Vance said in an email interview. "Since Kristi Harris took over the DICE Users Group and Cliff Dice stepped back into the operation, things couldn't be better. We all work together now and not against each other."

ESC Central vice president Kristi Harris is the DUG chairperson. She feels the strength of the group lies in its customer-driven mission. "DICE doesn't handle anything in relation to the DUG meeting, including the agenda," Harris said in an email interview. "They only handle the meeting place for the most part. Everything else is driven by what is considered by the DUG Leadership Committee, which is a group of 12 customers from different companies." Harris said a few of the highlights this year include education on the various products -- such as outbound/inbound voice, the new Altigen phone system integration, and mobile sales management - DICE now has and how those products can be better used.

Visit the DICE website www.dicecorp.com to learn more and to contact us to speak about your wants and interests to move your business forward.