They are sometimes referred to as "toy cops" or "artificial guards" but this stigma will no longer accurately portray employees in the security industry. New security jobs are leaning more and more toward the world of high-tech; and high tech means higher wages.
The San Diego North Economic Development Council and Critical Infrastructure Solutions, a Murrieta-based security company that will soon relocate to North County, have teamed up to form SafeNet International. SafeNet is a non-profit organization that will seek funding and help to further cultivate fledgling technology-based security companies.
This vision, merging technology and security, is at the heart of SafeNet's strategy. The organization plans to bring together face identification, radio frequency identification and pattern tracking software, among other things, to create super security infrastructures.
"San Diego County is ideally suited to promote this security-technology convergence," said Gary Knight, the council's president and chief executive. "It's one of those industries that demands skills in intellectual property."
San Diego County is also ideal for access to military installation and research stations. The region has the Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, SpaWar, Camp Pendleton and the naval base. "North County has very strong engineering firms developing new security projects," said Phil Gahn, chief executive of Critical Infrastructure. "That's why we aim to make San Diego, specifically North County, a security hub for the United States."
Knight pointed out that although the jobs in high-tech security will be fewer in number than the low-skill jobs they are replacing, they will definitely pay much better. Gahn added, "These products are not cheap. They're light years ahead of some guard walking around a facility."
On November 17, the council held a Security and Emerging Technologies Expo at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido to showcase local security technology. Speakers for the event included Augie Ghio, director of homeland security for the city of San Diego and county Supervisor Bill Horn.
The San Diego North Economic Development Council and Critical Infrastructure Solutions, a Murrieta-based security company that will soon relocate to North County, have teamed up to form SafeNet International. SafeNet is a non-profit organization that will seek funding and help to further cultivate fledgling technology-based security companies.
This vision, merging technology and security, is at the heart of SafeNet's strategy. The organization plans to bring together face identification, radio frequency identification and pattern tracking software, among other things, to create super security infrastructures.
"San Diego County is ideally suited to promote this security-technology convergence," said Gary Knight, the council's president and chief executive. "It's one of those industries that demands skills in intellectual property."
San Diego County is also ideal for access to military installation and research stations. The region has the Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, SpaWar, Camp Pendleton and the naval base. "North County has very strong engineering firms developing new security projects," said Phil Gahn, chief executive of Critical Infrastructure. "That's why we aim to make San Diego, specifically North County, a security hub for the United States."
Knight pointed out that although the jobs in high-tech security will be fewer in number than the low-skill jobs they are replacing, they will definitely pay much better. Gahn added, "These products are not cheap. They're light years ahead of some guard walking around a facility."
On November 17, the council held a Security and Emerging Technologies Expo at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido to showcase local security technology. Speakers for the event included Augie Ghio, director of homeland security for the city of San Diego and county Supervisor Bill Horn.