Stay Informed with Our Quarterly Updates
THE RAMPART
The new home of our quarterly newsletter, online!
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
LiftMasters
Schedule of Events
Member Savings
Sponsored Ad
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
2024 WISA Golf Outing Recap
Robert Kerman and Bob Wolf were memorialized September 19 at the WISA annual golf outing at the Kettle Moraine Golf Course in Dousman, WI. Dave Koenig, Jean Novy and Dorian Kruse honored Kerman with remarks on his service to the association, and Don McInnes spoke passionately about Wolf’s years of service to the security industry.
The event packed the golf course with 128 entrants. In addition to team honors, individual players had the opportunity to win longest drive, closest to the pin and hole-in-one prizes, along with several others during the day.
WISA President Dennis Snider kicked off the golf event with additional remarks honoring Kerman and Wolf and holding a moment of silence.
Sarah Fauske, Physical Layer Technologies, Inc. (www.pltechnologies.com), admired the beautiful weather and said she was pleased to be on the course supporting the industry. “It beats the office,” she laughed.
Neil Riveron, Rapid Response Monitoring (www.rrms.com), was impressed with the level of camaraderie on the course and between teams. “It’s hard to beat this WISA event, and I cover 13 states, so I’ve seen a lot,” he said.
Don Casals, AJAX (www.ajax.systems), enjoyed hanging out with “industry colleagues and good friends. We’re sharing camaraderie and showcasing our products. And we’ve got this awesome weather!” Ron Jagmohan was in attendance with Casals for AJAX, and discussed how they placed a wireless motion camera on a green which transmitted images back to the tee box. “No wires, no power, no problem,” he observed.
After the first four holes, Dave Horgan of H&S Protection was asked how his team was doing. He deferred to his sister Ally, saying, “She’s carrying us so far. We hit the building behind the ninth hole. We didn’t realize how far we could hit a nine iron,” he laughed. “It hit the concrete and bounced like crazy.”
Angela White said she was glad to be back at the event. “I wasn’t able to attend the last two years, and it’s fun seeing a lot of the people I know.”
Kyle Szekeres, DEVINE 180 (www.devine180.com), also appreciated the nice weather. “I’m enjoying the nice weather and the great people golfing. We represent 20 manufacturers for holistic security and life safety solutions,” he said.
ADI’s (www.adiglobaldistribution.us) Jeff Clausing appreciated the nice weather and views. “It’s good to see people you don’t normally get to see, and to meet new people,” he said.
Graybar’s (www.graybar.com) Aaron Gryga helped run the marshmallow promotion on the 17th tee box. Players blasted away with their drivers on the large marshmallows, littering the area in front of the tee where it looked like mushrooms sprouting from the grass after a spring rain shower.
Snider thanked all the vendors and others in attendance for their participation, noting that proceeds go to WISA’s annual Youth Scholarship Program.
General Member Meeting Recap
IT Expert Shares Phishing Prevention Tips
IT expert Angelo Vasta of WISA member Lisbon Creek Systems shared phishing prevention tips November 14 with attendees at the most recent WISA meeting held at the Doubletree Hotel in Brookfield. Vasta, Director of Managed IT Services at Lisbon Creek, examined the implications of phishing attacks on IT infrastructure and cybersecurity.
WISA President Dennis Snider, Engineered Security Solutions (ESS), urged members to bring their technicians to meetings before introducing Vasta. “We need to get fresh blood, put our heads together and plan our future,” he said.
Vasta described his presentation as advice for “protecting yourself from phishing attacks. It is important to be awake.” Phishing is designed to deceive the receiver with malicious intent. The attacker is “trying to get the largest amount they can,” he said. This happens in many ways, including:
- Mass phishing – going after as much information as possible
- Spear phishing – targeted
- Whale phishing – going after the big one (CEO’s, CFO’s)
- Clone phishing – replicating legitimate emails; links or attachments are altered and the sender’s address could be forged
Attacks often redirect the victim to fake websites. Vasta gave several types of phrases to watch out for that tend to give away a phishing attack: “urgent action required” or “account verification necessary.” They are often “broad, non-personalized messages,” he said. What happens if you open the email and click on the link? Data breaches and financial losses can result. Vasta explained that an advance fee scam sends a promise of a reward if you make an upfront payment. “There is urgency and pressure” in the email, he said.
Spot Phishing Emails-How do you spot phishing emails? Vasta gave meeting attendees several keys to look for:
- Suspicious sender
- Generic greetings
- An urgent tone to the email
- Suspicious links
“Look for misspelled words,” he urged. “When you get an email, you are prone to do something. You should do nothing. Hit ‘delete’ and report it to your IT staff. Don’t respond.”
In addition to Vasta’s presentation, WISA members enjoyed an evening of cocktails, conversation, networking with security industry colleagues and a smorgasbord for dinner that included tasty beef and chicken options.
Sponsored Ad
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
Upcoming Events
Apply for the 2025 Youth Scholarship Program
Help us Spread the Word
WISA gives back because of members like you! The Wisconsin Security Association is pleased to announce the availability of two college scholarships for graduating high school seniors whose parents are full-time, active members of a Wisconsin police or fire department. One $1,500 Youth Scholarship will be awarded to a son/daughter of an active-duty police department member and one to a son/daughter of an active-duty fire department member. Since 2010 WISA has awarded $43,000 in scholarships.
Applications for the 2025 Youth Scholarship Program will be accepted December 1, 2024 – March 1, 2025. All high schools, fire departments, and police departments in Wisconsin will be sent the Youth Scholarship application. Schools, along with fire and police departments, are encouraged to post the scholarship application form on their websites. The application form includes submission information and the rules and eligibility requirements. WISA’s application deadline is Saturday, March 1, 2025. Applications must be submitted online on or before this deadline to be accepted.
Upcoming Classes
Advanced Intrusion Systems
Certified Alarm Technician Level I
Electronic Access Control
Fire Alarm Installation Methods Certification
International Building Code
Member Contacts
Scrollable
WISA Officers & Committee Chairs
Board Directors
Committees
Lifetime Members
WISA Mission and Values
The purpose of the Wisconsin Security Association is to promote
the interest of the electronic protection and alarm system industry. The WISA informs the public of services performed by the industry.
It facilitates communication among those engaged in the sale and installation of alarm detection and supervisory systems by providing
a forum for the discussion of ideas and problems.
The Wisconsin Security Association encourages the enactment of legislation beneficial to the electronic alarm system industry
and the public interest. Of utmost importance to the Association is the promotion of professionalism.
Nicole Szopinski
Executive Director
414.459.3260
info@wiesa.org
Contact Nicole Szopinski for Membership Information
or to advertise in this publication.
Sponsored Ad
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.