Georgina Newland is the Managing Director at Nova Security Systems in Folkestone, Kent. The NSI Silver certified company specialises in CCTV, intruder alarms, access control, panic room, gate, barrier and bollard automation and Wi-Fi.
What would be a typical project for you?
A typical job for Nova would involve any of the areas of expertise listed, working with the customer from design stage through to commissioning. Followed by a service and maintenance contract with 24-hourr emergency support.
Do you have any ‘go to’ technology and manufacturers?
For intruder we are very impressed with Orisec; the capability and variety of their equipment is of huge benefit to both us and our clients. With regards to access control, Paxton is our go to manufacturer; we find it easy for the end user to operate and their tech support is superb.
For CCTV we primarily use Hikvision as the quality is very fair for the price which is a saving we can pass onto our customers. That said, with the knowledge and expertise team Nova has we are confident with almost any reputable manufacturer. We have also been very impressed with Akuvox from CIE. We love trying out the latest tech.
What is the best thing about working in this industry?
For me personally it has to be the variety of clients and their properties. One day you can be installing a small alarm system in an elderly client’s bungalow and the next day you can be fitting out a stately home with state-of-the-art CCTV or installing automatic gate equipment in a wild animal life reserve. It is also nice that year after year you will return to the customer for the regular maintenance checks and can build a good relationship with them.
Why is NSI certification important to your business?
It is a great feeling when when the first question a potential client asks is “are you approved?” and we can say “yes we are”.
We look forward to our annual inspection by NSI, it is good to know that we are working to a high standard and our inspector David Robinson is always on the end of the phone and has been very helpful. It is a shame to see so many poorly installed so-called alarm systems going into properties along with poor customer service in recent years.
Do you think there is an engineer skills shortage? Any trouble recruiting?
Yes, it is a huge challenge to find an engineer with the knowledge we need. To be able to send them out on the tools immediately is almost impossible. You may be able to find someone who is great with IT but they don’t know how to use a drill. Then there is the other side when they can use the tools but don’t know what a relay is. We are currently keeping an eye out for someone to join our team but it is proving a challenge to find the right person who is a great all-round expert.
Read the full interview in the December 2023 edition of PSI magazine
