Digital Automation/eServices: Large Scale Leveraging

The economy may be in turmoil, but enterprising integrators don't have to be.

Many are actively exploring new ways to recession-proof their businesses and snatch up new installation opportunities.

Stephen Harrington, CEO of both Digital Automation and eServices in Hollywood, Fla., brings profitability solutions to the table that savvy integrators can capitalize on.

Specializing in AMX and Crestron programming, Harrington's companies create Concierge software and systems for multi-dwelling units (MDUs).

Fostering a Partnership that Outbids

When Cimax -- the system designer of the $700 million Trump Towers Sunny Isles oceanfront project -- went out of business, Robin Bogel, principal of Advanced Home Theater (AHT) made his move.

Bogel knew that he could look to Harrington and Digital Automation to deliver what he needed in superior system design and programming. He could also count on Harrington's eServices company for cutting-edge Concierge software for each of the Trump units and their future occupants.

With this assurance in his arsenal, Bogel met with developer Gil Dezer and sold him on what he and Harrington could contribute to the ultra high-end MDU project.

"It was open for anyone, but we gave him a compelling mix of who we were and what we could deliver -- a whole backbone infrastructure solution that could run solely on Crestron equipment, which hasn't been done before," Bogel explains.

It was a lucrative move, and not Bogel's first.

Bogel has partnered with Harrington many times since Digital Automation was founded in 2002. The design engineering firm has given Advanced Home Theater (Florida's largest residential Crestron dealer) the tools it needs to design and implement the complex automation projects Bogel wants for his customers.

Harrington, who holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech, officially launched the eServices component of his Digital Automation company about two years ago.

It was eServices that helped Bogel clinch AHT's Trump Tower gig. The software company specializes in Crestron and AMX control system programming. Its systems enable the user to easily control audio, video, lighting, climate, security and more from a single location.

"This is a growing category," Harrington says of his company's Concierge software and systems for MDUs. "Our Concierge technology is simple to use and easy to install, especially when compared to other similar systems."

The Trump Towers Sunny Isles project has been a pivotal one for both Harrington and Bogel. Moreover, it should help seal the deal for future jobs and continued profitability.

Based on the bang-up job done at this Florida MDU, Crestron is recommending Harrington bid on another big project in Chicago.

Providing an eServices Edge

Most of the MDU programs that compete with Digital Automation and eServices depend on Internet-based panels, Harrington says.

His system, he explains, is designed "to be used on any Crestron panel that is connected to the building's Crestron processors," he says.

"This has allowed our dealers to offer much more cost-effective systems using Crestron TPS4l and TPS6ls, all at a fraction of the cost when compared to the Crestron TPMC series panels offered by our competition."

When it came to the Trump Towers Hollywood job, Digital Automation's system made the installation go more smoothly, Harrington says, because the solution was "designed to eliminate the hassles of being undeliverable."

The system is an "intra-building amenities suite." That means that it's "not reliant on any outside interfacing," he explains.

"Since our system is LAN-based, it doesn't require external network connections other than remote management and maintenance for our staff," Harrington says of Digital Automation's design.

"By building the software from the ground up, we are able to adapt the system to our clients' needs."