Leveling Up Safety and Security: From Motorola Leader to Channel Partner

After more than 30 years at Motorola leading and supporting the channel, I decided it was time to practice what I’ve preached. For years, I encouraged Motorola’s channel partners to elevate their technical expertise beyond mission-critical voice communications and embrace the integration of voice, video, data, and other emerging technologies. Now, as a channel partner myself, I’m “eating my own dog food,” as the saying goes, and working to make that vision a reality.

Motorola’s portfolio has grown to include cutting-edge technologies like video surveillance, access control, mass notification, and camera-less detection devices. These solutions go far beyond traditional communication—they enable us to detect and prevent incidents like escalations, intrusions, and aggressions, ultimately saving lives. With Orchestrate at the center of Motorola’s integrated solutions, these systems can seamlessly and instantly respond to threats without the need for human intervention. Whether it’s identifying a person with a weapon outside a school, recognizing a suspended student attempting to re-enter campus, detecting verbal escalations in a restroom, or flagging a door left open at a secure facility, these technologies can automatically dispatch the right teams to address the issue.

My goal in this work is simple but impactful: to make the world safer. I want to eliminate school violence so kids can focus on learning, reduce abusive behaviors so healthcare workers can focus on healing patients, and protect employees and visitors in workplaces, houses of worship, stadiums, and any space where people gather. At CSE Crosscom, where I now have the privilege of working in both the US and Europe, our mission is to ensure that everyone comes home to their loved ones safely and securely each night.

For years, I spoke about the importance of the channel adapting and embracing video and data expertise alongside their traditional voice capabilities. Today, I’m fully invested in making that happen, leveraging Motorola’s powerful portfolio to transform safety and security into something smarter, more proactive, and truly life-changing.

About the Author

Michael O’Connor 
CEO of Crosscom
US and EU

Michael O’Connor is the CEO of Crosscom US and EU, a global leader in innovative safety and security solutions. With more than 30 years of experience at Motorola, Michael has been instrumental in shaping the channel and championing the integration of voice, video, and data technologies. Now leading Crosscom’s operations across both the US and EU, he is dedicated to driving the evolution of safety and security with cutting-edge solutions like Orchestrate, enabling organizations to proactively detect, prevent, and respond to threats in real-time. Driven by a passion for creating safer environments, Michael’s mission is to ensure that everyone—whether in schools, hospitals, workplaces, or public spaces—can return home safely each day.

Outside of his professional life, Michael is a devoted family man whose inspiration comes from his wife and four children, including college-age triplets, and his granddaughter. Their influence fuels his passion for creating a safer world. To stay active and energized, Michael is an avid marathon runner, having completed more than 30 marathons.