Economic Recovery

With shoplifting and related crimes on the rise, merchants of all sizes are leveraging anti-theft technologies to mitigate their losses. The uniqueness of the retail space can be demanding, but installing security contractors with the right stuff can reap rewards.

OK, the economy is in the dumps, customers have no money, and security services and contracts are being cut. Nobody said conducting business as normal would be easy. However, that being said, the security market is one that typically holds up pretty well during bad times and this recession is no different.

After a year in which economic turmoil all but silenced large-scale mergers and acquisitions, a flurry of recent deal-making could signal a harbinger of what lies ahead in 2010.

Well, glad that's over with - 2009 that is, at least from an economic and business standpoint. Aside from celebrating this publication's 30th anniversary (I had to work that in), it certainly was a year most electronic security professionals would like to forget. Unless you toiled primarily in newer, network-based technologies you probably, to at least some degree, took it on the chin.

With the current economic climate, it is becoming crucial for systems integrators to place greater emphasis on providing value to their customers, and not just a technological solution. The technology is part of that value, for sure, but equipment is becoming more of a commodity while that necessary value proposition remains more elusive.

Despite operating during a severe recession, this year's ASIS Seminar and Exhibits experienced only a slight decrease in attendance, less than 9 percent, compared to 2008, according Michael Cummings, CPP, 2009 president of ASIS Int'l.

End-user organizations that supply their own in-house proprietary monitoring and services usually cause contract security providers to retreat and move on to the next prospect. However, in this time of economic challenges and cost-cutting pressures, most organizations would indeed consider an alternative if it met their logistical, fiscal and security requirements.

In today's economy everything seems to be shrinking. Sales numbers are down, revenues are down and customers aren't spending anywhere near as much as they did just a couple of years ago.

Michael Pope, president of Safety Technologies Inc. and Audio Video Interiors Inc. of Medina, Ohio, has been charging design fees for his security and high-end A/V installations for almost 10 years.

With the economy limping along and margins ever slimmer, four CEOs are leading the transformation of security integrators into solutions-focused service providers. In a frank roundtable, these operators discuss favoring recurring revenue and billable hours over selling boxes, supply chain conflicts, and much more.

Looking for ways to protect or grow your bottom line? How about which technologies, services and markets you should pursue? Then look no further. SSI’s 2009 Operations & Opportunities Report is overflowing with the ideas and solutions you need to succeed.

Anyone who knows me or has read this column for any length of time knows I am not a touchy-feely or especially philosophical kind of guy. However, recent events have conspired to cause me to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. This being our 2009 Bright Ideas Issue, I wanted to address a concept not covered elsewhere in these pages but probably more critical than anything else.

Regardless of smaller footprints for some exhibitors or the evident drop in attendance, the 2009 ISC West delivered on its core promise to provide a crucial setting on which to examine new technologies and industry trends ...

Success in the lucrative schools market requires a commitment to understanding their unique needs, challenges and, above all, funding processes. Helping K-12 schools address their security challenges today can keep your company in budget planning for years to come.

The PSA Security Network’s annual conference has earned its reputation as a premier training event by offering intensive coursework for every job position from senior management to technicians. New for 2009, curriculum tracks for business expertise and IP-centric proficiency.

Economic hardship could be leading to increases in certain crimes, including home burglaries, as spiking unemployment and widespread law enforcement budget cuts set in ...

Security and alarm systems have long had a bad rap as a negative or grudge buy. Although this has eased a bit through the years it remains ...

You may not think 1.44 percent sounds like much. But if you’re a retailer or an electronic security company serving the retail market, 1.44 percent is a very big number and incentive. How big? According to ...

Like a lone building that miraculously remains standing after a ferocious twister levels everything else around it, by and large electronic security contractors had been unscathed by the nation’s ...

The flagging U.S. economy may have been a central point of many discussions at the California Alarm Association (CAA) Winter Convention & Western Security Conference in ...

Flint (Mich.) Now Billing Security Companies for False Alarms
4023 views

Power Home Technologies Steps Up For Break-in Victim
4411 views

Smart Business Tips: Flexibility & Persistence
2963 views

May 8, 2013
A Look at Thermal Imaging
6 photos

April 19, 2013
Photo Gallery: ISC West 2013 Highlights From the Show Floor
22 photos

April 18, 2013
FBI Releases Suveillance Photos of Boston Marathon Bombing Suspects
8 photos