Security Experts Share Top 5 Predictions for 2015
Six electronic security industry experts share their 2015 predictions for the marketplace.
Security experts and analysts Bill Bozeman, John Brady, Peter Giacalone, Sandy Jones, Jeff Kessler and Marshall Marinace look at where the marketplace has come in the past year and where it is going in 2015.
Bill Bozeman, PSA Security Network
Trends
1. Cybersecurity became a frontline issue for both physical security integrators and manufacturers.
2. The integrator community slowly adopted a managed services model.
3. The DIY security providers advanced on the residential and light commercial markets.
4. Smaller integrators prepared to sell their companies as competing with the larger players became more challenging
5. Security product offerings continued to migrate to cloud-based offerings, creating both ambiguity and opportunity for integrators.
Industry Challenges
1. Navigating the increased need for oversight of potential cybersecurity pitfalls by offering products and services that are secure.
2. Dealing with the continued commoditization of security hardware.
3. Meeting the demands of the end user by providing a truly integrated system vs. utilizing multiple vendors for a specific project.
4. Recruiting the brightest of the next generation into an industry that is not perceived as progressive and lacks the “cool” factor.
5. The slow growth economy continues to make an impact.
John Brady, TRG Associates Inc.
Trends
1. PERS continued to experience exponential growth as a segment of the industry as more dealers adopted the technology and became more comfortable with marketing to this unique market segment.
2. Attrition levels for the residential and commercial segments of the industry continued to come in at or lower than 2013 levels for the midsized and smaller dealers.
3. Video verification continued to take hold as an integral portion of the intrusion protection system.
4. Security apps continued to abound as peripherals to existing offerings and standalone applications, but did not take hold as extensions of RMR.
5. Local legislation continued to call for/ require increased utilization of life-safety and access systems to be in compliance.
Industry Challenges
1. Obamacare begins to reshape and increase the health-care costs and decrease the coverage options offered by small security-based business.
2. The evolution of signal platforms continues to push forward faster than the industry is prepared to adapt to such changes.
3. Training of capable technicians continues to take more time and cost as the states remain independent in setting licensing requirements.
4. Employee wage rates remain under pressure despite the underemployed marketplace.
5. Companies continue to deploy the benefits of vehicle GPS tracking into the smaller and midsized company fleets as costs to deploy continue to fall.
Peter Giacalone, Giacalone Associates
Trends
1. Increase in entrants to the DIY security and managed home space. This included new companies as well as traditional companies expanding into DIY.
2. Capital markets remained favorable for the security industry.
3. Security and nonsecurity organizations continued to expand into the solar energy business.
4. Mergers and acquisitions were on the rise.
5. Mobile PERS manufacturers and application providers rapidly entered the space with new value propositions.
Industry Challenges
1. Maintaining creation costs at a manageable and stable level.
2. Keeping subscriber bases educated and up to date with latest technologies and platforms as a proactive approach to minimizing attrition and maintaining loyal subscriber bases.
3. Leveraging the massive marketing by the cablecos and telecoms to the advantage of the independent dealer.
4. Understanding, structuring and leveraging the vast data from subscribers of remote managed services toward better subscriber support, relations and expansion.
5. Understanding the great increase and value of the DIY channel and why traditional companies need to pay attention to what is becoming a rapidly growing channel.
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