ASIS’ 8% Rise in Activity Offers Promise for 2011
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DALLAS — In a time when a little positive news can go a long way in buttressing confidence, ASIS 2010 will be remembered by many participating exhibitors and attendees as evidence that a degree of stability is returning to the electronic security industry as well as the economy.
Nearly 20,000 security professionals attended the global event, held Oct. 12-14 at the Dallas Convention Center, according to preliminary figures released by ASIS Int’l. The turnout marked a healthy improvement over last year’s event in Anaheim, Calif., said ASIS President Joseph (Bob) Granger.
“Organizations continue to demand a solid business case for investing their money,” Granger said. “With paid and exhibits-only attendance up by more than 8 percent this year, it seems evident that this event is conveying the right level of ROI sought by security practitioners and their organizations.”
While there was no shortage of new technology introductions in Dallas, this year’s event by and large featured a continuation of prominent industry trends aside from products.
For example, many vendors touted the need for interoperability and their efforts to join in strategic partnerships. High definition (HD) and megapixel technology is also continuing its thrust into new and wider market niches as price points become more affordable. Hosted managed services are increasingly being adopted to meet end-user needs as well as help dealers/integrators build recurring revenue. New security applications for mobile devices also garnered much attention.
SSI editors spoke with vendor representatives and attendees during the show who often, respectively, reported receiving quality business leads and fulfilling expectations in identifying technologies and products for their workplace.
“It’s important to be here — this is my seventh year — and learn from others who are using these systems successfully and be able to ask direct questions to the manufacturers,” said Gamal Newry, a security-risk coordinator for the Bank of the Bahamas Int’l in Nassau, Bahamas.
Innovations aside, others in attendance noted stark industry trends that are fast changing the way business was once done for installing security contractors.
“There is an ominous wave hitting the industry and a lot of people don’t want to admit it — margins [on products] are eroding. The most troubling trend I see is the commoditization of the hardware,” said John Walsh, president of Dallas-based Walsh Holding Co. “It represents a compression in the industry. We have seen this before. The same thing happened in the computer industry.”
Mark your calendars: the 57th ASIS Annual Seminar and Exhibits will be held Sept. 19-22, 2011, in Orlando, Fla.
View the ASIS 2010 products slideshow.
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About the Author
Rodney Bosch, Senior Editor
Although Bosch’s name is quite familiar to those in the security industry, his previous experience has been in daily newspaper journalism. Prior to joining SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION in 2006, he spent 15 years with the Los Angeles Times, where he performed a wide assortment of editorial responsibilities, including feature and metro department assignments as well as content producing for latimes.com. Bosch is a graduate of California State University, Fresno with a degree in Mass Communication & Journalism. In 2007, he successfully completed the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association’s National Training School coursework to become a Certified Level I Alarm Technician.
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