2025 Security Industry Predictions: Jeffrey Zwirn of IDS Research & Development
2024 SSI Industry Hall of Fame inductee Jeffrey Zwirn shares his thoughts on what’s ahead for the security industry.
Adobe Stock image by Varitnan
We kicked off our 2025 Security Industry Predictions series last week with Business Fitness columnist Paul Boucherle’s thoughts on what’s ahead in the next 12 months and are continuing it today with the prognostications of one of our 2024 SSI Industry Hall of Fame inductees: Jeffrey Zwirn, president of IDS Research & Development.
We’ll have plenty more prognostications from our esteemed group of industry leaders over the next several weeks so stay tuned to see what some of our favorite personalities say is coming for the security industry. Make sure you keep them honest if one falls flat and praise them for getting one right.
Jeffrey Zwirn Offers Security Predictions
Security Sales & Integration: Without getting into any specific vendors or branded solutions, what technology category or solution area do you see as 2025’s ripest, most profitable growth opportunity for security dealers, installers and integrators? Explain your reasoning.
Jeffrey Zwirn: The migration of AI video surveillance intelligence with security systems and remote station alarm monitoring. My reasoning is that the traditional perimeter of security systems is being increased to have a much more expansive and robust footprint in order to get earlier detection, verification and intervention by the security force or responding police.
SSI: These days, we’re all hearing a lot about the cloud migration, AI/machine learning, crime deterrence vs. crime reactiveness, etc. Which of these “hot topics” do you think is overplayed? Which ones do you think will truly transform the practice of security integration in the coming years?
Zwirn: I do not think any of the references above are overplayed. The true transformation of these “hot topics” will happen when we are able to align them to the ever present and foreseeable security risks.
SSI: On the business and operations side, which single factor (e.g., interest rates, talent-related issues, geopolitical stressors) poses the biggest challenge for security businesses right now? How can business owners mitigate their downside risk?
Zwirn: Unquestionably, finding qualified employees is and has been the biggest challenge that the security system industry has been struggling with for decades. The best way to help business owners mitigate this risk is to provide a vision as to the opportunities which exist in the industry, create robust financial incentives and state of the art training because until our industry can be competitive in each of these fundamental areas we will never get the talent that we need to maintain and grow our businesses.
SSI: What’s getting better about the security industry these days? What seems to be getting worse and worse?
Zwirn: The offering of free or low-cost installations seems to be getting worse as to the companies who market “security” in this fashion. In gross contrast the companies who had decided to stop offering free or low-cost installations is starting to increase, because the risks associated with “these systems” is not sustainable and under most circumstances the free and/or low-cost installations are illusory.
SSI: What’s liable to catch some security dealers, installers and integrators off guard in the coming year?
Zwirn: Subscribers holding dealers responsible for not informing them of work-from-home monitoring and claims of alarm aystems not being properly monitored with work-from-home monitoring.
SSI: What’s the single most pressing issue that professionals in the security industry should look to tackle right now?
Zwirn: Finding, hiring, training and keeping new employees.
SSI: Finish this sentence: 2025 will be remembered as the year that the security industry…
Zwirn: …became more focused on perimeter security systems that are both traditional and more expansive, as to where perimeter security should start and it with happen with dramatic results.
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