DENVER – The conversation about how integrators can bring security and AV under one roof continued at Commercial Integrator Expo 2024, co-located with CEDIA Expo 2024, during a panel discussion led by Dan Ferrisi, group editor, commercial and security for Emerald.

During the session, Lionel Felix, founder and chief revenue officer of 2023 CI Integrator of the Year Felix Media Solutions, and Josh Cummings, executive vice president of technology at Paladin Technologies, shared their thoughts on various considerations integrators need to weigh when implementing security solutions as part of the overall service offerings.

The panelists also discussed if security divisions and AV divisions should be separate or a combined entity, along with the role of IoT, recurring revenue opportunities and how to embrace the challenges that both sides present.

Convergence of Security and Commercial AV

According to Felix, when it comes to bringing in a security integration competency, AV integrators need to consider how procurement channels for both are different, as well as the breadth of products.

“The requirement to get access to products can either be very different or very similar,” he says. “There might be discrepancies or similarities in terms of the cost base and benefits you’re going to provide to the folks putting in those technologies.”

Felix notes that the plan should include strategic conversations on how the hiring process should go as regards managing costs and acquiring and retaining talent. Some of these conversations include questions such as “Are we going to acquire a security business?” or “Are we going to build or grow people inside our own organization?”

Cummings adds that that companies must ensure that the right expertise is in place.

“You have to do skills assessment, and you have to figure out who’s got the ability to learn different things,” he explains. “You need somebody who understands the challenges of deploying these types of projects.”

Regardless, embracing the convergence of AV and security presents exciting new avenues, says Felix.

Concurring with him, Cummings remarks, “You get this opportunity to bring together people that are collaborating on things they [had not been completely familiar with]. And now, they’re able to provide more of that scope.”

Summing it up, it is less about carving out what integrators cannot offer and more about how they can meet customers’ needs. As Felix notes, whether it be AV or security, integrators must take into account all the little, nuanced challenges when delivering an exceptional outcome.

Understanding Security and AV Code Requirements

Diving further into the nuances of adding security integration to your AV integration business, Cummings advises, “As you’re looking at potentially taking on this type of business, I would really encourage [integrators] to do the research ahead of time.”

This may include assessing the local and even state requirements for life safety and other regulations, licenses and permits.

“In some jurisdictions, you have to be licensed with the state…which means you need to have the competency to [pass] a test,” he says.

According to Cummings, the worst-case scenario is when integrators have reached a point in the project and then the officials come to shut down the entire project simply because the firm didn’t have the permits for that space.

“So, definitely do your homework and do your due diligence, and make sure you know what you’re doing before you start doing it,” he underscores.

Felix agrees, adding that even when his company takes on less safety-focused projects such as access control systems, his firm still ensure that they’re taking it seriously. From his perspective, it is paramount for integrators to keep in mind that they’re the “critical path of getting the certificate of occupancy for the [particular] building [or site].”

To ensure compliance, Felix recommends having dedicated personnel who are responsible for performing the due diligence and obtaining all the permissions and licenses. As an example, he cites how integrators who win a contract and don’t read the part about liquidated damages can end up paying a huge price when they have to stop or move the construction site.

“You have to think through seriously and coordinate with all the [officials] before you complete the work,” Felix counsels.

How IoT Comes into Play

According to Felix, the IoT (Internet of Things) literally refers to end devices that are part of the larger, network-connected ecosystem.

“When I look at the larger ecosystem, [I see] more and more [devices and AV] on the network,” he says. “And I think there’s got to be a better way [of] unifying, monitoring, management and control all of this.”

As an example, Felix points to moisture sensors in flowerbeds, access control systems, CCTV cameras and even parking sensors as applications connected to the larger IoT space.

“We have a lot of ways to monitor, manage and visualize them, but they’re all part of the constellation of devices [in] IoT,” he remarks. “The more we begin to understand the size of the [space], the more important it is for us to select products that are friendlier to the IoT space.”

Felix concludes that, as we move forward, integration companies that understand their place in the universe of IoT are the ones that will earn the name “master integrator” and attract the most desirable clients and impressive projects.

Final Thoughts

Both Cummings and Felix agree that combining security and AV competencies presents several RMR opportunities for integrators. According to Cummings, there are tons of RMR opportunities related to transitioning from legacy on-premise solutions to cloud-based applications.

“You cannot try to convince everybody that they have to go to the cloud today,” he explains, however. “There’s got to be some sort of mix and transition time…some sort of hybrid approach that will be there in the long term.”

“On the security side, we immediately realized that the only thing that we could and should do is sell security product that had recurring revenue, end of story,” adds Felix. “We do not sell anything that does not have a cloud contract, and we also focus on a small number of products.”

Both panelists encourage integrators to approach security and AV’s ongoing convergence with a long-term perspective, embracing recurring revenue and being forward-thinking in their applications. By focusing on such strategies, integrators can provide a broader portfolio of offerings to their customers without putting their firm in jeopardy and while enhancing their brand esteem.

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