We continue our 2025 reflections series with Maureen Carlson, co-founder, president and vice president of growth of System Surveyor. She looks back at the state of the security industry in 2025, the most surprising change in the sector this year and the most important development in the past 12 months.
Security Sales & Integration: What kind of year has 2025 been for the electronic security and physical security industries?
Maureen Carlson: It has been a year of more consolidation in the system integration business. In addition, more manufacturers are taking an active role in lead generation and design working with their integrator partners. Everyone wants to get in early to drive business their way.
The job of the system integrator (SIs) is underappreciated and there will be a renewed appreciation for their roles in 2026. Product manufacturers will benefit most by working with the best system integrators so they will need to collaborate with them effectively.
SSI: What has been the most surprising development in the security industry this year?
Carlson: It has been a good year in terms of growth and demand, and we’re seeing some new entrants coming in from MSPs, AV and radio communications integration players. With a healthy annual growth rate, more players want to participate in the opportunity.
SSI: What has been the most important change we’ve seen this year in security?
Carlson: It appears that more integrators are starting to upgrade their business software and “technology stacks” to scale to serve customers more efficiently, effectively, and profitably. We had rarely heard that word in this industry and now it is a common and important conversation as they put their 2026 plans together.
We’ll share Carlson’s 2026 security industry predictions in a future post.
