We continue sharing 2025 security industry reflections with thoughts from Scott Goldfine, marketing director at Elite Interactive Solutions. The former longtime SSI editor-in-chief and associate publisher, who was inducted in the SSI Industry Hall of Fame in 2018, looks back at some of the key development in the sector this year.
We’ll share Scott’s 2026 predictions for the security industry in a future post.
Security Sales & Integration: What kind of year has 2025 been for the electronic security and physical security industries?
Scott Goldfine: It has been a very strong year for overall security growth and opportunities — particularly commercial projects and services involving video surveillance. There were greater challenges and hardships seen on the supplier side, due to the tariffs, as opposed to those experienced among monitoring and installation businesses.
Technology-wise, it was a pivotal year related to artificial intelligence, from both products and operations standpoints. Of course, there will be several paradigm-shifting years as these advances transform both how security solutions are delivered and how dealers, integrators and monitoring providers streamline and expand efficiencies.
SSI: What has been the most surprising development in the security industry this year?
Goldfine: It is not so surprising to those who have been in the business for an extended period and understand, have experienced and embrace the security industry’s admirable resilience. However, it is no less impressive! That characteristic continues to draw new opportunistic attention — particularly from tech-oriented start-ups, savvy entrepreneurs, company buyers and consolidators and private equity investors.
Objectively, 2025 was a turbulent year — politically, globally, economically, socially, environmentally. Yet, amid it all, solutions that safeguard people and property continue to stand tall and be in high demand.
SSI: What has been the most important change we’ve seen this year in security?
Goldfine: From an installation, integration and monitoring standpoint, the most important change experienced within the industry during 2025 has been a growing awareness of newer technologies, interest in learning more about them, and openness to integrating them into portfolios of products and services.
The time-worn stereotype of the security industry lagging behind the technology curve and being slow to change is itself changing. This is because technology and capabilities are advancing so quickly (and with higher levels of reliability) — along with end user awareness, expectations and demands — that much of the business has reached an inflection point.
Those who do not embrace the AI-powered video security age are faced with either accepting stagnation and atrophy, yielding to more progressive newcomers and getting out of the business, proactively transforming their companies or forging strategic alliances.
