Today, we are kicking off a pair of new series, looking back at the past 12 months and looking forward to what’s ahead in the next 12 months for the security industry. We’ve turned the job of reflecting on 2025 and making predictions for 2026 to some of the biggest names and top minds in the sector.
Let’s kick things off with Whitney A. Doll, chief executive officer of The Monitoring Association (TMA). We’ll have more 2025 reflections and 2026 predictions throughout December and January, so please come back to see what some of the security industry’s heavy hitters think about what they’ve seen and what to expect.
Security Sales & Integration: What kind of year has 2025 been for the electronic security and physical security industries?
Whitney A. Doll: 2025 has been a year of significant change for the security industry. Rapid technological advancements, including the impacts of artificial intelligence, growing cybersecurity needs and data privacy concerns, have transformed many aspects of the industry.
In particular, AI has evolved the hardware and software solutions companies use to deliver physical security solutions and monitoring capabilities as well as the workforce with agent assist or agentic AI solutions, expanding service capabilities, skills and customer experiences.
SSI: What’s the single most pressing challenge that professionals in the security industry must tackle right now? And how would you suggest tackling it?
Doll: As the pace of change continues to increase and technological advancements hit the industry ever more rapidly, the number one challenge remains finding and retaining talent. Across the industry, for both monitoring companies and installing dealers and integrators, having qualified staff who understand technology and have the necessary skills remains essential.
The industry has a significant gap in qualified personnel and staff turnover and the current labor market continue to challenge the security industry. Associations like TMA remain essential avenues for training, education, and certification to close the skills gap and help businesses staff up quickly and efficiently.
