It’s August. That means summer is slowly coming to an end (and hopefully the intense heat with it), vacations are about to be fond memories, and those with school-aged kids are about to have the “fun” of back-to-school shopping. But while summer may be winding down and security is not always known for its lighter side, that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun of our own that doesn’t rely on the weather at all.

To that end, SDM recently created a weekly word game you can play when you need a brain break, want to challenge industry friends or just test your own skill. Based on the “Wordle” concept, SDM’s SecuraWord asks you to guess an industry-related word in six tries or less. Once you guess correctly, you will then get a link to some related content on that word. And don’t forget to join the leaderboard so everyone can see how you did!

On a more serious note, this month’s issue covers some key industry topics (who knows, one of them might be a future SecuraWord!).

Our cover story, the third in our four-part State of the Market series, looks at the State of the Security and Smart Home Market.  In this article, Senior Editor Rodney Bosch shares insights from industry professionals from across the security, smart home and monitoring ecosystem and explores key growth drivers for technologies and services, sector performance expectations for 2023 and beyond, top channel challenges and more.

From DIY to integration trends, there is a lot going on in the residential space that is positive and an opportunity for security dealers.

“There’s excitement whenever new technology emerges to meet the evolving needs of new and existing customers, while creating new market space and growth opportunities,” says Steve Butkovich, chief product officer for CPI Security in the article. “Earlier this year, the market for new construction slowed as interest rates and inflation spiked. The reduction in relocations and home sales, while challenging on revenue growth, helped improve customer retention and provides CPI with more opportunity to focus on upselling and upgrading existing customers.”

Opportunity also abounds on the cloud-based video side, and contributing writer, Laura Stepanek, has written an informative and engaging story on How to Choose the Right Cloud Architecture for Your Customer, which includes a comprehensive list of the right questions to ask of both vendors and customers in order to select the right option.

“Cloud-based solutions use subscription-based pricing, providing predictable recurring revenue that increases bottom-line profitability and the overall value of the business,” says T.J. Dickson, vice president of marketing, Speco Technologies, in the article. “Integrators can save on maintenance and support costs with fewer on-site visits and reduced hardware. Overall, embracing cloud video solutions enables integrators to expand offerings, generate recurring revenue, and lower costs while enhancing customer relationships.”

This month also includes two popular annual features: the TMA Excellence Awards winner and runner up profiles, and the Top Systems Integrator Brand Results.

Whatever you do with the rest of your summer, I hope it is filled with good business opportunities — and also a little fun in the mix.