When SDM put out its inaugural issue in January, 1971, the security industry as we know it today did not exist. There were no trade shows, no systems integrators, no DIY systems and no reliable publications to turn to for information.
Les Gold, SDM’s longtime legal columnist and a pioneer in the industry, remembers when Ray Farber first walked into his office to tell him about an idea for a trade show for the industry, which would eventually be known as ISC West. Soon after, Farber started what is known today as the Security Industry Association (SIA), and a publication called Security Distributing & Marketing — now SDM.