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The COVID-19 crisis has created both challenges and opportunities for security dealers. Security distributors have stepped up to reinvent training, as well as the equipment purchase process.

Visitor management, when done right, is like security, safety, receptionist, and analyst all in one. It keeps the building secure and safe from threats of all kinds (human, viral and other). It checks in visitors, logging who entered the building and when — and all of that valuable data can then be analyzed to tell building owners how the building is being used, and how they may better suit visitors’ needs.

The coronavirus pandemic metrics may fluctuate week-by-week and state-by-state, but many businesses and other public places that had been shuttered are now reopening in some mode — and that begs the question of how security integrators can help them establish safety through technology.

Recurring revenue within the alarm industry has been the lifeblood of alarm dealers for decades. On the integration side of the physical security industry, however, many security integrators have historically had little or no recurring revenue.

Security systems integrators work in a plethora of vertical markets, implementing diverse security and safety systems to meet the ever-changing needs of their customers. To meet these needs and exceed client expectations, integrators’ suppliers play a large role.

This year’s Monitoring Center Excellence Awards looked a bit different than usual. While the awards have historically been announced live at the Electronic Security Expo (ESX) annually held in the summer, due to COVID-19 the in-person awards were canceled, along with ESX.

If there is one good thing that has come out of this forced “down time” due to the coronavirus, it has been the opportunity to spend some time learning new skills.

As the technology of video monitoring grows in capabilities and use cases, another concern begins raising its head: privacy. Recently, some countries have looked to use this capability to help with the coronavirus outbreak and enforcing stay-at-home and social distancing mandates.

Who would have imagined, at the start of this year that the security industry would play such a significant role in the pandemic recovery? A good number of technologies are now part of the regular discussion security integrators are having with clients, while many manufacturers are working as quickly as possible behind-the-scenes to adapt existing solutions or build new ones.

Last year was a year of revenue growth for many security integrators ranked on the 2020 Top Systems Integrators Report. For some, it was their best year of revenue growth in company history, and for others, the market was flat yet steady.