Benjamin Franklin is reported to have said, “Out of adversity comes opportunity.” The security industry, like many businesses in the U.S. and the world, has certainly seen some adversity this year. In the video monitoring part of the security industry, however, a situation that started as chaos quickly shifted to unique opportunities to help both existing and new customers.

It’s June, the start of summer — the season of backyard BBQs, gatherings with friends and family, and summer vacations. But for most of us, this summer season may look different than usual.

Now more than ever, people are conscious of the surfaces they touch. When it comes to entering a door, any time you don’t have to touch a handle, it’s a relief. In the access control industry, the word “frictionless” has been a growing trend for a while; now it has even more benefit for end users.

“May you live in interesting times.” I’ve been hearing this phrase a lot lately related to the impact of COVID-19 and the resulting shutdowns of schools and businesses. Curious where this phrase comes from, I Googled it. 

A continuing strong economy, end user desires to do more with their access control systems and increasing interest in new technologies, integrations and models all led to a positive outlook in 2019 and a general feeling of optimism for 2020, with a few notes of caution.

There was a time not too long ago when choosing the card and reader for an access control installation consisted of which proximity reader style from a limited number of suppliers you liked and how many 125 kHz cards or fobs you needed to purchase.

It would be hard to find a topic more pressing across the entire security industry than the current workforce shortage. From manufacturers to security integrators, the issue of finding and keeping great employees is among the top concerns of nearly everyone.

Intercoms for security have changed in recent years, particularly with the advent of IP, mobile apps and increased integration. But other things have changed the intercom as well.

Is the cloud-based access control trend finally “hockey sticking?” For several years predictions that cloud will overtake on-premise access control solutions — particularly in the SMB market — have been swirling around the security industry.

They say that hindsight is 20/20. So as we go into the year 2020 it seems fitting to reflect back, while at the same time looking ahead at the most influential trends that shaped — or will shape — the security lock and door hardware market.