Articles by Karyn Hodgson

Recently I had the pleasure of returning in person to one of my favorite conferences, PSA TEC. Consisting of owners and members of the largest integrator consortium in the world, it is a great place to really hear what is on the minds of systems integrators.

ESX returned as in-person event for the first time in two years, offering a slate of educational offerings, networking events, the latest technology innovations and more.

Each of these companies not only improved their 2021 RMR by double digit percentage points over 2020, but also moved several spots up on the SDM 100 ranking as a result. 

The top manufacturers and distributors used by SDM 100 dealers.

As the pandemic continues to drag on and businesses and people in general grow weary of the fallout, there is a stronger sense of urgency to get “back to normal” in all walks of life

 It’s summer again, and all the plants and flowers are blooming. But in the security industry something else is blooming, too: technology. If you attended ISC West a couple of months ago you may have noticed a few dominant trends, including 5G, cloud, wireless and touchless readers, and much more.

At this year’s PSA TEC, held May 16-19 in Denver, as well as virtually May 24-26, some themes came up over and over again — particularly the ongoing supply chain crisis and workforce challenges as well as more positive themes of new technologies and services.

Maybe it’s the Annapolitan in me, but when I looked through all the comments from this year’s SDM 100 (link to article) companies detailing the challenges they had faced in 2021 — and predict to continue facing in 2022 — my mind went immediately to an image of rough seas.

Despite the uncertainty and challenges it presented, however, the top security dealers held their own, and some even thrived, finding new paths and opportunities.

Every year around this time I see a meme go around social media about the weather. Unless you live somewhere that is perpetually warm, you have likely seen it.