Karyn Hodgson

Diversity, equity and inclusion is a key initiative that can help the security industry with its talent shortage.

For the first time since the pre-COVID summer of 2019, Genetec gathered the world’s security trade press for a “press summit,” held this year February 6-7 in the company’s newly opened Washington, D.C. Experience Center.

This year’s event was the best attended since pre-COVID, and began in earnest with company presentations from ADS, Brinks Home, Elite ISI, PEAK Alarm, and Zeus Fire and Security.

Security Industry Trends

With the pandemic and supply chain issues both mostly in the rear-view mirror, security dealers and integrators are returning to “normal” and focusing on more typical challenges such as the economy, increasing sales, competing effectively and generating more RMR.

IT’S JANUARY. Happy New Year! I hope you have an ordinary year.

One of the things that really intrigued me about Peak Alarm when I first read their application for SDM Dealer of the Year was the sheer number of initiatives the company took on all at once — most of them in the middle of a pandemic.

Faced with debt, higher than desired attrition, challenges in retaining employees, inflation and supply chain issues caused by a global pandemic, this company managed to get completely debt-free, lower attrition, raise both wages and prices, and still make a profit — all of which resulted in a “war chest” that helped them invest in key cyber and marketing efforts.

More than ever, the physical and cyber are tied together, both on a business level and on the world stage.

If anyone happened to wander off the street into this year’s Securing New Ground conference, held October 17-18 in New York City, they would have been forgiven for thinking they had come to an IT conference — not a physical security one.