Each October one of my favorite stories to write comes around: The systems integrator of the year. I love delving into a company’s history and culture and learning what has made them a success worthy of being chosen for this award.

In the last six months many of us have endured changes to our daily lives that would have been unthinkable a few months earlier. The term social distancing has entered our lexicon; many of us now routinely wear masks to go about errands.

In this issue, SDM presents the annual Top Systems Integrators Report, which ranks security integrators by their North American systems integration revenue of the previous year (2019). This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Top Systems Integrators Report, which was first launched by SDM in 1996.

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.

“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. 

For avid news-watchers like myself, the COVID-19 health issue has provided so many opportunities to learn how the world is altering these days.

When I started out in the security industry, I had the good fortune of being hired and subsequently mentored by SDM’s chief editor at the time, Susan Whitehurst.

When it comes to running a top-tier monitoring center, the people component is perhaps the biggest factor that can make the difference — in some cases in life or death; but also the overall customer experience.

Welcome to 2020. This year has special significance for me, as my oldest son will graduate high school and prepare to go off to college in the fall.