What are your predictions for the security industry in 2022? Are there any technology trends you think we will see develop, will there be more acquisitions and do you have any concerns for the sector going forward?
Contribution by Jamie Allam, CEO Amthal Fire & Security, as featured in Professional Security Installer (PSI) Magazine, December
Whilst we may not have completed the transition to the new normal, or ‘post pandemic environment,’ employees and teams who had flirted with heading back to the office full time have found themselves creating flexible arrangements.
This interim ‘new normal’ makes seemingly simple questions such as ‘how many people are in the building today,” more complex to answer. Security teams into 2022 can benefit from technical solutions for people counting like accurate touchless access control systems or easy to use advanced video analytics to help solve this issue.
More remote services can be used to manage this shift and the introduction of new processes. Increased monitoring for both fire and security ensures security managers are aware of access across a building, essential to managing complex processes such as an evacuation, safety testing or even just the flow of people at any one time in a building.
Here, the sector must continue to innovate into the new year with technologies and biometrics that enhance integration capabilities, both with the constant advances in IOT and developing building management systems.
It may see a focus shift from the end product to the firmware used, and often the potential of the product. It doesn’t necessarily mean more complicated, but in 2022, we will see ‘packaged’ solutions aimed at simplifying security and enabling digital transformation.
Growth, Innovation and Acquisition
As we look forward to 2022, growth via acquisition will continue, capable of pulling together research and development departments to understand the role of latest innovations changing how we see and use security technology.
Moving forward, we need to continue to support our customers’ journey through the evolving technology landscape. We can do this by staying connected, educating our colleagues, listening to our customers’ needs, and identifying alignment in solutions.
Of course, none of this is without some challenge. At its core, integration is a people business. The key to Amthal sustaining consistent growth is our ability to recruit, set against an industry skills shortage, bring onboard, train, and retain the colleagues necessary to meeting our customers’ needs.
In summary, as we look forward to 2022, a theme emerges: securing relationships to shape our future industry. Uncertainty has accelerated reliance on each other, and gaps in third-party relationships, collaboration, and trust will have outsized impacts on security firms’ relationships with their colleagues, partners, and suppliers.
We need to be working more together in partnership from manufacturers through installers to end users to collectively continue to ‘protect what’s precious.’