Security keeps up the pace

Have you ever wished there were 26 hours in a day instead of 24? Or, that you could just squeeze in one more business project, or call, before you had to move onto the next thing? It seems like the pace of life only continues to pick up steam the older we get, and for some it never seems like a slowdown is in sight. I believe it’s fair to say the pace, and the general public’s awareness of the security industry, has picked up in recent years. Today it seems like security companies are appearing on national TV, in the media and just plain in front of the general public on a regular basis - more than ever before. Forget about L. Dennis Kozlowski, the former chief executive officer of Tyco, and his tax evasion debacle, or Adelphia Communications and how company officials used security subscriber numbers to inflate its cable subscriber numbers. I’m not talking about scandals here. I’m talking about news coverage or product promotions that have been typical and we’ve come to expect from other industries. It’s not uncommon to turn on the TV and see a baseball game played at a stadium that bears the name of an alcoholic beverage. Does Busch Stadium ring a bell? But do you, like me, stop in your tracks when a security company has made it into the national spotlight? Up until recently, there’s been little, if any, promotion of security companies and the services they offer. Sure we’ve seen the national ad campaigns from ADT Security and Brink’s Home Security, or the advertisements in your hometown newspaper from your local security installer, but when did security companies begin sponsoring professional athletes, sporting events or Nascar? Maybe the more appropriate question is when did security become a household name? I believe all of us can answer that question fairly easily. We live in a different world than we did before Sept. 11, 2001. Today, we’re more aware of our surroundings and security measures in place at our airports, cities and governmental facilities. And, like the general public, the security market has had to adapt to these changes. Instead of being viewed as a company which has products to keep people out, security firms have had to show they offer peace of mind. It’s not about keeping the bad guy out, but offering protection. Despite it all, security companies continue to keep pace with the changing times and the need to build and strengthen the general public’s perception of the security market. Today it’s more important than ever before for the industry, and the work companies within this market provide, to remain in the spotlight.