Looking Ahead to 2022

It’s the first week of December, and while I’m very excited about spending time with family and friends this holiday season – something we really couldn’t do last year – I’m also looking forward to what 2022 brings for all of us, COVID aside.

While the pandemic wreaked havoc on the security world in myriad ways over the past 20 months or so, we started to see the industry bounce back in 2021, especially in the latter half of the year.

In-person events gradually came back over the last six months, including ISC West and  GSX, and capped off with what I felt was a very successful ISC East show right here in my hometown of New York City just last month.

The vibe I felt walking the show floor at the Javits Center with my Security Systems News colleagues gave me hope that more security professionals will be traveling in 2022, which will lead to more invaluable networking opportunities and training sessions and groundbreaking technology to introduce next year.

Speaking of shows to look forward to in 2022, we’re baaaaaack!!!!!! Mark your calendars for April 25-27 as we at SSN are proud to announce the in-person return of our SecurityNext conference, taking place at The Westin Nashville in Tennessee.

We’re currently in the process of working with our stellar Advisory Board to create a conference program and assembling a stellar lineup of speakers for the two-plus day event, and we promise you will not be disappointed!

In addition to the informative sessions we’ll be presenting at SecurityNext, you do not want to miss the event we’re always very proud to host – the Security Systems News “40 under 40” and Security Legends Award Reception.

In case you were wondering who the Class of 2021 “40 under 40” winners are, you’re not going to have to wait that much longer. The winners will be announced in our January issue and on our website very soon, so stay tuned.

As you know, the “40 under 40” winners are made up of prominent young security leaders from the integrator, consultant and end-user classes, Not only will you get a chance to see the faces of other attendees, but you’ll also have the opportunity to toast some of the security industry’s best and brightest!

For more information on SecurityNext 2022, please visit our conference website here.

In addition to the excitement of more in-person events in 2022, I am hopeful that the security industry as a whole continues to get back on track after the pandemic slowed the market down in various ways since its onset in March 2020, such as fewer installs scheduled and businesses adapting to allow employees to work remotely.

We have already seen signs of the security industry bouncing back with a vengeance thanks to an abundance of M&A activity over the past couple of months. If this is a sign of things to come in 2022, this can only be seen as a major victory for all parties involved as they look to expand their respective businesses on a local, national and/or global scale.

Let’s hope the positive vibes that we’ve felt in recent months continue in the new year. With the pandemic seemingly not going away anytime soon, we all need something to look forward to in 2022.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Security Systems News!