The New Norm

The year 2020 will go down as one of the most challenging years that the world has ever faced. With the Covid-19 pandemic disrupting people’s daily lives around the globe, we have learned to embrace a term that has come to encapsulate these changes to our day-to-day routines – the new norm.

What exactly makes up the new norm in our everyday lives? Working from home is a prime example of what is now normal to millions of working people in the United States and around the world. Instead of commuting to the workplace every day, people are sitting in their pajamas on their couches with their laptops and doing their work in the comfort of their own home. Rather than having in-person interaction or making phone calls to conduct business, Zoom calls and Microsoft Teams meetings are now a routine part of the workday. In 2020, working from home became the new norm.

For me, the new norm entails an expansion of my at-home responsibilities. I recently took on the role of managing editor of Security Systems News. As someone who has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years, the last couple of years have been difficult in terms of landing a steady position in the publishing industry. The publishing landscape has certainly changed, with the emergence of digital news as the primary source of information, and the struggle of print media to keep up with the digital age.

I never thought I would be dabbling in freelance editing, with the inconsistency that is so typical in the life of a freelancer. Chasing down invoices, not knowing when the next assignment is coming your way, unsteady income. It certainly was not the ideal way I wanted to earn a living, but with millions of people losing their jobs in the midst of the pandemic, I really had no right to complain.

When Security Systems News Editor Paul Ragusa reached out to me about coming on board as managing editor, I jumped at the opportunity. After all, Paul and I worked together for nearly 10 years at a publishing company in Westbury, NY, and we helped each other out editing our respective trade publications.

There was no doubt in my mind that joining Security Systems News would be a tremendous opportunity to get back into the swing of trade publishing. Learning a new industry is a challenge I am excited about, and I have already hit the ground running.  I conducted my first interview with Interface COO Brent Duncan, which gave me great insight on how his company is focusing on customer support during the pandemic, and how Interface is investing in product innovation and IT infrastructure on its path to success.

A few other stories I’m working on delve into other facets of the security systems industry, including a discussion with Steel Root Co-founder and Managing Partner Ryan Heidorn on the importance of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program in establishing cybersecurity as a foundation for future DoD acquisitions.

Another area of security systems I was fascinated to learn about is iris recognition readers that have the capability to not only detect an employee’s temperature when trying to gain entry into the workplace, but also have the ability to detect whether or not you are wearing a mask, all in a matter of seconds.

I still have so much more to learn, and I’m truly excited about this new venture. No one knows how long this new norm will last, but as long as we can weather the storm together, we’ll all be okay.New N