On The Editor's Desk

It is fitting the Security Industry Association (SIA) released its Security Megatrends list on the opening day, Oct. 21, of Securing New Ground (SNG), its annual conference that brings together the industry’s best to talk about current “trends” that are shaping the industry. It is also that great time of the year where we celebrate the accomplishments of industry’s brightest stars with three security legends — Denis Hébert, Min Kyriannis and Andrew Lanning —...

We here at Security Systems News were very excited to sponsor a highly successful golf outing that was recently held to benefit families in need and The New York Firefighters Burn Center Foundation Children’s Camp. Mission 500’s successful event brought security professionals out for a day of golf that benefited families in need as well as helped The New York Firefighters Burn Center Foundation Children’s Camp support those children badly injured in fires. The charity golf...

If you have been paying attention to the headlines and the many bans on facial recognition that have popped up over the past year, new survey results — showing that 68 percent of Americans believe facial recognition technology can make society safer — are certainly encouraging. Leading independent polling firm Schoen Cooperman Research recently conducted a nationwide poll on Americans’ views of facial recognition technology. The survey of 1,000 adults found that most Americans...

As the editor of a security-focused publication, you would think that I have acquired some skills in spotting a scam, and not just on the cybersecurity side, because what happened to me was equally as well-coordinated and diabolical as any cyber attack I have ever seen. Sooooo … this past Monday morning I got a call from what appeared to be Central Maine Power (CMP), the electric company here in Maine, telling me that my power was scheduled to be turned off that day unless I made a payment....

I joke sometimes in my house that the best way to communicate with my teenage son is to do a Snapchat video call with him, even when he is in the same house, although I have come to realize that I am too old to even fathom, let alone use, Snapchat. Luckily, the app designers were smart enough to make it so someone like me isn’t even capable of interacting with it, which is why my son — and all teenagers — love the app so much. But I digress! What I am getting to is this virtual...

Systems integrators, security consultants, manufacturers all want the same thing — to truly understand not only what their customers “want,” but also what solutions, technology and services they truly “need” to help solve their specific problems, and meet their specific requirements. Now more than ever that need to be what many in the industry are calling a “trusted partner” is more critically important than ever, which is why new research on end user...

As one of the last in-person shows to take place back in February, the first annual SecurityNext conference is the last memory I have of feeling the excitement and intimacy of being right there and rubbing elbows with so many industry leaders and peers, an experience that I am sure all of us miss since COVID-19 disrupted so much of what was essential to our industry. I feel fortunate that I was able to connect on that level and look forward to a time when we can get back to some level of normalcy...

With so many of us still working from home, and many companies transitioning to a fully functional remote workforce that can produce at the same levels they once did pre-coronavirus, the role of the cloud will continue to increase in all aspects of life, not just security. As Brivo CEO Steve Van Till said during his presentation, “The Cloud Won. Now What?” at SecurityNext back in February, cloud-based technology “has finally won over the hearts and minds of even the most reluctant late adopters...

Despite some obvious setbacks in the U.S. in states that have experienced a resurgence in COVID cases, the security industry overall has seen business get back to some semblance of normal, although nowhere near the levels that were once enjoyed pre-coronavirus. Back in April, an overwhelming number (84 percent) of SSN News Poll respondents said that their business was being negatively impacted by COVID-19. Now, three months later, we asked readers to reevaluate the business landscape, with many saying...

With the business landscape changing so dramatically over the past few months — possibly irrevocably — the task for many in security, including for consultants, integrators, dealers and manufacturers, is to figure out what the “future of security” will look like and how existing and new technologies can help companies to overcome challenges and stay profitable during these extremely trying times. As businesses and organizations begin to reopen, many are rethinking the way they budget...