The Great Service Opportunity

The security integrator community has made a concerted effort to increase recurring monthly revenue in a variety of ways including service contracts, cloud-based hosted and managed offerings and more. But one of the potentially most lucrative — and needed — services is also perhaps the most daunting for many: cybersecurity.

Senior Editor Rodney Bosch takes an in-depth look at the reasons why security integrators are in a prime position to be a go-to source for their customers and how to capitalize on that in this month’s cover story, “Secret Sauce to Seizing Cyber Service Opportunities.”

“Physical security integrators that can demonstrate cyber IQ are far better positioned to earn a greater level of trust from their existing clientele, as well as with prospective new clients. Doing so can generate new service opportunities as end users from across a range of vertical markets increasingly see value in aligning with third parties that can minimize their exposure to cyber-attacks and meet compliance requirements,” Bosch writes in the article.

From learning to “talk the talk and walk the walk” with IT departments to finding the right pull-through service partnerships, this article provides a helpful guide to where to get started.

But of course, there are many types of service options that can meet integrators where they are ready to be, and one of the easiest and first technology services many choose to start with is access control. With booming adoption rates as a result of the pandemic, acceptance of cloud-based access control is higher than ever and a logical place to begin for many integrators just getting their feet wet on the service side of the security industry.

In “Cloud-Based Access Control Is a Win for Customers & Integrators,”  Content Editor Laura Mazzuca Toops writes that much of the demand for cloud-based access is coming from customers now and cites examples from integrators like A+ Technology and Key Security Design Corp. on how their projects have shifted from primarily on-prem to cloud.

As Steve Van Till, CEO of Brivo, explains in the article, “Until the cloud came along, there was no RMR with access, visitor management, badge printing, or video. Cloud puts all other integrations in the same position to enjoy growing a business and selling it that alarm systems have always had.”

Whether you are just starting out on the services-related journey or are ready to jump in to the more technical aspects of cybersecurity monitoring, this month’s issue has you covered.

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As the Editor-in-Chief of SDM, Karyn Hodgson is responsible for the overall editorial direction of the magazine, its supplements, e-newsletters and website. She works with the SDM editorial staff to develop content that helps security dealers and systems integrators operate successful businesses. Karyn represents SDM at trade shows and conferences, and directs exclusive research studies such as the SDM Industry Forecast. She also manages SDM’s Dealer of the Year and Systems Integrator of the Year Award programs. Karyn has an MSJ in Journalism (magazine publishing) degree from Northwestern University, and more than 25 years’ experience writing for and about the security industry. Contact Karyn with article ideas.