Security integrators describe the 2018 market for integrated security systems as “strong,” “hot” and “accelerated” — all apt terms, given that the nation’s largest integrators grew their systems integration revenue by at least 14 percent last year.

This is a special edition of SDM, as it features the 2019 Top Systems Integrators Report, a ranking of the largest security integrators by systems integration revenue.

Guardian Protection was declared the Monitoring Center of the Year in the 14th annual TMA Excellence Awards, sponsored by SDM. The award was announced last night at the ESX opening celebration, held at the Indiana State Museum in the charming city of Indianapolis. 

The security industry looks to the SDM 100 — a group of the 100 largest security companies ranked by their recurring monthly revenue (RMR) — as a wellspring of industry trends and operational best practices.

I’m a big hockey fan, especially of the American Hockey League, which is comprised of 31 minor league teams that are affiliated with National Hockey League teams.

SDM 100 security dealers mutually tallied $655 million in RMR on December 31, 2018, on 12.6 million subscribers.

While at ISC West 2019, SDM editors Laura Stepanek, Karyn Hodgson, and Courtney Wolfe asked exhibitors three of the most pressing questions facing the industry today.

This issue presents the annual SDM 100 Report (beginning on page 38), a ranking based on revenue of the largest security installation and monitoring providers.

This month’s cover story, “It Takes a Village,” continues SDM’s coverage of the complex issue of cyber security overlaid onto physical electronic security.

How would you rate your ability to operate a security company in a complex environment? The fact is that business-operating complexity may be one reason the security industry is contracting.