Are we meeting the needs of Security End Users?

...In reading this month’s industry trade journals, I was particularly drawn to Laura Stepanek, Editor of SDM Magazine’s, ‘Editor’s Angle’ with Lisa Roy, Vice President for Global Security and Fire Safety Solutions, with Johnson Controls. In her first question, Laura asks Ms. Roy if she feels that the security systems integration industry as a whole is meeting the needs of end users right now. Ms. Roy’s response, to paraphrase, is that today’s security end user is increasingly frustrated with the way security solutions are sold and delivered. While she feels that the industry has made progress in some areas, overall she feels that the industry has more work to do.

This was echoed by Lynn Mattice, former CSO at Boston Scientific and current Chairman, Board of Advisors, for the Security Executive Council, at the first-ever State of the Industry discussion panel at ISC East last month. Participating in the panel were Mike Miller, President of ESA (formerly NBFAA), Bill Bozeman, President and CEO of the PSA Security Network, Gordon Hope, Senior Vice President with Honeywell and current Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Security Industry Association (SIA), as well as Mr. Mattice. What Lynn was saying in representing the end user perspective on the panel, is that he feels that our discussions with security end users have been from our own perspectives - product features, camera resolution and RMR streams – all very important for him to understand, however, we are not fully understanding the security end users’ need for an overall solution to a problem. For example, when we go to buy a car, the Blu-tooth capabilities and the Sirius satellite radio are great features, much better than a standard FM/AM radio with a cassette player (do they even make cassettes anymore?), however, we ultimately are looking for a car that is safe, reliable and affordable. Are we spending too much time addressing the features and benefits and not explaining how we will provide a solution to the end users’ need?

‘From what we have seen, many end users are frustrated with the way security solutions are sold and delivered today,’ was the quote by Ms. Roy in the call-out in Laura’s article. We have heard this from many different sources, but what are we doing about it?

Ed Nichols
Industry Vice President
Reed Exhibitions
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