Wall’s wisdom: Securing opportunities in 2023

The physical security industry has been changing quickly in recent years. Developments and applications of cutting-edge technologies are breaking boundaries all the time. In the first of a series of articles, Mark Wall, Managing Director of Wall2Wall Group, shares his insights on the sector in 2023 to IFSEC Global readers.

Mark Wall, Managing Director of Wall2Wall Group

We have seen security systems become deeply integrated and more comprehensive.  These will continue to expand with capabilities that in 2023, will shoulder more intelligent tasks to improve efficiency in security as well as other operational functions. And all this is happening across many different industries and types of organisations.

Following my return from Intersec, I am excited by the positive outlook for physical security technology in 2023. There was definitely a buzz around plenty of drones (and anti-drones!), lots of AI technology and it’s always good to catch up with all the amazing people within our industry.

It was obvious to see how cloud-based services (SaaS) are rapidly growing, helping businesses improve scalability, promote growth and facilitate agile choices. As we move past the ‘new normal’ into a hybrid world, cloud technology has become a necessity for more end users, bringing with it a necessity to place our trust in its capabilities.

The security industry is also rising to the challenge with new security tools and platforms. In 2023, organisations will adopt new technologies to address a new wave of threats, both physical and cyber, and secure the core of our evolving digital economy.

At the same time, led by the need of consumers to have complete control over home and business security wherever they are, we are increasingly designing products and technology that embraces mobile technology and all the benefits of remote monitoring.

Industry outlook

The video surveillance market is consistently growing due to rising concerns for security and safety.

This will result in increased demand for more technically advanced surveillance systems, creating huge growth opportunities for video surveillance manufacturers, but also risking some manufacturers being excluded from the UK market due to security and privacy concerns.

The focus on more intricate technologies that emerge within the physical security disciplines, that enable manufacturers to stay proactive in offering the latest mobile oriented security features or indeed the increased reliance on cloud-based services will see companies continuing to be acquired for their niche capabilities.

But within this, there is increasing pressure on the industry to maintain and continue to learn new skills, which set against the well-known shortage and lack of new generations entering our industry, means a new way is needed.

An approach which takes advantage of new communication channels and social media assets to enable an open conversation with customers, where the security industry can show we are listening and have the systems available to suit individual requirements, will be best placed in 2023.

Personal touch

It is also true that across the sector, customers are demanding a more personalised experience, where each person must feel they can relate directly to the information being sent and want to engage on an individual level.

Here, we need to understand the value of personalisation in building loyalty and trust, uniquely tailoring solutions for each customer and delivering systems in an efficient, scalable way. If you’re trying to talk to everybody, you’re going to have a difficult time reaching anybody.

In the words of Fenix Monitoring: “We’ve stood in your shoes, understand your challenges and frustrations AND we’re on a mission to fix them one by one…”

This is where Wall2Wall is coming into its own, aligning our customers with their audience to open discussions and work together in partnership to deliver bespoke requirements and end solutions.

It brings together the fast-paced evolution of the security sector into a tailor made package to deliver to end users through direct communication.

Ultimately, in a world where uncertainty is the only certainty, embracing change and adopting the new technology available, whilst listening to discerning customer requirements and personalising solutions around their expectations, will be critical to success.

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