The Electronic Security Association (ESA), a major trade organisation in the electronic life safety and security sector, has announced the creation of the ESA Industry Research Centre.
This new initiative provides the security industry with enhanced insights into its performance, growth, and future directions. As the industry rapidly evolves, having a comprehensive understanding of market trends has become increasingly crucial. The new centre aims to equip integrators and dealers with well-informed insights to guide their strategic business decisions.
Informing business decisions
With support from the nationally acclaimed macroeconomic forecasting firm Beacon Economics, and led by ESA Chief Economist Christopher Thornberg, PhD, who is also a founding partner of Beacon Economics, the centre is set to deliver valuable economic and industry analyses. The insights provided will assist integrators and dealers in making more informed and effective business choices.
Central to the Research Centre's offerings is the ESA Industry Performance Index (IPI)
Central to the Research Centre's offerings is the ESA Industry Performance Index (IPI). This composite score, ranging from 0-100, evaluates the health and capacity of the electronic security and life safety sector, focusing specifically on elements unique to this industry.
Key metrics of industry health
The IPI assesses the industry across four key dimensions. The first, Business Activity and Market Growth, evaluates current demand and future expectations, including revenue patterns and sales momentum. Workforce Capacity and Pressure scrutinises the industry’s ability to fulfil demand by evaluating hiring practices and skill gaps between traditional and AI-centric technical roles.
Revenue and Business Model Health considers the stability of earnings, examining profit margins and the trend towards recurring revenue models. Finally, the Technology and AI Adoption dimension observes the pace of industry modernisation, including the transition to integrated systems and cybersecurity readiness.
Expanding research initiatives
Beacon Economics will bring its renowned forecasting expertise to the ESA Industry Research Centre
According to Kevin Stone, ESA Chairman and COO of Doyle Security Systems, "The ESA Industry Research Center represents a pivotal moment for our industry. For the first time, integrators and dealers will have access to the kind of rigorous, purpose-built economic intelligence that supports smarter decisions, stronger businesses, and a more resilient industry overall."
Beacon Economics will bring its renowned forecasting expertise to the ESA Industry Research Centre. In collaboration with the Beacon Economics team, Dr. Thornberg will provide continuous economic insights, supporting both the IPI and the centre’s broader research goals. As Dr. Thornberg notes, "ESA has always been committed to equipping the industry with the knowledge and resources it needs to grow. The ESA Industry Research Centre takes that commitment further, adding a new layer of economic intelligence that gives integrators and dealers a sharper, more data-driven view of where the industry stands and where it is headed."
Together, ESA and Beacon Economics aim to set a new standard for reliable industry intelligence, offering professionals across the electronic security and life safety ecosystem a clearer perspective on the forces shaping the industry's future.
The Electronic Security Association (ESA), the nation's largest trade organisation representing the electronic life safety and security industry, today announced the launch of the ESA Industry Research Center, giving the security industry a new lens into performance, growth, and what's ahead.
The security industry is evolving quickly, and understanding where the market is headed matters more than ever. The ESA Industry Research Center is designed to give integrators and dealers a deeper, more informed foundation for the decisions that drive their businesses forward.
Smarter business decisions
Backed by the nationally recognised macroeconomic forecasting firm Beacon Economics and led by ESA Chief Economist Christopher Thornberg, PhD, a founding partner of Beacon Economics and one of the nation's foremost economic forecasters, the Center will deliver meaningful economic and industry insight to help integrators and dealers make smarter business decisions.
At the core of the Research Center is the ESA Industry Performance Index (IPI): a composite 0-100 score reflecting the health, capacity, and forward trajectory of the electronic security and life safety sector. Rather than broad economic proxies, the IPI is built entirely around the specific forces that drive performance in this industry.
Customer-facing technology
The IPI measures industry health across four dimensions. The first, Business Activity and Market Growth, tracks current demand and future trajectory, capturing revenue trends, project backlogs, segment growth, M&A activity, and sales velocity.
Workforce Capacity and Pressure examines whether the industry can meet that demand, monitoring hiring timelines, vacancy rates, wage pressures, and the growing skills gap between traditional field roles and today's AI-enabled technical positions. Revenue and Business Model Health looks beyond topline growth to assess the durability of earnings, analysing profit margins, the ongoing shift toward recurring revenue, and contract quality. Rounding out the Index, Technology and AI Adoption tracks the industry's pace of modernisation, from the transition to proactive monitoring and connected systems integration to customer-facing technology and cybersecurity readiness.
Broader research initiatives
"The ESA Industry Research Center represents a pivotal moment for our industry. For the first time, integrators and dealers will have access to the kind of rigorous, purpose-built economic intelligence that supports smarter decisions, stronger businesses, and a more resilient industry overall. This is exactly the type of forward-looking investment ESA exists to make on behalf of its members and the industry." Kevin Stone, ESA Chairman and COO of Doyle Security Systems
Beacon Economics brings nationally recognised forecasting expertise and rigorous quantitative methodology to the ESA Industry Research Center. Working alongside the Beacon Economics team, Dr. Thornberg will provide ongoing economic insights, analysis, and guidance in direct support of the IPI and the broader research initiatives behind the Center.
Trusted industry intelligence
"ESA has always been committed to equipping the industry with the knowledge and resources it needs to grow. The ESA Industry Research Center takes that commitment further, adding a new layer of economic intelligence that gives integrators and dealers a sharper, more data-driven view of where the industry stands and where it is headed." Christopher Thornberg, PhD, ESA Chief Economist and Founding Partner, Beacon Economics
Together, ESA and Beacon Economics are establishing a new benchmark for trusted industry intelligence, designed to give professionals at every level of the electronic security and life safety ecosystem a clearer, more confident view of the trends, pressures, and opportunities shaping the future of the industry.
