ASIS 2015 President Dave Tyson sees more M&As and futuristic trends impacting the security market

From my vantage point, it would appear that the acquisition of goods and services related to security controls and measures remains healthy at the end of 2015. Although the time associated with evaluations and overall procurement processes, I am told, has become a bit lengthier.

Mergers and acquisitions of both security industry providers and the merger of national and international companies are the biggest unexpected things to have an impact this year. Forbes reported that “From the $55 billion Charter-Time Warner deal to the nearly-$50 billion Heinz-Kraft merger and everything in between, the first half of 2015 has been a busy time for merger and acquisition activity.”

According to data from Thomson Reuters analysed by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the U.S. saw 4,654 M&A deals worth a whopping $875 billion from the start of the year through May 31st. But what might be even more remarkable is that, according to the same analysis by PwC, the M&A market is just getting warmed up, and 2015′s merger market could turn out to be the best for the U.S. since the financial crisis.   

These activities include the mergers and acquisitions of security companies and of security operations. This should translate into increased activity associated with not only the issues of managing disparate systems across huge enterprises, but also a lot of activity surrounding HR and procedural and compliance issues. I believe it is likely to spawn healthy growth for those companies in the enterprise security integration sector as well as security thought leadership especially for organisations like ASIS International.  

Internet connected devices & digital strategies 

The IoT, Internet of Things, a much talked and written about trend, will continue to be felt in the security industry with all types of devices joining the ubiquitous computer/Internet environment.  

The impact of digital marketing will drive businesses to embrace new disruptive technologies that will change how organisations go to market, interact with consumers and operate their supply chain; Machine-created content, augmented reality systems, block chain programmable commerce environments, personal virtual assistants (PVA), and autonomous vehicles will have make their mark.  

The impact of IoT and digital strategy will place greater emphasis on businesses protecting their brands, assets & intellectual property

Digital vandalism will likely become a greater challenge for businesses, as investments ramp up on digital assets and organisations will need to increase their capability to protect the brands and intellectual property.

Changing regulations for vehicles & drones as platforms for service delivery 

Motor vehicles all of kinds are quickly becoming a platform for the delivery of services, whether it’s as hosts for user apps or the vehicle as its own mobile payment platform; complexity will surely ramp up with these trends. The risks and benefits of drones, whether commercial or personal, will continue to evolve, and a changing regulatory environment will need to mature to define exactly how companies and individuals utilise and protect themselves from these devices. 

Finally, manufacturing organisations are ramping up their factory and “supply chain of the future” strategies, and this will no doubt dramatically increase the sophistication of these environments, many of which are still at a low level of technical maturity. In short, companies who embrace this trend will be winners with many opportunities, and those who do not keep pace will be facing challenges and increased risk.   

ASIS 60th anniversary 

ASIS marked its 60th anniversary year with the release of two ANSI standards - Investigations and Risk Assessment; the addition of new certificate courses; and the recognition of ACE® for our three board certifications. This year also marked the Fifth anniversary of (ISC)2’s colocation with our Annual Seminar and Exhibits. Security professionals from both the operational and cyber sectors have derived great value from the opportunity to learn and network with their colleagues. ASIS and the ASIS Foundation donated $122,000 in products and services to an Anaheim elementary school in September and invested $485,000 in education for security professionals. 

In 2015 ASIS released two ANSI standards, added new certificate courses and received recognition of ACE® for three board certifications

The New Year will bring much more of the same, as ASIS continues to focus on the needs of security management practitioners around the globe. New ANSI standards have been initiated, and a stakeholder meeting of organizations from across the security, fire, and safety industries will take place in January to discuss active shooters. ASIS will partner with IE Business School, Europe’s leading Business School, to deliver an executive education program in Spanish. Finally, ASIS will welcome a new CEO in January 2016, as current CEO Michael J. Stack retires after a 22- year tenure. 

Evolving solutions, standards & guidelines 

The evolution of solutions, parts, pieces, and best practices as well as standards and guidelines have improved the landscape for companies old and new whose business plans include capitalising on the needs of the security market. The ubiquity of cloud computing, big data, analytics and the speed of communications will aid organisations large and small to realise and manage Security Operations Centers (SOS) both virtual and located in corporate security operations. The virtual SOC will not only provide sustainability but also enhanced presentation and aid in forensics, trend analysis and human and material asset management and security.

See the full coverage of 2015/2016 Review and Forecast articles here