News

The year 2022 has been a big one for the security industry. Here’s a recap of what we see as some of the year’s biggest developments.

TMA-AVS-01 aims to speed response to most urgent alarms. The TMA-AVS-01 standard, currently under development, is a new American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard that is being spearheaded by The Monitoring Association (TMA). The standard aims to classify every intrusion alarm into one of several categories based on priority. The lowest-level alarm calls for no police response, while the highest-level alarm calls for police response with confirmed threat to life.

Video doorbells see explosive growth. Video doorbell sales are expected to top 5 million this year, according to forecasts from Parks Associates and Statista. They’ve even become a staple of nightly news reporting.

State Farm Invests in ADT. Insurance giant State Farm has made a $1.2 billion equity investment in security dealer giant ADT and has committed up to $300 million to fund technology innovation. The companies are expected to sell one another’s products and to pitch the ability to lower insurance costs through smart home devices such as water and fire detectors.

Facial recognition sees a tug of war between law enforcement and privacy advocates: New Orleans law aims to strike a balance. If facial recognition technology worked perfectly and was also perfectly used, it could be a big help to law enforcement. And although the technology isn’t perfect, the city of New Orleans aims to leverage it as much as possible, while also protecting citizens’ privacy. The city council has approved an ordinance that allows police to use facial recognition in combination with surveillance cameras in its investigations. Importantly, potential match results alone cannot be considered probable cause for an arrest or to obtain a search warrant.

Artificial intelligence also raises questions about proper use of the technology: Prosegur offers a possible solution. Prosegur, one of the nation’s largest security dealers, has established what it calls a Responsible AI Policy that aims to protect the rights of those affected by the application of AI technology. When developing, acquiring or using AI technology, the company aims to do so equitably and to ensure that the AI systems do not cause harm.

As the industry continues to cope with supply chain shortages, the CHIPS Act aims to offer relief. Supply chain shortages first appeared as the COVID-19 pandemic kicked in and have not yet abated. The industry has coped by extending its planning horizon and seeking alternate suppliers. A key concern is U.S. reliance on overseas suppliers for critical components. To address that, the federal government passed the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act, which will provide $280 billion to fund basic and applied research at the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Standards and Technology and Commerce Department.

Mergers and acquisitions on the rebound. Investing in other companies likely wasn’t top of mind for most dealers or manufacturers during the COVID-19 pandemic. But 2022 saw a rebound, with numerous deals consummated. Some of the biggest: Tech Systems merged with Securitronics. Swedish security services group Securitas bought Stanley Security, just shortly after Allegian bought Stanley’s automated doors business, Access Technologies. And Johnson Controls acquired access control specialist Security

Enhancement Systems. On the manufacturer side, Motorola Solutions acquired video analytics provider Calipsa.

Security Equipment Supply (SES) is a leading wholesale security, fire, smart home, access control, and audio/video equipment distributor in the U.S. with 40 years of experience serving low-voltage dealers. Our knowledgeable salespeople can help dealers with selecting the right equipment for new homeowners and other residential and commercial customers. At SES, we’re looking forward to what 2023 will bring.