Heightened Security
Oct 1, 2005 12:00 PM,
By Mark Johnson
Security is on the minds of many these days, be it securing our homelands against terrorism or securing our homes against unwanted intrusion. It could even be securing our IT networks against the latest computer virus. How we do it and what we use to do it is providing new business opportunities for many within our industry. Opportunities exist for expansion into the security field as well as new opportunities for those already in the security business (I touched on this in my column in the August 2005 issue).
As security gains prominence in all of our minds, the industry responds as well. NSCA has partnered with PSA for the past couple of years to present a security pavilion at the NSCA EXPO. And some of the trade shows specific to security have experienced marked growth in the security-focused atmosphere post 9/11. ISC West, held in Las Vegas last April, reported an 11 percent increase in attendance over the previous year, and ASIS International, which took place last month in Orlando, Fla., is listed as one of the 50 fastest-growing trade shows in the United States and Canada. The application of technology as it relates to the systems contracting industry is far reaching, as you’ll see in the pages of this month’s issue, which focuses on security technology.
NSCA recently hosted a conference call to help brainstorm potential ways for the industry to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina. The participants, including Randy Lemke from InfoComm International and Mark Terry of Harman Pro, shared many good ideas. One of the immediate results was the creation of a website sponsored by NSCA, CEDIA, and ICIA that offers a central resource for job information, forums for discussions, updates on the businesses in that area, and links to aid organizations. The link to the website is: portal.nsca.org/relief/. I urge everyone to participate in any way you can to help the relief efforts for those who were affected by the hurricane, whether within or outside of the scope of industry.
