Security systems integrators have had to face several challenges over the last two years as COVID-19 limited the scope for any fieldwork and hit economies worldwide.Fortunately, businesses are mostly back on track now as the severe stage of the pandemic seems to be over.
 
But there will always be certain challenges that integrators cannot avoid. These have been there even before COVID-19 and will continue to remain a major concern for the industry.
 
Asmag.com recently spoke to Verghese Thirumala, CEO of Maxitulin, to better understand the top challenges that systems integrators face and how to deal with them.

1.Integrating IT into security

Physical security can no longer function without being part of IT. But many systems integrators continue to play catch up with their IT counterparts due to lack of training or because they can not find the right talent.
 
“Most security companies are focused and specialized in integration, risk analysis, and manned guarding and not so much on IT security,” Thirumala says.“Security is all about IT now, but I know just one or two companies that have an IT professional. It’s important to have them because now in a digital era,security department needs to have IT background staff who can understand cybersecurity and the challenges that come along with it.”

2. Convincing clients why the price is high

Costis an important factor for many customers when deciding on an integrator, and rightly so. But some of them do not realize why some things are not priced lower. Thirumala gave the example of a client his company worked with.

 
“A few years ago, a client told us that our price was about 5-6 percent more than the other guys,” Thirumala said. “We said this is our price, and please do let us know if you would like us to work on the project. They gave the work to someone who charged a lower price. But three months later, they called us again and asked us if we could do a security audit for them. We found that they were having issues with surveillance footage whenever it rained because the previous integrator had used indoor network cables for outdoor cameras.”

 
This is just an example of how companies are forced to lower costs and undercut the competition just because they know that the client will prefer it.

3. Security budget is now part of the IT budget

Physical security professionals need to understand IT now. But the reverse is also true– IT professionals who are in charge of physical security at their companies need to know how to get the best out of surveillance systems, access control,etc.
 
“The security department is now parked under the IT department,” Thirumala says. “Previously, it used to be HR. So, what happens now is that the priority goes to cybersecurity rather than physical security. Even the physical security financial budget comes under the IT budget. Physical security has a lower-end location because the IT manager decides which department gets what. And this is a challenge.”
 
Educating customers about the importance of physical security being treated asa different entity is the primary solution to deal with this. The IT head may not understand physical security, but more education is necessary since technology has evolved to converge these two segments