When we call security a “recession-proof industry,” we’re selling security integrators short. It implies that they don’t have to be smart business people, that there’s little need for strategy, that a steady stream of revenue is a foregone conclusion. If only it were that easy. The truth is that security integrators can’t afford to sit back because, as technology evolves, so must their business models.

Take video surveillance, for example. The “Analog Sunset” hype that has gotten so much play in the audio/video realm is just as applicable for describing the transition from analog to digital CCTV cameras. Integrators must educate their clients about whether or not they ought to go digital and talk to their manufacturers about solutions that include hybrid analog/digital cameras.

Take control rooms, for example. For years, control rooms were reserved for the most mission-critical, ultra-sophisticated, deepest-pocketed clients, not to mention the largest integrators with the most far-reaching infrastructures. The recession certainly didn’t change that, but the advancement of IT-friendly control room solutions has broken down barriers. The potential field of command and control room clients have broadened beyond government, military and security sectors to corporate, municipal end users and more. The category is now fair game for medium- and even small-sized integrators that can develop processes for designing, integrating and supporting such sensitive solutions.

Take access control, for example. The emergences of “smart cards” and biometric technology versus proximity cards have created plenty of new recurring revenue opportunities for security integrators. The advances in technology, though, are just icing on the cake. Savvy integrators can greatly expand their access control clients and recurring revenue income thanks to IT networking, says Jeff Moormann of Fullerton, Calif.-based Henry Brothers Electronics.

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