When integration companies conduct strategic planning for the year ahead, they often focus on economic factors and make predictions about project pipelines. These are necessary, but it’s just as important for integration companies to answer tough questions on their offerings. For example: Do we have the in-house expertise and capabilities required to address our customers’ evolving needs? The answer to this question may lead to shifts in strategy.
Although each company is unique, there is an all-too-common common denominator for integration companies facing this question: Many aren’t properly equipped to provide cybersecurity peace of mind, even in 2025. We are entering a new era when it comes to the role that cybersecurity plays for integrators and customers. After all, so much of what integrators install lives on the network. And potential cybersecurity breaches keep lots of company owners up at night.
Typical integration companies aren’t necessarily prepared for this need for integrators to be equipped to provide cybersecurity peace of mind to customers. CompTIA’s State of Cybersecurity 2024 Report asked respondents what their biggest cybersecurity challenge is. Employee skill gaps made up the biggest challenge, essentially tied with complacency.
Consider that this survey was sent to IT pros. Think about that for a second: IT pros are concerned about their cybersecurity readiness. It’s interesting that integration professionals aren’t as concerned.
For example, in CI and NSCA’s 2024 State of the Industry survey, we asked integrators to rank their biggest concerns. Only about a quarter indicated that cybersecurity readiness was a top three concern. For some perspective on that answer and what respondents put above it, respondents were far more concerned about post-pandemic company culture and the supply chain. It’s noteworthy that this survey wasn’t taken during the pandemic; it fielded last fall.
Cybersecurity: A Bigger Concern?
Shouldn’t cybersecurity be a bigger concern for integrators? IT pros are concerned. Integration professionals who put products on their customers’ networks are apparently not as concerned. Why is that? Integrators should be more concerned about cybersecurity readiness because it hits them directly. That CompTIA report outlines the most common types of third parties used for cybersecurity services:
- “Managed service provider with many core IT offerings”
- “General security firm offering both cybersecurity and physical security”
- “Firm providing technical business services”
These descriptions actually reflect how some of your customers perceive you.
There is a call to action here for integrators: Become your customers’ cybersecurity experts in 2025. Integrators must build confidence with their customers so that they know the integrator is doing everything they can to make sure the systems they’re installing that touch the network reflect cybersecurity responsibility and credibility.
If we’re migrating to an IP world where everything is digital, we have a responsibility to ensure network integrity from end to end. We also need to make sure we work with products and data centers that have the highest level of cybersecurity protection that we can get for our clients.
If you aren’t already, you’ll soon be seeing a requirement on bids that you demonstrate cybersecurity credentials and cybersecurity insurance. If you run an integration company, all your technical people who are charged with commissioning a system should have certification for cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity concerns impact all integration businesses. Focusing on cybersecurity in 2025 is a good step to ensure success.
(November 26, 2024). Tom LeBlanc – Commercial Integrator. Retrieved from https://www.commercialintegrator.com/insights/embrace-cybersecurity-in-2025/138221/
