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2025 in Review: Key Moments Shaping the Security Industry

admin_atriade — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 11:08:07 +0000

2025 in Review: Key Moments Shaping the Security Industry

As we reflect on 2025, we want to take a moment to express our gratitude to our clients and partners. This year has been a significant one for Atriade, marked by meaningful growth and the deepening of our relationships with you.

Our focus has always been on understanding and meeting your needs, and we are proud of the strides we’ve made together. From enhancing our services to expanding our reach, every achievement is a testament to the trust you’ve placed in us.

We are proud to share highlights from our journey this past year, celebrate our client-focused accomplishments, and offer a glimpse into what we have planned for 2026. Thank you for being an essential part of our story.

This past year, our team traveled across the globe to participate in various industry events. Atriade was called upon multiple times to leverage our expertise as thought leaders, sharing valuable insights with industry professionals

Throughout the year, we worked diligently to broaden industry relationships, support clients, and educate the security community, with plans to continue this mission in 2026 and beyond.

Here are highlights from the events in which we attended, sponsored, and participated.

February: Healthcare Project Delivery Conference

At the San Diego Healthcare Project Delivery Conference, Atriade founder Mohammed Atif Shehzad moderated a roundtable on the key security challenges in healthcare facilities and the coordination gaps that often slow projects down. The panel compared proven practices in RTLS, video analytics, interoperability, and LPR, along with emerging tools that still need careful vetting. Case studies showed where these solutions deliver and the x factor elements that help security become a fully integrated part of the facility. Atriade was also a sponsor of the event.

March: AC/MA Summit

Lee Odess hosted the first Access Control Collective AC/MA Summit held at the offices of Houlihan Lokey in New York. Very insightful conversations around the financial structures of the Access Control Industry and how important decisions are made on development and growth. Clearly, our industry’s value extends well beyond the reported $10 billion. This topic doesn’t get enough focus, so we appreciate the organized discussion around it.

March: ISC West

Mohammed Atif Shehzad moderated a session featuring Joseph Degrassi and Eric Rosa M.H.S. on turning operational data into actionable intelligence for stronger security programs. The panel shared practical ways to align security goals with operational metrics, drive efficiency using existing data, and improve performance at scale. The discussion emphasized real-world strategies that help organizations run smarter, more efficient security operations.

May: Access Control Summit 2025

Lee Odess and his team brought industry leaders to ACS25 in San Sebastian, Spain for focused conversations on the future of access and security. Mohamed Atif Shehzad attended and shares key insights on how the sector must rethink value, collaboration, and user experience.

June: ASIS Chicago: Emerging Tech in Security

Hosted by ASIS Women in Security and ASIS NextGen at the Art Institute of Chicago, this event brought together leaders advancing the next wave of security technology. Atriade’s Mohammed Atif Shehzad served as moderator, guiding discussions on weapons detection, entry ecosystems, video analytics, and body-worn devices. A clear theme emerged throughout the day: data is the driver.

July: Campus Safety Conference

The Campus Safety Conference held in Austin TX, brought together leaders from schools, universities, and the security industry to exchange insights on how campuses can better implement security initiatives at scale. Mohammed spoke on a panel alongside Justin Bangs and Eric Rosa M.H.S., from the School District of Philadelphia’s Office of School Safety, breaking down the district’s district-wide video security transformation. They discussed what worked, what failed, and what campus safety leaders must consider before pursuing similar upgrades.

August: Securing New Ground

We attended the Security Industry Association (SIA)’s Securing New Ground (SNG) event in New York. The show is one of the best gatherings of executives shaping the future of our industry. Always an insightful day, focused on thought leadership and the direction of the industry, this year’s event focused on AI trends, market acquisition, and developing business drivers for large and complex security programs.

September: GSX

Global Security Exchange (GSX 2025) brought together the global security community for face-to-face meeting opportunities and speaking sessions. Atriade’s Senior Security Consultant, Matt McQuin, attended the event and came away with several insights that reflect the trends influencing both practitioners and consultants today.

October: IAHSS Connecticut Summit

It was a privilege to join healthcare security professionals at the IAHSS Connecticut‘s Education and Awards Event. The program brought together leaders dedicated to advancing knowledge, exchanging ideas, and recognizing excellence across the healthcare security field. During his session, AI in Security, Mohammed discussed how artificial intelligence is enhancing situational awareness, improving decision-making, and enabling more proactive threat management in healthcare environments.

November: Genetec Elevate25

There’s no shortage of discussions on AI applications in security. That’s why we’re grateful Genetec invited Mohammed Atif Shehzad to take a different approach at their recent Elevate ’25 event – specifically to speak about how security consultants are using AI to improve efficiency and drive growth in our own business.

November: P3 Higher Ed Summit

Atriade is proud to support another iteration of the P3 Higher Education Summit in Washington DC. P3 (Private-Public-Partnership) isn’t a commonly understood or discussed topic as it relates to security, but give it a few years and we predict it will become a core part of the higher education discussion. One of the standout conversations at this year’s P3 Higher Education Summit explored a powerful shift in the market: student housing and campus facilities are no longer viewed as simple real estate—they’re being recognized as critical infrastructure.

November: ISC East New York

How are cloud-based solutions reshaping the physical security landscape? Mohammed Atif Shehzad spoke on a panel alongside industry experts Stephanie McGuire Abate, MHA (Yale New Haven Health) and Michael Budalich III (Genetec) to discuss how Software as a Service (SaaS) is redefining security infrastructure, operations, and procurement models.

November: SIA Startups In Security at ISC East

Mohammed Atif Shehzad joined industry experts Angie Barnes, chief revenue officer at Evolon and Charles McGilvary Johnson, PSP, FCP, founder at NGA Security Advisors. They were part of a group of innovative startups, scale-ups and industry leaders shaping the future of security technology at this brand-new growth event. Lee Odess published a comprehensive summary.

Developing Advanced Security Solutions For Our Clients

In 2025, Atriade continued to expand its service offerings to meet the evolving needs of our clients. We developed comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for parking management, enhancing efficiency and safety for our clients in this sector.

Additionally, we established Security Master Plans focused on safety communications, ensuring robust emergency response systems for our clients.

Our Professional Services division saw significant growth, particularly in operational workflow development and program administration.

We’ve deepened our expertise in configuring software applications tailored to our clients’ specific operational needs, bridging the gap between requirements and implementation.

Our firm helped lead new security assessment projects, including identifying gaps in procedure and technology within some of the country’s largest K-12 city school districts today. And we expanded our scope of work and services with new higher education clients at both the community college level and the top 4-year institutions in the United States.

We continue to partner with clients in the Financial Services, K12 – Higher Education, and Healthcare sectors to offer customized security solutions.

Most of all, we are grateful for the opportunity to assist our clients in securing their assets, employees, and visitors. Our team has forged new relationships with organizations recognizing the critical importance of comprehensive security measures, whether in threat mitigation or security assessments.

Upcoming 2026 Trends and Challenges

2026 industry trends and themes will revolve around the impact of AI in security, SaaS in security environments, the evolution of frictionless access to mobile access solutions, building effective Campus Security business cases, and physical and cybersecurity convergence, to name a few.

As we turn the page to the new year, we look forward to pursuing new endeavors, and we are thankful to our existing clients for trusting us with their physical security consulting needs. We’re committed to furthering our educational initiatives, expanding partnerships, and delivering unparalleled expertise in physical security consulting.

Thank you for your trust and belief in our firm, and we look forward to a successful 2026 together. We wish you and your loved ones peace and happiness during the holiday season and beyond.

We invite you to follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe to our company newsletter, Take A Risk, published monthly on LinkedIn. We offer actionable tips, trade knowledge, and post timely blogs–all to help make you a more polished and educated consumer.

Warmest regards from your friends at Atriade.

About Atriade

Atriade is a trusted security consulting firm with decades of experience delivering tailored security solutions. We specialize in security system design for access control, perimeter protection, video surveillance, visitor management, and other advanced physical security technologies.

Our expertise also extends beyond system design to include security master planning, program development, risk assessments, professional services, and end-to-end project management.

For more than 20 years, we have partnered with Fortune 50 companies, Ivy League universities, and leading technology firms in Silicon Valley to help them navigate complex security challenges with a strategic, forward-thinking approach.

Visit us online at Atriade.com

Connect with us on LinkedIn

Subscribe to our LinkedIn Newsletter Take A Risk

The post 2025 in Review: Key Moments Shaping the Security Industry appeared first on Atriade.

Understanding the Critical Role of Professional Services and Their Providers

admin_atriade — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 12:04:18 +0000

Understanding the Critical Role of Professional Services and Their Providers

Professional services are the glue that holds physical security projects together. When done correctly, professional services ensure your security measures support operational goals, integrate seamlessly with existing processes, and meet the needs of the people who rely on them every day. For many end users, this isn’t a DIY effort. It requires a team that can translate operational needs into effective solutions.

This blog explores professional services best practices, why they’re crucial in today’s fragmented security projects, and how third-party professional services providers are uniquely positioned to deliver them.

Functional Design

Traditional security system design determines how and where technology solutions are deployed. But functional design goes deeper to outline how a system will work in the real world with added organizational context. This includes mapping out workflows, understanding how data flows between systems, and correlating each operational requirement to its intended outcome. Functional design asks: What are we trying to achieve and how do various solutions and policies help (or hinder) this goal? By defining cause and effect, you ensure that the system not only functions but also effectively addresses risk in practice.

Effective Stakeholder Engagement

Too often, design and implementation conversations start and stop with the security director. But dig deeper and you will find that stakeholders’ divergent goals and risk appetites all influence how a system is used. Early engagement from HR, IT, legal, facilities, and those managing user data streams is especially critical. As data privacy, system interoperability, and operational risk become more complex, this diverse input ensures more complete and future-ready systems.

Proper Programming and Configuration

System programming and configuration create necessary structure across potentially thousands of endpoints. But even the best technical execution can fall short if it’s implemented without consideration for functional design and operational context. In many cases, the person doing the programming isn’t the same person who designed the system, drafted the policies, or works within the environment it serves. The parties responsible for programming therefore must establish a tight feedback loop between design, policy and implementation, ensuring that configuration reflects the original intent through iterative and real-world testing.

User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

It is possible to over-engineer a system for the sake of functional design, where too much time is spent on how a design looks on paper rather than how it performs. Instead of getting bogged down in the details, consider implementing UAT early and often. It is also equally important to engage appropriate stakeholders in the UAT process: system administrators, area owners, facility owners, audit or reporting entities, etc. Testing workflows in a live environment with input from actual users drives better system adoption and uncovers potential problems before solutions are implemented at scale. Iterative UAT conducted throughout each workflow also allows you to visualize the progress being made within the context of your environment.

Contextualized Training

Training is most effective when it’s tailored to the way an organization actually uses its security systems. This means going beyond button-clicking tutorials and one-time lunch-and-learns at the vendor’s office. Training as a professional service ensures that users understand not only how to operate the system, but why it’s being used in a particular way. Drafting a training program catered to that organization’s unique environment is the most effective way to optimize usage of designed solutions. Contextualized training therefore, must incorporate policy, process and functional requirements into the technical steps of managing and administering the technologies.

Productive Program Management

Implementing a new security solution or system is a highly complex process that requires incredible organizational skills. As complexity grows, so does the need for structured oversight that aligns people and goals. Project and program managers exist to coordinate across disciplines, manage dependencies, and minimize emotion-driven decision-making by maintaining a focus on project priorities.

Proactive Change Management

Security systems are not static. As teams evolve and operations shift, clear change management processes ensure systems continue to reflect business needs. Poor change management results in ad hoc decisions, undocumented changes, and misaligned roles. But proactive change management delivers a structured framework for addressing inevitable changes that arise before, during, and after implementation.

The Added Value of Professional Services Providers

You may read through this list of professional services essentials and wonder how your internal teams could possibly deliver on all of them. That’s where professional services providers come in. These organizations possess the experience and resources needed to deliver professional services effectively within your security project or program. They can also see past internal emotions and politics to approach security from a neutral, operational-first mindset.

Key players in this space include.

Security Integrators – Traditionally focused on installing and supporting technology, integrators bring technical depth and hands-on implementation capabilities to ensure systems are deployed correctly and function as intended.
Security Consultants – As vendor-neutral advisors, security consultants are uniquely suited to advocate for their clients, optimize their platforms within a given environment and ensure that security solutions align with business objectives.
Custom Engineering Firms – These firms specialize in developing customized software solutions to their customers. They provide project horsepower with team members dedicated to carrying out complex engineering professional services in practice, including development, integration and buildout.
Manufacturer Pro Services Teams – Most manufacturers have a professional services arm that assists customers with specialized requests, integration and development needs.

You will often find crossover between each of these players. The key is understanding the core strengths of each provider and selecting one whose capabilities align with your organization’s specific needs. Start by identifying role gaps within your own team, such as operational subject matter experts, technical leads, designers, data analysts, trainers, program/project managers, change managers, or engineers. Then, identify providers who can fill those gaps with the right expertise.

In Conclusion

Security isn’t a box to be checked. It’s a continuous process of aligning technology with people, processes, and priorities. Professional services provide the structure necessary to ensure your systems operate in a way that supports long-term organizational success and safety, regardless of whether a professional services provider is involved.

But when professional services providers are engaged, they help teams make more informed decisions and implement systems that are operational and optimized.

About Atriade

Our expertise also extends beyond system design to include security master planning, program development, risk assessments, professional services, and end-to-end project management.

Visit us online at Atriade.com

Connect with us on LinkedIn

Subscribe to our LinkedIn Newsletter Take A Risk

Frequently Asked Questions

What are professional services in physical security?

Professional services in physical security ensure systems align with operational goals, integrate with existing processes, and meet user needs. They include activities like functional design, stakeholder engagement, programming, testing, training, program management, and change management.

Why are professional services important for security projects?

They provide the expertise and structure to design, implement, and maintain systems that work effectively in real-world conditions. Without them, organizations risk misaligned solutions, low adoption, and higher costs over time.

What is functional design in security projects?

Functional design goes beyond placing technology. It maps workflows, defines data flows, and links operational requirements to outcomes. This approach ensures systems perform as intended and address real-world risks.

How do you choose the right professional services provider?

Identify capability gaps in your team such as technical expertise, design skills, or operational experience. Then select a provider whose strengths match those needs, whether it’s a security integrator, consultant, custom engineering firm, or manufacturer pro services team.

The post Understanding the Critical Role of Professional Services and Their Providers appeared first on Atriade.