Security System Services
Industry Profile Report
Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters
Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.
Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.
Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.
Industry Profile Excerpts
Industry Overview
The 5,800 security systems service providers in the US design, sell, install, service, and monitor security alarm systems. Companies may install stand-alone systems or offer monitoring services. Customers include residential, commercial, educational, governmental, and industrial accounts.
Customer Attrition
Failure to retain customers is costly, as companies typically incur acquisition expenses and depend on payments over the term of a contract to recoup costs.
Technology Integration
Advances in technology help drive popularity for integrated security systems that combine multiple features, such as video surveillance, intruder detection, alarm systems, and home control.
Industry size & Structure
The average security systems services provider operates out of a single location, employs 21-22 workers, and generates $4-5 million annually.
- The security systems services industry consists of about 5,800 firms that employ about 125,000 workers and generate about $28 billion annually.
- The industry is concentrated at the top and fragmented at the bottom. The top four firms account for 34% of industry revenue. The top 50 firms account for 58% of industry revenue.
- Large companies include Apollo Global (ADT) and Monitronics (Brinks Home Security). Large companies may be vertically-integrated and have international operations.
- Estimated US household penetration of alarm systems is 50%.
- The industry includes national and regional chains, franchises, and independent operators.
Industry Forecast
Security System Services Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Sep 11, 2024 - Survey: Parents Support Sharing School Security Cameras with 911
- A large majority of parents support mandates requiring K-12 schools to share security camera access with 911 communications centers during emergencies, according to a recent survey performed by market research firm Propeller Insights and commissioned by Eagle Eye Networks. The survey found that 96% of parents of K-12 students favor mandates requiring schools to share their security camera feeds with 911 centers. According to the survey, 56% of respondents support a mandate on the federal level, 29% prefer a state-level mandate, and 11% favor mandates by individual school districts. Proponents of camera-sharing technology suggest giving instant access to 911 centers during emergencies allows them to relay critical incident information to first responders, including the locations of suspects and bystanders, as well as the physical layout of the scene.
- Security equipment and services firm NAPCO Security Technologies’ net sales rose 13% to $50.3 million in its fourth fiscal quarter compared to the same period in 2023. The firm’s full-year revenue increased 11% to a record $188.8 million over that of fiscal 2023. NAPCO’s recurring services revenue (RSR) grew by 27% to $20.3 million in fiscal Q4 and was up 26% year-over-year. The company also saw a record 28% increase in quarterly net income of $10.6 million. Full-year net income reached a record $27.1 million, marking an 84% increase over fiscal 2023.
- The Monitoring Association (TMA) recently released its new AVS-01 Alarm Validation Scoring Standard online training course. TMA developed the AVS-01 to standardize methods for estimating the potential threat level of a burglar alarm activation using real-time and historical data. The new TMS training modules offer an introduction to the AVS-01 standard and demonstrate the system’s alarm level classifications and call-handling process. More monitoring centers are expected to adopt AVS-01 into their standard operating procedures.
- The security systems services industry is expected to experience stronger growth in 2025 after a slowdown in 2024. The industry’s year-over-year sales growth is projected to decline to 2.7% in 2024 after rising 6.3% in 2023, according to Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. The security systems services industry is forecast to notch sales growth of 4.7% in 2025, then see flat but steady average annual sales growth of 5.9% through 2028, according to Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc.
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