Taking Traditional Electronic Security into the Smarter Digital Age

Reimagining Electronic Security Services

Human Thinking was appointed by a FORTUNE 250 industrial conglomerate to work with their security company, at the time the #2 global competitor. This task was support their executive leadership team to adapt and modernise the business as to remain competitive as a leading electronic security partner to their customers. This required a strategic reset on what an electronic security partner is to a customer and will be in the future. A change management programme then needed to be structured and applied across the entire operations of the business as to align to the new growth strategy.

This business reinvention was driven by the electronic security provider's role having eveloved significantly over the past 20 years. Traditionally the business of protecting properties and assets required a security partner that had leading electrical engingineering expertise, a broad range of relationships with security component suppliers, and high functioning customer account and proejct management teams. This defined electronic security providers as electronic security system integrators and installation partners. 

This definition has been challenged with the fast paced digitisation of key electronic security infrastructure. 5G and internet networks, cloud computing, connected devices, and video and other sensory data analytsis capabilities have given a wider competitive edge to security companies and a wider choice by businesses in how they secure properties and assets. 

Creating a Strategic North Star Through True Intelligence

The first task was to create a shared level of understanding across the business and within Human Thinking of the client's business. This was done by applying Human Thinking's principle of True Intelligence, where the right people are brought together, to ask the right questions, to decide the right course of action. 

Working with the client's executive leadership teams and North American, European and Nordic teams, Human Thinking brought the teams and people together to discuss how customer needs were changing, how the company was currently fit-for-purpose to meet these needs, and what opportunities advanced technology delivered to main long-term competitive advantage and to maintain their global lead. In addition Insights from market intelligence and customer research, conducted by Human Thinking, were applied to validate opinions and assumptions and to inform the strategic thinking.

This process defined a North Star, to become the worlds leading health, safety and security integration company, using data to unlock new sources of client value. A position and an ambition that was articulated and replayed to teams across the business. This gained the critical alignment and understanding on the mission for growth that energised and motivated teams on the necessary business changes to realise this future.  

A Roadmap for Value Generation 

The use of data was transforming, and continues to transform, how electronic security infrastructure delivers value to a business. The market size was valued at approximately $48bn (I dont know our sources, but we had this at +$70B for ES, wondering where the $48B came from). in 2021 with a 12% CAGR of around 12% from 2021 to 2026. In addition to traditional security features, the ability to capture and analyse realtime occupancy, activity, and evironment data from an office, retail floor, warehouse, and/or holding lot, creates a level of business data that can unlock significant efficiencies across a business's planning and operational functions. This has created a new category within the sector of Security-as-a-Service (SaaS), which was valued at $5.9bn in 2021 with a CAGR of 18.2% to 2026.

This layer of business intelligence can over time also form predictive models from historical data. It can support efficiencies in lighting and heating based on occupancy analysis. In a retail setting, staff can be notified on floor stock replenishing trends and needs based on video analytics of identified empty hanger space. Warehousing operations and inventory can be analysed on loading and unloading operations and storage capacity based on video analytics data.

This shift to data-centric services, layered on top of a large traditional electronic security installation and integration client base, required bold and ambitious changes across the business. Working with the executive leadership team, a transition framework was designed and a change management roadmap defined to deliver a two year programme. 

To support the implementation of the defined strategy, Human Thinking structured a consultancy team to work alongside teams across North America, Europe and the Nordics. The Human Thinking team focused on bringing True Intelligence into the changes needed across teams, processes, platforms and the management of performance data.

Recognising a Return on Successful Change

In 2022, the electronic security business was sold in what was the largest exit of it's time having doubled value during the transformation earning 16X EBITA. In successfully delivering the transformation programme, a Security-as-a-Service model was driving new customer relationships and building on existing ones. To effectively bring new security technology to market, a commercialisation framework had been built and implemented. This proved critical during the global pandemic as it created an agile operating apparatus to pivot new technologies to meet the heavy demand from customers under a new norm reality. 

Human Thinking continues to work with the Fortune 250 client, as well as the new owners of the electronic security company, to develop and deliver growth strategies and programmes to meet today's ever changing needs. Data-centric services and integration of AI and machine learning is expected to generate over $8bn in additional revenue for leading players in the electronic security market over the next five years.

“Our mission is to drive transformative success for our clients by leveraging curiosity, transparency, and collaboration.”

Human Thinking brings True Intelligence into two critical functions that drives strategic growth and development.

Strategic Growth Development

LEARN MORE

Operational Management

LEARN MORE

At Human Thinking we put people at the centre of the development process. We build our human-centric values into our every day actions, from the way we work with clients as partners, to the way we interact as a team; collaborating to form an expert position.

“We simplify processes, uphold the highest standards of integrity, and foster a culture of creativity and inclusivity to deliver exceptional, sustainable value.”

  • Understanding if your business, product, or service has what it takes to operate within a desired market or sector is fundamental to defining a winning strategy. Equally, once a clear position has been understood, critical thinking is required in defining what people, processes, platforms and data management factors lead to building winning long-term competitive value and advantage. 

  • In today's rapidly evolving economic, political, environmental, and technological landscape, market intelligence informs the critical thinking for growth and resilience. Through customised market and sector reports, winning strategies can be formed and validated.

  • The ability to identify at speed new products and services and to validate the commercial value these will generate, is an essential discipline for growth. Design thinking frameworks and operational and team playbooks enables businesses to move fast, effectively, and efficiently.

Let’s work together.

Interested in working together? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly! We can't wait to hear from you!