Big deals shake industry for '08

Already, 2008 is looking to be a vibrant year for the security industry, especially if you consider the number of "deals" being made that shape our industry's future.

For starters, consider the acquisition of Bioscrypt by L-1 Identity Partners, the firm which previously had acquired the unified Identix-Viisage biometrics technology firm. Over two years ago Robert LaPenta said that he was ready to unify the then-fledgling biometrics industry, and he has held true to his word.

So, we have the biometrics industry consolidating, and it's interesting to see at the same time that there's been some consolidation in the remote video monitoring market. Just before the new year, iVerify announced it was purchasing a division of Magal (an Israeli firm) which offered full-service interactive monitoring. Like iVerify's own services, this Magal division offered remote video monitoring. Couple that with a steady number of requests from police for alarm verification and customers' requests for faster responses to security breaches, and you can see 2008 shaping up to be an even stronger year for interactive and video-based monitoring services.

The third thing I have seen is a report out from Copley News Service, which had a beat reporter on hand at CES (Consumer Electronics Show). They found an increase in high-tech security, safety and protection equipment being promoted to the consumer market. It's only anecdotal, but I read that as a sign that the consumer market is increasingly sophisticated and ready for technologies that extend beyond the basic alarm panel. If these three trends really take off -- growth in biometric technology, increased video/interactive monitoring, and consumer uptake of high-tech security devices -- then 2008 could be a very good year indeed for our industry.