Numerous milestones in ninety years of business have shaped Securitas’ path to a leadership position in the private security industry.

Established in Helsingborg, Sweden, in 1934 by Erik Philip-Sörensen, Securitas has evolved from a traditional night guard operation into a global leader in security solutions.

Already in the mid-1940s, Securitas began integrating technology in solutions for clients, growing rapidly after WWII. Securitas pioneered automatic access control and made history by launching the world’s first online connected ATM in 1968. By elevating human presence and experience with technology, Securitas has helped clients to focus on their core business – a continuous development that laid the foundation for what today is Securitas Technology.

Dating back to 1958, founder Erik Philip-Sörensen had the foresight to establish Securitas’ values of integrity, helpfulness, and vigilance, documenting them in the book Code of Conduct for Officers to protect the profession and ensure its integrity. He emphasized the ongoing importance of developing standards, recognizing it as a work that is never finished.

In the 1980s, former CEO Melker Schörling’s leadership emphasized simplification, client focus, and international expansion, driving Securitas’ growth across Europe, the U.S., and beyond through strategic acquisitions. The divestment of non-core businesses allowed Securitas to refocus on specialized security services, maintaining its commitment to operational excellence and core values throughout its global expansion journey.

“Living our purpose, to help make the world a safer place, has a profoundly positive impact not only on our clients but also on the world at large,” says Securitas President and CEO Magnus Ahlqvist. “Leaders who embody our timeless values have shaped our culture and maintained a commitment to excellence. With our focus on continuous improvement and innovation, we are in a better place than ever to address the evolving needs of our clients and the broader security landscape.”

 The global SCADA market size is anticipated to grow from USD 11.2 billion in 2024 to USD 16.6 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 8.3% from 2024 to 2029, according to the lastest research from Marketsandmarkets. Surging deployment of AI and IoT across manufacturing industries and increasing smart city projects pertaining to infrastructure and transportation are cited as just a few of the significant factors which drive the growth of this market.

Within the discrete manufacturing landscape, SCADA systems serve as integral tools to uphold production efficiency and meet targeted output objectives. These systems monitor and control the entire production lifecycle, from tracking units in production to managing inventory levels for just-in-time manufacturing practices.

Additionally, SCADA systems play a pivotal role in orchestrating industrial automation and robotics while concurrently monitoring processes and ensuring stringent quality control measures. As a result, SCADA offers a robust platform for the development of sophisticated, interconnected, and secure solutions that significantly enhance the efficacy of manufacturing operations. The escalating demand for such advanced SCADA systems is anticipated to be a key driver propelling growth within the SCADA market.

 Software at the core

At the core of any SCADA infrastructure lies its software, which serves as the foundation for its functionality. This software framework facilitates crucial functions such as trend analysis, diagnostics, and data monitoring, enabling efficient data analysis and communication of system issues to operators to minimize downtime. Key benefits offered by SCADA software include real-time data storage, ongoing system surveillance, alarm validation, and secure management of sensitive information. By empowering operators with streamlined workflows, facilitating rapid decision-making, minimizing errors, pinpointing root causes of issues, and optimizing plant operations, SCADA software plays a pivotal role in enhancing overall operational efficiency and effectiveness.

Remote terminal units

Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) reign supreme in the SCADA market due to several factors. Their versatility across industries, cost-effectiveness for remote sites, and focus on data acquisition perfectly align with core SCADA functionalities. Designed for harsh environments, RTUs offer scalability for diverse project needs.

While PLCs handle complex control logic within central control rooms, RTUs excel at acquiring data from geographically dispersed locations, making them the most widely used component in SCADA systems.

Some of the key players named by the researchers as being active in the SCADA market include Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric, Emerson Electric Co., Siemens, and ABB, for example.

In its latest whitepaper, entitled, “Quanergy 3D Lidar Solutions Redefining the Physical Security of Critical Infrastructure”, global technology intelligence firm ABI Research forecasts the worldwide physical security market for Lidar sensors will surpass 3 million total installations by 2030, with water infrastructure leading the segment. The yearly revenue opportunity will exceed US$6 billion in 2030.

Enhancing physical security, especially perimeter intrusion detection (PID) at critical infrastructure sites like airports, data centers, warehouses, and utilities, is increasingly crucial due to growing threats such as theft, protests, sabotage, terrorism, and war.

“Physical security, specifically PID, encompasses controlling access for both individuals and vehicles into secured areas, as well as preventing objects from being thrown or passed across perimeter boundaries. Moreover, physical breaches often precede cyber attacks, underscoring the importance of intrusion detection in combating cyber threats,” explains Dominique Bonte, Vice President, End markets, at ABI Research.

Quanergy research finds that current security solutions relying on cameras and/or radar struggle to effectively detect and track intruders, and produce numerous false alerts, leading to higher operating costs and alarm fatigue. These legacy two-dimensional (2D) technologies lack accuracy and perform poorly in low light and adverse weather conditions, resulting in missed events, increased liabilities, and high cost of ownership.

According to Bonte from ABI Research, “Three-dimensional (3D) Lidar offers robust, reliable, and high-precision detection and tracking employing mesh architecture at an overall lower total cost of ownership (TCO), allowing security personnel and critical infrastructure to increase the effectiveness, while reducing the cost associated with manned guard services.”

ABI Research believes that 3D Lidar solutions will have a transformational impact on the physical security market, redefining how to protect vulnerable critical infrastructure. “The unique characteristics of Lidar in terms of detection accuracy and reliability, range and field of view, continuous tracking, ease of deployment, and privacy preservation make it the technology of choice for next-generation physical security solutions to protect a wide range of mission-critical assets in the utility, data center, airport, and other critical infrastructure segments,” Bonte concludes.

Johnson Controls has appointed Chris Bontempo as vice president and chief marketing officer, responsible for marketing strategies across the enterprise to drive demand generation and enhance brand equity, including market development, research and planning.

Bontempo joins Johnson Controls from IBM where he spent nearly 20 years in roles of increasing responsibility, most recently as chief marketing & communications officer, Americas. In that capacity, he led all aspects of marketing for IBM across the United States, Canada and Latin America, with direct responsibility for marketing-sourced revenue, demand generation and marketing teams.

Bontempo will report to Chairman and CEO George Oliver and serve on the Johnson Controls executive team, working closely across corporate businesses and functions to grow market share in products, systems and services.

“As we continue our transformation and solidify Johnson Control’s position as a comprehensive solutions provider for commercial buildings, our unwavering focus on solving customer problems drives our strategy at every stage of the sales cycle,” said Oliver. “We remain relentlessly focused on leveraging our digital capabilities to capture those opportunities, and Chris’ unique expertise and understanding of data, AI and the digital ecosystem will assist us in those efforts. I have full confidence Chris’ experience will greatly enable our global product management and commercial teams as we connect new and existing customers with innovative technologies and continue growing demand for our solutions across smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings.”

Bontempo holds a Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School and a Bachelor of Arts degree in European Studies from Amherst College.

Addsecure is acquiring Connecting Solutions BV as part of its growth strategy within its new business unit, Smart Mobility. The deal is intended to strengthen the company’s position and market share in Belgium.

In September 2023, Addsecure acquired Clifford Group and established a new business unit, Smart Mobility, with the objective of expanding the business unit both through organic growth and acquisitions.

The Smart Mobility business unit offers telematics and business software solutions, specialising in mobile security and connected mobility solutions. It operates under the brands Clifford and Faringwell for Mobile Security, and Traxgo for Connected Mobility.

The acquisition complements Addsecure’s current connected mobility business and will be integrated into the Traxgo brand. Situated in Belgium, Connecting Solutions provide fleet management solutions with information on vehicle’s location (track and trace), monitoring and software applications.

“This deal not only strengthens our position and expands Traxgo’s market share in Belgium and the Netherlands, but also brings a robust customer base and opens up an additional sales channel through distributors,” said Huibjan Braafhart, President of Smart Mobility at Addsecure.

“We are delighted to support the continued development of Smart Mobility. This acquisition underscores our dedication and is a key component of our ongoing growth strategy,” said Stefan Albertsson, CEO of Addsecure.

Gerard Figols has been appointed to the position of I-Pro Chief Product Officer (CPO). With a career spanning over 17 years in the physical security industry, Figols brings a wealth of global experience and strategic vision to his new role. Jose Riolobos has been named as Figols’ successor to the role of President of I-Pro EMEA. For several years, Riolobos held senior positions within I-Pro and, previously, Panasonic in Europe and Japan.

As Chief Product Officer, Figols will be tasked with spearheading I-Pro’s global product strategy. “Gerard’s appointment as CPO underscores our mission to establish I-Pro as a truly global organisation. Building on his years of experience working across cultures, Gerard will be able to leverage insights from different business regions to develop best-in-class products suited to the needs of different industries and markets,” said Masato Nakao, CEO at I-Pro.

Commenting on his appointment, Figols said, “At I-Pro, we’re driven by innovation and the pursuit of excellence, leading the global market with our open AI platform and reputation for quality engineering. I am honoured to take on the role of Chief Product Officer at I-Pro and excited to lead the company’s global product strategy focusing on ethical AI, cyber security, and seamless integration with our VMS partners.”

Salvador Technologies, a pioneering cyber-attack recovery platform provider for critical infrastructures and industrial organisations, has secured investment from Deutsche Telekom, the largest telecommunications provider in the European Union.

Deutsche Telekom executed this investment in Salvador Technologies through its hubraum Fund, the company’s early stage investment arm. hubraum helps its portfolio companies connect with the fund’s global network of business and technology ecosystem partners and provides the opportunity to tap into Deutsche Telekom’s customer base.

Salvador Technologies will use the proceeds from this investment to accelerate the expansion of the company’s sales distribution network for its cyber-attack recovery platform. The company is currently focusing on engaging sales channel and technology ecosystem partners in the DACH region and Poland in Europe as well as in the United States.

Salvador Technologies has developed a patented security failover technology to prevent downtime damage and ensure ongoing operational continuity for Operational Technology (OT) and Industrial Control Systems (ICS). The company’s cyber-attack recovery platform consists of hardware connected to the HMI or SCADA, an agent software and a monitoring system, enabling full visibility of the operations. The platform bypasses standard recovery protocols and allows critical infrastructure operators and industrial enterprises to recover from cyber-attacks and any malfunction within only 30 seconds.

“Deutsche Telekom is committed to ensuring business continuity, especially in light of the spike in cyberattacks against critical infrastructure and operational technology systems over the past few years and we recognize the significant potential of Salvador Technology’s recovery solution for critical systems,” said Tamar Shlimak, Investor at Deutsche Telekom’s hubraum Fund. “OT/ICS security has become increasingly important to industrial enterprises, so we are excited to have the opportunity to work with Salvador Technologies’ team and contribute to the company’s positive impact.”

“We are tremendously pleased with our strategic efforts with Deutsche Telekom both as an investor and a potentially valuable business partner,” said Alex Yevtushenko, Co-Founder and CEO of Salvador Technologies. “The proposed collaboration could offer significant advantages through leveraging Deutsche Telekom’s global network to potentially expand our business presence in Europe and the United States.”