Security System Services Industry Profile

The security systems services industry in the US includes about 5,000 companies with combined annual revenue of about $15 billion. Major companies include ADT Security Services, Monitronics, and Protection One. The industry is concentrated: the 50 largest companies generate about 60 percent of industry revenue.

Global security system monitoring revenues total about $40 billion, according to Global Industry Analysts. Europe and the US are the largest security system markets. Major companies outside the US include G4S (headquartered in the UK); Securitas (Sweden); and Secom (Japan).

Companies in the security systems services industry sell, install, and monitor commercial and residential electronic security alarm systems.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand is driven partly by home sales, new home construction, and new commercial and office construction. The profitability of monitoring companies depends on the volume of customers, as most costs are fixed. Large companies have advantages of scale in operating monitoring centers and in national advertising and brand recognition. Small companies often compete by selling customer contracts to the large monitoring companies, or reselling the monitoring companies’ services, which they buy wholesale. The industry is labor-intensive: average annual revenue per employee is about $110,000.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Major services are the sales, installation, and monitoring of electronic security systems. The industry consists of commercial and residential segments, each of which uses different types of equipment and monitoring. Most companies operate in only one segment. The commercial segment accounts for about 60 percent ...