Security Professionals Can Shape the Future of the Industry—If We’re Willing to Do Two Things

By Jim Richards

Today, the ballistic industry has plenty of diversity and niches. There are people who are just doing security films. There are others who are doing doors. There are businesses that have evolved into the residential space, or specialize in access control.

All that diversity is a sign of a healthy industry. It’s like a healthy forest, able to support all sorts of animals and insects and plants. Now, when customers need a specific product, or when you want to innovate and start providing a specific product, it’s possible. There is something just right out there for everyone. 

The problem arising in our industry is not enough people taking the time to learn to be the guides that their customers and clients need. In a dense forest, it’s easy to get lost—especially when providers don’t know their way through the jungle themselves. But it doesn’t have to be this way. I believe providers have the opportunity to guide their customers to comprehensive solutions that keep them safe. In this blog, I want to break down some of the factors that go into being the guide our customers need.

Put Your Customers’ Security Needs First

A product is rarely a security solution all by itself. When we talk about solutions, we’re talking about many different products working together to create a robust perimeter and strong building envelope, manage access control, and respond after an event has occurred. 

In most cases—especially with bullet-resistant barriers—each product is just part of that greater solution. If you sell security window film, you should know how to use it in concert with bulletproof glass. If you are selling bulletproof doors, you should know how they integrate with electronic locks and buzzers. If you can’t speak to integrating your product with other products, you aren’t going to be able to offer many solutions. 

It’s also not your customer or client’s job to understand the nuances of what they need—it’s ours, the provider’s job. It’s our duty to look twice and catch all the vulnerabilities they are overlooking. Yes, that includes being able to speak to products you don’t provide and how they should interact with your products. When your focus is safety, you’re willing to do what it takes to meet your customers’ needs. 

To Provide Real Support, You Must Understand the Problem

The more diverse your environment is, the more you need to know. A thriving tropical jungle is hundreds of times more diverse than a vacant lot. In the thriving jungle, you’re much more likely to be surprised by something you’ve never seen or heard of before.

In the last few years, I’ve seen countless systems containing security breaches, missing elements, or walls that aren’t structurally sufficient to hold the weight of ballistic materials. These systems are designed by otherwise good architects or firms. The errors are usually the result of one or two causes: The architects and designers simply aren’t familiar with the product, or they don’t consider that people want a higher degree of ballistic security now. Higher levels of security means thicker, heavier glazing, specialized framing, heavier doors, and thicker walls. Designs must reflect that reality. 

So how do people respond when we tell them their designs aren’t possible to build? All too often, people dig in their heels, rather than adjusting their assumptions. They’re adamant that this is the way they want it. After all, 10 or 15 years ago they did it this way; why wouldn’t it work the same way now? They don’t recognize that when they designed those systems in the early 2000s, it was with detention glazing, not Level 3 ballistic glazing. No one was worried about ballistic doors or maintaining a good perimeter with access control.

In this field, most of your customers are going to need education and guidance. Even if your offering is very narrowly product focused, you still need to spend the time to learn about the larger universe of security solutions, so you can guide your customer toward getting everything they need—not just the three products you specialize in.

Jim Richards is co-founder and CEO of Total Security Solutions, an industry leader in the design, fabrication, and installation of custom bulletproof barriers. Jim has nearly 30 years of experience in the bullet-resistant glass and physical security industries.