A Year in Focus: The Security Features Readers Couldn’t Ignore in 2025
Key Highlights
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In-depth feature reporting on the biggest security industry trends of 2025, including AI, cloud adoption, sustainability, healthcare security, and executive protection
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Analysis of how technology disruption, workforce challenges, legal shifts, and evolving business models are reshaping the security landscape
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The most-read feature articles from SecurityInfoWatch and sister publications Security Business and Security Executive, ranked by reader engagement.
Based on reader engagement across SecurityInfoWatch and sister brands Security Business and Security Executive magazines, the following list highlights the most-clicked feature articles published in 2025. Across these stories, readers gravitated toward in-depth reporting that explored how the security industry is evolving, from technology disruption and shifting business models to workforce pressures, legal developments, and emerging risk-management challenges. Each headline links to the complete article for readers seeking deeper perspective on the issues shaping the industry.
2025 Security Innovator Awards
This industry's only peer-nominated award program honored innovative security professionals across all segments, from integrators and consultants to manufacturers and practitioners. Nearly 100 security professionals were recognized for achievements ranging from developing breakthrough technologies and solving complex problems to mentoring colleagues and driving strategic business growth.
2025 Readers' Choice Product Awards
Nearly 2,300 security professionals voted to recognize the year's most impactful products across 20 categories, from access control and video surveillance to cybersecurity and emergency communications. Winners included innovations like Suprema's BioEntry W3 facial authentication, dormakaba's Quantum Pixel+ lock, and Genetec's Operations Center cloud-based work management platform.
The Changing Landscape of Security Distribution
Wholesale distributors are evolving from transactional suppliers to strategic partners, driven by e-commerce, complex integrated systems, and demanding customer expectations. Industry leaders from ADI, AlarMax, PowerHouse Alliance, and Wesco discussed how brick-and-mortar distribution centers now provide omnichannel experiences, technical training, and data-driven insights beyond just product availability.
What Is DeepSeek and What Is All the Fuss About?
The Chinese AI startup DeepSeek disrupted global tech markets by claiming to match leading AI chatbots using just $6 million in development costs versus competitors' billion-dollar investments. The breakthrough raised questions about U.S. export controls' effectiveness and sparked concerns about cybersecurity vulnerabilities, with researchers finding exposed databases, 100% jailbreak failure rates, and questionable data privacy practices.
Security and Sustainability Come Together for Securitas Technology
Securitas Technology launched a comprehensive Sustainability Initiative that includes emissions data in client proposals, calculates CO2 impact based on annual energy consumption of security devices, and leverages cloud-based systems and remote monitoring to reduce environmental impact. The program positions sustainability as both a corporate strategy and competitive advantage, recognizing that 70% of electronic security equipment's lifetime emissions come from power consumption.
How Experts Are Addressing the Healthcare Industry's Growing Risks
Healthcare facilities face escalating threats including workplace violence, cyberattacks targeting patient data, and insider threats, requiring integrated approaches that combine physical security with cybersecurity measures. Industry leaders emphasize the importance of staff training in de-escalation techniques, strategic budget allocation for AI surveillance and cloud-based systems, and leveraging public-private partnerships with organizations like FBI InfraGard and CISA for intelligence-sharing and security best practices.
The Relentless Innovator Who Rewired the Security Industry
Ed Chandler, founder of Security by Design in 1974, was one of the earliest independent security consultants who reshaped physical security through relentless innovation and refusal to accept "it can't be done." His legacy includes championing modern cryptography with DESFire and PIV, advocating against insecure 125 KHz credentials and Wiegand interfaces, mentoring generations of security professionals, and pushing manufacturers at trade shows to develop better solutions that became industry standards.
Security integrators face unprecedented pressure to evolve their business models as cloud and AI technologies disrupt traditional sales channels and end-users demand cybersecurity expertise alongside physical security installations. The industry confronts a perfect storm of challenges including severe staffing shortages (cited by 35% as their biggest challenge), competition from well-funded manufacturers going direct-to-consumer, and the need to transition from project-based revenue to recurring monthly revenue through managed services and cloud-based solutions.
Legal Brief: Update on the FTC's Non-Compete Ban
A federal court in Texas overturned the FTC's nationwide ban on non-compete agreements, ruling the agency lacked statutory authority and that the rule was arbitrary and capricious. While the FTC has appealed the decision, non-competes remain legal and enforceable under previous laws, though plaintiffs may continue challenging them on antitrust grounds through case-by-case legal battles.
Elevating Executive Protection With Data Analytics Amid Rising Threats
Following the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, companies are reassessing executive protection strategies by incorporating data analytics, online threat monitoring, and intelligence-driven models to identify rising risks. Security experts emphasize using structured scoring models based on online behavior patterns, travel exposure, and vetted threats, while implementing physical hardening measures like access controls, secure venue selection, and digital footprint management to protect C-suite leaders.
About the Author
Rodney Bosch
Editor-in-Chief/SecurityInfoWatch.com
Rodney Bosch is the Editor-in-Chief of SecurityInfoWatch.com. He has covered the security industry since 2006 for multiple major security publications. Reach him at [email protected].