There's no disputing that the security integration industry is thriving. Even booming. But as more investment and PE funding flows into the services side of our industry, sometimes I wonder what we've lost. Not in a nostalgic, “things were better back then” way; not in a “get off my lawn” sort of way – in a measurable way. In a “where did everybody go” way.

I’ve been covering this industry for nearly 25 years. For the last 15, I’ve watched something happen slowly enough that it was easy to miss, until one day, you look up, and the landscape is markedly different. The independent integrator executive who had opinions, who showed up to fight for them, who called you back the same day because they were running their own shop and their name was on the door…that person is increasingly rare.

The forces that made them rare aren’t mysterious. Consolidation did this. Private equity did this, alongside the relentless pressure that comes with consolidation and PE demands to keep your head down, hit your numbers, and not say anything that might embarrass the parent company.

I understand it, and frankly, I don’t blame any individual for it. There’s a reason why the money is flowing, and everyone has a fundamental right to take their bite of the apple. But I can see the results from where I sit, and I’m not sure how good “keeping your head down” is for the health of our industry.

When I put out a call for integrator executives to share what their companies are doing charitably in their communities, outside of the usual, annual voices, I get crickets. When I build industry research designed specifically to illuminate the business landscape for integrators – free, no strings – in September, I will struggle to find 100 people willing to spend 10 minutes on it.

These aren’t indictments of individuals. They’re symptoms of a segment of the industry that has systematically devalued its own voice.

Here’s the part that bugs me: I’m not sure what fills that vacuum. Trade media can only do so much if the people it serves have been conditioned to stay quiet. Manufacturers tell their stories. Distributors tell theirs. Consultants tend to be next-loudest. But, outside of a handful of the most engaged executives, integrators are largely absent from the conversation.

I don’t have a clean answer, but I can keep trying.

Security Gives Back is a feature I launched years ago on a simple premise: charity and community work feeds on itself and encourages others to do the same. Every December, I dedicate space to celebrating the integrators who give back to their communities. It takes five minutes – email me a paragraph about what your company did in its community, attach a picture, and done. The industry gets to hear about it, and maybe someone else is inspired.

I admire and very much love the 20 or so integrators who participate every year, but there are hundreds – maybe more – executives who continue to keep their heads down, disengaged.

The irony is that if you are reading this, you are probably already someone who engages. So do me a solid: mention these two opportunities to your peers and colleagues. Let’s give more integrators their voice again.