The result of the 2017 SDM 100 was upbeat: Collectively, the industry’s 100 largest security dealers grew their recurring monthly revenue (RMR) 18.4 percent, from $612 million to $725 million, last year.

Collectively, the SDM 100 security dealers grew their RMR 4.2 percent, from $618 million to $643 million last year. Among the top 100 there were 88 dealers who individually improved their RMR rate in 2017 over 2016.

The security industry looks to the SDM 100 — a group of the 100 largest security companies ranked by their recurring monthly revenue (RMR) — as a wellspring of industry trends and operational best practices. So, which manufacturers and distributors are behind the SDM 100, supporting them with the products, solutions and services that help make them successful?

SDM 100 security dealers mutually tallied $655 million in RMR on December 31, 2018, on 12.6 million subscribers.

This year’s SDM 100 report and rankings show excellent growth for the SDM 100 companies in 2019. The onset of the coronavirus pandemic was just starting to hit as the security industry’s top companies were filling out the 2020 SDM 100 applications; to many of this year’s companies, it is like being on a mountaintop without a clear view of the landscape. Read on to look at this year’s top security companies ranked by recurring monthly revenue, along with their thoughts and projections for what lies ahead.

If there is one word that could describe 2020, both in life and for the top 100 security dealers, it is unpredictable. Following several years of growth — and a very strong 2019 — SDM 100 companies found themselves on slippery ground beginning in March 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the uncertainty and challenges it presented, however, the top security dealers held their own, and some even thrived, finding new paths and opportunities.

The top manufacturers and distributors used by SDM 100 dealers.

Each of these companies not only improved their 2021 RMR by double digit percentage points over 2020, but also moved several spots up on the SDM 100 ranking as a result. 

SDM 100 companies reported a wide variety of experiences in 2022, very much depending on the path, location and unique set of challenges that made up their business conditions last year. As a group, however, they continue to rise to the challenges put before them and find their individual path to success.

The top manufacturers and distributors used by SDM 100 dealers.

The top SDM 100 companies reported that the market in 2023 — whether they deemed it average or excellent — was largely defined by a few key factors: inflation, an emphasis on video technology advancements and the continuing workforce shortage.

Arlington, VA – Ten miners were killed during the first three months of 2015, according to preliminary data from the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Arlington, VA – Eighteen miners died during the first half of 2015, down from 22 deaths during the first six months of 2014, according to the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Arlington, VA – The Mine Safety and Health Administration is ramping up enforcement after three miners died in separate incidents on the same day.

Arlington, VA – Last year, 28 miners died on the job – the lowest total on record, according to preliminary data from the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Arlington, VA – The Mine Safety and Health Administration is calling fiscal year 2016 “the safest year in mining history” after a record-low 24 deaths occurred – a decrease of nearly 37 percent over the previous fiscal year’s total of 38 fatalities.

Toronto – More than half of National Hockey League players missed at least one game during the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 seasons due to an injury, and concussions accounted for almost one-fifth of the lost-time costs, according to a new study from St. Michael’s Hospital.

Washington — Two new fact sheets from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are intended to help fitness center employers and workers reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Discover the keys to unlocking sustained success in the security industry through strong B2B partnerships and gain insights from industry experts and academic studies.

When The Protection Bureau saw the recession coming, it decided on what some would call a risky course of action. The company chose to use an offensive — not defensive — growth strategy, expanding its offerings and growing its customer service department. It proactively connected with its current clients through a new Client Care Department and a company-wide, downright fanatical focus on customer satisfaction and intentional interaction.

Talk to a Protection 1 employee and there is a palpable energy that radiates outward about their job, the company and the customer. Chicago-based Protection 1, has always contained a deep-rooted love for the customer. But while employees embraced the concept, the execution was missing, as Protection 1 experienced declining growth for seven consecutive years.

Redundancy via three central stations along with broader product offerings and services for dealers and a deeper opportunity for dealers nationwide to share best practices are just a few of the key benefits that Mace Security International, Cleveland, Ohio and Security Partners, Lancaster, Pa., believe will result from an acquisition by Security Partners of the Mace Central Station.

 ADS Security is a successful oxymoron. The company has a unique ability to combine the stability of a traditional, nationally recognized security company with the freshness of a young company with trending offerings. The results are solid growth, raving fans, and a bright future.  

SDM’s 2015 Dealer of the Year combines both old and new ideas to pave the way for the future.

They say necessity is the mother of invention.

SDM has extended the deadline to July 7 for companies to apply to become the 2017 SDM Dealer of the Year, an annual recognition of companies that demonstrate unmistakable success, a high level of innovation, the use of industry best practices, and notable growth and accomplishments in the security dealer industry.

The ADT brand is synonymous with security — instantly recognizable by virtually every competitor and potential customer in the United States. Its 143-year history, combined with its massive size (an estimated $4.3 billion in gross revenues in 2017 and ranked No. 1 on the SDM 100 Report every year since its inception in 1991) puts this security dealer in the ranks of some of the largest companies in the country.

Lexington, Ky., is known for a few things: horses, bluegrass, bourbon, a historic downtown area, and — when it comes to security systems — Bates Security/Sonitrol of Lexington.

From its humble beginnings in a Toyota Corolla, CPI Security — originally Crime Prevention Inc. — has operated with a singular focus.

With deep, long-standing roots in the community, this company’s service-based culture and strong commitment to both employees and customers have earned it the distinction of being named SDM’s 2021 Dealer of the Year.

Washington — The ongoing health problems of workers who responded during and after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are the focus of an online exhibit recently unveiled by NIOSH and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is now eyeing July 31 as the publication date for a proposed rule the agency says would add flexibility to hours-of-service regulations for commercial truck drivers, according to a Department of Transportation regulatory update released in June.

Washington — Commercial motor vehicle drivers transporting items intended to assist in COVID-19 pandemic relief efforts are temporarily exempt from federal hours-of-service regulations, under an expanded national emergency declaration issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on March 18.

Vienna, VA – The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety is encouraging employers to bolster their safety culture as part of Drive Safely Work Week (Oct. 6-10).

Hamilton, Ontario — A series of free guidance documents from the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety is intended to help workers and employers in essential or high-risk occupations and industries reduce their exposure to COVID-19 and curb the spread of infection.

Gaithersburg, MD — A new online tool from the National Institute of Standards and Technology is intended to help curb airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 – the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Boston — The top five costliest injuries in the construction industry in 2018 had a combined price tag of nearly $9 billion, according to the Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index – an annual ranking of serious, nonfatal workplace injuries based on direct workers’ compensation costs involving more than five days away from work.

Washington — The 10th annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction is slated for May 1-5.

Touched by an improved economy in most regions and some expenditure of Homeland Security funds, seven in 10 firms reported in the 10th annual SDM Top Systems Integrators Report

Click to expand and see full integrator rankings. Total annual revenue of nearly $8 billion, built upon more than 61,000 project starts, marked an extremely robust year for the 100

The big splash security systems integrators made in the market during the first three quarters of 2008 was tempered by a fourth quarter that looked more like a quiet ripple

In the security systems integration business, fewer than 20 firms operate globally or nationally. The majority of integrators are regional and local businesses, which depend on construction and spending

The hotter the fire the harder the steel, some say. Tough times often forge resilient businesses with unexpected outcomes — demonstrated by the Top Systems Integrators who turned last year’s challenges into opportunities to retool their offerings. “We are most proud of our ability to getter better every year despite market conditions,” says No. 6 ranked Johnson Controls Inc. 

Do you think your security dealership or systems integration company may qualify to be ranked on the SDM 100 Report or the SDM Top Systems Integrators Report?  Published annually by SDM Magazine, these reports provide an excellent opportunity to market your company to potential customers as one of the industry’s most well-recognized businesses, as well as to attract employees and impress potential investors.

Security systems integrators had expected to pull ahead in 2011, but instead they experienced a dismal first half of the year and a better-by-comparison but still “just average” second half. Following a 4.4 percent drop in 2010, systems integration revenue among the industry’s largest security companies fell yet again — by 3.6 percent in 2011 — leaving many wondering what it would take to get back up to speed. Integrators face sharp curves in the need to quickly adopt IP as the primary infrastructure for security systems, as well as to create business models that offer security as a service.

Revenue classified as North American systems integration revenue rose from $6.29 billion in 2012 to $7.36 billion in 2013 — even though seven fewer companies are included in the report. However, for comparison purposes, SDM measures the top 100 companies’ 2012 integration revenue ($6.25 billion) against the top 100’s 2013 integration revenue ($7.33 billion).

Security systems integrators lauded the state of the market in 2015, yet their revenue was down 1 percent overall and among those integrators with which a year-to-year comparison could be made, a significant number — 34 of 82 companies — reported decreased North American systems integration revenue.

As security systems integrators take to the world stage amidst trends such as the commercial Internet of Things, cybercrime and terrorism, they showed their prowess with 14 percent growth in 2016.