The supply chain encompasses everything from sourcing the raw materials to the eventual product delivery. Many of the basic building-block chips go into the products the industry sells to consumers, businesses, governmental agencies, etc. Unfortunately, the chip shortage will likely get worse before it gets better, with some experts saying that it may not return to normal until 2023.

Dealers and integrators are integral in the delivery process, installing products and providing ongoing customer support services. As a result, if there is a supply chain bottleneck at any point, such as labor and semiconductor shortages, transportation delays, or price inflation, this disruption can cause growth challenges for dealers and integrators in 2022. However, I believe these challenges will be lessened in the second half of 2022, if these key risk factors are addressed:

1. Materials: The demand for products that use computer chips will continue to outstrip the supply side until semiconductor manufacturers resolve it and move to a more resilient supply chain process.
2. Labor shortages: This is requiring dealers, integrators, and monitoring centers to rethink compensation packages, professional development, and employee retention programs for new and existing workers.
3. Consumer Demand: Labor and semiconductor shortages are causing cost inflation, which needs to be passed on to end-users. As a result, end-users may elect to delay or postpone projects if costs continue to skyrocket, potentially muting growth.

As supply chain disruption begins to subside, I believe the growth outlook for the electronic security industry will become more normalized as we enter a post-pandemic economy. In this next phase, consumer and business behaviors towards technology are changing along with their expectations, including privacy and information security. This will impact those companies unprepared for the next phase.

Security professionals who are interested in taking a deeper dive into the industry’s trends should register and attend ESX 2022 in Fort Worth, TX, June 14-17. Over the course of 3.5 days attendees will experience industry-leading education programs, best practices, and more. It is where the industry gathers, and you don’t want to miss it.