This article originally appeared in the January 2024 issue of Security Business magazine. Don’t forget to mention Security Business magazine on LinkedIn and @SecBusinessMag on Twitter if you share it.
The many expert authors in the pages of Security Business perpetually ask the executives who read our magazine to take a good look internally at their businesses and evaluate what is working and what is not; what is making money and what is not; what is a good use of resources and what is not – the list goes on and on. All that introspection tends to pay big dividends. Integration firms grow from regional players to national powerhouses. Companies are transformed into leaner, more capable machines. They are sold to private equity for many multiples on profit, making owners and executives rich in the process.
Seeing all this success from introspection, I felt it was high time to take an introspective look at this magazine itself. Sure, we can rest on our laurels as the only remaining monthly printed security publication in our space, but as many of the great security integrators and industry experts have written here over the past decade, stagnation tends to lead to extinction.
This issue marks a full decade since I took over as the Editor-in-Chief of this publication. In that time, I have overseen its evolution from a magazine dedicated to security dealers to one that is dedicated to the success of security business executives.
Over those years, thanks to the help of those experts I referenced earlier, we have crafted editorial that has won a cadre of national awards. Based on your comments and notes, the content is solid – so where have we stagnated? Thanks to one of those award competitions, I was able to finally see it.
Much like a security business owner blinded to “what has always worked around here,” I did not realize that even the most solid of content can still be delivered in a bland and dated way. While Security Business may have been a finalist for “Magazine of the Year” in a nationally recognized competition, it garnered comments from judges that changed the way I felt about the magazine:
Layout seems a bit bland. Pages are clean and the editorial flows well through the issues, but this relies on outdated design styles.
The range of coverage and the level and quality of relevant SMEs and topical coverage is great, but I'm not impressed with the design.
There is so much information here. The writing is good, but I feel like they are trying to get too much information in and not spending as much time on how things look. You have to be good at both of them to be Magazine of the Year.
Thus, our team set out to revamp our magazine from a stylistic perspective. If you haven’t noticed, this issue features a new look and feel that I hope will resonate with busy readers like you. The goal is to be easier and more pleasurable to read and consume – and look like it belongs in the 21st century.
Let us know what you think! In the meantime, I will flip the mirror back to you. A new year means taking a new look at many things. What is the one aspect of your business that might be lagging behind the times? There’s never been a bad time for introspection, but January always seems like the best time!
Paul Rothman is Editor-in-Chief of Security Business magazine. Email him your comments and questions at [email protected]. Access the current issue, full archives and apply for a free subscription at www.securitybusinessmag.com.
