It seems to be a drum I’ve been banging for a few years now, but every home security-related business executive should have the CES show on their radars – and many of them do. For folks in commercial security, however, the show has been more of an interesting diversion or a glimpse into the distant future of potential enterprise security tech.
Things seem to be changing. While past years have seen CES exhibitors push the boundaries of smart home technologies (more on that in a minute), this year CES is attempting to expand the focus to encompass more players on the commercial side of the electronics industry.
Smart Cities Lure the Commercial Side
This year, CES is featuring a dedicated smart cities conference program and exhibition; in fact, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) has gone so far as to call smart cities “the next big thing” in the ramp-up for the Jan. 9 show. According to a CES promotion, attendees of this special track can “experience the entire connected ecosystem that brings together the technologies, solutions, players and audiences in the smart city sector, including: IoT, 5G connectivity, transportation and smart automotive, energy and utilities, health and public safety, artificial intelligence and data analytics.”
I caught quite a few buzzwords and technologies that apply to commercial security integrators who serve the municipal market. In fact, it seems the CTA is attempting to position the smart city as the next jumping-off point for innovation, predicting in its Evolution of Smart Cities and Connected Communities report that the global smart cities market will reach $34.35 billion by 2020 (more at www.cta.tech/Research).
“The overarching goal of smart cities is congruent with smart homes – just on a community-wide scale,” explains Steve Koenig, CTA’s Senior Director of Market Research. “While smart homes take care of their occupants, smart cities aim to transform residents relationships with their city by building communities that take care of citizens.”
Some of the scheduled sessions as part of the smart cities conference include “FirstNet's Applications Ecosystem” and a term I have never seen before but one that immediately resonates with all security providers: “The Internet of Life Saving Things (IoLST).”
“With 70 percent of the world’s population forecast to live in cities by 2050, the need for sustainable, livable world cities is essential for a prosperous future,” Koenig says.
I believe security technology is one of its foundations; and as such, commercial-focused security integrators should have CES firmly on their radars for years to come.
Smart Homes: The Mainstay
It is hard to believe we could be calling the smart home the “old standby” at CES, but the reality is that in the past 5-8 years, vendors and service providers in the residential smart home sector have circled early January on their calendars as the time to unveil their latest, coolest products.
In case you aren’t aware, CES is the platform upon which security mainstay companies release smart home security products that will absolutely end up as tech upgrade requests from your customers. Last year, ADT, Honeywell, Alarm.com, Nortek, Interlogix, Vivint and many others made major announcements in the smart home sector. Check out SD&I’s extensive coverage from 2017 at www.securityinfowatch.com/12298029.
This year, I have been told that ADT intends to make a major announcement at CES. Honeywell, which has just announced plans for a DIY security offering, figures to unveil the system to consumers on the CES show floor; and thanks to its acquisition of August Home, ASSA ABLOY appears to have secured a spot among the smart home vendors at CES as well.
Coverage is Coming
Whether it is to see the latest in smart homes or smart cities, those interested in attending CES, which runs from Jan. 9-12, should visit www.ces.tech. If you can’t fit the show into your busy schedule, count on SD&I and SecurityInfoWatch.com coverage of all the security-related news coming from the show floor in Las Vegas…the future is right ahead of us!
Paul Rothman is Editor in Chief of Security Dealer & Integrator (SD&I) magazine. Access the current issue, archives and subscribe at www.secdealer.com.
