The SSI Roundtable at PSA TEC 2026 offered a clear view of what security leaders are facing now: rising customer expectations, ongoing supply chain pressure, fast-moving technology changes and a continued need to attract and keep skilled workers.
The discussion among six top security integrators tied those issues together rather than treating them as separate challenges.
Across the roundtable, speakers returned to a common theme: Security providers are being asked to do more than install systems. Customers want stronger communication, faster problem-solving and solutions that support long-term business goals.
At the same time, integrators are balancing material shortages, project delays and new tools entering the security industry.
The conversation depicts an industry adapting in real time. While artificial intelligence has drawn strong interest, panelists also underscore the basics: trust, service, planning and people.
Customer Expectations Reshaping Service Experience
One of the strongest points from the roundtable is that customer service is becoming a bigger factor in how security firms compete.
“The trend that I see is customer service [and that] is extremely important.” says Jeff Blum, customer success account manager at CondorTech.
This shift is changing how companies define value. Blum also notes that “people [don’t want] a transactional relationship. They’re looking for [something] more long-term.”
Tia Eskanadari, senior director of national service for Allied Universal, echoes the sentiment, adding that customers are looking for better and faster solutions for the bigger issues.
“They are looking for solutions that don’t necessarily mean to add boots to the ground but can protect their assets and their people,” she explains.
Communication Takes Center Stage
Chris Casali, regional sales manager, Northeast, for Roland DGA, describes how that demand is showing up in daily operations.
He observes, “The trend that I’m seeing is our old friend: communication.”
From Casali’s perspective, customers now are looking for faster and more detailed communication revolving around the solutions.
“Customers need more of [communication]…and it’s just ramping up seemingly every week,” he emphasizes.
Delilah Palacios, director of service at Preferred Technologies, makes a similar point from the service side. She says,
“We’ve seen a huge craving and desire on the customer side to have that [level of] engagement.”
Palacios adds that customers are definitely straying far away from transactional relationships.
“[This] gives us an opportunity to build more solid relationships, see each other as people,” she states. “So, when [intense] situations happen, [we are] able to work [together] through them in a more honest and vulnerable way.”
Together, those comments point to a broader change in the customer service experience: Clients now increasingly want a partner that stays involved, communicates clearly and helps them adjust to changing risks and technologies.
Supply Chain Disruptions and Material Shortages
Supply chain disruptions and material shortages also emerged as a central topic at the roundtable as they continue to affect project schedules, procurement plans and customer communication.
For Kevin Burton, operations manager for Long Building Technologies, the rise of AI and the subsequent memory shortage have led to unprecedented costs.
“We used to be able to buy an SD drive for $50 and now it costs you $130,” he says.
According to Burton, the impact of the disruptions has been felt across the entire industry, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This all stems from COVID, [when] we outsourced everything out of the States,” he declares.
Burton acknowledges that manufacturers and suppliers are now working on building in-house operations to mitigate the disruptions but it will take a while.
Palacios agrees, explaining that the disruptions have also affected project timelines immensely. From her perspective, the challenges are not only about getting products on time but also about how project managers plan work, how technicians are scheduled and how account teams manage customer expectations.
Palacios explains, “When we understood how it was impacting us, we arranged immediate critical meetings with our customers to understand what the future tells for them in the next two years.”
Emphasis on Critical Conversations
Palacios then underscores establishing partnerships with manufacturers as another key strategy for addressing supply chain issues.
“It’s tough to say the least but having those relationships already established prior to situations like that and making those connections is critical,” she states.
Blum also stresses honesty as the foundation of managing supply chain disruptions effectively.
“It’s important to be honest about lead times for products,” he says, noting that pricing can shift significantly as delays unfold and market conditions change.
This creates a difficult balancing act for managers, particularly when returning to government or commercial customers after a proposal window has already expired.
However, from Blum’s perspective, having strong relationships and open communication make it easier to manage such situations.
“Having a mutual understanding can be difficult, but once you have that relationship and you have that ability to talk to your customer, it is key,” he says.
For Eskandari, dealing with the disruptions and shortages means focusing on the crucial elements of the projects.
She explains, “It is important to open the doors to conversations with the customers around critical assets, because everything isn’t critical.”
According to Eskandari, the process is as much about education as it is about logistics.
“We know we’re not going to be able to give [the clients] everything all at once,” she says. “[However,] it allows customers to think in a different way [about their assets].”
All speakers thus agree that when dealing with supply chain issues and other logistical issues, a practical shift in strategy is required rather than a temporary workaround.
AI Continues to Gain Traction
Artificial intelligence appeared as another major topic at the roundtable. Here, the panelists focus on practical uses of AI rather than broad predictions, especially where it can effectively support technicians, service teams and business operations.
For Eskandari, the goal is to introduce AI tools that make clients’ lives easier since people still want a personal touch, rather than have the AI systems take over all operations and positions.
“We are working on upgrading our systems and CRMs, so that the tools that our technicians use to update their notes or communicate to dispatch [are] easier,” she says, “We [can also] use AI to translate very technical notes without losing the context.”
Eskandari thus frames AI as a means that can reduce friction for field teams and improve workflows.
Palacios describes a similar benefit for office and service staff where AI is less about replacing people and more about freeing them to focus on customer-facing work.
She remarks, “We enable our coordinators and our admin staff to be able to have AI facilitate the data entry piece so that it gives them more time to be able to increase that customer connection and build strong relationships.”
Meanwhile, Burton points to field support uses, adding that AI can be used to help technicians in the field find information in manuals quickly. He also notes that AI can be used to review union documents and customer contracts.
Blum agrees, highlighting that this kind of AI support can “speed up internal work and help teams respond faster.”
Citing his own experiences with using AI for drafting and tweaking proposals, Blum states that AI allows users to address pain points and elevate their own strengths.
However, Burton underscores the importance of having guardrails when using AI tools for drafting and reviewing documents to ensure authenticity.
“The critical thing about AI is telling it where you want it to look,” he says. “Don’t let it just look everywhere because then your truth is not always truth.”
For Garrett Burton, systems engineer at Long Building Technologies, AI is a highly versatile tool for onsite projects.
“It’s been a pretty awesome troubleshooting guide,” he enthuses. “When I go onto sites and see equipment there that has been installed before I was ever a technician…instead of picking up the phone and calling one of the sales guys or operations manager, I can do a quick AI search!”
At the same time, Casali raises a note of caution about how customers are deploying AI-enabled systems. He adds that many major customers often deploy entire AI-based systems without a plan.
“So now we’re going to sales, and we have to sell training and figure out how many resources that’s going to take from their servers,” remarks Casali. “And [this] turns into a whole discussion that wasn’t had before we sold [the product].”
Across the roundtable, the consensus is clear: AI holds genuine promise for the security industry, but its impact ultimately depends on how companies handle the deployment, support their teams through the transition and ensure boundaries to keep the technology working in service of people rather than in place of them.
Workforce Retention in the Security Industry
Attracting and keeping skilled workers remains one of the security industry’s most persistent challenges, and the roundtable argues that visibility, culture and career-path clarity all play a role in addressing this challenge.
For instance, Kevin Burton points out that the security industry isn’t “a well-known world.” He further notes that job prospects in the security industry are often not part of the day-to-day conversations or process.
Garrett Burton also acknowledges the resulting pressure from lack of experienced workers and no proper succession planning.
“I’ve been a technician for 12 years,” he reveals. “I want to get out of the field a little bit and I want to start moving up into management but I’ve got no young blood to replace me.”
Kevin Burton thus believes that the best way to attract talent is to begin at the grassroot level and connect with students directly about the potential of the security industry.
He adds, “We need to get on the trade school curriculums [and let] them know how much the networking and the computer skills are needed in our industry now [as] compared to 10 years ago.”
Eskandari builds on that idea, pointing to other skilled trades as a model worth following.
“They have an apprentice structure where they graduate from the trade school, start an apprenticeship and have a job, and we need a career path [like that],” she says.
For Eskandari, visiting the schools and having a foot in the door allows the students to consider security as a valid career path that offers a wide range of roles.
Blum also believes that company culture is equally important in attracting young talent.
“I think it’s hard to get people into the business sometimes because of the [compensation],” he explains. “However, culture is also huge.”
Palacios agrees, noting that for those already in the workforce, retention comes down to career development and belonging at the company.
“Retention aside, I think that having a clearly defined pathway for those individuals that are already a part of your team and bridging some of the gaps for them on the knowledge side [is important],” she explains.
Palacios then highlights a hands-on approach her company uses to close skill gaps without exposing the technicians to high-pressure field situations before they are ready.
Here, the team built a dedicated training setup in their main office: a row of doors where technicians can practice cutting in door strikes and installing hardware, all without risking damage on a live site.
According to Palacios, the goal is to build confidence and peer support for the workers in a safe, low-stakes environment.
“It’s a huge investment in them that they see that you’re willing to make,” she remarks. “So, it makes a huge difference.”
Together, these perspectives point to a workforce challenge that starts with awareness and runs through every stage of the employment lifecycle.
Indeed, the security industry needs to be more visible to young people, more deliberate about career pathways and more committed to providing the right kind of training and culture to retain the workforce.
Concluding Thoughts
Overall, the SSI Roundtable at PSA TEC 2026 paints a picture of a security industry in steady transition, where AI is unlocking new efficiencies, supply-chain disruptions and material shortages continue to shape project decisions, and workforce hiring and retention demand fresh thinking. Yet, across every theme, one thread holds the conversation together: the strength of partnerships and the quality of communication.
Whether integrators are negotiating lead times with manufacturers, helping customers prioritize critical assets, introducing AI tools to support technicians and service teams or building career pathways to keep skilled workers engaged, success comes back to trust, collaboration and honest dialogue.
The tools and trends will keep changing, but all panelists make clear that communication, mutual understanding and lasting relationships remain the constants that define strong partnerships and long-term success in an industry where every second counts.
