Integrator Connection our whole world – it is kind of like moving a big ship,” Chumbley says. “We try to lay out a roadmap to help customers look at their overall solutions, and once we have that good roadmap, we can build that back into the MSP program and really reduce the burden that the company is feeling as far as upgrading technology and management of the overall system. It becomes easier once they start to understand how that program works. “Once we go through that conversation, we help them lay out their technology,” Chumbley adds. “CEC is a very transparent company – probably to a fault – so we help them make good decisions by just being open with the overall cost structure, the financial impact over the next five years, and where the benefits actually are.” Chumbley says that CEC’s initial focus is on cus-tomers in the healthcare, education and manufacturing verticals, as well as corporate enterprises with multiple locations. “We have had interest from small companies all the way up to Fortune 500-type companies,” he says. “We are not necessarily focusing sales on the cost savings as much as we are focused on the operational expense vs. the capital,” Chumbley adds. “Just like orga-nizations are moving to Office 365 and other subscrip-tion-based models in the cloud, it is about people sav-ings. IT is tasked to do more and more with less people on staff, so this is an opportunity for them to offload some of the (security) day-to-day maintenance. Secu-rity is still extremely important, but now they can do it on an operational expense-type scenario that frees up cash for them long-term.” Making the Shift to Converged MSSP Adding IT and cybersecurity services may be the key differentiator that enables integrators to continue to earn new business By Rob Simopoulos I Embracing Change CEC has pivoted more than once in its long history. It grew beyond its initial radio repair service into sound and intercom systems, then again into IT structured cabling and security as technology advanced dictated a change. While its leadership may have changed, the need to pivot with the times has not. By adopting the MSP mindset, Lehrman and her team hope to capitalize on the shifting business models of both their customers and the security integration industry – positioning CEC as a successful business well into the future. “With the complexity of the security world today, it is increasingly difficult to house all of the needed tech-nical expertise internally,” Lehrman says. “I think of it as this shifting of knowledge and risk. (Customers) say they want to surround themselves with the best integra-tors, hardware vendors, network management, insur-ance, etc. Now, we can help our customers really think about all those layers and address them.” ■ am a big believer in business pivots. A great entrepreneur can see an opportunity and quickly pivot a business in a new direction. Sometimes these moves are dramatic, and sometimes they are small, but to miss the moment can often mean missing a game-changing opportunity. Right now, for many security integrators, cybersecurity may just be that pivot. While cyber may seem outside a security integrator’s capability, I have personally seen a marked increase in the number of security integrators who now provide electronic security paired with traditional IT managed services and comprehensive cybersecurity. Some have built these orga-nizations through M&A, and others via organic design – whichever way the company is built, being able to offer an entire suite of “security” is putting them in a unique and advantageous position in the market. Since everything these days rides on the corporate net-work, a large majority of the security purchasing decisions among end-users has moved to the IT leader. Companies that provide a mix of electronic security, IT services and cybersecurity have a seat at the table with these IT deci-sion-makers and are well positioned to offer a suite of solu-tions from one provider. It also marks a key differentiator for the security integrator who delivers cybersecurity; in fact, the ability to explain, understand and offer cybersecu-rity may instill more of a trust factor amongst these deci-sion-makers – especially as they navigate the risks that IoT devices pose to their networks. Some of these “hybrid” integrators have now moved beyond traditional installation and service, having devel-oped well-rounded managed service packages that include 40 Security Business / www.SecurityInfoWatch.com / May 2020