SIA Member Profile: SecuritySpecifiers

Security Industry Association (SIA) member SecuritySpecifiers started in 2010 as an online database service to allow companies to connect with security consultants and design engineers. SecuritySpecifiers, based in Rhode Island, interfaces with consultants and manufacturers worldwide.

SIA spoke with Ray Coulombe, managing director of SecuritySpecifiers, about the company, the security industry and working with SIA.

SIA: Tell us the story of your company.

Ray Coulombe: I started SecuritySpecifiers in 2010 as a result of a master’s project in database management that I had recently completed, and the realization was that there was no good industry database or listing of security consultants. (It is estimated that consultants influence billions of dollars of product sales annually.) The name SecuritySpecifiers reflects the specific focus on those who write project specifications and specify products in that activity. SecuritySpecifiers has evolved over the years into an activity (both online and in person) which provides:

• A number of resources that are helpful to the consulting community, such as manufacturer/product finders, architectural and engineering specifications and cyber resources
• Greater understanding and awareness of the consultant role in the industry
• Exposure to hundreds of qualified consultants worldwide.

Today, the company maintains a database of over 1,500 consultants, in addition to 1,300+ manufacturers and hundreds of systems integrators.

What solutions/services does your business offer in the security industry? And what makes your offerings/company unique?

RC: The entire concept of SecuritySpecifiers is unique in the industry in several respects. It’s the only independent database of specifying security consultants, the lead organization for updates to the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) MasterFormat listing of security-related construction products, a conversation driver for cybersecurity within construction specifications, the author of CSI-formatted A&E specifications for dozens of security manufacturers and the developer of the Elliot A. Boxerbaum Award for excellence in security design and a security technical symposium specifically for security consultants. SecuritySpecifiers performs all of these things and more as a non-captive, independent entity.

What’s something we might not know about your company – or something new you’re doing in security?

RC: The CONSULT technical security symposium (scheduled for Oct 19-22 in New Mexico) has been called by many consultants the best event in the security industry. Instead of product exhibits, the event features meaningful discussion among consultants and other industry experts on topics of great importance to the design community. The event provides educational credits for ASIS, BICSI and SIA certifications.

What is your company’s vision, and what are your goals for the security industry?

RC: SecuritySpecifiers’ goals are to expand the understanding and awareness of specifiers and their role, impact consultants and related parties with industry-wide initiatives – particularly in the cyber area – and provide targeted educational and certification opportunities.

What do you think are the biggest opportunities in the security industry right now?

RC: The biggest opportunities are to provide solutions that increase cyber hardening, provide demonstrable enhanced business value beyond security and leverage the cloud, big data and artificial intelligence technologies for improved solutions and greater profitability.

What are your predictions for the security industry in the short and long term?

RC: In the short term, we will continue to see incremental technology improvements, more cloud services and better management and predictability of security risks and threats.

In the long term, we will witness the much tighter coupling of physical and information security, a greater recognition the most security devices are a class of Internet of Things devices and a better understanding of the relevance of security in an enterprise and government risk.

What do you enjoy most about being at your company – and in the security industry?

RC: Without question, it’s the ability to continuously interact with many fine, dedicated people who are united around the goal of protecting people and other assets.

SIA: What does SIA offer that is most important to you/your company? And what do you most hope to get out of your membership?

RC: SIA offers the opportunity to engage in projects and activities, like standards, which can have industry-wide effects. Additionally, the networking and educational opportunities are excellent.

Learn more about SecuritySpecifiers.

The views and opinions expressed in guest posts and/or profiles are those of the authors or sources and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Security Industry Association (SIA).