SIA New Member Profile: Protogetic

New Security Industry Association (SIA) member Protogetic is a collaboration between the technology and security industries and a site to find protective design building products. The company is headquartered in Spokane, Washington, and has a global footprint and a client base across the United States and Europe.

SIA spoke with Matt Morgan, founder and president of Protogetic, about the company, the security industry and working with SIA.

Tell us the story of your company.

MM: The official launch of Protogetic was this year, in the time of COVID-19. Since Protogetic is a collaboration between the technology and security industries, we believe that that the timing is right to help manufacturers and professionals connect in an online marketplace as they cannot connect in person.

The origin of Protogetic came from conversations with security professionals, engineers and architects voicing real frustration with the lack of an effective way to find the protective design products they needed. 

In the past 20 years, the industry has expanded with new protective design requirements from governments and multinational corporations and new protective design products being developed by a myriad of manufacturers. Because of this, finding the optimal products has become an ever more challenging task. Searching the internet for the perfect combination of features (security, functionality and aesthetics) is often a huge time commitment that can quickly drain project budgets. The industry was ripe for something better than Google searches. 

I began collaborating with a host of security and design professionals. contractors and vendors/manufacturers to create a marketplace that far exceeds a mere Google search. The goal was to create a website where users in need of protective security products could go to easily search for products using the parameters that matter most to them (blast load, ASTM ratings, FE rating, etc.) but that also matter to specific projects (manual operation of vehicle barriers, foundation depths, site line width of window mullions, etc.). Eighteen months after these conversations and collaborations, Protogetic made its first foray into the protective design industry with the launch of three search filters – Vehicle Barriers, Windows and Doors, with additional product type filters already under development. Protogetic is on its way to becoming the go-to site to find protective design building products.

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

MM: Fundamentally, Protogetic’s search filters, which focus on protective design products, are what make us unique to the industry. These filters allow products to be selected based on multiple security criteria and accompanying functional and aesthetic requirements.

We are passionate about assisting the protective design industry become more accessible in digital platforms – helping design teams and manufacturers come together into an online marketplace making sourcing and procuring protective products an easier, faster and less painful process. 

What is something we might not know about your company – or something new you are doing in security?

MM:Importantly, we have identified an opportunity that we think can really assist the industry in communicating through online webinars, conference presentations and what are commonly known as “lunch and learn” seminars.

ProtoTalks, is an assisted webinar/presentation platform that is managed and executed by a Protogetic “digital choreographer” who works with the presenter and product to ensure smooth transitions from the presentation over to a video format and then back again to a chart and/or between multiple presenters – thus making the “webinar experience” a far more streamlined and professional event, not fraught with the common “glitches” and upload mishaps that often occur with people not familiar with a given technology. Have a look at our ProtoTalks product on the home page of our site.

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

MM:Our vision for the physical security industry is to create a marketplace specific to the industry, starting with protective design materials and moving across to all categories and sectors in the future.

In other words, our vision is to create the go-to site for sourcing and researching protective design materials for security professionals, architects, engineers, contractors and manufacturers alike.

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

MM:From our perspective, the biggest opportunity is moving the industry to an online capability to connect, converse and configure solutions for protective design projects with the same ease and resources as other industries.

Our opinion is that our industry, the physical security industry, does not have the same online resources or moved towards doing business online as quickly other sectors and spaces. Now, in this unique period, we see that transition to a digital marketplace and a digital approach critical to the progress and sustainability of the security industry.

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

MM:As predictions go, we believe that our industry will see an increase and demand that is far larger in the short term than many other business sectors – because of the state of the world and because of likely stimulus funding. Additionally, we believe that buildings will be reconfiguring entryways and office spaces to accommodate new COVID requirements. We also believe that because of the widespread (worldwide) civil unrest, these updates will incorporate hardening the buildings and perimeters in order to reduce potential damage and to be able to lock down when required. In line with much of the security industry, for the long term we see a growth pattern based on a continuing trend of building and construction requirements for security standards moving further into the mainstream and general construction industries.

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

MM:Protogetic is still in a startup phase – so the benefits and excitement levels of the opportunity itself are what gets us to work on time. That said, there is a satisfaction that comes from meeting and working with people that are in the “protection” industry – and that work to make our world a safer place. People and companies put a lot of passion into their products, which keeps us focused on making sure we can do right by that passion and show their products in the best light possible.

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

MM: SIA brings us into the community of the security industry – and we say it like we mean it. More than providing access to people, companies and products, our membership in SIA puts us into the community, allowing a broader and deeper relationship to be built and participated in.

How does your organization engage with SIA? What are your plans for involvement in the next year?

MM: Our idea is to sit down with the SIA team and see how we can together move our industry forward.  We believe that we can do this through building awareness for the products in the Protogetic marketplace, and the people who are searching for them, with direct promotional activities but also indirect and through becoming involved with committees that are relevant to our skills and that would allow us to make a contribution to both the committees and SIA.

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.