SIA New Member Profile: SecureBI

Brandon Reich headshot

New Security Industry Association (SIA) member SecureBI specializes in business and strategic advisory for companies in the physical security and Internet of Things industry. The company is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, and serves clients across the United States and internationally.

SIA spoke with Brandon Reich, founder and CEO of SecureBI, about the company, the security industry and working with SIA.

Tell us the story of your company.

Brandon Reich: I have worked in leadership capacities for various security companies since 2000. During that time, I noticed that many companies – manufacturers, integrators and even consultants – only have one of the two key attributes needed to be successful in this industry: they either have great technical competence or have great go-to-market capabilities with a deep understanding of security solutions buyers. But few have them both, and as more and more new entrants come into the industry, I noticed a need to help companies succeed in the unique world of physical security technology and services.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic I started looking for this kind of provider. I found great resources that help businesses with sales and the promotional aspect of marketing in security, but I didn’t find anyone helping with the part that comes before that – strategy. How companies turn an idea into a differentiated offering that enables their business to scale quickly and profitably. I saw an opportunity to help security businesses with that and thought, what better time to start a company than a global pandemic? My wife thought I was crazy, but SecureBI was born in June 2020.

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

BR: Many security companies struggle with growth or profitability and find themselves constantly competing with decreasing prices – the proverbial “race to the bottom.” There can be many causes of this, but it almost always ties back to a common root cause – poor strategy.

SecureBI provides a blueprint for companies and individuals to develop and take to market highly differentiated security products, services and solutions through education and advisory services. This is not sales training, and we’re not a marketing or advertising agency. We enable leaders, individuals and cross-functional teams to create and deliver solutions that provide real customer value.

Until now, training and services of this nature were cost-prohibitive, industry-generic and only available to the largest multinational corporations. We aimed to solve this by developing a system that can be adopted by any individual or company that wants to grow, increase margins and improve competitiveness. It has been tested and refined over many years and has produced huge results for multiple companies. And we made it highly cost-effective and attainable for any company, not just the megaconglomerates.

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

BR: Our first client was the American Crime Prevention Institute. They have provided crime prevention training and certification programs for law enforcement agencies for almost 25 years, but their trainings had always been delivered in person, and the emergence of the pandemic and various social justice movements threatened the future of their business. We worked with them to change their business model. We took them entirely online and expanded their reach to new target customers with new content. As a result, they experienced the best year in their history during 2020-2021, and we at SecureBI have had the pleasure of learning about and working closely with the crime prevention and law enforcement community.

I would like the security industry to invest more heavily in these kinds of capabilities – proactive “soft” skills that help customers truly reduce crime and can significantly enhance their credibility as security experts, minimizing the perception that we are strictly vendors selling widgets.

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

BR: Our vision is to become the premier provider of strategy skills, education and advisory services in the security industry. We don’t intend to do this completely alone – we will partner with other organizations that can add to that mission – including SIA – with the ultimate goal of enabling companies to create solutions that make a meaningful impact on end users’ risks and vulnerabilities.

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

BR: Obviously, our industry is being overwhelmed with buzzwords like artificial intelligence, cloud and mobile. These are all important, but they are really just features and vehicles to deliver value. Some will go away, and new ones will emerge over time. The companies that will succeed the most are the ones that gain a deep understanding of their customers’ true challenges – they will help them reduce risk (the likelihood and implications of some incident occurring within their business) and improve the overall customer experience. And they will quantify and demonstrate that value to their customers – companies in our industry do not do this enough.

This doesn’t start in a lab or a boardroom or at an off-site company strategy retreat. It shouldn’t be dictated exclusively by executives or opportunistically by salespeople. Every person involved in the development and delivery of customer solutions must have a deep understanding of their problems – leaders, product managers, engineers, sales and marketing.

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

BR: The value that security solutions providers can deliver to customers will continue to shift from hardware to software. End user risk and need for mitigation will never go away, but the threats against those risks evolve constantly. End users must be able to adapt and respond quickly, and security programs that rely on static hardware do not allow that. Moving to software not only improves end user value but also allows solutions providers take advantage of technology changes much more quickly. It also enables new and improved business models, which have positive impacts on company profitability and valuation.

What are the biggest challenges facing your company and/or others in the security industry?

BR: The global pandemic impacted every single company in the world, and security companies were not spared. Although we have largely adapted to our new working environment, one lingering effect has snowballed to create major problems for companies – supply chain disruption. Securing finished products and components and distributing those products to partners and customers have proven significantly challenging.

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

BR: The security industry is a relatively small and close-knit community, but I’ve found it to always be inclusive and open to newcomers. I started in the industry just out of college with no direct law enforcement or military experience and quickly found myself working with the likes of police chiefs, CIA agents and Navy SEALs. They took me under their wing and taught me what really matters in the security world, and many have remained close friends and colleagues. I very much enjoy passing that knowledge on to others who can use it to improve their businesses. Every day brings something new, and it really keeps me on my toes.

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?

BR: SIA is the leading provider of continuing education services to security industry companies. We share similar missions and values and can be complementary to each other. I plan to leverage SIA platforms such as networking events, speaking opportunities and webinars to further expand awareness of SecureBI, and I hope to supplement SIA educational offerings with new and valuable content.

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.