SIA New Member Profile: BARC Solutions

New Security Industry Association (SIA) member BARC Solutions is a specialist advisory and engineering consultancy shaping the performance, intelligence and resilience of complex environments. The company is headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with offices in Muscat, Oman; Cape Town, South Africa; and London, England.

SIA spoke with BARC Solutions’ co-founders, CEO Rebecca Kane and Chief Commercial Officer Oliver van den Broek, about the company, the security industry and working with SIA.

Tell us the story of your company.

In 2018, we founded BARC Solutions in Dubai with the objective of providing truly independent specialist consultancy across the built environment. From the outset, security has been one of our core disciplines, driven by the belief that effective security starts with strategy and risk understanding rather than technology alone.

We recognized that many projects treated security as a late-stage systems exercise. We wanted to change that by bringing together strategic security advisors, risk specialists and technical engineers to support projects from the earliest planning stages through to design, procurement and delivery.

Today, BARC has grown into a multidisciplinary specialist consultancy delivering security, information and communications technology, acoustics, audio-visual, broadcast, blast engineering and smart city consulting on major developments across the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

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

Our security consultancy spans the entire project life cycle, including:

• Security threat and risk assessments
• Security strategies and project security briefs
• Security systems design (CCTV, access control, intrusion detection, perimeter protection, physical security information management and integrated security technologies)
• Operational security planning
• Crime prevention through environmental design advice
• Airport and aviation security consulting
• Critical infrastructure and major development security
• Design reviews and technical assurance
• Construction-phase security support

What differentiates BARC is our ability to bridge strategic security consulting with technical engineering. We understand that successful security requires alignment between operational requirements, technology, architecture and the client’s wider business objectives.

Our multidisciplinary structure also allows security to be integrated seamlessly with ICT, smart technologies, acoustics and other building systems rather than designed in isolation.

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

One of our fastest-growing areas is the integration of security within smart cities and smart buildings.

Rather than viewing security as a standalone discipline, we’re increasingly helping clients integrate physical security, operational technology, digital infrastructure and data platforms into a single coordinated strategy. This enables better situational awareness, more efficient operations and greater resilience across large-scale developments.

We’re also seeing increasing demand for independent strategic security advice early in project planning, helping clients define requirements before design begins.

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

Our vision is to become one of the world’s leading independent specialist consultancies for security and technology within the built environment.

We want to help raise industry standards by encouraging earlier engagement of security professionals, promoting risk-led design and delivering solutions that genuinely improve safety, resilience and operational performance rather than simply adding technology.

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

The industry has a significant opportunity to move beyond traditional security systems towards integrated resilience.

Rapid urbanization, smart cities, critical infrastructure investment and increasing geopolitical uncertainty are driving demand for security strategies that combine physical protection, cyber considerations, operational resilience and intelligent data.

Clients are increasingly looking for advisors who can help them navigate this complexity rather than simply specify equipment.

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

In the short term, we expect continued investment in critical infrastructure, transportation, aviation and major urban developments, with greater emphasis on resilience and risk management.

Longer-term, artificial intelligence, automation and advanced analytics will fundamentally change how security systems operate; however, technology alone won’t solve security challenges. The greatest value will come from integrating people, processes and technology through well-defined security strategies.

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

One of the biggest challenges remains educating clients about the importance of engaging security consultants early in the project life cycle. Too often, security is still introduced once architectural and engineering decisions have already been made, limiting opportunities to optimize both security performance and project cost.

The pace of technological change also means consultants must continually invest in developing expertise across both traditional security disciplines and emerging digital technologies.

What do you most enjoy about working at your company—and in the security industry?

Security is an industry where our work has a tangible impact on how people live, work and travel.

At BARC, we’re fortunate to work on some of the world’s most exciting developments—from airports and stadiums to cultural destinations and smart cities. Every project presents a different challenge, requiring us to balance operational requirements, technology, architecture and user experience.

That’s what makes the work both technically rewarding and genuinely meaningful.

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?

SIA provides an excellent platform for industry collaboration, professional development and sharing best practice.

For BARC, membership offers access to global expertise, emerging industry trends and valuable networking opportunities. We also see SIA as an important forum for contributing to discussions around standards, innovation and the future direction of the security profession.

As we continue to expand internationally, we’re looking forward to building stronger relationships across the SIA community and contributing our experience from major projects across the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

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

As a new member, we’re looking forward to becoming actively involved with SIA through industry events, webinars, technical resources and working groups.

We also hope to share lessons learned from delivering security consultancy on complex developments, particularly around strategic security planning, aviation, smart cities and integrated technology. We see SIA as an excellent platform for knowledge sharing and collaboration with industry peers around the world.

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.