As the security business expands and matures it is creating a more complex universe in which traditional security dealers — who have performed virtually in a silo since the dawn of the modern electronic security industry in the 1850s — now must operate. The disruptive forces swirling in their atmosphere are producing new technologies, new competitors, and even new types of customers at an accelerated rate. Despite the many changes the security channel is undergoing today, it continues to prevail precisely because of dealers’ keen awareness of the needs of their respective markets.

Evidence of their resilience is the 2018 SDM 100, a ranking by recurring monthly revenue (RMR) of the largest U.S. security installation and monitoring companies. Collectively, the SDM 100 security dealers grew their RMR 4.2 percent, from $618 million to $643 million last year (see chart on this page for further clarification). Among the top 100 there were 88 dealers who individually improved their RMR rate in 2017 over 2016.