Technology upgrades and life cycle replacements of security systems will promote the steady expansion of the Italian civil security market, particularly in the airport and critical infrastructure domains including mass transport, roads, subways, tunnels, and schools. Forthcoming international events, such as the World Expo in 2015 in Milan, are set to boost passenger throughput at airports, railwa...
Technology upgrades and life cycle replacements of security systems will promote the steady expansion of the Italian civil security market, particularly in the airport and critical infrastructure domains including mass transport, roads, subways, tunnels, and schools. Forthcoming international events, such as the World Expo in 2015 in Milan, are set to boost passenger throughput at airports, railways, seaports and along roads, motivating security spending in the country over the forecast period.
The overall market is expected to grow from $206 million in 2010 to $419 million in 2015, reaching a peak of $513 million in 2012, driven by investments in the seaports, oil and gas, and critical infrastructure domains. Market opportunities are largely centred around critical infrastructure projects with a cumulative investment of over $977 million over the forecast period for this domain, followed by a total of $609 million for airport security and $606 million for oil and gas.
"The need for security infrastructure upgrades and heightened threat perception will impel the Italian civil security market," notes Frost & Sullivan Programme Manager Balaji Srimoolanathan. "Refurbishment plans for Italian airports are expected to increase security spending, while national programmes for transportation and energy supply will augment the revenue streams for civil security providers."
The largest segments fuelling the demand for civil security are airports and critical infrastructure. Investments are being primarily motivated by national requirements for new infrastructure and security system upgrades as well as European regulations.
While Italy does not lack capability with regard to security systems and services, high costs and the unwillingness to adopt advanced security systems are likely to derail market growth.
"Growth in this market is stagnating, especially in certain domains such as border and maritime security, which have adequate electronic security systems in place," explains Srimoolanathan. "Aggressive marketing of advanced products will be required to instigate end users to upgrade their systems."
Moreover, costs will need to be kept low in order to compete with a significant number of small- to medium-sized participants in this market. Evidence of quality checks and aftermarket support to clients will be the key to succeed in the bidding process. "The market refuses to accept a one-system, one-brand concept," concludes Srimoolanathan. "To gain an edge, security solutions have to be integrated and interoperable with the existing infrastructure.