Finding the right talent is difficult for the security industry, especially in India, where IT attracts the best candidates.
Finding the right talent has always been difficult for the security industry, anywhere in the world. This sector is not as glamorous or lucrative as some of the others, and many candidates are not aware of the opportunities in security. This issue is even more critical in India because sectors like IT attract the best candidates.
But this needn’t be the case, according to Sudhindra Holla, Director for India and SAARC at Axis Communications. The company was recently chosen as a “Great Place to Work” in the category of under 100 employees. The security industry is a great place for ambitious candidates to work, but they must be willing to see the bigger picture.
“I would advise candidates who are interested in this field to be flexible,” Holla said. “Don’t feel - I’m in networking, I’ll only do networking, or I’m in the firewall industry, I only want to do firewall-related work. My recommendation for those aspiring to come into the physical security industry is to have the attitude to deal with everything. Every customer’s situation is unique, and every problem is unique. The solution should also unique - there are numerous possibilities for the solution.”
Unlike many other industries, a job in the security industry requires you to think out of the box often because the customer requirements are different each time. These requirements are dependent on several other factors – for instance, a warehouse on the outskirts of a city will have certain problems that those in the town won’t. Also, you will serve across verticals, each of which will have unique needs.
“When I look into what our cameras and audio systems are used for, what strikes me is the versatility of the solutions,” Holla said. “From the simplest of the problems to the most complex, we solve these in very different ways every day. It’s quite interesting because every design and solution is unique. Every industry segment is unique, and resolving the problem requires a varied approach.”
Also read: What to expect from India security market in 2022
The need for better pay
While the opportunities in this sector are numerous, the pay could be lower than a job in the IT industry. This is one area where Holla feels the sector as a whole should improve.
“The only drawback could be that there is a pay disparity when you switch from IT to the security industry,” Holla said. “I think it needs to be corrected as people are as competent or even more competent in the security sector when compared to other industries. In the future, I expect to see many people move from the software industry to the security industry.”
Finding high-quality talent is critical to the Indian security industry now, which is expecting unprecedented growth in the coming years. According to Mordor Intelligence, the Indian CCTV market will register a CAGR of 22.35 percent from 2021 to 2026.
India market outlook
As with the rest of the world, India is recovering from the impact of COVID-19. For the security industry, many of the projects that were either put on hold or canceled are being revived.
“I think I can start by saying that the long cold winter is over, and the demand is back, suggesting very positive signs of business improvement,” Holla said. “We are almost back to the pre-pandemic growth, and speculations of whether it will be like a V shape, U shape, etc., has turned out to be a V shape recovery.”
There are certain concerns, however, as the global chip shortage and supply chain constraints continue to slow down deliveries and projects.
“We are seeing that people, who are a little impatient, are not willing to wait for the long lead times, but at the same time, we have a lot of customers who are willing to wait, as they understand the situation,” Holla continued. “The positive is that demand in the corporate segment, which has always been the strength of Axis, is picking up.”
The industry also expects more investment in smart cities and safe cities as well as traffic monitoring. Critical infrastructure, including power, petroleum, oil, and gas, has also started picking up. Retail and hospitality, on the other hand, maybe slower.
The time is now
Given the growing market demand, finding suitable candidates is essential for the Indian security industry. But for this to happen, there must be more awareness of the opportunities in this sector and better pay. The sooner companies can make this happen, the better it would be for the industry.