The Electronic Security Association (ESA), the foremost trade organization in the electronic life safety and security field in the United States, has introduced the ESA Industry Research Center. This innovative platform aims to provide comprehensive insights into the industry's performance, growth trends, and future directions, offering integrators and dealers a well-rounded base for informed business strategies.
Amid rapid changes in the security industry, a clear understanding of market developments is crucial. The ESA Industry Research Center is partnering with the esteemed macroeconomic forecasting firm Beacon Economics to deliver critical economic and industry insights. The Center, under the guidance of ESA Chief Economist Christopher Thornberg, PhD, who is a founding partner of Beacon Economics and a noted economic forecaster, aims to support integrators and dealers in making more informed business choices.
Industry Performance Index
At the heart of the Research Center's offerings is the ESA Industry Performance Index (IPI)
At the heart of the Research Center's offerings is the ESA Industry Performance Index (IPI). This 0-100 composite score evaluates the health, capacity, and future prospects of the electronic security and life safety sector. Unlike broad economic measures, the IPI specifically focuses on industry-specific forces impacting performance.
The IPI evaluates industry health through four dimensions: Business Activity and Market Growth, Workforce Capacity and Pressure, Revenue and Business Model Health, and Technology and AI Adoption. These dimensions encompass revenue trends, hiring and wage pressures, profit margins, and the industry's technological progression, providing a detailed view of current and future industry conditions.
Comprehensive Research Efforts
According to Kevin Stone, ESA Chairman and COO of Doyle Security Systems, "The ESA Industry Research Center represents a pivotal moment for our industry... This is exactly the type of forward-looking investment ESA exists to make on behalf of its members and the industry."
The collaboration with Beacon Economics ensures the application of rigorous quantitative methods, with Dr. Thornberg steering ongoing economic insights and strategic direction for the Center's initiatives.
Enhanced Industry Intelligence
Christopher Thornberg, PhD, ESA Chief Economist and Founding Partner of Beacon Economics, emphasized the Center's role: "ESA has always been committed to equipping the industry with the knowledge and resources it needs to grow... adding a new layer of economic intelligence that gives integrators and dealers a sharper, more data-driven view of where the industry stands and where it is headed."
Through this partnership, ESA and Beacon Economics are establishing a new standard for reliable industry intelligence. This initiative empowers professionals across the electronic security and life safety ecosystem with a clearer understanding of the trends, pressures, and opportunities shaping the industry’s future.
The Electronic Security Association (ESA), the nation's largest trade organization representing the electronic life safety and security industry, today announced the launch of the ESA Industry Research Center, giving the security industry a new lens into performance, growth, and what's ahead.
The security industry is evolving quickly, and understanding where the market is headed matters more than ever. The ESA Industry Research Center is designed to give integrators and dealers a deeper, more informed foundation for the decisions that drive their businesses forward.
Smarter business decisions
Backed by the nationally recognized macroeconomic forecasting firm Beacon Economics and led by ESA Chief Economist Christopher Thornberg, PhD, a founding partner of Beacon Economics and one of the nation's foremost economic forecasters, the Center will deliver meaningful economic and industry insight to help integrators and dealers make smarter business decisions.
At the core of the Research Center is the ESA Industry Performance Index (IPI): a composite 0-100 score reflecting the health, capacity, and forward trajectory of the electronic security and life safety sector. Rather than broad economic proxies, the IPI is built entirely around the specific forces that drive performance in this industry.
Customer-facing technology
The IPI measures industry health across four dimensions. The first, Business Activity and Market Growth, tracks current demand and future trajectory, capturing revenue trends, project backlogs, segment growth, M&A activity, and sales velocity.
Workforce Capacity and Pressure examines whether the industry can meet that demand, monitoring hiring timelines, vacancy rates, wage pressures, and the growing skills gap between traditional field roles and today's AI-enabled technical positions. Revenue and Business Model Health looks beyond topline growth to assess the durability of earnings, analyzing profit margins, the ongoing shift toward recurring revenue, and contract quality. Rounding out the Index, Technology and AI Adoption tracks the industry's pace of modernisation, from the transition to proactive monitoring and connected systems integration to customer-facing technology and cybersecurity readiness.
Broader research initiatives
"The ESA Industry Research Center represents a pivotal moment for our industry. For the first time, integrators and dealers will have access to the kind of rigorous, purpose-built economic intelligence that supports smarter decisions, stronger businesses, and a more resilient industry overall. This is exactly the type of forward-looking investment ESA exists to make on behalf of its members and the industry." Kevin Stone, ESA Chairman and COO of Doyle Security Systems
Beacon Economics brings nationally recognized forecasting expertise and rigorous quantitative methodology to the ESA Industry Research Center. Working alongside the Beacon Economics team, Dr. Thornberg will provide ongoing economic insights, analysis, and guidance in direct support of the IPI and the broader research initiatives behind the Center.
Trusted industry intelligence
"ESA has always been committed to equipping the industry with the knowledge and resources it needs to grow. The ESA Industry Research Center takes that commitment further, adding a new layer of economic intelligence that gives integrators and dealers a sharper, more data-driven view of where the industry stands and where it is headed." Christopher Thornberg, PhD, ESA Chief Economist and Founding Partner, Beacon Economics
Together, ESA and Beacon Economics are establishing a new benchmark for trusted industry intelligence, designed to give professionals at every level of the electronic security and life safety ecosystem a clearer, more confident view of the trends, pressures, and opportunities shaping the future of the industry.
