Security 101 - Experts & Thought Leaders

Security 101, a national provider of commercial electronic security solutions, announces the acquisition of Silverstrand Technologies, Inc., a San Diego-based integrator serving commercial, government, and institutional clients across Southern California. The acquisition strengthens Security 101's presence in the San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, and Riverside markets and brings a respected regional team with broad technical range into the company's West Region. Southern California is one of the most active commercial security markets in the country, with demand spanning enterprise, government, hospitality, aviation, and entertainment environments. Over nearly two decades, Silverstrand built a reputation for technical depth and responsive service, delivering video surveillance, access control, structured cabling, wireless, sound masking, and life safety solutions across the region and on projects nationwide. Most demanding environments "Silverstrand is one of Southern California's most respected technology integrators, with a culture centered on taking care of both employees and customers,” said Greg Daly, CEO of Security 101. “That focus mirrors our own. Bringing this team into the Security 101 organization strengthens our West Region and gives customers access to national resources delivered by the same local team they already trust." Jeremy Johnson founded Silverstrand and grew it over 19 years into a full-service integrator serving some of the region's most demanding environments, including large-scale commercial, hospitality, aviation, and government projects. He will continue to lead the local operation as General Manager, preserving the team, relationships, and service standards the company is known for. Integrated solutions model "My job has always been to take care of my employees so they can take care of our customers,” said Jeremy Johnson, founder, Silverstrand Technologies. “I recently recognized that continuing to grow and take on larger projects would require a partner with the resources to back that work. I found that partner in Security 101. My team trusts me to make good decisions on their behalf, and I have complete confidence they will be in great hands as we move forward together." The acquisition pairs Silverstrand's local expertise with Security 101's national scale, managed services, and lifecycle support. Customers keep the local team and relationships they rely on while gaining access to a broader portfolio and deeper resources. Silverstrand's range across security, communications, and life safety complements Security 101's integrated solutions model and supports continued growth across Southern California.

Investment funds managed by Morgan Stanley Capital Partners (MSCP), the middle market private equity buyout team within Morgan Stanley Investment Management, announced the acquisition of Security 101, a foremost provider of commercial security integration services. About Security 101 Headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida, Security 101 provides mission-critical security integration services for organizations spanning a diverse customer base including healthcare, education, government, manufacturing, finance, data centers, and other end markets. The company specialises in end-to-end security solutions, including access control systems, video surveillance and intrusion detection systems, enabling customers to partner with a single provider for the full security lifecycle.  Since its founding in 2007, Security 101 has grown into a leading security provider with a network of offices across the United States equipped to address localised security needs for clients and the communities in which they operate. Organic growth Commenting on the investment, Adam Shaw, Managing Director and Head of Business Services at MSCP, said: “Security 101 has built a differentiated platform with a strong record of organic growth and consistent execution across complex customer environments. We are excited to partner with Greg and the broader team to support continued expansion and further strengthen the Company’s leadership position. We intend to continue investing in the platform to further elevate the customer experience and support scalable service delivery across both local markets and national accounts.” Extend leadership in commercial security Greg Daly, CEO of Security 101, commented: “We’re excited to team up with Morgan Stanley Capital Partners to build on our momentum and extend Security 101’s leadership in commercial security integration. MSCP’s resources and experience will help us deepen our national accounts program, continue thoughtful M&A, and expand our unified platform while maintaining the culture and consistency our customers expect.” This acquisition capped a strong 2025 for MSCP and underscored the strength of its private equity platform, marked by successful realisations and continued investment in resilient, services‑oriented businesses.

Security 101, a national provider of integrated security solutions, announced that it has acquired Blackhawk Security, a Honolulu based electronic security integrator with a strong reputation for supporting high consequence environments and maintaining systems across the full lifecycle. Founded in 2014, Blackhawk Security services organizations across the State of Hawaii, with additional reach across the Pacific Rim. The company brings deep experience in airports and critical infrastructure, along with proven execution across many commercial and institutional environments. A stronger platform for support This acquisition strengthens Security 101’s ability to support customers operating in Hawaii by combining Blackhawk’s statewide coverage and responsiveness with Security 101’s national platform, technical resources, and managed service capabilities. Together, the teams are positioned to deliver a higher standard of ongoing system performance through faster on island support, stronger preventative maintenance programs, and a shared emphasis on long term customer outcomes beyond installation. Statewide presence “Blackhawk has earned a top tier reputation in Hawaii by being the team customers rely on when reliability and follow through are critical,” said Greg Daly, CEO of Security 101. “Their track record in airports and other mission critical environments is exceptional, and their statewide presence helps us better serve Security 101 customers already operating across the islands. We are excited to build on their momentum with additional resources that support their team and their customers.” Continuity of leadership, momentum for the team Founder Tom Keener will remain with the business as General Manager and will continue to lead day to day operations. “Blackhawk was built on trust, accountability, and being present for the customer long after the project is complete,” said Tom Keener, General Manager of Blackhawk Security. “Joining Security 101 strengthens what we can offer while keeping our commitment to local service and long-term system reliability. I am excited about what this means for our team and our customers, and for the opportunities ahead as we continue building in Hawaii with the added support, expertise, and resources that come with Security 101.” Protecting the places people live, work and travel With this acquisition, Security 101 strengthens its ability to deliver integrated security solutions for organizations operating across Hawaii where safety, continuity, and risk management are central to day to day operations, from critical infrastructure and transportation to commercial facilities, public spaces, and the places people live, work, and travel throughout the islands.

Enterprise customers provide a large, and very lucrative, business opportunity for the physical security market. These customers include big global companies with plenty of revenue to spend and employees and facilities to protect. As a group, enterprise customers also tend to be a demanding lot, requiring systems that are large, scalable, that can operate across a wide geographic area, and that provide top-notch system performance. Enterprise customers set the standards of performance for the entire market, and they challenge manufacturers to up their game. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable to reflect on the industry’s biggest customers: What are the security challenges of the enterprise market?

  Economic recovery has enabled companies to continue global expansion efforts. We’re seeing substantial growth with our enterprise clients – 45% year-over-year increase – and sound growth with our local markets – 14% year-over-year increase. Both existing and new clients are upgrading their current security infrastructure and investing in the development of long-term solutions. Convergence of physical security and IT security continues to trend. Threats, vulnerabilities and pain points are different for every end-user, which compels us to be even more agile with large-scale solutions and evaluate how we engage existing customers on this topic. However, the path forward is still undefined for every integrator – most are not being honest about the uncertainty. Continuing Mergers In The Industry Our industry will continue to see mergers and acquisitions. Traditionally these changes lead to failures and take quality integrators out of the marketplace, which drives end-users to evaluate existing solutions and ultimately increase opportunity for nimble companies, like Security 101. Good economies make talent recruitment more and more challenging Conversely, good economies make talent recruitment more and more challenging. Security 101 is making a greater investment in the future now by focusing on our people with career development programs. Additionally, we are recruiting new talent from outside of the industry and identifying individuals with key skill sets that can be developed internally with stronger training programs. I think you will see more integration companies mirroring our approach. Winners And Losers Our industry will continue to see more technically complex products and a greater emphasis on standardized solutions that address physical security and IT security needs. End-users are looking for more integrators with IT centric training and certifications. The winners will be the companies who actively invest in developing their internal teams to include these technical qualifications and capabilities. The losers will be those who fail to identify and prioritize this need. Our biggest success has been continuing to maintain and grow a great team, which has allowed us to drive new business and continue to be consultative with a customer-centric approach.

Industry standards make it possible for systems and technologies to connect and work together. Standards enable today’s integrated systems. But does adherence to standards stifle innovation? Does the necessity to interface using an industry-wide standard slow down the implementation of newer (and possibly not standards-compliant) capabilities? Or do standards eliminate extraneous variables, empower more integration and encourage greater innovation? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How does the use of standards either stifle or jump-start innovation?