2023 – A Year of Stability and Momentum

As the end of 2023 draws near, it’s the traditional time to reflect over the last 12 months and how this will influence 2024. Its fair to say that 2023 has been a more stable year for the security industry than the last few, but that is in no way a bad thing!

Certainly, after a manic 2022 – which was in many ways a crazy year but a welcome return to higher levels of activity, as the world was properly emerging after the Pandemic and many delayed projects finally came to fruition. In 2023 we have seen a welcome continuation of momentum, but it has been at a more sensible pace with numerous new developments and system enhancements.

Strong UK business throughout 2023

In the UK, TDSi maintained a strong demand from both installers and distributors with increased installations of our GARDiS Platform and a subsequent rise in interest in our GARDiS Training Courses. This uptick in training interest aligned with the growing adoption of our GARDiS Access Control platform and software and has been driven by a healthy pipeline of GARDiS-specified projects. It is also thanks to a growing increase in the number of upgrades of TDSi Access Control Systems from the previous EXgarde range to our flagship GARDiS Platform.

These trends suggest a broader industry inclination towards updating older legacy products and services to modern solutions that incorporate the latest technologies and integrations. This trend bodes well for 2024 both in the UK and throughout our Export operations.

The Middle East and Southeast Asia reawaken

One of the biggest improvements we have seen in 2023 has been the full re-emergence of the Middle East and Southeast Asia from the restrictions of COVID. As a big exporter to these regional markets, this has been particularly beneficial to TDSi and we have seen a healthy pipeline of quotes and project activity across these regions.

Ever keen to firmly grasp and nurture opportunities, TDSi made its first appearance at the Intersec Saudi Arabia event in September – the event’s fifth year. Having spoken to other exhibitors at the event, it was clear that it had significantly grown in size since the previous year. We found it to be a brilliant window into the local security market and we very much enjoyed meeting current and potential partners and customers.

One of TDSi’s primary focuses at Intersec Saudi Arabia 2023 was supporting customers undertaking Vision 2030 projects in the Kingdom, as it looks to migrate away from being oil dependent to looking at other beneficial areas it can promulgate within its economy. This transformative initiative is driving unprecedented reforms across the public sector, economy, and society as a whole.

Back in June TDSi also hosted another of our popular Security Technology Showcase events in Riyadh and Dammam in Saudi Arabia, organised by TDSi’s International Business Development Director, Phil Tennent, and his team of Hassan Ahmed and Sebastien Botella. Attendees not only enjoyed presentations from TDSi but also presentations and hands-on advice from UK security manufacturers such as integrated perimeter security specialist Harper Chalice Group (presented by Building Defence Systems), secure industrial transmission and power solutions provider KBC Networks, CCTV surveillance camera and control solutions manufacturer 360 Vision Technology Ltd, Control Room furniture manufacturer LundHalsey, specialised server technology provider Secure Logiq, AI-driven video analytics specialist VCA Technology, and integrated security application platform provider Veracity.

Also, earlier this year Phil Tennent participated in a UK Department of International Trade event dedicated to Security Technology. During this event, he engaged with numerous Saudi Arabian companies, discussing their Vision 2030 projects.

Further engagement with North American markets

Undoubtedly 2023 has been a year where TDSi has made further considerable inroads into the exciting North American market. At the beginning of the year we were proud to announce our partnership with US provider Altronix, the leader in power and data transmission products for the professional security industry. Working together we can offer new streamlined access and power integration solutions that are UL294 (the Underwriters Laboratories Standard for Access Control System Units) listed for access control systems, providing full security and peace of mind for security operators and installers.

We also made another highly successful appearance at the ISC West event in Las Vegas in March, where we joined our fellow VITAPROTECH Group sister company, perimeter intrusion detection systems manufacturer Protech USA, with our focus on our GARDiS software and hardware ecosystem, including the GARDiS Web Embedded Controller.

In addition, in September TDSi appeared at the GSX 2023 event in Dallas, Texas, again with Protech USA. An important event in the US security market calendar, we took the opportunity to build upon our success the previous year, to further extend our market reach, and to further enhance our indirect sales through our distribution partners network in North America.

Other international events    

Along with appearances in the Middle East and North America, TDSi also showcased our range including the new GARDiS app and the newly launched version 2.5 of the GARDiS software at The Security Event at the NEC Birmingham in the UK. Always a highlight of the security calendar, the event in 2023 continued to be bigger and better than ever before! We have proudly supported The Security Event since its start in 2019 and this year there was highly evident enthusiasm and optimism, despite pressures such as economic inflation.

We were also delighted to appear at the ASIAL (Australian Security Industry Association Ltd) Security Exhibition & Conference 2023, which took place at the ICC Sydney, Darling Harbour at the end of August/early September, alongside our long-standing and well-respected Australian distribution partner Comvision PTY.

Positive progression for 2024

Overall, 2023 has been a year of consolidation for TDSi, looking at new markets, or older markets that are coming alive again. We have also focused more on talking about and delivering solutions to customers, rather than just talking about the specifics access control technology in isolation. As the world of security becomes ever more ingrained in the wider world, this will become increasingly important.

Whilst 2023 has been a highly positive year we are very excited to see what 2024 will also bring!