“40 under 40” Class of 2019 — Samuel (Sam) Mulholland, 30

Starting out in the security industry for Samuel Mulholland was luck. “I started out as a drafter for SM&W, creating drawings for AV, IT, security and medical equipment planning disciplines,” he said. “I found security to be the most compelling, so when an opportunity for a security position came up, I grabbed the opportunity.”

Mulholland has been with SM&W for six years, and he currently designs physical security technology systems for all types of clients. Daily, he “manages all aspects of security projects, including preparation of reports, working in CAD and BIM to produce tender drawings, writing CSI specs, researching products and compiling data sheets, meeting with clients and end users, and I am also a multi-discipline project manager.”

As far as trends, Mulholland identified drones and drone detection, artificial intelligence (AI) video analytics and the continued expansion of cloud services. “Cybersecurity is also critical and I think we will continue to see more technology hosted in the cloud,” he said, adding that machine learning video analytics grows and continues to develop. “I can see it being a major benefit to organizations, increasing their awareness and making their staff more efficient and effective at mitigating incidents.”

Mulholland believes everyone knows security is valuable, but they don't really consider exactly how it works. “We need to advertise ourselves and demonstrate to younger generations what we do and how exciting it is through education and social media,” he said. “It's up to the professionals working in the industry now, not only to set the standards for the upcoming generation, but also put themselves in the position to mentor, grow and support the next generation of security professionals.”