40 under 40: Joshua A. Williams, Minuteman Security Technologies, Inc.

YARMOUTH, Maine—Security integration is the focus of Joshua A. Williams’ daily responsibilities at Minuteman Security Technologies, Inc.

As the Vice President, Southeast, for the Andover, Mass.-based provider of enterprise security technology solutions, Williams is responsible for the management and growth of Minuteman’s security integration and fire alarm business in the State of Florida. “My day-to-day responsibilities include the fiscal management and oversight of sales and business operations in Florida,” he said.

The 40-year-old Williams was formerly the CEO of Skynet Integrations before it was acquired by Minuteman Security Technologies in September 2020, and he has served in his current role since the acquisition last fall.

Williams got into the security industry through his background as a software developer.

“I was a software engineer at a small central monitoring software company in Michigan during the tech bubble burst of the early 2000’s and I found myself unemployed,” he explained. “I was fresh out of college, recently married, and looking to relocate to a warmer climate. Software development jobs were scarce at the time, so I applied for various positions in southern states in which there was some sort of experience relevance which included security companies.”

He continued. “Software and database knowledge were becoming much more valuable in the integration business at that time, and I was offered an entry-level installation helper position at a reputable private security integrator in Tampa, Florida in 2003. Since that time, I have worked my way through most every department and responsibility level at security integration firms and in 2014 earned my Executive MBA from USF with the intent of growing my own security integration business.”

Focus on Cybersecurity

Williams noted that cybersecurity has been an increasing trend in electronic security deployments.

“Manufacturers are being more conscious of this in their product development and marketing, and security integrators are building their own best practices to address end user cybersecurity concerns,” he said. “The focus on cybersecurity in the electronic security industry will only grow in the coming years as more data is being harnessed from these devices and they are communicating across more systems.

He added that open architecture in products and the move away from proprietary technologies is another trend that has gained a lot of traction with end users in recent years.

“Most end users who have experience in their roles for a period have been burned by proprietary hardware either by being locked into their systems due to cost of replacement, or by the limiting of the service providers they are able to work with,” Williams explained. “End users are either requesting open architecture, or open architecture is being used as a selling point for new systems, and this thought process is becoming more and more prevalent. I do not see this changing in the future as open architecture integrations between systems rise.”

Harnessing of Data Analysis

The most promising new security technology out there today, according to Williams, is the harnessing of analysis of data utilizing multiple IoT security devices real time as a predictor of risk and as a real-time analytic investigation tool.

“As the power of the hardware and processing capabilities catch up and allow for more complex and accurate real-time analytics that surpass the post incident capabilities currently in place, it will create a less labor-intensive and more automated process of security monitoring for the end users,” he predicted.

Customer Service and Employee Care

During these unprecedented times that the COVID-19 pandemic has created over the last 15 months, Williams noted that customer service and taking care of employees are the keys to success for businesses to overcome the challenges that still lie ahead.

“The keys to succeeding in business right now are sticking to the customer service fundamentals that have always driven the organic growth within our industry, and by taking care of the employees because they are the businesses’ most valuable asset,” he stated. “Becoming too focused on short-term setbacks with the response of making adjustments that are counterproductive to long-term objectives is a mistake that must be consciously avoided.

“In both personal life and business life, the development and repetition of good habits pays off with success in the long term. Communication with empathy and honesty in both business and personal relationships is key in avoiding misunderstandings and ensuring that all parties are moving in the same direction toward common goals.”

IT and Security Integration

When asked what his views are of the security industry going forward, Williams

Pointed out that the overlap between the information technology (IT) and the security -integration industries has been growing ever since security devices started being put on networks.

“As a result, the IT department ownership of these systems in end user organizations has greatly increased over time,” he explained. “As IT service providers have started to offer security solutions to their customers, and while at the same time their business models have also been rapidly converting to managed services, I believe that security integrators will need to embrace and adopt this managed service model moving forward and offer additional IT-based services to remain competitive as a full-service provider in the marketplace.”

IT Background  

Williams stressed the importance of recruiting young, talented individuals with IT backgrounds to get involved in the security industry.

“The recruiting for entry-level positions in the security industry in the past used to be primarily focused on applicants with some sort of low voltage, electrical, cabling experience, etc.,” he noted. “These types of individuals who could grasp IT concepts and learn new technologies are the ones that excelled and grew within organizations.

“What has been a challenge and what we need to get better at is finding individuals with a background or education in IT who are willing to put in the time to learn how to install and service the physical security devices as a part of their development. The investment in these individuals who are willing to learn the industry in the opposite manner of the past will be crucial to high-level talent development in organizations moving forward.”