Putting the Security Industry on the Map

For this week’s blog, I’m straying from the norm, so to speak, and teasing an upcoming interview about someone who is more than up and coming in the security industry. Can you say entrepreneur before even turning 30?

Yes, I can. Of course, I’m not talking about myself as I’ve already surpassed the half-century mark in age (and still finding that hard to accept), but for those who follow Suzanna Alsayed, MDEM, on social media channels, you know her story.

With more than 15,000 followers on LinkedIn, Alsayed posts almost daily about the company she founded two years ago, Evolutz, and the personal and professional goals she sets for herself and her clients, as well as the journeys she takes around the world to spread the word about Evolutz.

Alsayed is a member of the Security Systems News Class of 2021, among numerous other honors she has amassed during her short career in the security industry. She, along with Elli Voorhees, Ph.D., Director of Learning and Development at the Security Industry Association (SIA), and Angela Osborne, Associate Vice President, Risk and Emergency Management Solutions at Guidepost Solutions, delivered a fascinating “40 Under 40” roundtable discussion during our SecurityNext conference in Nashville in April, covering what it means to be a woman in the security industry, how to develop your personal brand, among other topics.

Following the roundtable discussion, Alsayed came up to me, introduced herself, and timidly asked if I could profile her and her company, Evolutz, in an upcoming issue of SSN. “Of course,” I told her!

This week, we finally had the chance to chat one-on-one in what turned out to be a fun and engaging hourlong Google meet, during which we had the chance to touch on various topics related to her, her company, and women in security as a whole.

So, what is Evolutz? Well, the word is Russian in origin, meaning “evolution,” and reflects on one of three languages Alsayed speaks (French and English being the others). As far as the company itself, Evolutz is what she calls her “COVID baby,” born in July 2020.

Evolutz is an independent brand, design, copy, and website development agency. Its mission, in Alsayed’s own words, is to “help businesses and professionals within various industries, with a particular specialization and focus vis-à-vis tech and security sectors.” Essentially, Evolutz offers a one-stop shop for all branding and marketing needs.

When I asked about the career path she has taken thus far, Alsayed noted that she was always interested in “complex situations” and had jobs that challenged her and promoted professional and personal growth, such as retail sales, airline check-in agent and flight attendant, and executive assistant.

After entering the security industry in 2017 in emergency management (EM), she switched to security in 2018 and back to emergency management in 2019 before deciding to become a full-time entrepreneur in 2020 by launching Evolutz.

What I found most interesting when talking with Suzanna was when I broached the subject of the challenges/obstacles she has faced in what can be considered a male-dominated industry.

Alsayed quickly pointed out that while the security industry is male dominated, and that she was told she needed to reconsider her ambitions and career in the “man’s club,” as she called it, she didn’t let all the negative comments stop her from forging ahead to pursue a career in security.

“I took everything as it was,” she told me. “I still saw it as a big market that I can enter and enjoy. If it works out, great! If not, I was confident that my education, languages, and stubbornness would eventually lead me to where I want to be and do.”  

Ever determined, Alsayed founded Evolutz two years ago at the onset of COVID, and it has really taken off in a short time span.

In fact, once she could no longer handle the workload by herself, she started to hire staff. Suzanna brought six people on the first year, and now in year two, Evolutz has grown to a staff of 15, with strategic partners and clients all over the world.

“We started off as focusing solely on the security industry, because it is my specialization and expertise, but now we service clients in different markets - jewelry, law, construction, and entertainment,” she said. “So Evolutz is now a global brand, design, copy, and website development agency, focusing on the security industry, with footprints in other markets.”

When I asked Suzanna what Evolutz’s mission is, in her own words, she stated, “My mission with Evolutz is to put the security industry on the map, and for people outside of our industry to understand and realize what we do and see how important our day-to-day work is. By helping professionals and companies brand themselves and leverage social media to their advantage, I am getting closer to achieving that goal and contributing my two cents to the industry.”  

Putting the security industry on the map is quite a statement to make, but if anyone could do it, I’m very confident that Suzanna Alsayed can. Stay tuned for more of my chat with Suzanna next week on www.securitysystemsnews.com

In the meantime, if you would like to learn more about Evolutz, please visit https://evolutz.com/