WISF feature: ‘Security is an industry that serves society as a whole,’ says Margie Gurwin

YARMOUTH, Maine—Margie Gurwin calls herself the “secret sauce” behind the development of B2B marketing content for her security industry clients.

Gurwin is the founder and owner of Babylon, N.Y.-based Content Creation Partners (CCP), a developer of high-tech B2B marketing content with the goal of not only representing clients' products and services, but also communicating their vision, industry insights and success stories.

“I work with clients - all within the physical security space - to create libraries of educational and promotional content they can use in many different ways,” she told SSN.

Gurwin has certainly made her mark championing women in security, serving on the Security Industry Association (SIA) Women in Security Forum (WISF) Steering Committee, the WISF UpliftHER Subcommittee, and as a mentor in SIA’s Talent Inclusion Mentorship Education (TIME) program. 

As part of Security Systems News’ and the SIA Women in Security Forum’s continuing series highlighting the contributions of women in security, the following is an exclusive Q&A with Gurwin:

SSN: How did you get started in the security industry?

Gurwin: I ended up in the security industry by accident about 25 years ago. For the majority of those years, I was not crazy about it. The technology was fascinating and provided real value, and demand was booming, but I had come from the world of commercial advertising, working on fun, big-budget consumer brands. Security was dry by comparison. (But) while my son was growing up, I wanted a job with a short commute, minimal travel, and predictable hours. The marketing positions I took with various security companies on Long Island fit the bill.

SSN: What has your journey been like in a primarily male-dominated and historically non-diverse security industry?

Gurwin: My journey in a male-dominated industry without much diversity? Frustrating. Early on, I remember working the company booth at trade shows, and the customers would assume that I knew nothing about the products. They thought I was there to pass out literature and scan badges. I'd ask if I could help them, and they would insist on waiting to speak with a male colleague. I can think of countless other experiences that were equally infuriating.

SSN: Have you had any role models who have helped you out along the way that you would like to mention?

Gurwin: As for role models and mentors, I'd like to give a shout-out to Monique Merhige-Machado, who is the founder of Infusion Direct Marketing. She started her company about five years before I did. I saw how much she enjoyed being her own boss and how much demand existed in the industry for security-specific marketing expertise.

Then there's Alice DiSanto, who brought me into the Woman in Security Forum and encouraged me when I was setting up my business. She's the closest thing to a mentor that I've had, and I admire her warmth, integrity, leadership, and poise when dealing with adversity. I want to be like her when I grow up!

SSN: What advice would you give other women thinking about getting into the industry or just starting out in the industry?

Gurwin: Take advantage of all the resources available to you. Join professional organizations. Attend local chapter meetings. Seek out mentors. Pursue continuing education courses. If your company won't pay for these things, there are scholarships you can apply for. Read the security magazines, subscribe to their newsletters, and visit their websites.

SSN: What are your views on the industry moving forward, both from a diversity perspective and a technology and business perspective?

Gurwin: I'd like to see more women in technical roles, such as product engineers, systems designers, technicians, etc. There are plenty of women graduating with STEM degrees. We should be actively recruiting them. Plenty of them are going into cybersecurity. Why not physical security? Also, looking around the room at industry events, you still see too many white people. That needs to change. Security is an industry that serves society as a whole.

I'd also like to see more companies talking about what they're doing in anticipation of generative Al's impact on the security sector - both how they hope to leverage it and how they plan to prevent it from circumventing their solutions. I hear a lot of companies acknowledging that this reality is just around the corner, but I'd love to hear more of them sharing their roadmap. We all need to get ahead of this. I think this is a time when companies should value collaboration over competition.