Picture this. It’s the beginning of the new fiscal year, and you’re sitting in the conference room with your whole sales team, the VP of Sales, the Director of Operations, and the Director of Projects. Coffee cups are everywhere. Laptops are open. Everyone is a little tired but hopeful.
And the one word that keeps bouncing off the four walls like an echo you cannot escape is simple and loud.
Profitability.
A Familiar Room, Familiar Challenges
We have all been in that room before.
- Missed annual quotas that sting a little.
- Security system projects that didn’t go exactly as planned no matter how many times you tried to course correct.
- Frustrated customers – frustrated for reasons that were sometimes in your control and sometimes completely out of your hands.
- The tension that can build between sales, project managers, and operations when the pressure is on, and everyone is trying to do more with less.
The truth is that all these scenarios play a massive role in profitability whether we want to admit it or not. Sales, Operations, Project Managers. Three different teams. Three different viewpoints. One common goal.
They are all puzzle pieces to a bigger picture, and when even one piece is slightly off, the whole puzzle takes longer to complete, which eats right into the margin everyone is fighting to improve
The Real Question for the New Year
So now what?
It is a new year. A clean slate. A chance to learn from the challenges of last year and improve the way we work so the system integration business can grow instead of spinning its wheels.
The question becomes; how do we increase profitability in 2026 instead of just talking about it like the years before?
Resetting the Foundation
It starts with getting everyone back to the same table and resetting the foundation.
Sales, Operations, and Project Managers all play a role in what went right and what went sideways last year. When you break down the wins, the misses, the customer frustrations, and the project delays as one team, you start to see where the real gaps are and what it will take to close them.
Collaboration as a Daily Discipline
From there, collaboration becomes the heartbeat. Not the surface level “we should communicate more,” but true alignment.
- Cleaner handoffs.
- Clearer scopes.
- Monthly check-ins where friction gets addressed before it snowballs into rework or customer issues.
When teams operate from the same playbook, you feel the momentum shift almost immediately.
Fine-Tuning Processes That Matter Most
The next step is fine tuning the processes we have all been relying on for years.
That means tightening up the workflow from site survey to engineering to installation and making sure information does not get lost along the way.
Standardized documentation, predictable communication, and less room for interpretation lead to fewer surprises and a smoother customer journey, which directly protects your margins.
Technology is No Longer Optional
And of course, incorporating modern technology is no longer optional.
Digital tools that streamline site walks, centralize information, and give every stakeholder real time visibility reduce the guesswork that eats into profitability. When every team is working from the same source of truth, projects move faster, mistakes drop, and customers feel the difference.
At the end of the day, profitability is not just a number on a dashboard.
It is the natural result of aligned teams, consistent processes, and systems that support the work instead of complicating it. When you get those pieces right, the puzzle comes together a whole lot faster in 2026.
Turning Alignment into Action
If 2026 is the year you want profitability to finally feel intentional instead of unpredictable, start by strengthening the foundation your teams rely on every day.
Bringing Sales, Operations, and Project Managers together is powerful, but giving them a shared source of truth is what turns alignment into real results.
If you are ready to tighten up your process from the very first site walk through system design and installation, System Surveyor is the place to start. Start your free account today.
FAQs
1. How do Physical Security system integrators think about achieving healthy profit margins?
For most physical security system integrators, healthy margins come from consistency, not guesswork. The more predictable the security survey design, the install, and the customer experience, the easier it is to maintain the profitability targets everyone is aiming for. Digital security system design tools like System Surveyor help reduce rework and surprise scope creep, which directly protects those margins from day one.
2. What is one physical security best practice in your organization that would instantly improve profitability if it became more predictable?
Every physical security system integrator has a workflow that feels like controlled chaos no matter how many times it is repeated. Standardizing the early steps, especially how you capture and communicate requirements during the site survey, reduces downstream surprises and tools like System Surveyor to make that much easier. Predictability is not glamorous, but it is one of the fastest ways to protect margins.
3. Where do you think physical security system integrators gain the biggest lift in margin: during pre-sales, in the field, or after installation?
Each phase matters, but most physical security system integrators see the most dramatic improvement when they clean up the beginning of the process during the site survey. Fewer unknowns lead to more accurate security system designs, smoother installs, and happier customers. Cloud-based digital platforms like System Surveyor ensure the early details are captured correctly, so the rest of the security system design project stays profitable
Shelby Chatigny is an Account Executive at System Surveyor, the leading digital platform for physical security site surveys and system design. With 5+ years of experience across the physical security industry, she brings a unique perspective from both the manufacturer and integrator sides. Shelby works closely with customers to modernize site walks, streamline digital design and help teams deliver more accurate, collaborative, and efficient security projects. She enjoys building relationships in the industry and supporting professionals who want to elevate their workflows and scale their business with better tools and clearer communication. Shelby lives in the mountains of North Carolina where she enjoys hiking, reading, writing poetry, playing with her two dogs and spending time with family and friends.
