Author(s)

K. Palomäki

Abstract

This paper describes the Finnish security business sector through the lens of market and customer orientation. Security business field has been considered as a very potential business area. Moreover, security features are playing some kind of a role in all businesses, among both traditional security and safety providers and other industries that have security only as a perspective. As the security sector and its operational environment change, companies within the business field need to be able to follow and understand the changes, and in order to be competitive, act on them. The study is based on the empirical data gathered in one-year research project. Among the participants and interviewees were persons from various associations, governmental organisations, research sector and companies, all associated with the security industry. The aim of the study is to look into on-going market trends and future customer needs within the Finnish private security sector, and to explore how the sector is prepared to answer to these new customer needs. Moreover, the study aims to find out how the customer needs could be answered better. Results point to the need for different kinds of logistical security and safety solutions, home security and safety solutions, solutions for the protection of environment and infrastructure, solutions relating to health care, and data security and protection. More generally, a need for more comprehensive security solutions was discovered. The findings suggest that in order to answer to the customer needs of the security business sector, new security networks are needed. Keywords: security business, network, innovation, security network, customer needs. 1 Introduction The growth of private security has been described as ‘extraordinary and global’, and for example in Europe, the total number of security personnel has more than

Keywords

security business, network, innovation, security network, customer needs