Global IT consultancy, PTS Consulting, has recently acquired UK-based physical security consultancy CHQ to enable PTS to offer physical security expertise alongside its traditional business of IT security solutions.
Both the IT and security sectors have seen increasing calls for a converged approach to security and audio visual solutions. New security technologies are increasingly IT based, creating a need for specialist knowledge in the installation and management of most physical security solutions.
Steve Kidd, PTS Managing Director (EMEA), told SecurityNewsDesk that this customer need is one of the factors that drove the merger. “PTS Consultancy has been investing in physical security for many years now, responding to the evolving requirements of the security industry,” he said. “We have a business model of only working with partners that are the best of brand to ensure that customers receive the best outcome. CHQ truly is a best of brand organisation, and as a result we have worked together repeatedly over the years and found that we have a common outlook that made a merger the next logical step in our relationship.”
Kevin Brownell, CHQ Consultant, is now a partner in PTS Consulting and adds, “Since the IP revolution, physical security and IT have belonged on the same network, and this merger underlines that. It is no longer valid to represent physical security as a separate discipline, and customers expect integrated solutions. CHQ and PTS joining together is a direct response to this expectation at the highest level.”
Although the need for integrated solutions is nothing new, it is still rare to see mergers like this. In this new guise, PTS and CHQ will be able to offer the industry solutions that have integration and convergence at their core.
“From a consulting perspective the whole process will now be more intuitive, efficient and effective,” Brownell said. “All services from both PTS and CHQ remain available to customers, but this combined approach means increased resources and more effective, combined processes.”
PTS operates in 10 countries across four continents and the merger underlines the company’s aim of offering services across complementary disciplines. The combined offering targets opportunities across the world where security is of critical importance, such as corporate estates, data centres, government and critical national infrastructure. Over the last 12 months CHQ has worked on a broad range of projects that include data centres, government facilities, prisons and London Gateway, a major new deep-sea container port on the Thames Estuary. The physical security experts were also finalists in two categories at the 2013 Security Excellence Awards.
It is easy to see how the resources and experience of these two organisations complement each other, so why aren’t more in the industry seeking similar partnerships?
“The technology that necessitates an IT and physical security approach is not new, but the security industry has been slow to change and adapt to get the best out this technology,” Steve Kidd said. “This is part of the reason we feel that the education of the next generation is paramount. The PTS Academy, that has been operating for nine years now, will be increasing its investment in security with the new September intake. Our courses offer graduates and students an eight week induction followed by a two-year rotation across all aspects of our services before specialising in a chosen area. By approaching training in this manner, the starting point is converged, safeguarding the future.”
New and existing CHQ and PTS clients will continue to enjoy the same choice of services in the knowledge that under the new, converged approach these offerings will benefit from increased resources and expertise.
Both Steve Kidd and Kevin Brownell are looking forward to a prosperous future. “We will continue to provide the excellent services we always have, but we will capitalise on closer integration to meet the growing requirements of both the IT and security sectors,” Steve Kidd said. “Going forward, we intend to focus our attention on perfecting our expertise to maintain our standing as best in brand.”
