Advancing Sustainable Security Through Smarter Operations
Ask most people what sustainable security looks like, and they'll often point to security hardware attributes like energy efficiency, circularity or environmentally conscious manufacturing.
Those factors are certainly important. But they only represent part of the sustainability opportunity.
Increasingly, organizations are recognizing that the sustainability impact of their security programs depends not only on the equipment they deploy, but also on how effectively those systems are managed throughout their lifecycle. Reducing unnecessary responses, using remote capabilities, improving system performance, extending the useful life of assets, and using data to make better operational decisions can all contribute to stronger business and environmental outcomes.
This broader view is emerging as sustainability continues to gain importance in security decision-making. According to the 2027 Global Technology Outlook Report, 54% of security professionals surveyed consider sustainability important or very important when selecting security technology, an increase of six percentage points compared with the 2025 edition of the report.
At the same time, organizations face increasing pressure to improve efficiency, do more with existing resources, and support broader environmental goals without compromising security performance. The result is a growing realization that sustainability and security are not separate conversations. They are increasingly interconnected.
The organizations making the most progress not only consider the energy consumption and manufacturing emissions of the security products they procure, but also find ways to eliminate waste, improve operational performance, extend asset lifecycles, and make more informed decisions through technology and data.
Sustainability Is Becoming an Operational Conversation
Historically, sustainability initiatives and security programs often existed in separate organizational silos. Sustainability teams focused on emissions, energy, and environmental reporting. Security teams focused on protecting people, property, and assets.
Today, those distinctions are becoming less rigid.
Organizations are increasingly evaluating how business functions contribute to broader performance objectives, and security operations are no exception. Modern security systems generate valuable operational data, influence how personnel and resources are deployed, and increasingly support enterprise-wide initiatives focused on efficiency, resilience, and responsible resource management.
As security technologies become more connected, organizations gain greater visibility into how systems perform, how resources are utilized, and where opportunities exist to improve operations.
“Sustainability requires organizations to consider the broader environmental and business impacts of their decisions. When they examine how security technologies and processes impact travel, maintenance, asset utilization, and efficiency, they often uncover opportunities that support both sustainability goals and stronger business outcomes," stated Kristi Keating, Vice President, Sustainability, Securitas Technology.
Reducing Waste Through Smarter Response
While the sustainability impact of security hardware remains an important consideration, organizations can also find opportunities by reducing unnecessary operational activity.
It starts with avoiding unnecessary activity.
For decades, organizations have wrestled with the operational impact of nuisance alarms, unnecessary dispatches, and inefficient response processes. Every unnecessary response consumes time, fuel, labor, and resources while adding little value.
Advances in AI-powered analytics, alarm verification, and remote monitoring are helping organizations address this challenge by providing greater visibility and context before resources are deployed. The 2027 Global Technology Outlook Report explains that AI can help distinguish meaningful activity from everyday movement, which can result in fewer unnecessary dispatches and allow operators to focus on higher-value work. Instead of responding to every event equally, security teams can increasingly prioritize activity based on real-time intelligence and verified information.
The benefits extend beyond sustainability. Organizations can improve response effectiveness, increase operator efficiency, reduce operational costs, and strengthen overall situational awareness.
This is where sustainability and security objectives often converge. The same actions that reduce waste and improve efficiency often improve security performance and cost management.
Remote Services Are Reshaping Security Delivery
Remote services also play an increasingly important role in sustainable security operations.
The 2027 Global Technology Outlook Report found that 44% of organizations surveyed expect to increase their use of remote services over the next 18 months. Separately, 46% of respondents cited the need for higher system uptime as a driver of their increased use of remote services.
Cloud-connected security platforms, system health-monitoring capabilities, and remote maintenance services are changing how organizations manage security infrastructure. Many issues that once required a technician to travel onsite can now be identified, diagnosed, and, in many cases, resolved remotely.
The implications go beyond operational convenience.
Remote service models can help reduce vehicle travel, improve service responsiveness, support faster issue resolution, and create more efficient use of technical resources. The report states that diagnosing and resolving issues remotely can lead to fewer carbon emissions from technician travel, faster resolution, and lower operational costs when delivering technical support across widely distributed locations.
For organizations managing geographically dispersed operations, these efficiencies can create meaningful benefits over time.
Extending Asset Lifecycles Through Better Visibility
Another area where sustainability and security intersect is lifecycle management.
Traditionally, organizations often lacked meaningful visibility into the health and performance of security assets. Equipment replacement decisions were frequently based on age, assumptions, or reactive maintenance requirements rather than actual performance data.
Modern security platforms are changing that.
With improved asset visibility, organizations can make more informed decisions about system maintenance, upgrades, and replacement schedules. This helps maximize the useful life of equipment, improve investment planning, and reduce unnecessary waste.
Solutions such as SecureStat 360® can support this approach by providing greater visibility into security assets throughout their lifecycle, including installation and service history, recommended replacement timing and equipment power consumption. SecureStat 360 also enables organizations to view estimated CO2e emissions per device based on power consumption, providing additional data to help inform security investment decisions that align with sustainability goals. These estimates reflect operational energy use only and do not include emissions from manufacturing, transport, or end-of-life disposal.
Interest in this approach continues to grow. According to the 2027 Global Technology Outlook Report, one in five Securitas Technology clients surveyed is interested in adopting lifecycle management services over the next 18 months.
Better visibility enables organizations to balance financial, operational, and sustainability objectives more effectively while supporting long-term system reliability.
AI Is Creating New Efficiency Opportunities
Artificial intelligence is often discussed in terms of threat detection, automation, and decision support. But its impact on operational efficiency may prove equally significant.
As organizations look for ways to optimize resources, AI is increasingly helping identify inefficiencies, streamline workflows, and improve operational planning. By analyzing patterns across video, sensors, system-performance data, and incident history, AI can highlight trends that give security leaders a clearer basis for decisions about workflows and technology investments.
AI can also help teams work more efficiently by taking on repetitive, lower-value tasks and directing attention toward situations that require human judgment. Over time, these insights can support better staffing decisions, more balanced shift structures, and smarter distribution of responsibilities across sites.
These applications illustrate how intelligent technologies can contribute to sustainability objectives without requiring organizations to compromise security outcomes. Rather than focusing exclusively on reducing consumption, organizations can use technology to improve how resources are allocated and utilized.
This represents an important shift in mindset. Increasingly, sustainability gains are being achieved through smarter operations rather than simply lower consumption.
From Products to Outcomes
Energy-efficient devices, sustainable manufacturing practices, and responsible supply chains remain important components of sustainable security programs.
However, organizations are increasingly recognizing that equipment alone is not the answer. The larger opportunity often lies in how security programs are designed, managed, and continuously improved.
Operational improvements such as reducing unnecessary dispatches, extending asset lifecycles, leveraging remote services, improving system performance, using AI to optimize operations, and making decisions based on better data can create meaningful and lasting impact for organizations.
Looking Ahead
As organizations balance security, operational efficiency, and sustainability objectives, the conversation is expanding beyond equipment specifications and product features to consider the full lifecycle of security technology.
“The next generation of sustainable security will be defined by how effectively organizations leverage technology, data, and human expertise to improve performance, reduce unnecessary activity, and create stronger business outcomes," emphasized Kristi Keating, Vice President, Sustainability, Securitas Technology.
Security leaders can help shape that future by making informed technology choices, optimizing resources, extending asset lifecycles, improving resilience, using data to strengthen decision-making, and supporting broader sustainability goals.
The future of sustainable security is not defined solely by what organizations install, nor solely by how they operate. It is defined by how effectively they bring the two together to create better outcomes for their business and our planet.
