Nobody wants their home alarm triggered, especially at 4:30 a.m. And yet, there I was, awakened from a dead sleep from something a lot louder (and earlier) than my Apple Watch's happy little chirping to announce a new day.
In some homes, the alarm is an absolute call to action. You'll find someone instantly alert, shotgun in hand and bandolier magically slung over one shoulder. Next comes that chuck/chuck sound of a round being loaded in said shotgun, followed by a pithy comment worthy of Bruce Willis in his prime.
In my home, the response was somewhat different. There was no shotgun. There was a man muttering about his glasses and wandering over to the control panel.
Why so calm? When my alarm went off, it didn't include that high-pitch siren that informs me of a breach. It was just the alarm. Don't get me wrong, it was annoying, but I was reasonably sure I wouldn't have to channel my inner John McClane.
Turns out I was right to be annoyed rather than panicked. The control panel declared there was a low battery. Not a battery on one of the sensors—that would trip a real alarm. Instead, it was the chunky battery that sits in the control box year after year until it can find an inopportune time to lose its charge. One bleary-eyed order placed with Amazon later, I was in bed trying to will myself back to sleep.
Now, if you really wanted to sound an alarm, you should have joined me at the inaugural Cybersecurity Summit last month at ISE 2026. I sat in on the opening session, "Building Cyber Resilience: Why AV systems become part of critical infrastructure," and let's just say it didn't appease my trust issues.
The speaker was Shaun Reardon from DNV Cyber, and his message focused on the importance of planning. Reardon, who is outrageously qualified to speak on matters of security and cybersecurity, didn't sugarcoat the situation. Cyberattacks are a given, and if you don't think about cybersecurity early, it's going to cost you a lot of money later.
Pro AV has its own cybersecurity challenges, because our industry's supply chain includes a heaping pile of vendors and a surplus of high-risk entry points, from IP-based cameras to digital signage systems and more. Reardon warned that this is where integrators can encounter liability; in fact, cybersecurity negligence can lead to lawsuits, fines, even potential prison time.
We've probably all heard about the case of the hackers who stole data from about 40 million credit cards from Target's IT network more than a decade ago. They broke in using stolen network credentials from a third-party HVAC vendor. In the case of Pro AV, you've got all sorts of gear with default passwords that need to be changed and/or firmware that needs to be patched (seriously, when was the last time you plugged in a new device and it didn't want to immediately update its software).
Plus, there's the added wrinkle of managed services. Yes, we all love that it reduces truck rolls and provides a steady revenue stream, but it's yet another access point that can be breached by the cyber bad guys. And I haven't even talked about potential personnel-based cybersecurity threats.
It's easy to be complacent with cybersecurity, treating it like you would a checklist for packing your suitcase for summer vacation. However, Reardon considers the cybersecurity standards in place for our industry and others as minimal effort—conformity is not security. Consider those the starting point for your cybersecurity journey.
Yes, journey: Cybersecurity needs to be a continuous effort, not a one-time deal. Basically, Reardon suggested a holistic approach. That means having a comprehensive understanding of your Pro AV environment, an incident response plan in place for when the cyberattack comes, and an active security mindset. Yippee Ki-Yay.
