Tyler Schmoker, Founder & Principal at Winsly talks about sharing the most important stories from the security industry.

A shift for 2025

I’m taking a bullish view on the security industry in 2025 and here’s why.

Over the last four plus years, I’ve focused on “Mainstreaming the Security Industry” through more relatable security content, as a way to normalize compelling human-centered storytelling about who we are as the real people behind the security professionals, and scale it to broader mainstream audiences through multimedia channels like podcasts, social media and professional networks such as LinkedIn.

Going in, I knew this would be met with some skepticism, if not outright resistance, and those assumptions proved correct.

Change after all, is hard. Nevertheless, I truly believed that among other things, even attempting to tackle an undertaking like this just might better enable us as a profession to more effectively meet the next generation of talent where they are and consume content, and ultimately attract more up-and-comers to seriously consider pursuing rewarding careers in security.

Thing is, we as industry insiders already know the importance of the purposeful work we do, but much of the world still doesn’t, at least not yet.

We’ve taken this largely for granted, looking inside without fully appreciating what lies beyond our own respective industry silos and cliques.

This is our opportunity now, through readily accessible social media channels leveraged as strategic communications enablers, to connect with non-security talent, consumers and end users alike.

It’s a way to adopt and implement creative new approaches to communications while simultaneously creating buzz and excitement around what we do, to attract and in some cases liberate bright minds that will make the security profession a true hotbed for innovation across all segments from security software and hardware, to systems integration and on into the eventual transformation to more tech-enabled manned guarding service models, for years to come!

In 2024, we saw the emergence of more security podcasters, content creators and industry thinkers beginning to find their distinct voices in the security industry conversation, much like we saw social media content and podcast’s strategic significance as mass communications tools in this election cycle.

Something started happening here and unlike the Buffalo Springfield song, in 2024 it was becoming very clear.

Multimedia channels like podcasts, social media and LinkedIn content were expanding access for previously underrepresented thinkers ill-positioned to have a voice in the context of traditional security industry structures that assigned and granted formal authority.

In 2024, we began seeing a noteworthy shift, call it the democratizing and emergence of informal authority to a previously unprecedented scale in the historically formal and hierarchical security industry.

In 2025, I feel this momentum will result in greater diversity, depth and ideas in the security industry zeitgeist.

More security professionals will begin stepping into the digital arena to try their hand, finding their own unique industry voice, all while establishing their own compounding social network interest and value in this still burgeoning digital creator economy.

Ignoring the digital domain in 2025 will increasingly become like trying to win a full court game playing half-court ball.

Tyler Schmoker

Tyler Schmoker, MPA, PROSCI is a retired US Army Combat Arms Senior NCO, former Paramilitary Advisor and Management Consultant to Fortune 500s.

He’s worked in corporate security, strategy, project/program management and tech.

Tyler is a security industry executive, commentator, writer/professional journal contributor, keynote speaker, and security and defense entrepreneur and strategist.

His portfolio of businesses includes Winsly and Maritime Support Concepts, a maritime defense specialist services firm.

This article was originally published in the special February Influencers Edition of Security Journal Americas. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.