in societ y , the increased cos t of disruptions to busi- ness, and greater securit y demands b y cus tomer s and insurer s. Companies usually opt to outsource securit y when enhancin g it , since securit y activities are not considered part of their core business. Companies are also usin g securit y consultin g ser - vices more often, enablin g the cus tomer ’ s mana g e- ment to proactiv ely identif y risks and put appropri- ate mitigatin g actions in place . Stron g g lobal mark et position Securit as has a s tron g g lobal position, with its base in mature mark ets such as North America and Europe , but is gro win g s tron g ly in emer g in g mark ets where priv ate securit y ser vices currently are less widespread. Securit as ser v es cus tomer s in 52 countries and in nearly all indus tries and cus tomer se gments. Our mark et -leadin g position in man y countries is the result of s tron g or ganic sales gro wth and man y acquisitions o v er the y ear s. W e ha v e de v el- oped s tron g kno w -ho w in or der to meet our cus - tomer s ’ mos t comple x securit y demands. Our siz e , combined with our lon g herit a g e and e xperience , allo ws us to specializ e and build indus - tr y specifc kno wled g e to reduce risk for our cus - tomer s. W e also share kno wled g e and ideas across bor der s, and use locally de v eloped bes t pr actices w orldwide to increase the qualit y of our ser vices. W e continuously in v es t in technolog ical kno who w to adapt our solutions to cus tomer needs and add v alue to our core securit y ser vices. Our g lobal footprint g iv es us a competitiv e ed g e . M an y cus tomer s toda y are lookin g for secu- rit y ser vices pro vider s that can deliv er qualit y in all their countries of oper ation r ather than buyin g the ser vices locally in each countr y . Securit as is one of few actor s that can pro vide this ser vice . Global mark et trends The drivin g forces for the gro wth described on the pre vious pa g e also create trends in the v arious securit y ser vices reques ted b y our cus tomer s. The mos t import ant trends in the securit y ser vices mark et toda y are increased use of technology , cus tomiz ed and cos t -efectiv e ser vices, and a greater focus on risk mana g ement . Increased use of technology . Increased use of technology allo ws securit y companies to ofer cus tomer s e v en hig her efcienc y and qualit y in securit y solutions. The hig her the labor cos ts in a countr y , the more at tr activ e it becomes to r aise the technolog ical le v el of the securit y solution. Ho w e v er , countries with lo w labor cos ts are also sho win g greater interes t in usin g more technology in securit y solutions. Cus tomiz ed and cos t -efectiv e ser vices. Each indus tr y , compan y and oper ation has specifc needs and requirements in terms of securit y . Cus tomer s e xpect supplier s to identif y and respond to their specifc challen g es, pro vidin g specialis t kno w -ho w and dedicated resources. If securit y supplier s can meet these challen g es, the y will be gr anted more responsibilit y b y companies. Cus tomer s are g ener - ally prepared to pa y more for a ser vice with greater content , hig her qualit y and rele v ant specialis t skills. In cert ain mark ets, there is also a willin gness to pa y a premium to ha v e one cont act per son in char g e of the entire solution, thus gainin g bet ter control and more efectiv e adminis tr ation. Greater focus on risk mana g ement . Senior man- a g ement is de v otin g greater at tention to securit y issues, and senior e x ecutiv es are in v es tin g more time in discussin g and makin g decisions concern- in g securit y issues. F actor s that contribute to the greater at tention include a hig her le v el of insecurit y 13 Securit as Annual R eport 2012 Oferin g and mark ets