Over 155 thousand shots in 2024 and a market aiming for 9.5 billion by 2030. Home security becomes an investment (and a business for giants and Big tech).
Even for an amateur detective the clues are all too obvious. First: advertising for alarm systems is everywhere, including television cuts, billboards and online commercials that promise interventions in a few seconds and thieves running away like hell. Second: video surveillance kits to report theft attempts have officially entered the Istat 2026 basket and this means that they have become a recurring purchase for a non-marginal share of families. Conclusion: Italians are increasingly afraid of experiencing an unwanted visit and the home security it is now a structural business, in strong development. In 2024 they were reported further 155 thousand home burglariesup 5.4 percent compared to the previous year.
According to sector analyses, the value of the Italian alarm and video surveillance market will grow by approximately 70 percent between 2024 and 2030reaching the point of touching i 9.5 billion euros and, in the last year alone, it has recorded a jump of 28 percent. At least three factors are driving this: the perception of insecurity fueled by waves of thefts and crime news; the spread of relatively accessible “smart” solutions; the possibility of diluting the cost over time thanks to subscription formulas, more similar to a telephone contract than the purchase of a household appliance. Furthermore, 51 percent of Italians consider the purchase of home protection systems to be an element capable of increasing the asset value of their home, as revealed by a survey conducted by Sector Alarm, a multinational present in Italy since 2021 and specialized in complete protection systems for the home. More than 80 percent of respondents consider the anti-theft system a real investment for the future.
Cameras as a real estate revaluation lever
The survey also highlights how the integration of video surveillance systems can increase the asset value of a home by up to 10 percent, transforming cameras and sensors into a real real estate revaluation factor. The added value of these technologies is such that, even in the event of a move, 63.1 percent of the sample declares that they would install a protection system again in the new home. Prevention remains the main driver: for almost one in two Italians (49.9 percent) the purchase arises from the need to avoid theft and intrusions, while 25.4 percent took action due to episodes of crime in the neighborhood and 21 percent after having personally suffered a theft.
The Italian housing context helps to explain this rush towards electronic security. In our country, around 43 percent of people live in villas, independent or isolated homes, types more exposed to break-in attempts than large urban condominiums. Added to this is the issue of second homes left unattended for long periods, in tourist villages, seaside and mountain locations. According to Censis data from 2025, for 59 percent of Italians home invasion is the biggest nightmare, more feared than car theft or robbery.
A global market worth over 160 billion
In a context of this type, video monitoring is not perceived only as a deterrent tool, but as a guarantee of continuous control even remotely, thanks to apps and real-time notifications. At a global level, the alarm and video surveillance sector is expected to grow from approximately 91.7 billion dollars in 2025 to over 160 billion in 2030, with a double-digit annual rate. In this context, Italy is a place with still low penetration compared to Northern European countries, but with a speed of development that is attracting all the big players, from surveillance institutes to Big Tech companies in the connected home.
Verisure is the most visible face of this advance: a giant listed in Stockholm that sells protection “as a service”, offering subscription formulas that include system design, installation, connection to a 24-hour operations center, maintenance and, when necessary, intervention of security guards, based on agreements with partner institutions at a local level. The model aims to filter and qualify alarms, reducing false positives and activating patrols only in the event of a real intrusion. The brand, however, has also come under the regulatory spotlight. In March 2024, the Italian Antitrust sanctioned Verisure Italy with a fine of 4.25 million euros for commercial practices deemed unfair: certain methods of communication on the nature of the contract, the obstacles to possible withdrawal and the activation of the service during the cooling off period came under scrutiny. The company contested the conclusions of the authority that monitors competition and the market, claiming the correctness of its procedures and announcing an appeal, while in parallel it started a restyling of contracts and commercial communications.
Between private surveillance and Big tech
Verisure is obviously not the only player in the sector. The Italian video surveillance market is now a multi-level ecosystem, which mixes technology manufacturers, surveillance institutes, operators offering subscriptions, smart home Big Tech and a galaxy of local installers. In parallel, traditional surveillance institutes such as Sicuritalia, Axitea, Coopservice, Italpol and Battistolli operate, offering integrated packages of alarms, video surveillance and patrolling, with their own operational centers active 24 hours a day, televigilance services, emergency response and physical supervision, often linked to long-term contracts for condominiums, companies, shopping centers and large structures open to the public.
On the other front there are the Big tech companies of the smart home and the global producers of dedicated cameras and video recorders, from Axis Communications to Dahua Technology, from Hikvision to Bosch Security Systems, which supply the hardware and software platforms on which system integrators and specialized installers then work. Downstream of this supply chain, an army of small operators operates who assemble kits of cameras connected to the web, wireless sensors and video recording systems, often compatible with ecosystems such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home or platforms such as Tuya, intercepting the demand of those who prefer to purchase the hardware and independently manage notifications, images and automations via app.
The dividing line increasingly runs between those who sell “iron” and those who sell services: on the one hand producers and retailers who monetize on the individual supply of cameras and accessories, on the other operators who focus on monthly fees, cloud switchboards, video analysis with artificial intelligence and additional services (intervention, maintenance, software updates), where the most interesting margins are concentrated and the competition for the loyalty of families and businesses is played out.
