ISJ hears exclusively from Nabil Cheqroun, Vice President and General Manager of Honeywell Building Automation in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META).
How does Honeywell help to enable smart, secure and efficient buildings across the Middle East?
Honeywell has been operating in the Middle East (ME) for more than 70 years, supporting the region’s rapid urbanisation, digital transformation and national development visions.
Today, as cities, buildings and infrastructure become more connected, the convergence of physical safety, digital security and intelligent automation is reshaping how organisations protect people, assets and operations.
This shift is being accelerated by sustained government investment, rapid urban development and the growing number of connected assets across buildings, transport and digital infrastructure.
Honeywell is reinforcing its leadership in integrated safety, security, cybersecurity and AI-enabled building and city solutions, aligned with the region’s smart-city and sustainability ambitions.
The company is helping enable the region’s transition toward intelligence-led, software-driven security and safety environments through software-led solutions such as Buildings Sustainability Manager powered by Honeywell Forge, which provides portfolio-level insights to help optimise energy use and support carbon-reduction and ESG objectives.
Our portfolio also includes integrated platforms such as LenelS2 OnGuard for unified enterprise security management, LenelS2 Elements – our cloud-based security solution and Connected Life Safety Services for remote fire and life safety monitoring, supporting scalable, multi-site operations across the region.
Collectively, these capabilities position Honeywell as a key enabler of smart, secure and efficient buildings, helping owners and operators across the Middle East improve safety, resilience, operational performance and future readiness as the region advances toward intelligence-led urban environments.
What role does the integration of physical security systems have in improving safety, resilience and performance?
Commercial security is entering a new era, one shaped by smarter technologies and growing demands for proactive protection.
Organisations today face a complex mix of challenges:
- Rising physical threats
- Stricter compliance requirements
- Persistent workforce shortages
These pressures are driving a shift toward solutions that can think, learn and adapt in real time.
At its core, integration breaks down silos between security, fire, life safety and building management systems, transforming them from isolated point solutions into unified, intelligence-led platforms.
This convergence helps enable real-time situational awareness, faster decision-making and more coordinated responses to incidents.
AI is poised to become a cornerstone of this transformation.
No longer just an add-on feature, AI will continue to expand its role in how buildings and people are safeguarded, enabling security systems to anticipate risks and respond faster than ever before.
Honeywell’s outlook for 2026 emphasises a fundamental shift away from traditional reactive approaches, where teams respond only after something happens, to proactive and predictive systems powered by AI.
These systems will seamlessly blend physical safeguards, like doors and cameras with digital tools to create a more unified and responsive defence.
Honeywell’s range of integrated access and video management solutions demonstrates how unified platforms can help enhance situational awareness, streamline operations and support scalable, multi-site security management.
In relation to AI in buildings and energy optimisation, how does Honeywell use data and automation to reduce operating costs and carbon emissions while maintaining reliability?
The Middle East and Africa building automation system market was valued at US$ 7.26 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach US$ 14.04 billion by 2031.
Security, fire, life safety and building management are increasingly deployed as unified, data-driven platforms rather than stand-alone systems.
Billions of dollars are being invested in smart-city developments across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and wider region, directly supporting demand for integrated security and safety technologies.
Honeywell shows strong traction across key verticals, including airports and aviation infrastructure, healthcare facilities, data centers and hospitality.
Across these sectors, customers are increasingly prioritising integrated platforms that unify security, fire and building operations, as well as improved efficiency and performance.
There is also a growing focus on scalability and future readiness, as buildings and infrastructure become more digital, connected and intelligence driven.
These priorities align closely with the region’s smart-city ambitions, sustainability objectives and long-term national vision.
What is some advice that you would give to industry professionals to ensure they’re prepared throughout 2026?
The security and safety markets are evolving toward fully connected, intelligence-led environments.
Growth is increasingly shifting from hardware-focused deployments to software, analytics and cloud-enabled services that deliver real-time insight and automation.
For industry professionals, the greatest opportunities lie in city-scale public safety platforms, data-driven fire and life safety services, cybersecurity for connected buildings and IT-OT systems and AI-enabled building and campus management.
Honeywell’s portfolio is directly aligned with this evolution, helping customers unify operations, strengthen resilience and optimise safety, security and energy efficiency as the region advances its smart-city and national vision agendas.
As the Middle East continues to scale smart and resilient urban environments, industry professionals with solutions that combine AI, IoT, cybersecurity and energy optimisation, while supporting compliance and occupant well-being, will be critical to the next phase of development.
Those who embrace AI proactively will create environments that are safer, more efficient and ready for whatever comes next.
In a world where risks are evolving, the future of commercial security lies in systems that think ahead, just like the people they protect.
