In a typical year, guarding companies are focused on threats like active shooters, potential terrorism and natural disasters — and those concerns still remained in 2020.

But the combination of the COVID-19 pandemic, the resulting economic shutdown, and social and civil unrest surrounding the killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, the 2020 U.S. election and more, were top of mind for guarding firms and impacted them in a wide variety of ways.