About DSD Der Sicherheitsdienst

DSD Der Sicherheitsdienst

DSD – Der Sicherheitsdienst is the trade magazine of the German private security industry, published quarterly from Bad Homburg in Hesse by the DSA Deutsche Sicherheits-Akademie GmbH. With a circulation of 10,000 copies, it reaches member companies of the security industry's associations — BDSW, BDGW, and BDLS — as well as police officials, banks, retailers, insurers, universities, parliamentarians, and government ministries. In 2027 the magazine appears in its 79th year, and its publisher has announced a landmark transition: from 2028, the 80th volume year, DSD will be published exclusively in digital form, ending the print edition at the close of 2027.

Overview

DSD – Der Sicherheitsdienst is the central print and digital medium of Germany's private security economy (Sicherheitswirtschaft), an industry that encompasses guarding and security services, cash-in-transit and valuables logistics, and aviation security. The magazine appears four times a year and, according to its publisher, is distributed in 10,000 copies per issue (older trade-directory listings cite 11,000). Its readership extends well beyond the industry's core: in addition to the member companies of the three major associations — the Bundesverband der Sicherheitswirtschaft (BDSW), the Bundesverband Deutscher Geld- und Wertdienste (BDGW), and the Bundesverband der Luftsicherheitsunternehmen (BDLS) — the magazine reaches police representatives, banks, retail and industrial companies, insurance firms, universities, members of the Bundestag and European Parliament, ministries, and public authorities.

The editorial program covers the industry's full spectrum: business and economic developments, politics and regulation, labor and social affairs, security technology, company and market news, and the specialized cash-and-valuables segment. Regular features include the "Who is Who" special editions — directory-style profiles of the security industry and of aviation security — and the "Info Wirtschaftsschutz" insert, the BDSW's publication on corporate security and economic protection, which has become a fixed component of the magazine. The tone is professional and industry-oriented, serving both as an information channel and as a networking platform for a sector that works closely with public authorities on critical-infrastructure protection.

A notable strategic decision was announced in the 2027 media data: after 79 years in print, DSD will go fully digital from 2028. The publisher frames the move as a response to the changing media world, promising readers the same quality with greater speed and flexibility in electronic form. The print edition will bid farewell at the end of 2027, making DSD one of the longer-running German trade magazines to complete a print-to-digital transition.

History

The 2027 media data states proudly that DSD – Der Sicherheitsdienst appears in its 79th year in 2027, which places the magazine's founding in 1949 — the founding year of the Federal Republic of Germany itself. The title thus belongs to the first generation of West German trade publications, launched in the immediate postwar period when the private security industry was taking its modern shape. Over nearly eight decades, the magazine has accompanied the industry's transformation from traditional guarding services to a diversified security economy spanning cash logistics, aviation security, event security, and technology-driven services.

The publisher is the DSA Deutsche Sicherheits-Akademie GmbH, based at Am Weidenring 56 in Bad Homburg, an institution closely associated with the BDSW — the editorial contact email runs through the bdsw.de domain. This institutional anchoring gives DSD a quasi-official character within the industry: it functions not merely as an independent trade journal but as the magazine of the organized security economy, distributed to association members and stakeholders in politics and public administration.

Over the decades, the magazine expanded its thematic scope in step with the industry. The cash-and-valuables segment (Geld und Wert), represented by the BDGW, and aviation security, represented by the BDLS, became standing coverage areas, reflecting the growing economic weight of cash-in-transit logistics and airport security services. The "Info Wirtschaftsschutz" insert, initiated with the involvement of industry figures such as Holger Köster — the long-standing chairman of the BDSW's economic-protection committee and recipient of an Outstanding Security Performance Award for lifetime achievement — illustrates how the magazine integrated specialized association publications into its pages.

The announcement of the digital-only future from 2028 marks the most significant break in the magazine's history. The publisher's message to readers and advertising partners emphasizes continuity of quality alongside the format change, thanking advertisers whose support has kept the magazine accessible to its readership. The transition reflects broader pressures on print trade media: rising production and distribution costs, changing reading habits among professional audiences, and the advantages of digital distribution for a readership spread across companies, authorities, and political institutions.

Coverage and Content

DSD's editorial content is organized around the pillars named by the publisher: economy, politics, labor, social affairs, technology, companies and markets, and the cash-and-valuables segment. Economic coverage includes market developments, company news such as partnerships and management changes — for example, the Stölting Service Group's extended partnership with Borussia Dortmund or management appointments at cash-logistics firms — and industry events such as the Security Essen trade fair, with its 2026 focus on drone defense and cross-organizational cooperation among business, authorities, and emergency services.

Political and regulatory coverage addresses the framework conditions of the security industry: collective bargaining, critical-infrastructure regulation (KRITIS), and the evolving threat landscape, from unauthorized drone flights over airports to the physical security obligations of infrastructure operators. The magazine's news section reports on developments such as new IHK-certified training programs for data-center security, visits by former federal ministers to drone-competence centers, and the professionalization of security services through training and certification.

The "Who is Who" special editions provide directory-style overviews of the security industry and of aviation security, serving as reference works for the sector. The "Info Wirtschaftsschutz" insert focuses on corporate security and the protection of the economy against espionage and sabotage, a topic of growing prominence. The magazine is financed through advertising, and the publisher publicly thanks its advertising partners for making the magazine's continued accessibility possible — a reminder of the symbiotic relationship between the trade press and the industry it serves.

Organization and Ownership

DSD – Der Sicherheitsdienst is published by the DSA Deutsche Sicherheits-Akademie GmbH, Am Weidenring 56, 61352 Bad Homburg, telephone +49 6172 948050. The DSA is closely linked to the Bundesverband der Sicherheitswirtschaft (BDSW); the editorial office can be reached at dsa@bdsw.de, and the magazine is described as the magazine of the security industry whose recipient base consists of the member companies of the BDSW, BDGW, and BDLS associations. The editor listed in trade directories is Florian Graf, with Tanja Staubach responsible for advertising sales.

This institutional structure makes DSD an association-adjacent publication rather than a fully independent commercial title. Its distribution to police representatives, banks, retailers, industrial companies, insurers, universities, Bundestag and European Parliament members, ministries, and authorities reflects its role as the industry's calling card in politics and public administration. Subscription prices listed in trade directories were 39.00 euros per year domestically and 49.90 euros abroad, with digital and combined print-digital options also offered.

The magazine's financing rests on advertising revenue, and the publisher's 2027 media data includes an explicit expression of gratitude to advertising customers and partners, noting that their advertisements make the magazine's existence and its accessibility to readers possible. No further details on the ownership of the DSA Deutsche Sicherheits-Akademie GmbH are publicly confirmed in the accessible sources.

Digital Presence

DSD maintains the portal dersicherheitsdienst.de, where the print edition is additionally available at all times and where current issues can be read online or downloaded as PDFs. The website carries a continuously updated news section with dated industry items — company announcements, association news, event reports, and regulatory developments — extending the magazine's quarterly print rhythm with timely online coverage. Individual issues, such as the 02/2026 edition with its "Who is Who" aviation-security special, are presented with read-and-download options.

The magazine is also distributed through a dedicated mobile app, published via PressMatrix, available for Android with over a thousand downloads — a channel that anticipates the announced digital-only future. The 2027 media data's declaration that "the future is digital" and that from 2028 readers will receive DSD purely electronically positions the portal and the app as the magazine's primary platforms going forward. The digital transition, planned for the 80th volume year, is presented not as a retreat but as a modernization: the same editorial quality, delivered faster and more flexibly to a professional audience that increasingly reads on screens.