Cyber security - Expert commentary

The security market is very active right now. Business is strong, according to most of the people that I talk to in the industry. In 2017, we at The Protection Bureau had one of our best years ever revenue-wise. Because of a strong economy, businesses are spending money on security. 2017 Growing Trends The trends that happened in 2017 vary. One trend that is growing is the national account concept. This is because clients are deploying more and more enterprise-level systems and taking advanta...

Global economic expansion and technology improvements continued to drive demand this year for IP cameras, network video recorders (NVRs), access control and other security technologies.   A Strong Year For Security Overall, 2017 represented another strong year for the security industry. A combination of falling prices and improved IP camera performance helped drive camera sales during the year as the migration from analog to IP continued to pick up momentum. Advancement...

Throughout 2017, customers have been increasingly looking for technological answers to a plethora of their business needs, and the surveillance industry has seen a rapid boost because of this. In particular, we’ve seen more organizations harness video to fulfill much more than just their security requirements. Combining Physical And Cyber Security Businesses are now using surveillance to address areas such as health and safety, sales and marketing as it fast becomes more of a business op...

In 2017 we saw a lot of new construction projects, and many existing buildings upgraded their security systems to include high-resolution cameras and better-quality recording systems. Because the economy is stronger, many businesses and municipalities increased their security budgets for large-scale and public projects due to terrorism threats in public places.   Smart Cities Became More Popular One of the bigger trends we saw in 2017 is the growing popularity of sm...

As we take a look back on 2017, there are a number of trends we need to highlight — all of which have redefined our industry. Cybersecurity played a huge role in physical security, driven by the increase in the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the overall interconnectivity between devices and expanding cloud technologies. Although exceptionally beneficial, the IoT also brings with it an increased amount of cyber vulnerabilities. As security systems are using the Internet more and m...

Rapid changes in the physical security market this year have largely overshadowed one arena where change has slowed down in 2017 – mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Although there were no “mega-mergers” as in years past (such as Axis-Canon and Johnson Controls-Tyco, M&A activity still made headlines last year on SourceSecurity.com. In 2017, we wrote about M&A news involving companies such as HID Global, Eagle Eye Networks, ADT, and Honeywell. ...

The physical security market continues to experience growth as users look to capitalize on the promises of emerging technologies and because of this, 2017 proved to be a great year for Oncam. In fact, this year was the best year in Oncam's history in terms of sales, as 360-degree fisheye cameras have gone from being a “specialty” camera used only in certain applications to a primary device for enabling total situational awareness. Today, many of our customers leverage 360-degree ca...

SourceSecurity.com’s Expert Panel covered a lot of ground in 2017 about a variety of topics resonating in the security market.   The most-read Roundtable discussion in 2017 was about a familiar and ongoing debate: What is an open system? Other hot topics that made the Top-10 list of Roundtable discussions included smartphones, buzzwords, standards and product life cycles. Here is a listing of our Top 10 Expert Panel Roundtable discussions posted in 2...

Over the past year, there was an unprecedented rise in drone incidents. Drones were unwelcomed at and threatening the physical and cybersecurity of defense organizations, stadiums, corporations, and data centers, among organizations with critical infrastructure. Legislation is only just emerging now, and laws protecting airspace are hard to enforce, especially if a pilot is unaware of the risks of their flight or is flying with malicious intent. Laws can be circumvented, but detection technology...

2017 was quite an interesting and eventful year for the physical security industry. The economy has been robust and technology has become progressively sophisticated—with interactive services, cloud computing and network-based solutions taking charge to provide new insights to installers and their end-user customers. The Internet of Things is creating increasingly integrated solutions, with a heightened emphasis on total connectivity. Changing Security Expectations World events have als...

2017 was a very interesting year within the security industry. Although the overall economy seems to be in a stable and growing state, security spending seems to have become more “thought-out” and strategic as opposed to some of the impulsive spending on the latest pieces of technology to hit the marketplace. Many end users and integrators are thinking more long-term and some of the biggest concerns have been scalability and interoperability. Unified Management Platforms One of the...

An increase in spending on security, more focus on data security, higher demand for integrated solutions, and steady progress to move beyond the pixel race were key trends in 2017. As we look forward to 2018, we will continue to see development in these areas as well as greater impact of the Internet of Things (IoT) on the video security market. Potential Of Video Security Data More and more, users are realizing that the real issues in video security are not about pixel counts. Managing incre...

Last year, Genetec predicted that cybersecurity would be taken much more seriously as the Internet of Things (IoT) opened more doors for hacking and network take overs. We also predicted that that there would be an increase in the adoption of Software as a Service (SaaS), expanding choice and convenience from new ownership models via hybrid (on-premises and Cloud) and Cloud-only models. Cyber Accountability Awareness 2017 was also a year of awareness about ‘Cyber Accountability’....

Overall, it’s been quite a year for the industry and Vanderbilt. Last year, we predicted that the security industry would see a rise in cloud-based systems in 2017, and based on the developments and trends we've seen over the last 12 months, that forecast has come true. ACT365 Access Control And VMS Vanderbilt introduced the ACT365 cloud-based access control and video management solution to its portfolio, and it has plans to educate the marketplace on the technological and economic advan...

While the security industry continues to grow, increased commoditization and the rise of low-cost cameras that are vulnerable to cyber-attacks has forced our industry to take a harder look at cybersecurity. Systems integrators and customers are increasingly aware of the dangers posed by these devices, and demand more accountability from manufacturers. This is good news for innovative manufacturers like Hanwha who have always put cybersecurity at the core of their product development. Because we...

News of cyberattacks seems constant these days. Recently, Equifax, a US-based consumer credit reporting agency, announced that a private customer data breach impacted 143 million people. Earlier this year, 1.5 million connected cameras around the world were hijacked in an unprecedented DDoS attack. As cyber-attacks become more rampant, it’s hardly surprising that governments are stepping in to hold organizations more accountable. One of the most recent examples of this is the European Un...

ASIS International continues to adapt, innovate, and grow at the high speed of the industry and profession. If 2016 represented a year for new CEO Peter J. O’Neil and his senior management team and volunteer leadership to explore, review, and assess, 2017 was the year when many new initiatives took wing. Career Pathing Initiative For one, the Society is working on a new model that includes corporate membership. A Career Pathing initiative is under way, in which the knowledge, skills, and...

Today’s security industry has reached a critical mass in the volume of collected data and the limits of human attention to effectively search through that data. As such, the demand for video analytics is increasing globally and we believe that all video surveillance systems will eventually feature video analytics. Artificial Intelligence Solutions Through the power of artificial intelligence (AI), Avigilon™ is developing technologies and products that dramatically increase the effe...

End users can add security, safety and business intelligence – while achieving a higher return on investment at their protected facilities – with live streaming video. It can be deployed effectively for IP video, network video recorders (NVRs) and body-worn cameras. The growing use of streaming video is resulting in vast technological developments and high-end software that promotes reduced bandwidth, high scalability and lower total cost of ownership (TCO). Here’s how users c...

Crime is preventable and safeguarding your businesses through the use of technology is essential. Whether you want to avoid burglaries or common vandalism, you need to comply with the General Data Protection Regulations to protect your brand’s identity. Security should be one of your main focuses and with the help of 2020 Vision, providers of access control systems, we look at some of the most efficient items that you need in place to protect your property. 1) Deploy Video Surveillance&n...

The smart home market has seen significant growth since 2010. Specifically, less than 0.5% of homes in the American region had connected home devices such as thermostats, lighting, security and entertainment in 2010; by the end of 2017, nearly 12% of households in the region will have connected home devices, an average of six devices per home. The success of smart homes started with professional security providers offering bundled packages, focused mostly on security monitoring. However, due to...

Cloud computing has many benefits, including greater flexibility, infrastructure cost savings, and enhanced computing performance. However, the cloud presents new security challenges that organizations need to address. A failure to implement security controls and adhere to solid data governance practices could result in a breach. Preventing Worst Case Scenarios Consider this scenario, a company begins their migration by getting excited about the possibilities the cloud can provide to their app...

What drives terrorism? It's a question asked by governments, individuals, militaries and businesses. Terrorist tactics and tradecraft constantly evolve to respond to external forces that enable, constrain and otherwise shape them. Tracking the influential forces that shape terrorism is crucial to understanding how attacks are conducted and placing an attack in context. But most importantly, understanding the drivers of terrorism helps security professionals anticipate terrorism trends so they...

Adoption of the cloud is not slowing down. In fact, what’s happening is quite the opposite. According to IDC, worldwide spending on cloud computing is expected to reach $162 billion USD in 2020, growing at a compound annual rate of 19%. This isn’t surprising when you consider that more organizations are looking outside their own environment for solutions that will help them become more agile, maximize resources and save money. Yet, while this study and countless others show that mo...

In a world where hacking and denial of service are everyday threats, many feel that it is about time for the world of the Internet of Things (IoT) to undergo a reality check over its strategy and promotion before disaster strikes, reputations are lost and investors pull up stakes and run for the hills.     What Is New About IoT? Having made, lost and then re-made my fortune in and around the industry over the past 20-plus years, I cannot help but smile over the level of hype &md...

There has never been closer integration between physical and logical security systems, so there has also never been greater importance when it comes to defining and maintaining the security culture within an organization. Unfortunately, with increasingly complex security protocols required on a daily basis (and used by every employee), a security regime can easily become lax through apathy – which offers the perfect opportunity for potential intruders to take advantage. While securi...

In today’s world, businesses face a growing threat landscape. Looking back on just the past few months, there have been increased incidents of workplace violence (e.g. the recent New York city hospital shooting), terrorist activities (e.g. London Bridge attack, Manchester attack), and cyberattacks (e.g. Petya and WannaCry). While critical events have become more frequent, more complex, and costly to businesses, organizations’ emergency communications systems, plans and processes have...

In today’s connected world, network intrusions and breaches have become a way of life, as hackers and cybercriminals work constantly to discover and exploit vulnerabilities. Because businesses of all sizes rely on their IT infrastructure to a growing degree, technology providers are working just as hard to stay ahead of would-be attackers. However, it’s difficult if not impossible to eliminate every potential threat. Therefore, it is highly likely that most organizations will suffer...

Manufacturers depend on consultants to get their technologies specified in customer projects. Consultants often depend on manufacturers to provide them current information about the technologies that are the building blocks of their projects. It’s a symbiotic relationship, but not always a perfect one. We recently gathered three consultants to discuss what they want from manufacturers, and a representative of HID Global to add a manufacturer’s perspective. Manufacturers also look to...

Energy security, access to the electrical grid and police and fire safety are just a handful of the networked services that we take for granted and rely upon on a daily basis. Every second of every day, sensors are digitizing the real world, creating information and transporting it across multiple networks and interfaces to a broadening audience. While there is obvious utility being gleaned from this process, from our vantage point here in the physical security space, information sharing and tra...