Physical security - Expert commentary
The year 2017 saw some of the worst natural disasters in North America, with Hurricanes Harvey and Irma wreaking havoc on Houston, Texas, and the Caribbean with force of which we haven’t seen before. While many people chose to evacuate these areas, many were left to deal with the devastation and first responders had the difficult job of assessing the damage, rescuing trapped victims and delivering food and supplies. AI-Enabled Drones And Robotics To Assess Damage In addition, more than 1...
Throughout the UK there are many examples of smart city transformation, with key industries including transport, energy, water and waste becoming increasingly ‘smart’. A smart city is a one that uses information and communication technologies to increase operational efficiency, share information with the public and improve both the quality of government services and resident welfare. Smart access is an important step forward in providing technologically advanced security manag...
Most cities have at very least a plan and in most cases an existing program to make themselves safe cities. Increasingly, cities around the world are transitioning to become smart cities: urban areas where security solutions work in unison with other systems, extending the benefits of technology beyond security and into other city operations. While this transformation has yet to become a widespread the next crucial transition—from smart city to cognitive city—is already appearing o...
There was a time when one of our biggest challenges was securing our physical assets, whether that was our people or our property from crime. We researched and deployed the very latest in video solutions, intrusion systems, fire alarms and access control devices, all in an effort to keep the bad guys out and the good guys safe, along with protecting our facilities from break-ins, robberies and countless other crimes. However, times are changing. No longer must we only be concerned about keepin...
In today's world of heightened security threats, the Internet of Things (IoT) and the availability of overwhelming amounts of data, comprehensively securing a single small facility is no easy task. Enterprise organizations tend to face even greater challenges when it comes to safety, as multiple people scattered throughout separate locations aiming to collaboratively respond to situations can easily become complicated. Individual buildings, divisions and branches of a large and/or global ente...
Atlanta’s new $1.5 billion stadium, home to the NFL Atlanta Falcons football team and MLS Atlanta United soccer club and site of the recent NCAA national college football championship, is protecting fans, personnel and athletes from terrorists and errant drivers from using vehicles as weapons. While the threat of terrorists planning to attack soft targets, such as stadiums increases, stadium security professionals, such as those at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, must look for the weak poi...
PenTesting, also known as “ethical hacking” or “white-hat hacking,” has always been viewed as the “sexy” side of cybersecurity, a task that is far more exciting than monitoring systems for intrusions, shoring up defenses, or performing compliance audits. Numerous security conferences are devoted to the fine art of attempting to hack into systems – with an owner’s full knowledge and permission – and reporting on the results. At an organizati...
The way we purchase services and products is changing. The traditional concept of buying and owning a product is giving way to the idea that it is possible to purchase the services it offers instead. This approach has come from the consumer realisation that it is the outcome that is important rather than the tools to achieve it. For example, this approach is evident with the rise of music streaming services as opposed to downloads or physical products. With the physical...
Organizations across the world face a new risk paradigm: one that encompasses cyber and physical threats. We’ve heard the stories associated with ATM skimming, identity theft, data breaches, scams, and phishing. Large financial services organizations are often the victim of hackers looking to steal corporate information and transactional data or funds, and criminals continue to become more sophisticated in their approach. Growth In Cyber-Attacks Additionally, cyber-threats have taken a...
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the UK has begun investigations into meat wholesalers after a raise in concern for food hygiene. This investigation has impacted businesses such as Wetherspoons, as well as schools and care homes up and down the country. Consumers are beginning to lose trust in businesses that are supplied by untrustworthy production companies and it seems to be becoming more common, if we are to look back to the horse meat scandal in 2013. But what are the benefits of havin...
Fly-tipping – the illegal act of dumping large amounts of waste on unlicensed land without authorization – occurs on both private and business land and can be a real annoyance to those in the UK. Items that fall under the banner of fly-tipping include tyres, mattresses, beds, garden waste, and construction rubbish. Unfortunately, the property owner will be responsible if somebody dumps their rubbish. Although this seems unfair, following some basic steps will help handle the proble...
Until recently, data laws have differed from one country to the next. This meant that for those organizations conducting business or protecting assets abroad, they needed to localize both their infrastructure and policies dependant on the country they were operating in. However, with the impending arrival of the EU GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), which comes in to force on the 25th May this year, all of that will need to change. Data Management In CCTV Surveillance Surprisingly, des...
2017 saw an opportunity for the economy to have a strong stock market, which provided companies confidence to invest in and update their infrastructure. This included many replacing older access control systems and moving to more integrated solutions for better connectivity between all security-related systems. We anticipate commercial businesses to invest in infrastructure, which will include security systems and technologies. Each year there is an increase in random violent incidents, w...
Consumer confidence is its highest in a long time, and the unemployment rate is very low. This confidence in the economy is spurring investment in new facilities and expansion of facilities, and that’s driving security industry growth. Workplace Violence Issue Against this backdrop, another factor is on the rise and it’s not good: More violence in the workplace, possibly more than ever before. This is causing a shift in security strategy: the C-suite is increasingly less intereste...
There are many notable trends on the horizon for the physical security and surveillance industry. In the growing area of low-latency live video streaming applications, we will see the continued move to HTML5 playback. For the security industry, live video streaming is an enabling technology that provides many opportunities for dealers and integrators to leverage additional services for the customers. Flash’s Loss, HTML5’s Gain To be effective, the technology ne...
The record-breaking attendance at the 2017 industry trade shows was a clear indication of a growing need for and interest in security. While cybersecurity was a main theme, with encryption and automatic-updating technology taking center stage, customized solutions and visible examples of increased manufacturer’s support were also highlighted. These latter two are interwoven through activities such as manufacturer’s training seminars that highlight the advan...
The most important trend that developed in 2017 was the increasing focus on cybersecurity. As more and more devices move to the Internet of Things (IoT) model to provide added convenience and intelligence, the ability of hackers to use those devices to infiltrate systems – and the need for oversight to protect organizations – has also increased. Another trend we saw was an increase in the number of compliance and audit requirements related to physical security. An example of this i...
In 2017, access control solutions evolved and expanded within physical security operations, aligning with the overall industry trend of moving security from a reactive to a more proactive model. Access Control Serving The Industry From increased integration capabilities to mobile applications to predictive analytics, access control served as the platform that enabled this transition in physical and data security. Other steady growth areas included wireless readers, smartphone usage as a crede...
What a year it’s been! 2017 has been a monumental period of product innovation and growth for Pivot3. The company experienced a more-than-50-percent increase in bookings from Q2 to Q3 this year, including a record number of million-dollar orders. We also saw deals supporting multiple use cases more than double, and experienced continued growth in the video surveillance market, driven by new product enhancements and contracts worth more than $1 million. We have also in...
Demand for video surveillance equipment continued to grow rapidly in 2017 with price competition remaining intense. The important trends in 2017 were in three areas: Multi-sensor technology, artificial intelligence/deep learning, and stronger integration with VMS partners. Security professionals are turning to emerging technologies such as multi-sensor panoramic cameras, which can dramatically increase situational awareness, improve operator efficiency, and are more cost-eff...
2017 demonstrated the need for increased safety, security, and collaboration. We predicted that there would be an increase in the role of cybersecurity in 2017, and without a doubt there was great focus around the need for stronger network security protocols. Growing Focus On Cybersecurity Cybersecurity continues to be top of mind and organizations demand solutions that are cyber-secure. Manufacturers, integrators, and end-users must actively collaborate to develop policies and solutions that...
The past year has proved to be a year full of many changes both within our industry and for Robotic Assistance Devices (RAD). While we have experienced increased adoption of artificial intelligence-based solutions, the industry has been challenged with an ever-evolving technology landscape. Protecting enterprise organizations from both cyber and physical security threats will be an ongoing challenge the industry must grapple with. Greater Adoption Of Robotic Solutions To...
Economic recovery has enabled companies to continue global expansion efforts. We’re seeing substantial growth with our enterprise clients – 45% year-over-year increase – and sound growth with our local markets – 14% year-over-year increase. Both existing and new clients are upgrading their current security infrastructure and investing in the development of long-term solutions. Convergence of physical security and IT security continues to trend. Threat...
In January of 2017, ISONAS forecasted that the year would be a transformational year in access control with strong movement to IP access control, and that the adoption of IP access control hardware and software would significantly outpace the growth of the overall industry. In retrospect, our forecasts were on point and accurate. The industry has seen robust growth in the high single digits, while IP access control is seeing growth rates of up to 30-35%. The market drivers...
For the security industry, 2017 was a good year, but not a great year. With political changes coming and greater interest in border control, perimeter security and analytic technologies, we have seen an increase in enquiries from both federal, and state law enforcement agencies and municipalities. The Political Security Landscape The series of unexpected, natural and self-inflicted disasters that swept across the United States over the last few months have also created a greater int...
This time last year, we predicted 2017 would be the year digital identities began transforming trusted access and other interactions in physical and online environments. Continuous Authentication Experience Demand grew for unified identity and access management systems supporting both cards and cellphone devices. Trusted identities began bridging the gap between connected workers and smart buildings. We saw new IoT use cases that employ location services technologies to create a continuo...
In the wake of Securing New Ground event in New York City in 2016, the Security Industry Association (SIA) published an inaugural “Security Megatrends” report that assessed for major “megatrends” for the security industry in 2017. 10 Major Megatrends Only days ago, SIA published “Security Megatrends: The 2018 Vision for the Security Industry,” again identifying 10 major megatrends to watch in the year ahead. SIA saw a great deal of activity unfold in 2017, a...
At ONVIF, we believe our perspective for 2017 turned out to be reasonably accurate. We did see an increasing interest for interoperability all the way to system-to-system level; not only within the security industry, but also in neighbouring industries where the prospects for IoT have drastically improved. I believe the industry as such has matured in its relation to IoT and today we can imagine how IoT will play a part of smarter and safer system deployments. Increased Cybersecurity Threat T...
The year 2017 has been a banner one for physical security with the advent of increasingly sophisticated technology to manage threats. As we approach 2018, the field widens with regard to solutions that will expand the capability of security teams seeking ways to shore up their risk exposure and expand situational intelligence. Here’s a recap of milestones and areas we see as important in the new year. Technology Integration Technology integration played an even greater role in the market...
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...
