What will be the big news at ISC West 2024?

I think the big news at ISC West will be the emergence of a theme that will dominate the security industry for years to come: the convergence of security and simplicity for everyday users. It’s an exciting time for the security industry with innovative solutions to protect against cyber threats and expanded capabilities skyrocketing. Still, not everyone has the technical expertise – or the need - to operate enterprise systems. Additionally, many businesses do not see themselves as vulnerable to cyber threats because they think they aren’t a big enough target. But the scale is tipping rapidly, and those who don’t take their cyber hygiene seriously will find themselves increasingly at risk. There’s a real need to develop solutions with the average person in mind to protect against sophisticated cyber threats while still maintaining a simplified interface, and I expect we’ll see more vendors shifting their focus to that underserved market at ISC West. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is sure to dominate the conversation at ISC West 2024, with the potential for generative AI in security growing more significant due to recent developments in the technology. Because of this rapid evolution, throughout 2024, we will start to see more security-focused applications based on the use of generative AI and large language models (LLMs), which support the creation of new content like words, images, and video based on natural language prompts and user queries. These AI-powered applications will include operator assistants to help them more accurately and efficiently interpret action in a scene, as well as act as interactive customer support to provide more useful and actionable responses to customer questions. Generative AI has already proven its immense value across the broader software development space, which will also expand to security software development. Looking forward to seeing the latest in AI and security at ISC West!  

Without a doubt, the news will continue to be about the cloud and analytics, and the growing importance of these technologies to the security industry. ONVIF is continually looking at where the industry is going, and our task is to standardise the interfaces to facilitate that path. This certainly includes new areas of standardisation in cloud connectivity, which can enable more widespread adoption and facilitate more innovation in this space. 

At this year’s ISC West, we can expect the introduction of a new generation of massively scalable, unified, open Software-as-a-Service solutions built with cybersecurity and privacy in mind. While there's been a lot of talk about the cloud over the last few years, the physical security industry has not been able to get cloud or Software as a Service quite right, especially to address the complex needs of enterprise organisations. Proprietary solutions can hold customers hostage. Standalone VSaaS/ACaaS solutions offered by emerging players are often too simple. This new offering brings access control, video management, intrusion monitoring, forensic search, and automation to the cloud in a single, intuitive platform. It also represents an important opportunity for channel partners with better margins, new recurring revenue opportunities, and long-term customer satisfaction, with no additional investment in time or resources on their part. 

I expect a lot of exciting news to come out of ISC West this year. The buzz has already begun. The push for greater integration and interoperability among different security systems and devices will undoubtedly be a focal point at this ISC West as it has been in recent years. And, of course, I expect to hear a lot about AI-powered surveillance, threat detection, and analytics solutions. There are a lot of companies using AI to make their security solutions even greater, and it’s an exciting thing to see in the industry. I encourage ISC West attendees to look for solutions that will help them face the security challenges of the future.   

Undoubtedly, this year's ISC West will spotlight the heightened integration of artificial intelligence into video solutions, aimed at preemptively identifying and mitigating potential security threats. The merging of AI with video monitoring has become increasingly popular, driven by the industry's pursuit of advanced intelligence capabilities. This movement is anticipated to spread across the sector rapidly, as noted by the Security Industry Association (SIA), and is poised to revolutionise the market. This rapid interest highlights a growing move towards proactive risk management, with video monitoring service providers incorporating more advanced AI to detect anomalies, identify potential security incidents, and enable intervention before an event has the chance to occur.

I think we’ll see a continuing evolution of AI in every aspect of physical security. In the video surveillance domain, there are too many camera streams for humans to watch in real-time and too many recorded streams to look through for evidence when time is of the essence. AI-based cameras and applications provide us with an exceptional, data-driven, intelligent assistant for both real-time alerts and deep forensic searches. AI capabilities continue to expand bringing us on-site learning capabilities at the edge that allow organisations to customise object detection and analytics which deliver more metrics to data-hungry decision-makers. Cost-effective edge-based AI delivers instant analytics with low latency compared to back-end servers. We’ll also see more collaboration between trusted partners via open platforms versus one-size-fits-all solutions. Cloud-based offerings will further expand giving customers more choices in how the cloud can work for their unique requirements together with powerful edge devices. 

After a successful event in 2023, I am excited to see what new and exciting innovations are introduced this year. For Intellicene, integrations are becoming an even bigger conversation right now, even more so than in years past. With AI making its grand entrance into the security industry and cloud technology still taking a seat at the table, companies are frantically looking for ways to ensure all of their technology works together and enhances operations. This is where I see Intelligent Security Management making a significant impact on the industry. Intelligent Security Management solutions help many companies make sense of their technology and the data they are receiving from it and bring it together into one integrated platform for faster, more effective decisions to better respond to and manage incidents. 

At this year's ISC West, forward-thinking providers are zeroing in on equipping their dealer partners with the necessary tools, training, and insights to future-proof their businesses and delve into expanding market segments. It's a pivotal moment for many security dealers to update their operations, and the array of options available for modernisation is unprecedented. The anticipation for discovering new, intelligent-enabled solutions that simplify the daily operations and management of dealers is high. We're eagerly anticipating the tools and services that will shape the future of the industry, enhancing our dealers' success and efficiency.

The main topic on everyone's mind will definitely be the impact of AI, and the challenges and capabilities it can bring to the security industry. Along with releasing our own AI-focused enhancements, Evolon Insites 2.0, we continue to push boundaries with our technology partners such as Axis and Milestone. Although AI cannot replace current perimeter defense procedures and staff, we seek to use AI to help shape a better solution. You will see this with enhancements to our cloud models, increased scene context understanding, and an improved forensic search tool with natural language searching. Those of us who are leading the industry with AI are seeing that the rapid adoption of this emerging technology may be the key to prevention and a more proactive approach to safety and protection. Enhancements in these technologies can only improve what is in place, with support for automation, intelligenct access control methods, and actionable intelligence that aids in strategic decision-making in real time. Saves times, money, and lives. 

At ISC West this year, I anticipate discussions to focus on two pivotal themes, the transition to cloud-based security solutions and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). As deployments become more sophisticated, spanning from pure cloud to hybrid solutions, end users rely on trusted security professionals to guide them on their journey. The conversations at ISC West will emphasise the importance of educating users on their options and ensuring informed decision-making about the possible migration paths. In addition to cloud migration, real-world applications of AI and the potential impact of generative AI, will be a hot topic, as we all collaboratively explore its value and impact on security. I am convinced that these two trends - cloud computing and AI - will play a crucial role in enhancing human capabilities through technology, emphasising the importance of collaboration and innovation in improving security protocols and operational efficiency.