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 advances with this platform in 2018. Cloud-based applications and mobile credentials continue to drive discussions and debates, and will ultimately gain acceptance as their numerous advantages are realised.
New projects in 2017
From an industry perspective, 2017 was successful and productive for not only Vanderbilt, but also many of our peers, as we saw a number of advancements in business development and product refinement. The overall economy did not negatively impact the vertical markets Vanderbilt serves; many new large projects were rolled out as well as the continuation of technology upgrades performed on the installed base.
Heightened cybersecurity risk
An unexpected yet relevant occurrence this year was the acknowledgment of cyber threats to many existing security systems. The growing use of the Internet of Things (IoT) has brought many opportunities to the security world, but also presents a heightened cybersecurity risk. This threat should propel the understanding to craft new requirements and policies needed to properly and responsibly design and install new security systems. Additionally, this threat should drive mandatory audits and hardening of the installed base.
As we look ahead to next year, the influx of IoT solutions will place an even greater emphasis on cybersecurity. With the acceptance of hosted solutions, intelligent locking systems and mobile applications and credentials, the typical security systems architecture is evolving rapidly to more streamlined, technologically advanced hardware and software applications.
The winners of 2018 will be the manufacturers, system integrators and end users that embrace the advanced technologies made available.