COVID-19 - Round table discussions

Inflation, the rise in prices of goods and services over time, can result from a multitude of factors. It happens when there is more money chasing a limited supply of goods. It happens when the cost of producing and transporting goods increases. It can even happen because expectations of future inflation heighten current demand to avoid higher prices. During and after the COVID pandemic, supply chain disruptions, shifting consumer demand, and government stimulus all contributed to higher inflati...

The economic fallout of the COVID-19 epidemic was felt in supply chain disruptions, higher prices, and shortages of certain goods. The physical security industry was not spared, although the epidemic also presented opportunities for security companies. Changing access control trends triggered by the pandemic are still reverberating throughout the industry, for example. Four years later, the impact of the pandemic is still being felt in the security market, lingering like the symptoms of "long CO...

Frictionless systems provide access to a building without interfering at all with a user’s entry experience. Frictionless access means you can automatically pass through a gate without showing a credential or otherwise engaging, and with the system recognising who you are and allowing you to pass. In true frictionless access, everything works seamlessly, with unauthorised people obviously barred. But how close are we to realising frictionless access control? We asked this week’s Expe...

Sharing data between security and building management devices can provide a route to maximise building usage and minimise costs. In today's Internet of Things (IoT) environment, tying together a variety of systems is easier than ever. For an update, we asked this week's Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the benefits of integrating security technology with building management systems (BMS)?

Challenges of the global supply chain have reverberated into the physical security marketplace in a big way in recent years. Dealers who historically could count on timely delivery of equipment have instead faced extended delays that in some cases have jeopardised their businesses. By most accounts, the situation is improving, so we turned to our Expert Panel Roundtable for an update. Our question this week: What is the current state of the physical security supply chain?

Biometrics is both a mature technology in the physical security world and an innovation perpetually on the cutting edge. Biometric technologies received a boost during the COVID pandemic when “touchless” became a buzzword with particular relevancy to the world of biometrics. Higher security needs, such as “two-factor authentication,” are also driving demand for biometric products. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the latest technology trends in...

The economic outlook for the year ahead is uncertain at best. Multiple lingering issues are in play, such as inflation, supply chain challenges, global instability, and a changing workforce. But to what extent does a shaky economy equate to a slowdown in the security market? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How does the wider economic climate impact the market for security products and services?

From lodging to food service to event planning to tourism, the hospitality market faces a large and growing range of security threats and challenges. Given the competitiveness of the market and the heightened flow of information about customer satisfaction via social media, there is more at stake than ever as hospitality professionals seek to ensure the safety and security of guests. We asked this week's Expert Panel Roundtable: What security challenges are impacting the hospitality market of to...

Like any year, 2022 was full of surprises for the physical security industry. Adapting to supply chain shortages, lightning-fast technology development, and changing occupancy patterns in a shifting labor market were just a few of the factors that kept security professionals guessing in 2022. Wonder what the new year will hold? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What will be the biggest surprise for security in the year ahead (2023)?

The security trade show season is resuming this fall with the GSX show in the United States and Security Essen in Germany, among other upcoming industry events. The return of trade shows is gathering momentum following the COVID lockdowns and cancellations with plenty more shows coming soon. But how useful is attending industry trade shows? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What do you accomplish by attending a security industry show?

With the worst of the COVID pandemic’s impact behind us, most would agree that the security industry was transformed by the interlude, as were most other elements in our society. But what will be the lasting impact on the security market – positive or negative? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Is post-pandemic security more effective than pre-pandemic security? How?

The Metaverse sounds like the plot of the latest summer action movie. In reality, it’s a technology - or, more accurately, a group of technologies - that will likely have a transformational impact on a host of markets. For security, the Metaverse has an extensive list of needs. It also presents some opportunities. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What does the Metaverse mean for security?

It’s safe to say there has been more change in the workplace in the last two years than ever before. Driven by the pandemic, technology has both allowed greater flexibility for employees and enabled continuing prosperity for many companies that otherwise would have had to cease operation. But have security protocols and practices done enough to enable companies to keep pace with the changes? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Have security protocols and practices kept up w...

Arriving at ISC West 2022, it seemed almost as if the last three years hadn't happened. The vibe and the energy seemed just as heightened as in 2019, and it was almost as if the show had somehow gained momentum during the pandemic downtime. For additional insights, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How was ISC West? What surprised you the most?

Can we finally relax a little and announce that the pandemic is nearing an end? With all the false starts and stops, it’s understandable if uncertainty continues to be the dominant force. The apprehension that ruled at every stage continues even as the pandemic (hopefully) ends. But what about ‘the new normal?’ How will the industry need to reinvent itself in the post-pandemic world? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: As the industry transitions back to in-pers...

Early in the pandemic, before the mechanisms of COVID spread were clearly understood, there was talk about the disease being transmitted through contact with surfaces. Such concerns created a windfall for manufacturers of hand sanitizer, and broadly changed the perceived risks of touching surfaces, perhaps forever. Touching the same surface as hundreds of other people suddenly became less desirable, thus boosting the fortunes of “touchless” access control and security devices. But wi...

Supply chain issues have plagued the economic recovery during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the problems show every indication of persisting for months or even years to come. Supply chain challenges have impacted the security marketplace in many ways, reflecting the breadth and variety of products needed to secure people, facilities, and assets. Wondering about the specifics of that impact, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How does disruption of the global supply chain...

We appreciate the variety of opinionated discussions offered throughout the year by our Expert Panel Roundtable. Looking back at 2021, we found some random and uncategorised Expert Panel responses that were not previously published. We have rescued these responses from our cutting-room floor and present them here in the interest of generating even more discussion.

As security professionals, one of our goals is a continuous improvement when it comes to protecting people, facilities, and assets. A useful tool for continuous improvement is to apply ‘lessons learned’ in the past to challenges in the future. Because 2021 will be remembered as a challenging and eventful year for all of us, let’s consider what we can learn from the experiences of 2021. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What security lessons did we learn during...

The transportation industry is unique because it plays a role in both the minutiae of everyday life and the overall economy's well-being. Providing uninterrupted and efficient transportation services depends heavily on the safety and security of transportation entities. Due to the vast amount of people frequenting transit stations and the importance of the items on ships and ferries, the transportation sector faces multiple challenges that evolve as the industry advances. We asked this week&rsqu...

The COVID-19 pandemic has complicated the task of securing hospitals and healthcare facilities by adding new concerns about disease transmission to the long list of other threats healthcare security professionals face. Hospital security must also crack the code to both allow open public access to healthcare facilities while keeping out violence and other security threats. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the security challenges of the healthcare industry?   

Air travel is returning to pre-pandemic levels. COVID and its aftermath have added new compliance and operational concerns for airport security, and social and political volatility around the world emphasises the need for constant vigilance. A range of new technologies are enhancing airport security, not to mention providing new tools to simplify processes throughout the airport. We asked our Expert Panel Roundtable: Which technologies are transforming airport security? 

Residential security and smart homes are rapidly changing facets of the larger physical security marketplace, driven by advances in consumer technology and concerns about rising crime rates. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people spent more time at home and became more aware of the need for greater security. As workplaces opened back up, returning workers turned to technology to help them keep watch over their homes from afar. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the...

Since the advent of the physical security industry, access control has been synonymous with physical cards, whether 125 kHz ‘prox’ cards or the newer smart card alternatives. However, other credentials have also come on the scene, including biometrics and even smart phones. Some of these choices have distinct cost and security advantages over physical cards. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How soon will the access control card become extinct and why? 

The idea of touchless systems has gained new levels of prominence during the last year, driven by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Contactless systems have been part of the industry’s toolbox for decades, while technologies like facial and iris recognition are finding new uses every day. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Which security markets are embracing touchless, contactless systems and why? 

In-person training sessions were mostly canceled during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the need for training continued, and in some cases increased, as the security industry sought to adapt to the changing business climate of a global emergency. So how well did we as an industry adjust? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How has security industry training changed in the last year?

Large public events were out of the question during the depths of the pandemic. However, public events are likely to experience a resurgence along with a more optimistic outlook in the coming months. In addition, there will likely be pent-up enthusiasm for these events among individuals weary from months of isolation. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the security challenges of public events planners in 2021?

In the past few weeks, the light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel has brightened, providing new levels of hope that the worst of the pandemic is behind us. Dare we now consider what life will be like after the pandemic is over? Considering the possible impact on our industry, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Which security technologies will be most useful in a post-pandemic world?

The topic of video analytics has been talked and written about for decades, and yet is still one of the cutting-edge themes in the physical security industry. Some say yesterday’s analytics systems tended to overpromise and underdeliver, and there are still some skeptics. However, newer technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) are reinvigorating the sector and enabling it to finally live up to its promise. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What new technologies a...

During the coronavirus lockdown, employees worked from home in record numbers. But the growing trend came with a new set of security challenges. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What is the impact of the transition to remote working/home offices on the security market?