Data Security - Expert commentary

2017 witnessed a continued decline in the cost of cameras. While this creates a challenge for camera companies, it creates two clear opportunities: (1) Product differentiation now relies more heavily on software rather than camera parameters, which drives more focus and rapid innovation on the software side, and (2) cameras have become more affordable which encourages an increase in the adoption rate and size of surveillance projects.   Artificial Intelligence surveillance applications Ad...

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 capitalise 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...

Over the past year, there was an unprecedented rise in drone incidents. Drones were unwelcome at and threatening the physical and cybersecurity of defence organisations, stadiums, corporations, and data centres, among organisations 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...

The security industry remains interested in capturing actionable data from video analytics and this year we saw increasing interest from non-security industries. While still a relatively young industry for our market—think of where Google was with collecting metadata 10 years ago—video security works with similar algorithms for capturing various scenarios. The data this provides is becoming more valuable not only for security purposes, but also for business operations, such as deter...

Biometric identification technologies today are becoming pervasive. Many smartphones offer fingerprint unlock options, and most organisations have at least considered the technology as a solution for their identification and access needs. While biometrics have dramatically improved in the past several years to deliver faster, more efficient and more secure solutions, not everyone is ready for the change. New York MTA case study But does that mean that organisations need to hold off on implemen...

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 realising 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’....

As the economy improved during 2017, the security industry also experienced an increase in new projects and upgrades for existing customers. Security dealers have been busy adapting to the new services that customers are now demanding and trying to stay competitive within their market. Many have changed their strategies—offering not only professionally installed systems but assisting with DIY and self-install products. Overall, the goal of forward-thinking security dealers has been to ele...

The term “smart city” gets thrown around a lot nowadays, but as different technologies that strive to be defined in this way are adopted by different countries globally, the meaning of this phrase gets lost in translation. The simplest way to define a “smart city” is that it is an urban area that uses different types of data collecting sensors to manage assets and resources efficiently. One of the most obvious types of “data collecting sensor” is the video ca...

Companies have vast amounts of data at their fingertips to help them make better business decisions about how to secure their buildings and improve business processes. What we will see next year is more companies determining HOW to use their data to help make better business decisions. Physical identity and access management systems with intuitive dashboards will help users determine how to use their data to save money. For example, reducing manual processes can free up hours of time. CSOs can f...

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 organisations more accountable. One of the most recent examples of this is the European Un...

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...

The number of security cameras in use today is growing exponentially. At the same time, resolutions are getting higher and higher. These two factors are placing heavy demands on servers and storage equipment. Of course, the capacity of these systems is also increasing, but that alone does not make the equipment truly suitable for the most demanding applications - such as camera surveillance. A video stream is not comparable to 'normal' data, for which storage systems are usually designed. This a...

A tipping point is defined as: “The point at which a series of changes becomes significant enough to cause a larger, more important change”. In the same way that IP video changed surveillance a decade ago, our industry is now feeling the impact of recent developments in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Big Data, and Intelligent Video Analysis. Keyword definitions Let’s start with a few more definitions. Artificial Intelligence (AI) deals with the sim...

Video. It’s a central part of everyone’s lives — whether it’s streaming content to your home television, sharing your own recorded movies on social media or transforming video into actionable intelligence in the business environment — and the value of video from all aspects and markets in the world continues to expand. Use cases are growing as well: Employee training, student learning evaluations, marketing reviews, drone video capture for real estate sales and cu...

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 CCTV effectively acr...

There has been a significant shift in the methodology used by cyber criminals over the past couple of years, in particular. Whilst traditional ‘hacking’ and malware are still prevalent, there has been a boom in other types of attack, in particular Ransomware and Social Engineering. So, why has this happened? Most profitable types of cyber attack There is an old saying, “follow the money”, and nowhere is this more pertinent when considering cyber-crimes against UK busine...

If I asked you today how your video surveillance environment has changed over the past few years, how would you respond? I bet the answer could include the following options: An increase in the number of cameras The addition of more advanced technologies such as high-definition video, video analytics, 360-degree video devices, cloud-based services and more IT innovations. Demand for more video data to drive business, IT and security initiatives. Modern video surveillance The modernisati...

PSIMs have had a bad rap in the pro security industry for a multitude of reasons; ranging from suppliers overpromising on integration and control capabilities to complexity of implementation and use. However, there is a silver lining to this story. Today, advanced PSIM solutions are being successfully deployed in commercial applications with the ability to integrate previously disparate professional access, video, notification, building operations and more onto a unified control and management...

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 organisations are looking outside their own environment for solutions that will help them become more agile, maximise resources and save money. Yet, while this study and countless others show that mo...

Today ‘terrorism’ has become a word we use and hear every day. The goal of terrorism is a media product - information delivered to nearly every house in the world. So, the weapon of terrorism is information. Therefore, the way we defend and prevent terrorism must also be based on intelligent processing of information - and an early awareness of potential threats and effective preventive action may eliminate most attacks. Video analytics, automated surveillance and AI decision-making...

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 — an...

There have been many changes in the healthcare environment over the past decade. The Affordable Care Act has been established, severe weather events are on the rise, violence along with active shootings continue to increase, behavioural health patients present treatment challenges and hospitals continue to consolidate to increase purchasing and service capabilities. Over the next decade, healthcare will continue to transform. Emphasis will be on financial reform, violence response, emergency pre...

To say the surveillance industry has changed over the last quarter of a century is an understatement. From high-definition cameras and TVs to high flying drones and video analytics – the surveillance industry has shifted in ways we never expected to see in such a short space of time. What’s more, with such advancements in both quality and choice that’s now available in the market, it’s no wonder that revenue in the video surveillance market is set to double to $75.64 bill...

A new study reveals that intelligent fire detection systems have the potential to unlock more than 30 percent cost-savings on routine maintenance checks through real-time, data-driven remote monitoring. Kevin Mears, Product Manager for Kentec Electronics, describes how remote monitoring and predictive maintenance can meet the competitive challenges of the digital age. Leading economists have identified the convergence and synergies delivered by The Internet of Things – the interconnection...

“Netflix,” “twerk” and “selfie” were added to the dictionary. Boston Marathon bombing. Activist Nelson Mandela and actor Paul Walker died. Edward Snowden gave NSA classified documents to Wikilinks. These events may seem like they happened only yesterday, but they are some of the top news headlines from four years ago. Four years can feel like a very short time, and in four short years, every security panel installed by dealers to date will go dark. The curren...

Nowadays, there is a lot of hype around data and its utility for almost any industry – from security and law enforcement to business operations and retail. While we are inundated with information about data and its significance to business success, technological development and fulfilling the promise of the Internet of Things, we don’t always get practical feedback as to how to obtain this valuable data from the resources available to us. Security teams feel this challenge acutely....

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 organisation. 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. Whilst security t...