Physical security - Expert commentary

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 interest...

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 mobile 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 continuous authe...

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 organisations harness video to fulfil 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 opp...

As we take a look back on 2017, there are a number of trends we need to highlight — all of which have redefined our industry. Cybersecurity played a huge role in physical security, driven by the increase in the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the overall interconnectivity between devices and expanding cloud technologies. Although exceptionally beneficial, the IoT also brings with it an increased amount of cyber vulnerabilities. As security systems are using the Internet more and m...

The security industry was strong and healthy in 2017. High-end security markets, such as the power distribution and critical infrastructure sectors, saw continued growth and opportunity for perimeter security technologies like thermal imaging, video analytics and radar. For the low-end security markets, there was significant competition from Chinese manufacturers. Despite this challenge, we saw continued growth from premium Western security manufacturers in 2017 in which many introduced cost-ef...

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...

SourceSecurity.com’s Expert Panel covered a lot of ground in 2017 about a variety of topics resonating in the security market.   The most-read Roundtable discussion in 2017 was about a familiar and ongoing debate: What is an open system? Other hot topics that made the Top-10 list of Roundtable discussions included smartphones, buzzwords, standards and product life cycles. Here is a listing of our Top 10 Expert Panel Roundtable discussions posted in 2017,...

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...

2017 was quite an interesting and eventful year for the physical security industry. The economy has been robust and technology has become progressively sophisticated—with interactive services, cloud computing and network-based solutions taking charge to provide new insights to installers and their end-user customers. The Internet of Things is creating increasingly integrated solutions, with a heightened emphasis on total connectivity. Changing security expectations World events have als...

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’....

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...

Access control and security entrance integration is a specialised discipline. It is true that security entrances require only a dry contact and can integrate with virtually any access control system, but there are some things to be considered when researching the right access control system for your organisation’s security goals. After 21 years’ experience in the security industry—four of those serving as an advisor for security solutions to dozens of Fortune 1000 companies&md...

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...

In the digital age, speed has never been more critical. Customers expect an instant response to a query. Executives expect sales data on their tablets in front of them in real-time. A site manager at an oil refinery needs an instant alert about a defective valve. An IT manager expects to know about a phishing email before it hits his employees’ inboxes. The 'need for speed' is impacting the physical security sector too. Customers increasingly expect their security systems to identify and...

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...

Recent research shows most access control technology currently in use is not as secure or convenient as many security managers believe, according to day-to-day users of the system. In this HID Global white paper, you will discover what different companies look for in an access control system, why certain legacy access control systems may be vulnerable to attack, and why upgrading to a new access control system can result in huge benefit for enterprises and end users.  Find out m...

For many years, video analytics have enabled end users to detect specific people or vehicles entering restricted areas, capture license plate information, scan crowds for specific individuals and much more. Today’s Video Management Systems (VMS) and IP cameras are built with powerful processing capabilities, helping to drive the development of more advanced analytics to more accurately detect abnormalities in behaviors that trigger alerts – an important component of predictive analys...

Security and systems integrators across the nation are recommending and providing long-term security solutions to their customers. But when it comes to physical security entrances, integrators can easily fall into the trap of simply fulfilling an end user’s exact request without much pushback. Why? We believe the complexity and variety of entrances available makes it difficult to consult on the best solution, but also because there are a lot of assumptions at play. 1) Ask questions to d...

The need for interoperability, which is making different types of devices or technologies communicate with one another, is certainly nothing new in our industry. At Anixter, we have been testing interoperability in our Infrastructure Solutions Lab for many years, connecting devices and clients from different suppliers to our test server site to ensure that integrations and multi-supplier solutions are going to work correctly for our customers in real-world scenarios. Open standards in access co...

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...

The corporate mantra “Utilise TCO instead of purchase price when making purchasing decisions” means evaluating a project’s Total-Cost-of-Ownership over its lifetime period as the primary cost factor. It requires the corporate buyer to scrutinise the entirety of the investment as opposed to just the upfront purchase price. Like an iceberg, where the majority of the ice is below the surface, the total cost of ownership of a security system is typically much larger than the upfro...

Since the introduction of smartphones with downloadable applications, vendors have been trying to replace the traditional plastic identification (ID) card with a mobile phone application. People might lose or misplace an ID card, but most people immediately recognise if they are without their mobile phone. Mobile ID badges for access control Bluetooth Low Energy iBeacon technology Technical challenges of mobile ID apps The logical extension is to replace or augment the traditional corpor...

In today’s connected world, network intrusions and breaches have become a way of life, as hackers and cybercriminals work constantly to discover and exploit vulnerabilities. Because businesses of all sizes rely on their IT infrastructure to a growing degree, technology providers are working just as hard to stay ahead of would-be attackers. However, it’s difficult if not impossible to eliminate every potential threat. Therefore, it is highly likely that most organisations will suffer...

Energy security, access to the electrical grid and police and fire safety are just a handful of the networked services that we take for granted and rely upon on a daily basis. Every second of every day, sensors are digitising the real world, creating information and transporting it across multiple networks and interfaces to a broadening audience. While there is obvious utility being gleaned from this process, from our vantage point here in the physical security space, information sharing and tra...

Mobile access is probably the largest emerging trend in the security marketplace, but it is only one of several that are changing the face of the access control market. Another factor showing potential to change the market is the emergence of location systems and positioning systems, as reflected by HID Global’s recent acquisition of Bluvision, a provider of real-time location tracking system for assets and employees, and building information modeling (BIM) is impacting how consultants do...