7 Physical Security Trends in 2018

 

As technologies have emerged and evolved and are increasingly connecting us together, security threats, both known and previously unseen, are also becoming more advanced alongside the technologies that can often enable them.As we make our way through 2018, certain trends in physical security have emerged from businesses and public sector utilizing some of the newer technologies that have taken center stage in recent times.

In this article, we’ll cover seven of the most prominent physical security trends so far in 2018 and provide some detail on how they work and why they’re being adopted.

So, let’s jump straight in.

1-Adoption of Security Robots will rise

It is looking more and more likely that 2018 may very well be the year that physical security and surveillance operations are revolutionized by robots.

The concept of security robots has been around for several decades and been imagined in various different iterations by science fiction books, television and films. However, security robots are now being used by businesses and organisations of various sizes, from local animal shelters to the biggest social media and technologies companies on the planet.

Security robots are already being deployed to help enhance and support human law enforcement and security efforts. Crime-ridden parking lots, dangerous areas such as underneath some bridges and around schools and offices are just a few of the places in which security robots can now be found.

While some commentators have expressed concern about the accuracy and accountability of security robots, further innovation in the field, alongside increasing adoption could prove to be the exposure therapy that relieves the fear of the unknown in these cases.

2-AI based Facial and Behavioral Recognition technology will become more popular and affordable

Nowadays, recognition systems seem to be everywhere. From smartphone apps to video surveillance and security, behavioral and facial recognition systems are being utilized in many different industries for various different applications.

Within the security remit, facial and behavioral recognition systems can be used for several important jobs that make use of their ability to recognize certain behavioral patterns or run captured faces against criminal databases, for example.

Whereas traditional surveillance cameras offered limited assistance when it came to identifying suspects or suspicious persons, facial and behavioral recognition systems are increasingly coming built into the latest IP surveillance camera solutions, making them an ideal solution for security and surveillance purposes.

Facial recognition systems are also increasingly being used alongside access management systems to ensure staff safety and reduce the potential for unauthorized access to certain areas or facilities. By recognizing personnel, facial recognition systems can then check that staff have the appropriate access level required to enter certain areas.

3-Cloud-Based Video Surveillance-as-a-Service will grow further

The rise of managed services has brought with it a plethora of benefits to those looking for expert security solutions without the need to know how to run them. Particularly popular with smaller businesses and enterprises, security-as-a-service (SaaS) is a trend that looks set to continue the growth it is currently enjoying.

One particular trend enjoying a surge in the number of organizations looking into it to enhance their physical security is that of cloud-based video surveillance-as-a-service.

By outsourcing their video surveillance operations to a cloud-based SaaS provider, companies are cutting down on the costs of purchasing and running their own security hardware and software while at the same time benefiting from having experts managing their video surveillance.

As cloud-based systems become both more popular and more affordable, managed security services such as cloud-based video surveillance will likely continue the growth of this trend and will also likely spur on innovation within it, allowing for more advanced solutions to be offered by providers.

4-Cyber-security hardening of Physical Security Systems will get more attention from Industrial Users

Due to increasing convergence of IT and OT technologies, there is a rising concern around the inbuilt security of operational or IoT technologies that are added into a network. IP Surveillance cameras and NVR’s are network devices and therefore can become a target vector to get into a network. For several companies it might not be such a risk, however, for critical infrastructure authorities and industry, securing the converged IT/OT network has been a top priority over the last couple of years and is expected to stay that way in 2018 as well.

Camera security and biometrics offer great physical security benefits but they need to evolve to be safe for deployment in a critical infrastructure asset’s network. OEM’s are now expected to develop cyber hardened IoT solutions that are built with a security-by-design approach. This push is not only for the physical security systems but for all types of Operational technologies such as SCADA systems, PLC’s, Sensors, Actuators, Gateways, Routers and what not.

5-Drones will continue to rule- Wild Animal Poaching, Drug Trafficking, Illegal Border Crossing will decline

Without a doubt one of the truly game changing technologies in the Physical Security industry. Cheapest air surveillance option by far, easily within the reach of enterprises, SME’s and Industrial end users. Drones are offering a number of surveillance applications that range from crime deterrence, situational awareness and chasing criminals.

Since their commercialization UAV’s or drones have evolved in technological capabilities. Now, drones offer features such as night vision, no-line-of-sight operation, autonomous operation, behavioral and object detection.

Drones are especially useful where manning of security personnel was previously impossible, costly or largely inefficient. Illegal border crossing, wild animal poaching and drug trafficking are three such activities that occur far from populated areas and deep into the large unmanned stretches of international borders, deserts and jungles. Drones have proven to be extremely effective and economical in tackling these problems.

6-UHD Surveillance Cameras will continue to appeal

 Ultra-high definition (UHD) surveillance cameras are becoming increasingly widely used as they provide a significant enhancement to legacy surveillance camera systems and can come with a variety of different features and functions in order to broaden the scope of their abilities and applications.

While traditional CCTV cameras were often extremely blurry and didn’t offer too many features other than filming and recording, UHD cameras can offer 4K image resolutions and can come equipped with features such as motion detection and night vision modes.

With the Internet of Things being one of the drivers behind the adoption of IP networked surveillance cameras, organizations and enterprises are beginning to see the advantages of multiple connected UHD cameras for their security operations and this trend seems likely to continue as a result of these factors.

With their significantly increased image and footage quality, UHD surveillance cameras are capable of being deployed in environments and locations where traditional surveillance cameras may have failed. They could also be, should the footage provide some kind of evidence, be used with confidence in a court of law.

7-More NVRs will be sold with Solid-State Drives due to their longevity

Last year, Gartner predicted that 2017 would be the year in which revenue from sales of solid-state drives (SSD) would finally overtake that of hard disk drives (HDD) and, not surprisingly, the use of SSDs has continued to increase into 2018.

SSDs are becoming the popular choice among businesses and organisations due to their reliability, performance, write speed and ruggedness. These characteristics allow them to be used when surveillance operations are of a critical nature, in government institutions, healthcare, or financial organisations.

Solid-state drives get their name due to the fact that they do away with moving parts in order to dramatically improve performance by reading, writing and accessing data much quicker than their HDD counterparts.

One of the biggest selling points for SSDs is there durability, and this is also down to a lack of moving parts. Internal mechanisms that could make other hardware susceptible to damage from vibrations, shock, or prolonged use aren’t present within SSDs, making them a much more durable storage solution.

 

 

 


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