The security industry is fast-evolving, fueled by global security threats and technological advancements, according to a report from Axis Communications.
The security industry is fast-evolving, fueled by global security threats and technological advancements, according to a report from Axis Communications.
Looking ahead to 2017, Johan Paulsson, CTO, Axis Communications lists out six major trends that are expected to have a major impact on the security industry.
“On a global level the world is going through turbulent times, with conflicts, political uncertainty, an ongoing refugee crisis and a somewhat fragile economic recovery from the most recent financial downturn,” Paulsson said. “At the same time, technological developments continue unabated, with high-speed networks, big data and deep learning moving beyond that initial phase of just being marketing buzz words to enabling new and improved security offerings. Similarly, we expect the so-called ‘Internet of Things’ to be much less of a novelty and more of the fabric of our daily lives. However, that means manufacturers of internet-enabled devices will have to step up and take much more responsibility for the level of default security they ship with. All of these factors are likely to fuel demand for increased security, both physical and online.”
Security as a service:
Axis expects customers to stop looking at physical security as simply being a collection of hardware and software connected to a network. Instead, it expects them to start seeing security as a service – remote and professionally hosting and monitoring of video transmitted from the customer’s premise.
Integrated solutions:
“The security industry will continue its trends of offering more specific solutions to particular problems, rather than one-size fits all hardware/software,” Paulsson said. “In the end, customers aren’t looking to buy a camera, or a video management system (VMS) – what they really want is to reduce shoplifting, or make sure only certain people can access the cash office, or keep track of potential threats in an airport.”
The term solutions gets used in technology companies quite a lot, however, it is the most apt when it comes to security. The convergence of hardware and software as well as pre- and post-installation tools as mentioned above into end-to-end solutions will be able to address specific security problems.
Increased presence of analytics
High quality video and data are expected to continue its popularity in the market. However, even more interesting would be the rise of more intelligent analytic systems.
“We expect to see 2017 as the year when these new camera capabilities are combined with real-time analytics to address several security challenges, including facial recognition, forensic analysis and perimeter protection,” said Paulsson.
Other factors that Paulsson mentioned include deep learning, security beyond video and cyber security. As analytics get more popular, companies would try to make use of concepts such as deep learning to have a stronger impact. Security surveillance on the other hand, would not just be about security, as it would extend to technologies like access control, intercoms, speakers etc.
Finally, all these developments come under the shadow of cyber security threats. Security companies, in the coming years, would be keener to ensure that their solutions are hack-proof.