Security systems have traditionally been most useful after an incident occurred. This began to change with the arrival of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI)-based analytics. The power of AI has enabled security agencies to detect issues as and when they develop and take steps to control before the situation gets out of hand.
Security systems have traditionally been most useful after an incident occurred. This began to change with the arrival of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI)-based analytics. The power of AI has enabled security agencies to detect issues as and when they develop and take steps to control before the situation gets out of hand.
But even this may not be enough to provide a comprehensive security system. It is good to know when a crime happens, but unless there is a clear idea of the risks involved, users cannot remain fully prepared for a problem.
This is where the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based
Circadian Risk’s solutions become relevant. The company creates software for security/safety consultants and professionals to help them analyze risk on a daily basis at a company building. The platform helps companies understand their risk of a threat, fire, an active shooter scenario and similar other adverse scenarios.
Speaking to asmag.com, Daniel Young, Founder and CEO of the company, explained that since risk is dynamic, Circadian Risk creates the tools necessary to collect and continuously analyze data using technologies like machine learning and data mining.
Daniel Young, Founder and CEO, Circardian Risk
“The platform also uses mobile technology to create efficiencies and advantages for the consultant,” Young said. “For example, the vulnerability and compliance assessment allows a consultant to upload the floor plan of a physical building to an iPad, and then document each vulnerability or deficiency on that map.”
On the back end, Circadian Risk will couple collected data with other critical data sets, such as crime statistics, to offer a more meaningful risk assessment.
“Our goal is to create a Circadian Risk Index that can be used for any building,” Young added. “Doing so will help insurance companies accurately calculate insurance premiums and discounts. In addition, police and government can utilize our platform to predict and prevent catastrophic incidents with critical infrastructure by gaining a much better understanding various risk levels.”
What’s special about the solution?
The concept of safety risk analysis or assessment is an integral part of ensuring security to an organization. There are several conventional methods to approach this, such as physically analyzing the risks, but this has its limitations. A major issue is that the methods of analysis have not developed much over the years, despite a rapid spike in the kind of threats out there. According to Young, Circadian Risk is able to bring about a change to this.
“Physical Security Risk analysis is a very labor-intensive process with little to no technological advancement in the last decade,” Young said. “Everyone involved - consultants, organizations, government institutions - is currently stuck with static information that does not change unless another assessment is completed. Circadian Risk is disrupting a lagging industry by transforming physical risk analysis into a dynamic process that delivers more accurate and actionable data for measurable results.”
The power of software
Circadian Risk aims to provide a complete collection of solutions that can help security professionals mitigate risks and ensure adequate preparedness. Young elaborated further on this as he talked about the company’s first product.
“Available for the iPad, our first product is a vulnerability and compliance inspection tool with online and offline capability, geolocation to quickly locate problems, photo documentation of deficiencies, report generation, business intelligence and analytics, and a Corrective Action Plan to track and assign remediation,” Young said.
Of course, there are several developments in the field of AI and machine learning, and Circadian Risk’s products will surely benefit from them in the days to come. Young said that such developments will have a major impact in this industry itself by allowing companies to analyze a great deal of data quickly, based on a complete risk profile so that they can focus on protecting their assets rather than gathering data.
Upgrading security solutions to meet today’s demands
Security threats are becoming more and more sophisticated every day. However, solutions to mitigate these threats are not developing as fast as they should. This is the reason we continue to see security incidents in the news frequently. And this is the reason that prompted Young to embark on this journey.
“I have spent over 15 years in security, with seven years as a Regional Bioterrorism Coordinator,” Young said. “Throughout my career, I noticed that the physical security industry is quite antiquated. Conversely, IT security has capitalized on the advances in automation, software, and penetration testing, using them as a common and required way to protect vital data and assets. I wanted to take that same approach to enhance and improve the physical risk analysis industry so we can be proactive and prevent incidents.”