Adriatic security market: What’s in store for the future

Asked about the future of the security market, the interviewees for our Adriatic market report were optimistic, and predicted continued growth of the current technological trends that have come to the fore in recent years, including artificial intelligence (AI) and integration of disparate systems.
 
“Technological innovations such as LTE solutions for fixed broadband access in 2.3–2.7 GHz range, 60 GHz gigabit links, enterprise switches and LoRA base stations and sensors are just some of the innovations that will affect the growth and expansion of a range of wireless communication solutions,” said Kristijan Fabina, Regional Sales Manager Adriatics, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Cambium Networks.

Vertical-based approach

Stjepan Šurmanović, South East Europe Key Account Manager, Axis Communications, said that in the technological sense their "network audio system solution will become even more prominent in the region. Axis network audio systems are fully networked, so that the speaker itself has a built-in amplifier, web server, event management software, audio analytics and POE power supply."
 
Borislava Kenarova, Sales Manager for Central Eastern Europe at Milestone, said the firm’s plan for 2019 was to “focus more on the vertical approach and to work closely with our community partners to deliver whole unified solutions for our end customers based on the industry demands.
 
“Traditionally, Milestone Systems’ video platform has been used in security installations but the trend is now that video is moving beyond security and there are many scenarios, where we can see that.”
 
As an example, she refers to the retail market in which video analytics can be used to increase customer satisfaction, create targeted campaigns, organize employee training. 

Integration 

Aleksandar Dobnikar, BDM & Sales at SONY Video Security Solutions for BT/SSY-EU, believes that integration with other security systems is inevitable with cameras becoming more advanced.
 
At Hikvision they are more specific: “This year we will witness the continuation of the integration of products and services into a single solution. Such a solution will include simplified management of all channels on a single platform, be it video surveillance, intrusion prevention or access control. We firmly believe that integration is a key factor of success because it offers drastic savings in terms of time and resources to both partners and users,” said Antun Krešimir Buterin, Marketing Manager for the Adriatic region at Hikvision.

Smart Devices, AI, IoT

Elis Hrkalović, Business Development Manager, Dahua Technology Bosnia and Herzegovina, said the company's focus in the coming period were “solutions for smart cities, smart homes, public transport, digital advertising and video walls, which is the direction in which the market is moving as well. In the future, we can expect new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data and cloud computing, which Dahua already implements in some of its products and thus brings significant improvements to security. In addition, the internet of things (IoT) brings a number of practical applications, whereby the integration of video surveillance systems and various detectors (of motion, humidity or temperature) gives the users the access to information that help them improve their business processes and results."
 
Bosch plans to invest more in AI, with US$300 million alone being set aside for the expansion of its Bosch Center for Artificial Intelligence (BCAI) by 2021.

Cybersecurity

“In the technological sense, more attention will be given to the protection of security systems which are increasingly becoming open to other systems and to open networks. There is an increasing demand for installations in public areas which are connected via an open network of a provider. Due to the increasing number of global incidents over the past two years, users will pay more attention to complete cybersecurity solutions in order to prevent unauthorized use of their systems,” said Đorđe Bačić, Business Development Manager for the Balkans at VIVOTEK.
 
Poor cybersecurity in some video surveillance cameras is seen by Dobnikar at Sony as the consequence of insufficient investment in data protection, which makes it possible for some manufacturers to offer cheaper products. He believes the solution is to raise awareness of the severity of this problem.
 
“I believe the race for the cheapest video security product comes to the end because our market is not unlimited. Awareness of internet/network security is growing and security managers are taking a huge responsibility for the security systems they will approve or planning to use,” he said, adding that Full HD had become a technological standard while the time of 4K resolution and the internet of things (IoT) was coming.