COVID-19 solutions the only saving grace in a year that rattled the security industry

The traditional security solutions market suffered this year. This meant that vendors had to scramble to find alternate segments that would offset their impending losses. The irony is that the problem itself provided a solution. To deal with COVID-19, customers turned to thermal cameras, video analytics, touchless access control systems, and other similar solutions.

Seeing the opportunity, many companies innovated, albeit not without glitches. Despite concerns about the accuracy of thermal cameras, they became a popular product. Analytics such as social distance monitor may be too invasive, but they served many customers' purposes. Facial recognition came of age, as no one wanted to touch the fingerprint sensor.

New avenues to sustain

Such developments offered ways for companies to cushion the impact of COVID-19.  Christian Morin, VP of Cloud Services and Chief Security

Officer at Genetec, pointed out that while some areas obviously took a hit, sectors like retail for essential services continued to function and required security services. Other companies gave similar comments.

"Since lockdown, MOBOTIX has seen an increase in demand for its thermal imaging solutions," said Thomas Lausten, CEO of MOBOTIX. "Several airports around the world have deployed thermal monitoring systems as part of a package of measures to safeguard and mitigate the impact of COVID-19. Much faster and more efficiently than handheld devices, thermal cameras can measure surface temperature ranges—a bit like an early warning system. Staff can then draw the individual aside for further investigation to see if they might be ill, allowing other travelers to carry on unimpeded."

Leveraging the high demand for reliable solutions with thermal cameras in the past months, MOBOTIX has just released its final result for 2019/2020 with an annual growth of 11 percent and a planned increase in profit.

Ray Mauritsson, CEO of Axis Communications, added that the pandemic has undoubtedly led to an increased interest in and demand for remote

monitoring solutions. An obvious example is the healthcare sector, which has, of course, been under incredible pressure during the pandemic, with staff having to deal with high patient numbers and the need to maintain distance.
 
"Traditional security technology has been used by physicians to monitor their patients remotely, particularly in temporary hospitals, and such surveillance technology has become a force multiplier for healthcare professionals," Mauritsson said. "In combination with video and audio analytics, it's possible to detect signs of patient distress. By adding telemetry devices that can monitor patients' vital signs, the staff gets the essential data in real-time, which helps them to react quicker, and intercom systems can allow for patient communication without close contact."
 
The rapid growth in demand for thermal body temperature monitoring solutions brought opportunities to Dahua Technology as well, according to Fu Liquan, Chairman and President of Dahua Technology. The company responded to market demand with thermal body temperature monitoring solutions, including thermal cameras, access control with temperature monitoring features, etc. used in airports, transit hubs, business places, educational institutions, and other similar sectors worldwide.

The necessity to remain flexible

Larger corporations and their executives are aware that their businesses are facing an unprecedented test of resilience and that, moving forward, they need the ability to pivot quickly and navigate future problems to reduce the impact on business continuity.

Joon Jun, President of the Global Business Division at IDIS, said that these organizations are taking a more strategic approach to adopt new technologies. These solutions help with the immediate challenges of social distancing and hygiene - and offset the impact on revenue and profits through driving operational efficiency and automating previously manual processes - and ensuring they deliver the flexibility and scalability they need to adapt.

Jun concluded his comments by adding that this means there are many opportunities for the security industry. All types of businesses in all sectors are facing many of the same challenges. They are all focused on reducing the spread of COVID-19 while trying to maintain continuity, build customer and employee confidence, and optimize operations.