For physical security integrators and surveillance solution providers, ensuring products meet stringent cybersecurity benchmarks has become a prerequisite.
As digital infrastructure continues to expand across critical industries and geographies, cybersecurity certifications are evolving from a competitive edge to a standard expectation. For physical security integrators and surveillance solution providers, ensuring products meet stringent cybersecurity benchmarks has become a prerequisite for market access in regions such as the US, European Union, and Asia-Pacific.
“Cybersecurity certifications are becoming mission-critical across all major markets,” said Will Knehr, Global Cybersecurity Advisor at i-PRO, a global surveillance technology provider. “Across all regions, certifications are no longer a differentiator—they're becoming a baseline expectation.”
This shift comes amid a growing regulatory focus on privacy and security, as evidenced by regional frameworks such as the EU’s GDPR and NIS2, the US Cyber Trust Mark program, and national legislation like South Korea’s TTA and the US NDAA Section 889.
For vendors, aligning with these standards is not only about technical compliance but also about reinforcing customer trust and enabling procurement eligibility.
A growing list of certifications
i-PRO’s cybersecurity strategy is closely aligned with globally recognized frameworks. Its surveillance products comply with GDPR in the EU and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CDPA) in the US and incorporate NIST Cybersecurity Framework elements.
On the encryption front, i-PRO employs FIPS 140-2 and FIPS 140-3 validated modules and algorithms, widely regarded as gold standards in federal cybersecurity.
“In addition, our secure boot process and signed firmware are aligned with modern hardware root-of-trust principles,” Knehr said. He also noted that i-PRO’s devices are designed to reflect the spirit of ETSI EN 303 645, a key cybersecurity baseline for consumer IoT, and that the company benchmarks continuously against ISO/IEC 27001 and the NIST 800-series standards.
The company’s IT infrastructure is also certified under SOC 2, PCI DSS, ISO 27001, and the US Department of Defense’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Level 1.
Meanwhile, Honeywell - another major player in surveillance - underscored its focus on secure development lifecycle practices.
“Current cybersecurity certifications include IEC/ANSI/ISA-62443-4-1-2018 (which is certified at organization level, practicing Secure SDLC practices in product development),” said a Honeywell spokesperson.
The company also maintains compliance with South Korea’s TTA requirements and the US NDAA Section 889, which bars the use of certain foreign-made components in federal contracts.
These certifications, while technical in nature, also serve as vital commercial tools. For instance, NDAA compliance has become a key consideration for US integrators bidding for federal, municipal, and even private infrastructure projects.
What these certifications mean in practice
Each cybersecurity framework addresses different aspects of protection. FIPS 140-2 and 140-3, developed by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), validate cryptographic modules to ensure secure data encryption.
ISO/IEC 27001 provides a management framework for information security controls, while ETSI EN 303 645 lays down baseline requirements for consumer IoT security, such as unique default passwords, vulnerability reporting, and software update integrity.
The IEC/ISA 62443-4-1 standard followed by Honeywell defines a secure product development lifecycle (SDLC), offering controls for risk assessment, threat modeling, and secure coding practices. Its organization-level certification signals that Honeywell embeds cybersecurity from the design phase onward.
Such practices are critical as cameras become more intelligent and interconnected. AI-powered surveillance devices increasingly process personal data, making compliance with privacy-driven certifications like GDPR or ISO/IEC 42001 - designed for managing artificial intelligence systems - especially relevant.
“We are currently pursuing the ISO/IEC 42001, the newly released standard focused on Artificial Intelligence Management Systems (AIMS), to align with our increasing use of AI-driven analytics and intelligent edge processing,” Knehr said.
i-PRO is also watching the development of the US Cyber Trust Mark program. “We are… working with our partners to ensure that our devices will be positioned to meet or exceed its requirements as details become finalized,” he added.
Regional nuances in compliance
While cybersecurity certifications are important across all markets, they take on different meanings depending on geography.
In the United States, regulatory pressure is shaping purchasing behavior. “Certifications help address growing federal and state procurement requirements, as well as reassure enterprise customers who prioritize secure-by-design products,” Knehr said. Beyond federal mandates like NDAA and FIPS, state-level rules are increasingly referencing NIST standards in bid evaluations.
In the EU, compliance is often viewed through the lens of privacy and resilience. “GDPR compliance and alignment with NIS2 are top concerns, and certifications offer assurance of data protection and operational resilience,” he noted.
The upcoming NIS2 directive, for instance, expands cybersecurity requirements to a broader set of critical sectors, including digital service providers and public entities.
In Asia-Pacific, certifications serve as a signal of technical maturity. “Especially in countries with strong digital infrastructure investments like Japan and Singapore, certifications signal vendor reliability and technical maturity,” Knehr added.
Markets such as South Korea also rely on their own evaluation frameworks, such as TTA, while importing devices are expected to conform to international baselines.
“Cybersecurity certifications carry significant importance, given the fact that more and more countries will likely use them as market-entry requirements,” said Honeywell’s spokesperson. “Additionally, certifications help customers choose solutions with confidence by offering a certified product over a non-certified one, especially when security is top priority and can provide a competitive advantage.”
How integrators can stay ahead
For systems integrators and consultants, the implications are twofold. First, certifications can reduce liability by showing due diligence when selecting components. Second, certified products often streamline compliance with end-user sector-specific requirements - especially in regulated verticals such as healthcare, education, finance, and government.
Industry insiders advise integrators to go beyond certification logos and understand the depth of each vendor’s cybersecurity program. This includes asking questions about how often firmware is updated, whether penetration testing is performed by third parties, and how incident response is handled.
Another emerging area of focus is AI governance. As surveillance systems begin to include facial recognition, behavioral analytics, and license plate recognition (LPR), ensuring AI models are explainable and free of bias will become part of cybersecurity audits. Certification programs like ISO/IEC 42001 could help integrators justify their technology selections from an ethical and legal standpoint.
Certification as strategy
“Product security is a top priority across Honeywell’s portfolio, including video solutions,” said the company’s spokesperson. This commitment is increasingly reflected in product development strategies, procurement documentation, and partner onboarding processes.
Knehr concluded with a view toward long-term readiness: “i-PRO’s ongoing investment in these areas is a direct response to this market reality.”
As regional regulations become more harmonized and customer expectations continue to rise, cybersecurity certifications will likely become the foundation of any serious offering in the physical security market.
For integrators, understanding the nuances behind these labels - what they cover, how they’re audited, and how often they’re updated - could soon be as important as understanding camera specs or VMS compatibility.