The security tech industry is diversifying

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Go to any industrial or security trade show, like The Security Event coming to Birmingham next April, and technology is visible as a growing part of the equation alongside physical equipment. For those in charge of protecting offices, factories, supply chains and other business-critical assets, it is a must-attend event.

While vendors offer growing ranks of highly-flexible IP cameras, sensors and access control systems, businesses are increasingly focused on the software that runs them, providing a powerful cloud and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven system. One that offers huge scalability for businesses, granular control for managers and live information in high-quality detail for security operators. Furthermore, just as traditional manufacturing is moving to a digital focus with digital twins, security technology is increasingly about the software.

Changing operational demands for security teams
Most manufacturing and business security systems rely on a growing number of cameras and sensors to track the perimeter, key access points and secure areas within a facility, office or campus. As the number of cameras grows, with more efficient and secure solutions, and lower-cost system-on-a-chip designs become available, they are also getting smarter through neural nets in the hardware and connections to AI-powered cloud solutions. These advances enable businesses to deliver better security and gain more insights into changing operational needs. As companies focus on hybrid security, mixing human and AI skills, operational technology improvements, and partnerships with security experts, there is the opportunity to reframe security and prepare for future needs and threats.

Hybrid security mixes the physical and digital, offering flexibility and the ability to comply with ever-changing privacy and compliance legislation. Being able to monitor large numbers of cameras with AI, to send live feeds to security teams to deal with incidents, and catalogue huge numbers of individual activities and identify the suspicious or unusual is a force multiplier for security departments and managers. The use of AI within video analytics, smart access control and wider threat detection enable companies to anticipate immediate and future risks, from fake or stolen IDs to suspicious vehicles and to help plan resource allocation all improve business security performance.

The changing IT/OPS/security landscape
Ultimately, modern security helps the boots on the ground from the gate to reception and patrols to work better with great information about the challenges they face and a joined-up response with wider agencies as needed. But it means IT needs to work with security to provide a robust and flexible system, and operations teams need to know about security’s capabilities. A joined-up approach is just as key as production and sales working together, silos are no longer an option.

The technology is easy to use and reduces the operational workload, helping improve the performance and resiliency of security across the business. Visibility can stretch further into manufacturing supply chains, tracking vehicles, outbound goods, raw materials and parts, all helping identify risks and industrial crime as it becomes a boom black-market industry.

If the business lacks the resources, then partnering with a security provider can outsource much of the effort, leaving the internal security team with a core unit who are able to respond to the “control room” as if it were in the building or factory. For smaller businesses, a reception screen can display any footage of interest as the AI identifies it, automating a huge amount of “grunt” work. But security will always need people on the ground, so this is not an area for job reductions.

The power of diversification
Diversification means any production business can respond better to today’s incidents and plan for future ones with confidence and solid data. Just as companies have diversified power with solar and wind, security can expand to cover old gaps and meet new risks. (Are your cameras covering the solar farm or converter cabinets?)

Moreover, AI is already helping to protect thousands of businesses, and a refresh of a company’s security system with 4K cameras, high digital zoom, advanced night vision, plus speakers for alerts and warnings, smoke and fire sensors, all connect to provide a connected protective environment inside and outside the premises. That improves business resilience as part of disaster response, emergency planning, and the day-to-day incidents that can slow or stop a production line. In summary, whatever the business, an uncertain landscape could put the security response and frontline teams on the spot in new and dramatic ways.