The future of security ...

With the business landscape changing so dramatically over the past few months — possibly irrevocably — the task for many in security, including for consultants, integrators, dealers and manufacturers, is to figure out what the “future of security” will look like and how existing and new technologies can help companies to overcome challenges and stay profitable during these extremely trying times.

As businesses and organizations begin to reopen, many are rethinking the way they budget for security, including access control, video surveillance and security personnel, especially in light of ever-evolving CDC guidelines and state and local requirements for many businesses. Not to mention the protests and riots and looting that has occurred, driving the need for increased security. 

One integrator, STANLEY Security, recently shared a white paper, The Future of Security, which adeptly identifies the technologies they believe will be essential to organizations’ security strategies for the duration of 2020 and into the future.

I really like the following list of the white paper’s key areas of focus as we move into the future of security:
•    Cloud-based solutions;
•    Remote services;
•    Alarm verification;
•    Cybersecurity;
•    Advanced visitor management;
•    Interoperable emergency communication; and
•    Data analytics

“As a result, we expect that many of these technologies will be central to organizations’ security strategies for the duration of 2020 and will be fundamental in helping organizations navigate new challenges in the future,” STANLEY noted in the white paper.

The document examines how the impact of COVID-19 has brought “new challenges to light that exposed security vulnerabilities organizations didn’t know existed in their environments. This has not only accelerated new technology innovation but also has driven adoption of security technologies that have been around for years.”

Some key questions the white paper examines include:
•    Is it still about protecting against theft, or is it about creating a virtual command center that integrates their security and communication systems in one place, easily managed and viewed from anywhere?

•    Is it about ensuring their network is secure from the growing number of cyber threats or is it about securing their finances and reducing unnecessary truck rolls and service calls?

•    Is it the ability to track and manage traffic flow and understand exactly who is coming and going from their facility, while ensuring they’ve been properly screened?

As STANLEY astutely points out, technology can’t solve all of our problems, but rather, “It’s the use of differentiated technology combined with an integrated approach that will lay the foundation for a more secure future. In the past, organizations may have fared well managing disparate systems with different platforms and interfaces, but today’s security challenges require a robust, integrated program backed by a holistic strategy.

“In considering these technologies as part of a long-term strategy, as opposed to a short-term solution, organizations can develop a more resilient security program that can propel them forward and prepare them for the future.”