40 under 40: Parker Macdonald, Citi

Parker Macdonald, 39, and his group at Citi took on the responsibility of security technology management with the goal of increased efficiency, while also fueling his interest in applying these security products throughout the company.

As Global Technology Manager at Citi, based in Tampa, Fla., Macdonald and his group are responsible for implementing, maintaining and enhancing the technology utilized by Citi’s Security and Investigative Division. 

“This includes all physical security products like access control, CCTV [closed-circuit television], biometrics, PSIM [physical security information management], GIS [geographic information system] domain awareness and incident management, as well as our investigative and business intelligence tools like case management, analytical and reporting platforms,” he explained.  

Macdonald added that his team actually took over the security technology management “as a result of our senior leadership moving it over to our group.  Previously, it was managed by various different groups, and it was moved to my group in order to increase efficiencies. After taking it over, and with the mentorship of my manager, I became very interested in how these security products could be applied across the various different facets of the organization.”  

AI and Edge

One of the main security trends that Macdonald noted is the use of AI [artificial intelligence], including machine learning (supervised and unsupervised) and deep learning in security products. “This allows security products to identify areas of interest, push alerts to staff and handle incidents autonomously,” he said.

He added that one of the most promising new security trends is AI coupled with edge, especially, in video analytics.  “By making some of these key decisions at the edge, it reduces the overall backhaul and compute cost associated with moving this data centrally for analysis while reducing latency,” he said.

During these unprecedented and challenging times brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Macdonald pointed out some keys to success right now, both personally and in the security industry.

“Some areas that I think are helpful not only now but anytime are keeping up to date with security and technology, understanding how they can be leveraged, and maintaining a positive attitude,” he noted.

Looking Ahead

When asked about his views on the industry going forward, Macdonald responded, “As security products move forward, I believe we are going to allow more of the workload to be done autonomously, from identification, alerting and response through to after-action reporting.”   

He added that probably the best way to bring talented young people into the security field is through mentorship. “This allows them to get a firsthand look at the industry from an experienced professional,” Macdonald said.