Cyber, cloud computing, biometrics top trends for 2020

YARMOUTH, Maine—This month's News Poll looks at the state of the industry for 2020, including which trends and technologies will dominate the headlines well into the New Year.

The News Poll builds on the key mega trends that the Security Industry Association (SIA) identified as impacting the security industry, which include:
��� • Cybersecurity's Impact on Physical Security;
��� • Artifical Intelligence;
��� • Facial Recognition;
��� • Emphasis on Data Privacy;
��� • Cloud Computing;
��� • National Security Concerns;
��� • Connectivity and IoT Everything;
��� • Workforce Development;
��� • Move to Service Models; and
��� • Identity as the New Perimeter.

While there are many challenges ahead, the SSN News Poll found that the industry will continue to ride the same strong wave of growth it has the past few years. When asked how business looks for 2020, most of the survey respondents — 76 percent — said that business should be “busier than ever,” with 12 percent saying, “good, but not like past years,” and the remaining 12 percent seeing a “tough year ahead.”

When asked the million-dollar question — what do you see as the top trend for 2020 — the impact of cyber on physical security won out with 44 percent, followed by a tie at 28 percent between “the role of privacy within security” and “workforce development.”

These findings mirror what SIA found in its Mega Trends study.

As Scott Schafer, chairman of the SIA Board of Directors, pointed out, cybersecurity “resoundingly” tops the list of Security Megatrends again for 2020.

“With the increased risk and frequency of cyberattacks, today's systems integrators and product developers are working to make sure that security solutions meet or exceed an organization's cyber-preparedness standards,” he said. “SIA also forecasts that the trends of artificial intelligence and facial recognition will dramatically impact the industry in coming years. Both AI and facial recognition are experiencing clear technology advancements, and SIA will continue to track the industry and consumer tech adoption rates and emerging applications for these dynamic Security Megatrends.”

Looking into our crystal ball, SSN asked readers what will be the hottest technology in 2020, with artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) topping the list at 44 percent, followed closely by “cloud computing" at 32 percent and “facial recognition/biometrics” at 24 percent.

“The public will see cloud computing as their answer to reduce the cost of addressing cyber security,” noted one respondent. “AI/ML will become the future of physical security, but we're not there yet.”

Another respondent noted, “The cloud is the future.”