Demand for cloud-based solutions within security growing

One of the top themes at ISC West 2019 this past April was the increased adoption of cloud-based services, products and solutions. This month's News Poll looked to gauge how the cloud is being adopted within security today, asking readers if they have seen the use of cloud-based solutions increasing.

Not surprisingly, 76 percent of respondents said they “get asked more and more,” for cloud-based solutions, while another 18 percent said they “see a slight uptick in interest.” Only 5 percent said they did not see “much traction yet.”

As one respondent summed it up, “Cloud is the Future. Either get on the bus or get run over by it.”

When looking at where readers see the greatest adoption of cloud, 57 percent said, “for video surveillance, storage and data,” 35 percent said “within access control,” and 8 percent said it is best suited “for cybersecurity/IT” purposes. 

“I have worked for a cloud-based access control provider for over 15 years. The rate of cloud adoption has never been higher for us,” Dave Williams, VP of Strategic Accounts for Brivo, wrote in. “There has always been multiple access control companies to fit specific vertical market needs, there will continue to be multiple providers. At some point, much like the sunsetting of DVR technology, access control servers will become a thing of the past. There might be a niche vertical some place that still holds on to older technology, but by far the vast majority will be Cloud.”

In terms of where the industry is at when it comes to the adoption of cloud, 32 percent of respondents said, “We are still in the early adoption phase,” while another 32 percent said, “It will all be cloud-based someday.” Interestingly, 37 percent of respondents said they “see a hybrid approach winning out,” which would include a combination of on-premise and cloud-based systems being used.

“There will be a long term need still for on-premise systems, due to bandwidth costs, and in enterprises where there is no Internet access to the video surveillance or access control systems permitted,” noted one respondent. “However, the market for software running on the Cloud will grow, since this allows the vendor to maintain the software system at its data center and frees up the Integrator or end user from periodic software updates.”