Euralarm - Experts & Thought Leaders

Euralarm has published a new guidance document, Criteria for European Sovereign Cloud, to help manufacturers, service providers, system integrators and end users understand the implications of cloud sovereignty for fire safety and physical security applications. The publication provides a practical framework for assessing when and how European sovereign cloud requirements should be applied, reflecting the growing importance of digital resilience, cybersecurity and regulatory compliance. As cloud technologies become increasingly central to modern fire safety and security systems, they enable advanced services such as remote diagnostics, alarm transmission, predictive maintenance and sophisticated data analysis. At the same time, organisations operating critical infrastructure and public services are placing greater emphasis on ensuring that sensitive data remains protected from unauthorised foreign access while complying with European legislation. Five complementary dimensions Euralarm's new guidance explains that cloud sovereignty extends beyond the physical location of data. It identifies five complementary dimensions that organisations should consider when selecting cloud services: technological sovereignty, operational sovereignty, jurisdictional sovereignty, data residency and legal compliance. Together, these factors determine the extent to which cloud services can operate independently within a European legal and operational framework. Rather than promoting a single technical solution, the guidance advocates a risk-based approach. It encourages organisations to assess the sensitivity of their applications, the criticality of the services provided and the potential consequences of foreign legal or operational influence before determining the appropriate level of sovereignty required. This enables customers to balance security, resilience, compliance and cost while avoiding unnecessarily complex cloud architectures. Providing practical considerations The document also examines issues such as data residency, governance, operational independence, legal jurisdiction and protection against extraterritorial legislation, providing practical considerations for organisations procuring cloud services in increasingly demanding regulatory environments. The guidance concludes that cloud sovereignty should not be viewed as an absolute objective but as a business and risk management decision. While the strongest sovereignty measures can provide greater protection against legal and operational risks, they also introduce additional costs and complexity. Organisations should therefore select the level of sovereignty that is appropriate for their operational needs and compliance obligations.

Euralarm is pleased to announce the launch of the first European Fire Detection Forum, a conference dedicated to the future of fire detection and electronic fire safety in Europe. The event will take place on 2 December 2026 in Cologne, Germany, as part of the renowned VdS-FireSafety Cologne (VdS-BrandSchutzTage). About the European Fire Detection Forum The European Fire Detection Forum is being organised by Euralarm during the VdS-FireSafety Cologne. The integration of the Euralarm event into the VdS-FireSafety Cologne will bring clear incremental value, creating a unique European platform to examine both current developments and the future direction of electronic fire detection. The inaugural edition will be held under the theme: “Fire safety in a changing world and the changing world of fire safety – From reaction to prediction: the next paradigm of electronic fire safety.” Looking at the pipeline of developments and technologies to support earlier detection and reduction of nuisance alarms. New challenges and opportunities As fire risks evolve and digital technologies transform the built environment, fire detection systems are facing new challenges and opportunities. Advances in connectivity, artificial intelligence, sensor fusion, sustainability and predictive maintenance are reshaping the role of fire detection within modern fire safety strategies. At the same time, changing regulations, new building technologies and emerging risks such as lithium-ion battery fires require fresh approaches and closer cooperation across the sector. Presentation panel The European Fire Detection Forum will provide a dedicated platform for manufacturers, installers, system integrators, fire safety professionals, regulators, insurers and policymakers to discuss these developments and explore the future direction of the industry. The programme will feature keynote presentations, expert panels and technical sessions covering topics such as: Emerging and future fire detection technologies and solution Artificial intelligence and sensor fusion Reducing false alarms and improving system reliability Sustainability in fire detection Early detection of lithium-ion battery incidents Digitalisation and remote services The future regulatory and standards framework for fire detection in Europe Authority comments Peter Mita, President of Euralarm, said: "Fire safety is entering a period of profound transformation. New technologies are creating opportunities to detect fires earlier, reduce unwanted alarms and improve building safety. At the same time, society faces new risks and increasing expectations regarding sustainability and digitalisation. With the European Fire Detection Forum, Euralarm is creating a platform where industry experts, regulators and end users can discuss these developments and help shape the future of fire safety in Europe." Ingeborg Schlosser, divisional director of VdS, the organisers behind the VdS-FireSafety Cologne, said: “The cooperation with the VdS-FireSafety Cologne reflects a shared commitment to fostering knowledge exchange and supporting innovation throughout the fire safety community. By combining the European perspective of Euralarm with the strong market presence and reputation of VdS, the event aims to become a leading forum for discussing the future of fire detection technologies and their role in protecting people, property and the environment.” Participation benefit A special benefit to the participants of the Euralarm Forum: During the breaks and on 3rd December they will have the possibility to visit the international trade fair with around 200 exhibitors and to connect with visitors and participants of the other VdS-expert conferences.

The European fire safety industry is at a turning point. Digitalisation, remote connectivity, and cybersecurity are converging to redefine how buildings are protected and maintained. Euralarm’s new White Paper on fire safety in a connected world covers integrating detection, remote services and cybersecurity. This white paper outlines how fire detection systems are transforming into intelligent, connected infrastructures — and what this means for service providers, building operators, and policymakers across. Across the continent, false alarms remain a significant burden: studies such as Euralarm’s 2022 False Alarm Study show that in some countries the false fire alarm ratio of FDAS (Fire Detection and Alarm Systems) is over 85%, unnecessary activations disrupt business continuity, erode confidence in fire protection systems and potentially waste emergency resources. At the same time, climate change, energy efficiency targets, and a shrinking pool of skilled labour are reshaping building operations and maintenance practices. Fire detection systems Digital transformation offers powerful answers. Through smart connectivity, cloud-based monitoring, and data analytics, fire detection systems can now provide real-time insights, enabling remote diagnosis, predictive maintenance, and data-driven decision-making. These capabilities reduce downtime, improve safety, and support sustainability goals by cutting travel and optimising resource use. However, with connectivity comes a new responsibility: cybersecurity. As fire systems are more often connected via the internet, they must be protected from digital threats that could compromise safety or availability. Standards such as EN 50710:2021 (for remote services), CLC/TS 50136-10 (for Remote Access Infrastructure), IEC 62443 (for industrial OT cybersecurity), and ISO/IEC 27001 (for IT information security management) provide the framework for building and operating secure systems that are designed to protect information, assets, and operations from unauthorised access, damage, or disruption. Such secure systems that follow Security by Design and Security by Default principles ensure that fire protection remains reliable, even in the connected era. Delivering smarter protection By integrating fire detection, remote services, and cybersecurity, European stakeholders can achieve safer, more resilient, and more sustainable buildings. Interconnected digital fire safety is already emerging as the new operating model and is expected to become standard practice across many new and modernised buildings during the second half of this decade, as connectivity, remote services and cybersecurity requirements become embedded in building operations and European regulatory frameworks. Those who act now will lead the market transformation, delivering smarter protection and stronger trust in the systems that safeguard lives and assets.

It can be taken as proven that the trends in urbanisation, the mobility of the population and the demographics, have had and will continue to have tremendous impact on our daily lives. These impacts were and are supported by disruptive technology changes (such as the evolution of the internet and mobile communication) and result in higher dependencies of almost all economic and social processes. Compared with former generations, we are spending most of our time in buildings or closed mobile containments/compartments (cars, public transport...), which support us with comfort, efficiency, safety and security. We've learned to extend our social lives through new virtual networks and we've adapted our working style to an almost 24/7 online state. This, and the absence of obvious potential danger, have led to a dismantling of old WWII sirens and to a reduction of capabilities. The European Union and many of its member states have started tests and trials to study new methods that could be used to reach a large number of people Close and intense co-operation All this makes us vulnerable to unplanned manmade incidents disrupting our day to day life as well as business, routines, and so on. Meanwhile, the well-evaluated research on global warming projects higher risks by an increased number of severe weather incidents for the future. Such past incidents have not spared any geographical or any organisational boundaries, and therefore call for a close and intense co-operation to limit their impact. As a reaction to the past experiences in managing incidents, experts and officers have highlighted the need for better preparedness. This resulted in an intense discussion of potential measures, such as modern public warning systems. With this in mind the European Union and many of its member states have started tests and trials to study new methods that could be used to reach a large number of people in the shortest possible time. SMS and other wireless services, such as cell broadcast messages to mobile phones, are obvious choices. They have already been tested in several countries. But what at first glance seems a surefire, easy-to-implement method proves problematic in view of the fact that only 30 percent of the citizens contacted read the message in real-time. Alert4All notification system SMS emergency broadcast messages are one method of warning and updating the public of crises in real-time The public warning system was also addressed by several FP7 projects, which have concluded research in this area. One such project was Alert4All, which successfully demonstrated in 2013 a public alerting concept in a clearly defined and emergent danger zone by introducing an enhanced public warning messaging protocol. Messages, based on this protocol, were transmitted via satellite and terrestrial systems to smart phones, tablets, navigation systems and television receivers.These systems have an undisputed track record for saving countless lives by alerting and guiding people to safety in crisis situations Using the Alert4All concept, first responders can stay in contact with the population from the outset of and throughout the crisis. Using the “buzz” from social media networks provides the required input to adjust the communication content. The Alert4All protocol also allows for the translation of alarm messages into the language the receiver normally uses to display information or messages. This means that a Spanish user could read the message in Spanish even while in England. On the other hand, electronic fire safety and security systems have been installed in buildings for more than 50 years. Their purpose is to detect an emerging danger in a building or building complex and notify people in time. These systems have an undisputed track record for saving countless lives by alerting and guiding people to safety in crisis situations. Millions of such systems are installed today in commercial and private buildings. Many of them are permanently connected to public and/or private alarm receiving stations. All of them are equipped with devices such as sirens, horns, strobe lights or loudspeakers. They could also be used to alert people of a public danger that might impact buildings or their occupants. PEARS emergency response Represented by a Euralarm team, together with the FP7 Alert4All project team, those systems showed their capability to take on a responsible role in public warning during the final demonstration in 2013 as well. Their installed base, their fault tolerance and their positive track record in securing assets and in preventing casualties could make them a perfect asset in the incident preparedness of modern societies, beside other technologies. Above all, civil protection organisations could lever “private” field resources in emergency management and extend the overall resources for big and disastrous incidents. Achieving this requires efforts at all levels and from all stakeholders, e.g. within CEN and within ETSI. Euralarm published a White Paper on such a public emergency alarm and response system (PEARS). Download the white paper here

The city of the future needs smart, secure and resilient infrastructure solutions According to the United Nations, the world population will reach almost 8.5 billion by 2030. As populations grow, so do cities. Even now more than half of the world’s inhabitants live in urban areas, and more than one million move from the country to the city every week. This trend places enormous demands on people and infrastructures. Because only when communication, energy, safety, security and mobility of goods and people function seamlessly, can cities offer their citizens quality of life and a flourishing economy. For city planners, the answer to these challenges is the “smart city.” The foundation are uniform standards for intelligent, secure and resilient infrastructure solutions.  The current process of urbanisation is reflected not only in housing shortages and sky-rocketing rents. European cities, in particular, were built based on 19th-century principles, and the individual supply systems are often viewed in isolation. The exploding population is rapidly driving cities to their limits with respect to energy supply, security, digital communication, transportation and traffic. The concept of the smart city provides one answer. Its primary mission is to distribute existing resources efficiently. Networking individual supply systems through technical solutions should enable cities to respond dynamically to temporary demands, thus preserving their functionality. Megacities as security bottlenecks Urban space is especially vulnerable. Accidents, natural disasters or terrorist attacks and the resulting supply bottlenecks are even more severe in the face of dense populations, large numbers of people and an often overburdened transportation infrastructure. In addition, there is a clear correlation between the size of a city and its crime rate. 80 percent of recorded crimes occur in cities that account for a total of 50 percent of the world’s population. While that may be normal for tightly-packed urban areas, countermeasures are still needed to protect life and property as elementary freedoms and values. The World Bank has estimated that, depending on the country, the total cost of crime can be as much as 25 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). According to the European Commission, even the comparatively safe European Union spends at least five percent of its gross domestic product on costs resulting from crime and natural disasters. Such events have considerable consequences, not only for the persons directly affected but also for the community as a whole. Global value-creation chains and the war for talent pit not only economy against economy, but city against city. If city planners fail to guarantee safety, security, and supply, investors look elsewhere and highly qualified workers move to where they can expect the highest quality of life. To keep pace with global competition, cities have a vital interest in meeting these challenges. The exploding population is rapidly driving cities to their limits with respect to energy supply, security, digital communication, transportation and traffic Smart city: the unknown entity The concept of the smart city promises to improve the quality of public and private services through digital technologies. At the same time, the city’s costs and consumption of resources drop, which in turn raises the well-being of all. Seen in that light, every city, no matter how small or large, wants to be “smart.” But what does that really mean? What criteria need to be met? Among the most pressing issues large cities face are the constant rise in traffic, energy use and emissions, the security and safety of the population, a reliable high-speed network, and finally, how to finance it all. In spite of everything, however, there is no consistent definition of what a smart city really is. Different companies and business media have named initial indices. But those indices are as different as night and day, and hence inadequate in order to compare individual locations and their “smart city” qualities with any transparency. That would require uniform key performance indicators (KPIs). What the various indices do share, however, is the lack of a KPI for the degree of protection, security and resilience of a city. But a city that is not safe and secure cannot be smart. So the smart city approach must be seen more holistically. Comparable and transparent benchmarks must be created while at the same time taking into account elementary safety and security standards. Uniform standards are needed Investors and experts need transparent key performance indicators to be able to assess smart cities, although the cities themselves and other stakeholders, e.g., city administration, police, fire department and civil defence, also rely on standards. Only then will it be possible to make systematic progress. Initials results are already in evidence. The Focus Group on Smart Sustainable Cities of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a special UN organisation, offers technical reports and specifications, such as in the areas of cyber security and data protection. In addition, a number of different KPIs have been defined to help rank smart cities in areas such as telecommunications. The ITU defines smart cities as follows: “A smart sustainable city is an innovative city that uses information and communication technologies (ICTs) and other means to improve quality of life, efficiency of urban operation and services, and competitiveness, while ensuring that it meets the needs of present and future generations with respect to economic, social and environmental aspects.” A smart sustainable city is an innovative city that uses information and communication technologies (ICTs) and other means to improve quality of life, while ensuring that it meets the needs of present and future generations Likewise at the international level, the International Standards Organisation (ISO) has defined in ISO standard 37120 a total of 100 indicators for measuring city services and quality of life. 11 of them revolve around safety and security. This includes indicators that target security, fire safety and crisis management as well as water, energy and transportation. That makes ISO 37120 the only standard with KPIs appropriate for measuring the degree of security and safety in cities on a comparative basis. Approximately 250 cities in 80 countries are participating in the introduction of this standard, including London, Shanghai, Toronto and Rotterdam. To this end, they report metrics like the number of deaths due to fire per 100,000 inhabitants and the response time of the police and fire departments after the initial call. This makes it possible to indicate transparently and verifiably just how safe a city really is. The fact that ISO 37120 includes diverse safety and security indicators is no accident. Siemens security systems specialists actively contributed to the development of the standard in the relevant work groups. This led to the development of measurable and meaningful security standards. Safety and security as the foundation of the smart city The city of the future needs smart, secure and resilient infrastructure solutions. Smart city efforts that concentrate solely on smart energy use don’t go far enough. Until now, safety, security and resilience have often been viewed as convenient side effects that need no separate planning. But quite the opposite is true. An urban community can only function properly if normal life can resume as quickly as possible after an incident, such as a major fire or terrorist attack. Ideally, however, such incidents should be prevented in the first place. This requires intelligent linking of individual subsystems and taking advantage of the resulting benefits. Interoperable systems offer safety, security and stability for critical infrastructures such as airports and data centres. One essential component is the physical security of infrastructures and IT networks. Even the most sophisticated firewalls are of little use if the door to the server room lacks a reliable access control system. Protecting a city’s “virtual backbone” Cities house not only important economic and intellectual resources such as universities, public buildings, offices and production facilities, but also transportation networks and critical infrastructures. In light of the ever increasing role of IT in providing urban services, the protection of this “virtual backbone” is becoming more and more critical. In most cases, safeguarding critical infrastructures does not require reinventing the wheel. From security solutions in data centres and video surveillance to intelligent crowd evacuation, the security industry already has countless solutions in place. The task is to logically embed these solutions in a “smart city” context. This requires integrating a variety of systems – communication, automatic alarm, information and video surveillance systems – into a central command and control platform to ensure comprehensive and consistent incident response. Therein lies the heart of a smart, safe city. The city of the future needs smart, secure and resilient infrastructure solutions. Smart city efforts that concentrate solely on smart energy use don’t go far enough Implementing these security standards requires engaging all the stakeholders – from community administrations to NGOs and standards committees – in order to create policies that not only motivate their implementation but also set transparent international standards. ISO 37120 and the technical reports and specifications of the ITU are a good place to start. Weak points and possible countermeasures need to be defined and costs calculated. At the same time, we should not lose sight of the fact that the resilience of cities tends to be greatly overestimated and that in the end, technology is not the solution for everything. Committed citizens and efficient intervention forces are and will remain crucial for the security and safety of a city. Safety and security matter in global competition Cities have a fundamental self-interest in transparent and comparable smart city structures because safe and secure urban environments are especially attractive in the global competition for real and human capital. Often, even cities that see themselves as smart don’t adequately address the issue of safety and security. Therefore, one of the main responsibilities of politics is to identify the appropriate stakeholders and share in the development of solutions. This process requires defining clear safety and security standards for smart cities as well as providing or creating the means and incentives for their implementation. The smart city concept will revolutionise urban life much like the industrial revolution did. To shape this revolution successfully and for the good of all, it is absolutely essential to create the proper foundation from the start. Safety and security must not be left until the end of the process.