What will be the big news at ISC WEST 2017?

There are some important trends in the industry likely to be big news in the sense that all manufacturers will have to talk about them. The first is cybersecurity. All product manufacturers will have to address how they are making their products secure against the increasing number of cybersecurity threats. Most users have now transitioned to network-based security systems and are unfortunately finding that security equipment is not very (cyber)secure! The other big news at the show will be the increasing use of cloud services and mobility. Security system users have been slow to adopt a pure cloud-based model, but are increasingly demanding cloud-enabled services such as ease-of-access on mobile devices, integration with other data sources/applications, etc. Lastly, bucking the trend in the few years of falling prices due to commoditisation, the new trend will be "value," i.e., products that aren’t necessarily the cheapest, but add significant value.

The core technologies of the industry have matured to a point where technological innovation is focused on improving the ancillary features and functionalities of existing products. Many products are commoditised to a level where it’s all about the competitive differentiators. I believe the use of complementing technologies in physical security applications will continue to increase as a result, including post-ISC West. Combining the capabilities of two kinds of sensors together allows the sensors to work together as a more intelligent solution, capable of reducing each technology’s blind spots. Examples of complementing technologies include using laser technology for the fast and accurate focusing of PTZ cameras in perimeter protection or to enhance video analytics. Of course, all of this is occurring as convergence between logical and physical security grows and the Internet of Things evolves.

As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to gain momentum, operational efficiency and connectivity for buildings are growing priorities among security providers. I expect that this topic will dominate ISC West 2017, as well as conversations between integrators and their customers over the coming year. While buildings are often treated as operational drains that require maintenance and resources, business owners should consider their facilities as valuable assets that can link their physical environment to business outcomes. By decreasing the amount of energy buildings use with smarter solutions, business owners can improve operational efficiency and reduce their business’ impact on the environment. 

A recent survey from Securitas listed cybersecurity, workplace violence and active shooter threats as the top three security concerns for organisations. Couple these threats with an increasingly globalised workforce comprised of remote, traveling and on-site staff, and you clearly see that employers have a duty to leverage mobile technology to ensure the safety and security of employees wherever they are located. While we expect there to be many innovations in the more traditional security space at ISC West, like drones and biometrics, we also expect there to be a slew of mobile technologies that enable organisations to reach their growing and distributed workforce quickly and efficiently. We expect the technology that empowers employees through two-way communication, targeted messages and leverages employees as an early warning system, will dominate and lead safety and security technology in the corporate space.

I think attendees can expect to hear a lot about how technology is advancing in such a way that artificial intelligence is really making its way into the security industry. We are already seeing the rise in analytics capabilities that use data gathered through video surveillance that can give security officials insight into the operational efficiencies of an organisation, but attendees can also look forward to the ongoing conversation about AI and robotics. This year's show is heavily influenced by drones and robotic security guards that can augment human capabilities with regards to safeguarding critical assets and people.

Security solutions that capture greater data and utilise analytics to transform the data into useful information, or business intelligence, will be the talk of the industry at ISC West this year. It’s not just about surveillance or access control anymore, but about who can best assess the end user’s interests and deliver an end-to-end solution that provides a value beyond the technology and a service beyond security. It’s about installing an intelligent monitoring system in a retailer’s warehouse and the solution indicating the number of employee injury incidents per day, which is used to determine its workers’ compensation rates. It’s about deploying analytics in a correctional facility that report the number of verbal aggression alerts per day per monitoring zone, and administrators using that data to inform staffing decisions. In other words, products that enhance business operations and demonstrate a high ROI will garner attention at the show.

ISC West 2017 will likely bring many of the buzzwords that we've been hearing all year to the forefront: cloud, IoT and open-platform systems. The trend today with regards to the cloud now includes cloud-based hosted physical security measures, such as access control and video management, which also incorporates the idea of connected devices and the required network security needed to build a safe and secure security posture for an organisation. As the world becomes more comfortable and familiar with cloud technology and services, the benefits of deploying cloud solutions for physical security are apparent. Open-platform technology, while it's been discussed heavily in the past, is still a big topic of conversation as the industry strives to provide customers and integrators/installers with the choices they need to build a customised solution to fit an organisation's specific needs.

Increasingly organisations rely on big data to ensure security, safety and improved operations. So, at ISC West, expect to see solutions focusing on capturing, managing, analysing and storage of data to dominate. Technologies to seek out include the latest in video management, specifically in the field of extending video management to provide a complete security solution – within this context, look for the introduction of next-generation video management systems (VMS) and advanced video and data search technologies. In the past 12 months, this new breed of VMS has filled a major gap in the market, providing security operations with a video-centric solution that integrates data from core safety and systems including access control, fire detection, intrusion detection and alarm panels. They provide the greater situational awareness and incident management capabilities that are required, but without needing to make the giant leap from a traditional VMS to a full PSIM solution.