Page 19 - Security Today, May/June 2020

Government Security
“With so much information captured on a daily basis, agencies need to evaluate how to secure not only video data but also an entire video surveillance system.”
By Stuart Rawling
Implementing a Video Plan
DT
Over the last decade, the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) and a demand for more video data has changed the way businesses operate. But as the rise in connectivity increases, so too does the need for increased security for physical assets, networks, and valuable corporate data. As a result, a dialogue between cyber, IT and physical security is necessary to help leaders gain a greater knowledge of how to best collaborate to ensure complete protection.
This is especially poignant for government security professionals who must communicate with aligned internal departments to drive strategies that help identify vulnerabilities in a more proactive man- ner. The result of these conversations: A truly comprehensive ap- proach to security intelligence.
To maintain a high level of security and ensure business continu- ity, government agencies seek solutions that help predict and identify threats in real time. But often, there are too many alerts generated by too many systems, and none of this data is integrated together and therefore, not actionable.
Linking cyber and physical security together transforms data into intelligence, which helps agencies connect the pieces of any situation to- gether and present a unified risk assessment to the right stakeholders. By capturing and analyzing data in real time, government organizations gain a visual representation of risks across the business while accessing infor- mation related to the most critical events taking place. Not only does this process enable a higher and more proactive level of protection, but it also helps facilitate a plan of action based within unified intelligence.
No market more than the government segment is facing more challenges in today’s business and security landscape. Security leaders in this market have to focus on securing every single aspect of their network infrastructure, which includes confirming software updates and firmware on surveillance cameras are completed on-demand and as available. In addition, as more and more physical security devices become networked connected, encryption and vulnerability testing are essential to ensure secure data transfer and storage.
With so much information captured on a daily basis, agencies need to evaluate how to secure not only video data but also an entire video surveillance system. In the past, this meant making sure best practices were enforced so that an individual could not physically tamper with a camera; however, now the focus also incorporates IT processes, such as ensuring that no one can access the camera and its data via the net- work. This marks quite a change from years past when cybersecurity wasn’t part of any physical security conversation. But the adoption of
esigning a security system with cybersecurity in mind
here’s a specific paradigm shift in the world of video that might be bigger than the transition from analog to IP more than 15 years ago.
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IP-connected devices makes a cyber attack a genuine possibility. Within federal, state, and local governments, the combination of IT and security teams, along with the involvement of procurement, has made the decision-making and budgeting process more complex. How- ever, technology providers have learned much about the specific needs
of this market while maintaining the integrity of the product life cycle. That’s where the strategic design of a solution that encompasses video and the intelligence it can bring comes into play. In essence, software providers have worked to maintain the demands of integra- tors serving the government space and their end users by incorporat- ing several protocols that help guide interconnectivity and provide a significant amount of protection against threats. This can be achieved
through several methods:
Understanding ownership. While many federal agencies employ
experts in the field of physical and cybersecurity, technology providers must play a role in positioning these organizations to proactively detect evolving threats. But this effort is not without its challenges. The identifi- cation of stakeholders becomes critical early on when working on a proj- ect. Agencies can make this easier by understanding who will be involved in implementing a new video-centric solution across an organization.
Deciphering risk. Government organizations are constantly work- ing to determine risk factors, determining how to address various risk factors with not only policies and processes, but also technology. These organizations often look to integrator and manufacturer partners to help identify the solutions that can address these various risk factors.
Video data is one area where this is essential. With so much infor-
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