Page 14 - Security Today, November/December 2020

What is on the Horizon? Solutions are being designed to serve multiple purposes from safety to security
BTy Dr. Martin Gren
he security industry has a long history of pushing the technology envelope. Whether taking quantum leaps or building incremen-
tally on past achievements, we’re in con- stant forward motion. While no one can guarantee how that will play out in 2021, here are a few observations about where I think we are going.
MEETING NOVEL CHALLENGES WITH NOVEL SOLUTIONS
Technology continues to advance at an accelerated pace. Software and hardware are being integrated in novel ways to create smarter solutions. We are seeing more solu- tions being designed to serve multiple pur- poses from safety and security to business operations. What’s driving these trends? Some of the impetus is simply the natural evolution of technology and the flexibility that networks offer. Another thing spurring innovation is the need to respond to crises. As the well-worn adage says, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” COVID-19 is no exception. During 2020, many IP devices— originally designed for security—have been integrated with other technologies and put into service in new ways.
For example, hospitals using IP cam- eras and networks to scale their ability to visually monitor patients remotely, ef- ficiently manage resources and rapidly respond to emergencies. They are using audio and object detection analytics to recognize a patient in distress from a fall, injury or other difficulty, and expedite life- saving response. They’re using in-room video cameras to monitor patient vital signs remotely through integrated telem- etry systems. In today’s COVID world, this greatly decreases the frequency of in- person encounters between patients and medical staff thereby reducing exposure and the risk of transmitting the virus— and ultimately improving healthcare out- comes.
COVID-19 will continue to have a ma- jor impact on how the world operates in the coming year. To help their customers remain safe and protected in this new re- ality, security professionals will find them- selves creatively adapting traditional sur- veillance and security devices to new roles
and employing new technologies–offering solutions for touchless entry, social dis- tancing and virtual interactions designed to contain the spread of the virus. With les- sons-learned and resourcefulness in mind, technological advancement, integrated net- work solutions, and future challenges will increasingly create opportunity for IP solu- tions to add value.
OVERCOMING ERODING TRUST
IN INSTITUTIONS AND TECHNOLOGY It is no secret that trust in business,
government, media and NGOs has been eroding for a while. Trust comes in many forms: being an honest and transparent partner, standing behind your products and following a consistent business model. Furthermore, it’s crucial to deliver prod- ucts that can capture, process and store data responsibly and protect against cy- berattacks. This starts with forward-think- ing and best practices in the design, devel- opment and testing of products in order to minimize risks.
As security professionals, we need to embody a strong business ethic, one that resists corruption, demonstrates social re- sponsibility, and personifies good global citizenship. We must manage that fine
line between protecting individual privacy and providing sufficient surveillance to make the community feel safe and secure in public and private environments. It is a dynamic landscape that that requires navi- gating changing attitudes and regulations both within the United States and across the globe.
DRIVING NEW APPROACHES TO CYBERSECURITY
As the technology ecosystem continues to expand, so, too, does the threat land- scape. With an exponential growth in con- nected devices, the need for heightened cybersecurity measures is more important than ever. This has led to some important trends in the areas of zero trust networks, layered cybersecurity, lifecycle and device management and OEMs.
Zero trust networks. To counter the high risk of a permeable network, com- panies are adopting the philosophy of “never trust, always verify” everyone and everything trying to connect to their sys- tems, before granting access. In zero trust networks, the identity of an entity is veri- fied multiple times in different ways, de- pending on its behavior and the sensitivity of specific data in the network being ac-
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 | SECURITY TODAY
2021 TRENDS
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