Page 20 - Security Today, November/December 2023

Cloud Adoption Gives Way to Hybrid Deployments As trends continue, it is important to consider potential pitfalls By Fredrik Nilsson Cloud adoption is growing at an astonishing rate, increased cloud adoption. First, and perhaps most importantly, with Gartner forecasting that worldwide public not every business has the technical expertise to implement and cloud end-user spending will approach $600 bil- maintain an on-site server or keep surveillance devices updated lion by the end of this year—an increase of more and calibrated. Handing those considerations over to a third-par- than 21% over 2022. McKinsey believes that num- ty provider can be an appealing option, especially since building ber could eclipse $1 trillion by the end of the decade, further un- an on-premises solution can have significant up-front costs. derscoring the industry’s exponential growth. Maintaining a temperature-controlled server room can be ex- Recent research indicates 98% of enterprises “are using or pensive, after all—as can the server itself. Many businesses eager plan to use at least two cloud infrastructure providers,” while 31% to reduce their up-front capital expenditures (CapEx) may jump say they use four or more. Across nearly every industry, business- at the opportunity to forego that investment and allow a cloud es are jumping at the opportunity to leverage new cloud capabili- provider to step in. ties as they emerge. Another factor driving the trend toward cloud adoption is the For the most part, that is a good thing—but as the trend con- fact that cloud providers do not just help mitigate up-front costs— tinues, it is important to consider the potential pitfalls that come they provide continuous technical support, ensuring that devices along with it. In the security industry, cloud capabilities have are patched and updated at a regular cadence. This eliminates a enabled organizations to deploy surveillance cameras and other major source of friction (and frustration) for businesses that do sensors in a more efficient manner, but they have also forced them not want to spend their limited resources on device maintenance. to address challenges like bandwidth and storage needs, subscrip- It is hard to quantify the peace of mind afforded by having a tion fees, and data security considerations. trusted provider keep surveillance devices hardened against cyber As cloud adoption trends upward, the security industry needs threats—especially since not every business has the in-house ex- to consider what it will mean for them as we move into 2024— pertise needed to stay on top of every new and emerging threat. particularly as hybrid deployments balancing cloud and on- But perhaps the most important reason for the surge in cloud premises solutions become more popular. adoption is the convenience. A cloud solution can allow users Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock.com THE REASONS BEHIND INCREASED CLOUD ADOPTION When it comes to security, there are a number of reasons driving to interact with video feeds, access control stations, and other security solutions remotely, allowing security teams to address problems as they arise without needing to be physically present. 20 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 | SECURITY TODAY SECURITY TRENDS