Page 24 - Security Today, November/December 2024

S E C U R I T Y T R E N D S
Choosing the Right Solution
By Laurent Villeneuve
from on-prem installations
Today, there is a strong shift
to cloud or hybrid-cloud
deployments. As reported
in the 2024 Genetec State
of Physical Security report, 66% of end
users said they will move to managing or
storing more physical security in the cloud
over the next two years.
With this shift underway, more cloud
solutions have entered the market. It can
be challenging to choose the one that’s best
for your organization. Here are a few top
considerations that can help.
MUST HAVES FOR YOUR
SAAS SOLUTION
Whether an organization is looking at
VSaaS or ACaaS solutions or wants to in-
vest in a unifi ed PSaaS solution, a few key
criteria should remain top of mind. These
factors won’t only help your organization
transition to the cloud with ease, but you
can do it while capitalizing on existing in-
vestments and staying adaptable as new
changes come up.
Open architecture. An open architecture
solution gives your organization the fl ex-
ibility to keep existing devices and systems.
You can also choose to swap them out and
select the vendors and devices that best suit
your application and budget. Whether it’s
access control readers, video cameras, in-
tercoms, or intrusion sensors, you decide
which brands and solutions work best. An
open architecture also ensures that your
organization can add new technologies and
consider different system integrations.
Deployment fl exibility. A hybrid-cloud
solution provides the ultimate deployment
fl exibility because you decide exactly how
you want to set up each system and site.
You may have sites that are fully on-prem-
ises, some sites that are fully cloud-hosted,
and other sites that are connected to the
cloud with edge devices or cloud-managed
appliances. You can convert one site over to
the cloud at a time or trial new cloud-based
features and applications when opportuni-
ties arise. Also, whether you have system
components at the edge, on-premises, or in
the cloud, your team manages everything
from a centralized security solution.
Investment protection. Having the op-
tion to add cloud-managed appliances can
help you modernize older access control or
video surveillance systems by facilitating a
connection to the cloud. Using cloud-man-
aged appliances, you can easily swap out
older on-premises servers and bridge sites
to central security operations. This allows
you to keep existing cameras, access control
readers, and other sensors, and streamline
system maintenance through cloud man-
agement using an intuitive SaaS solution.
Cybersecurity and trust. Choosing a
SaaS solution that has been built with cy-
bersecurity and privacy in mind can make
all the difference. This provides advanced
cybersecurity defenses and default privacy
protection alongside numerous built-in tools
to enhance risk mitigation and compliance.
The vendor should be forthcoming about all
certifi cations and compliance standards.
These include self-assessments, third-
party audit reports, and documentation
about data, sub-processors, and network
security.
ASK THESE QUESTIONS
TO GET THE MOST
FROM A SAAS SOLUTION
Open architecture. Can the SaaS solution
work with various devices and vendors to
ensure it won’t become obsolete? Can we
choose solutions that best fi t our physical
security deployment and support our de-
sired outcomes?
Proven scalability. How easily can
the system scale to accommodate future
growth or changes in our organization?
Can the SaaS solution support a grow-
ing number of devices across global sites
alongside increased processing demands?
Unifi ed security operations. Does the
solution allow us to seamlessly manage
and operate with other security systems
and infrastructure? Can it manage all
physical security systems across our sites,
whether cloud or on-premises, to simplify
operations?
Maintenance and management. Is there
a way to simplify system management and
automate maintenance tasks to better op-
timize our IT and security resources? Does
the SaaS solution allow us to outsource
system health monitoring and optimiza-
tion to channel partners?
Data security and privacy. Does this
system give us all the necessary tools and
measures to uphold data and privacy com-
pliance across our organization? What is
the system’s track record for reliability and
uptime, and what measures are in place for
backup and disaster recovery?
Upgrades and innovation. How easily
can the system be upgraded to incorporate
new features or technologies without sig-
nifi cant disruption? Will we get continu-
ous access to the latest capabilities and
features when they’re released?
Cost structure. Is the pricing model
fl exible enough to accommodate future
changes in the organization? Does the
SaaS solution allow us to purchase con-
nections that can apply to cameras, read-
ers, or other sensors?
Partner support and trust. What level
of support and guidance can we expect
before, during, and after our deployment
from the SaaS provider and channel part-
ner? Are there signs that we can trust this
vendor and that they will continue to sup-
port and develop the solution in the fu-
ture?
INVESTING IN A FORWARD-
THINKING SAAS SOLUTION
In the search for the right SaaS product,
focus on choosing an open and unifi ed
PSaaS solution. You’ll have the fl exibility
to start with VSaaS, AcaaS, or other phys-
ical security solutions in the cloud while
enabling new features when you’re ready.
Considering a hybrid-cloud deploy-
ment and using cloud-managed appliances
can further streamline the transition to
the cloud. Not only can your organiza-
tion accommodate existing infrastructure,
requirements, and policies, but you’ll be
able to centrally manage all your systems
and sites, whether cloud,
edge, or on-premises,
from one intuitive cloud-
native platform.
Laurent Villeneuve is the
senior product marketing
manager at Genetec.
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