Security Trends in 2023

Security Trends in 2023 

Wishing you a very Happy New Year – 2023. Although some of the worst disruption caused by the global Covid-19 pandemic is hopefully behind us, 2023 is shaping up to be another challenging year for business and society. But this year few states going through partial lockdown case to case basis.

Cyber security in physical security:

Adoption of digital technology and internet have also led to increase in cybercrime incidents. It can be controlled or minimized with care, precaution, awareness and with the use of appropriate tools to secure the information. Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under Cyber & Information Security (CIS) Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs, has prepared one manual to disseminate Cyber Hygiene Best Practices for the benefit of Industrial Bodies/General Public/Government Officials.

Many large buyers now provide a cybersecurity questionnaire that integrators and solution vendors must complete, leading to creation of new roles in some companies just to respond to such questionnaires that are required in bid processes. Vendors, integrators and the practitioners themselves are simultaneously chasing cybersecurity talent to add to their employee teams, a challenging proposition given the overall difficulty to hire technically skilled workers of any type. Cybersecurity has to be managed on multiple levels, requiring constantly expanding investments in:

·        Device-level cybersecurity (e.g., cameras, readers, panels)

·        Infrastructure cybersecurity (wiring, networks, switches, etc.)

·        Software and Server cybersecurity

·        Configuration cybersecurity (correct implementation of cybersecurity features)

·        Cloud cybersecurity

·        Mobile device cybersecurity (particularly as security and employee bases become more mobile or remote)

·        User cybersecurity (e.g., social engineering attacks, insider threats, etc.)

Security practitioners today seem to have three general choices when it comes to convergence:-

1. Ignore: Disregard the need to converge—a wholly unwise choice, by most accounts.

2. Strongly Interrelated Teams: Continue to manage security in two, separate but equal channels, but strongly define team relationships such that constant open dialogue and cross-investigation exist between the two specialized teams.

2. Fully Converged: Fully merge security leadership and tactical security management to link cybersecurity protections and physical security protections, given converged threat vectors that impact information, data, people and assets.

Artificial Intelligence (AI):

In 2018, a NITI Aayog report stated that India will hold a late-mover advantage in real world application of artificial intelligence (AI). Worldwide, spending by governments and business on AI technology will top $500 billion in 2023, according to IDC research. Moreover AI applications on top of security solutions helps break the boundaries of our industry’s value to practitioners, by embedding non-security applications that take data from the proliferation of sensors of all types to correlate data points or find trends that can save businesses money or enable them to act more swiftly.

In a pre-event discussion with panel lists from an AI panel held at SNG 2022, the expert panel lists (reflecting integrators, vendors and practitioners) indicated they see sweeping AI frameworks coming, but admitted the industry is not yet prepared to define a framework for AI, noting that the technology’s rate of change is likely outpacing our ability to construct implementation frameworks, particularly ethical frameworks.

 

“IN 2023, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WILL BECOME REAL IN ORGANIZATIONS. NO-CODE AI, WITH ITS EASY DRAG-AND-DROP INTERFACES, WILL ENABLE ANY BUSINESS TO LEVERAGE ITS POWER TO CREATE MORE INTELLIGENT PRODUCTS AND SERVICES.”

—TRENDS FUTURIST BERNARD MARR, WRITING FOR FORBES IN NOVEMBER 2022

 

Autonomous Devices:

Autonomous devices are a physical form of autonomous technology. Robots, both functional and humanoids, drones and vehicles are a few examples of autonomous devices. Autonomous devices learn from their surroundings and complete tasks without continued human input.

Automation of repetitive security tasks in lower-risk environments (think robots doing automated patrols in unstaffed facilities) and partly about highly responsive situational awareness (flying a drone to a remote or dangerous location for visual input back to the command post), but the real opportunity being seen for 2023 is connecting improved robotics with AI-embedded intelligence to finally put more “autonomous” in “autonomous devices,” some of which required an operator to previously drive the robot. Notably the International Standards Organization narrowly defines robots to not include remote-controlled solutions such as remote-controlled drones and ground vehicles.

Over half a million industrial robots were installed in 2021 according to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), and that doesn’t even include robots for security applications, which are outside of the scope of the IFR’s annual World Robotics research.

Workforce development:

Workforce development from the societal centric perspective is defined as initiatives that educate and train individuals to meet the needs of current and future business and industry in order to maintain a sustainable competitive economic environment.

In a survey they found attracting skilled labor is a top concern, and there’s only one solution in today’s hyper-competitive labor market: “We must train our own.” Long established as a factor limiting companies’ growth (especially that of the systems integrators), expanding the workforce has become a key focus of organizations like SIA, which partnered with the Electronic Security Association to cofound the Foundation for Advancing Security Talent (FAST) to drive awareness of security industry employment opportunities.

Smart practitioners, particularly larger corporations with extensive security teams, are also hiring talent from their integrators and vendors in some cases, recognizing that they need internal personnel with the skillsets that they once could wholly outsource. Others are instead outsourcing or embedding integrator talent into their organization.

70% of employees work through mobile devices, with 200 million worldwide using mobile business apps. What’s more, 84% of decision makers plan to increase spending on mobile applications that drive employee productivity, reduce costs and enhance customer satisfaction.

The mobile workplace is a place that offers a host of benefits. Its core objective is to make employees as productive as possible, whether they are at their desks, in the field or working remotely. It’s all about equipping staff with the tools they need to do their jobs more efficiently, putting those tools conveniently at their fingertips, and connecting processes so that everything within a business works more cohesively.
 
Smartphone applications will increasingly be employed in 2023 to control physical security systems. Managers will have fingertip control over who has access to certain zones and facilities, and will be able to set those controls from wherever they happen to be working.
 
Security analytics will collate rich data insights from a suite of IoT connected devices, delivering them into the hands of decision makers via their smart devices, helping to inform security and operational strategies.

Data privacy:

Data privacy is the right of a citizen to have control over how their personal information is collected and used. Data protection is a subset of privacy. This is because protecting user data and sensitive information is a first step to keeping user data private. US data privacy laws are regulated at the federal level. Data privacy is typically applied to personal health information (PHI) and personally identifiable information (PII). This includes financial information, medical records, video footage security, social security or ID numbers, names, birthdates, and contact information. You might be surprised to learn that CCTV footage is subject to the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).

By 2024, 75% of the Global Population Will Have Its Personal Data Covered Under Privacy Regulations. Ultimately, the practitioner is responsible for ensuring that their data is protected and that systems are used ethically. This had led to pullback from many practitioners on their pace of adoption for some technologies like facial recognition to ensure that they have not only justifiable use cases but the procedures in place to ensure that advanced systems are used responsibly, and that data is only collected when it is needed.

Contactless security:

Contactless technology has become hugely important post-Covid, due to the strong reaction against physical contact. It’s also about the user experience, with people increasingly wanting things to be instant and simple.

Contactless security is therefore, unsurprisingly, becoming more commonplace. Biometric access, using the likes of fingerprints, iris scans and facial recognition to identify authorised personnel for physical access into a building or specific part of it, is already becoming the norm, whilst other contactless entry technologies that are set to be even more widely adopted during 2023 and beyond include Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and smartphone NFC (Near Field Communication) keyless entry, as well as QR code entry for temporary access.

For added security, multi-factor authentication (MFA), the use of more than one method of identification, is likely to become more widely adopted, as organisations batten down the hatches, making it harder for would-be unauthorised entrants to gain access.

India and China relation effect in Surveillance Market

 India and China relation effect in Surveillance Market

India faces trade imbalance heavily in favour of China. The two countries failed to resolve their border dispute and Indian media outlets have repeatedly reported Chinese military incursions into Indian territory. Both countries have steadily established military infrastructure along border areas.

Major Issues Between India And China

•      LAC issues – Border demarcation has been a major issue between India and China. ..
•     Water Disputes – The 4 Rivers flowing from China to India are the crucial source of water for some Indian states. ...
•     Dali Lama – India's step to shelter Dalai Lama, who has taken shelter in Dharamshala, after his exile.

According to Indian sources, melee fighting on 15/16 June 2020 resulted in the deaths  of 20  Indian soldiers (including an officer) and casualties of 43 Chinese soldiers (including death of an officer). ... On the Indian side ten soldiers were reported to have been taken captive while the Chinese numbers remain unconfirmed.

Many Indians largely blame China for the origin of the coronavirus, and criticize its lack of disclosure, its influence on the WHO, and what are seen as its efforts to take diplomatic or commercial advantage of the crisis. Because of COVID-19, China's GDP contracted 6.8% during the first quarter of 2020, the country’s first quarterly economic retrenchment in decades, according to data released April 17 by the National Bureau of Statistics of China. Thus, India’s government has announced restrictions on foreign direct investment from countries that share a land boundary with India — a move clearly directed against China. It has also been proactive in its neighborhood with diplomatic outreach, economic aid, technical assistance, and the provision of medical supplies.

Outside of China, the pandemic has severely affected the production of video surveillance equipment in areas where the equipment is being made, such as India, Vietnam, and Brazil, as factories remained shuttered under lockdown orders. It is difficult to say when production in these areas will resume since virus spread and containment efforts differ for each country.

To ensure that social distancing norms and the home ministry’s standard operating procedures are being followed, the government will ask all major companies that reopen with permits to share their CCTV footage.
“We will make it mandatory for all bigger organisations to share CCTV footage. We will set up a control room where our industry department will monitor this feed to ensure that the social distancing norms are being followed,” said additional chief secretary and GMDA chief VS Kundu. Besides this, officials from the labour department as well as Haryana State
Industrial Development Corporation (HSIDC) will constantly monitor the factories. “We will also form teams of volunteers who will conduct random checks at the industry premises to see that the SOPs are being followed,” said Kundu. You need to audit video footage what your camera saw. As far as the construction sites are concerned, only those projects that have made arrangements for the workers’ accommodation at the site will be allowed to reopen.

China alone in 2019 accounted for approximately 90% of the worldwide production of video surveillance camera units, and its domestic surveillance market represented 47% of worldwide global market revenue, Omdia estimates, as shown by the chart below. 

Contactless technology was an inevitable demand that COVID-19 brought with it. Realizing this at an early stage of the pandemic. Facial recognition could grant access or unlock a door without physical contact, but in many instances, you would still need to open a door by touching its handle. To deal with this, manufacturer offered motorized swing door and sliding door operators. At exits, recommended touch-free buttons that could open the doors. But Facial recognition is costly, their capacity is lower than fingerprint-based systems, and chances of error are more. Even in a global pandemic, researchers are crawling the internet for photos of people wearing face masks to improve facial recognition algorithms...so, yes, the technology will continue to evolve and continue to be used.

 

The customers, on their part, are keen on these solutions, but because the Indian government had implemented a country-wide lockdown for almost six months from March, sales have been less. Even though the country-wide lockdown was lifted in May, regional lockdowns and restrictions continue, and many customers are still reluctant to decide to invest. Also need to remember India is a highly cost-sensitive economy. This reason Indian people depends on china low cost zero quality product. Some high-end customers, like a pharmaceutical company they upgrading from their existing fingerprint scanners is a significant capital investment decision because they have hundreds of readers across their premises. So, the market may take a final decision only after observing the developments of a vaccine or cure for COVID-19.

 

Some Si' s received an inquiry for a facial recognition-based access control solution, integrated with thermal screening and mask detection, where they categorically said not to go for Chinese products. Although there are customers interested in contactless access control technology, the Indian market appears to have taken a wait-and-watch strategy for now. However, the spread of the virus in the next few months would play a critical role in the decision-making process. By the end of this year or early next, we would get a clearer picture.

For a global security solutions provider, entering the Indian market begins with understanding the local customer’s requirements. But this is not easy, as the Indian market is fragmented and diverse, making it close to impossible to reach every end customer without investing heavily in a high-budget marketing plan. Security systems integration industry in India is not as organized as it should be. Delays in decision making are common in Indian public sector projects. Often there are also a lot of uncertainties because of political reasons. Post-sales challenges differ from customers to customers. Each project has its own set of challenges. These call for several levels of permissions that they are required to seek from different government bodies like National Highway Authorities, Railway Authorities, and other local authorities, before installation, which is another set of challenges during the execution stage.

 

Video Surveillance market especially regarding IP-based surveillance systems, is the customer’s lack of knowledge on what they want to buy. They compare IP Surveillance systems with IP devices that are used in general networking/LAN. The problem is that LAN/WAN is focused more on the network or the backend. For IP surveillance, they need to pay attention to the camera as it is the major component, apart from other network devices. This is where the price sensitivity issues that have become a nightmare for foreign vendors in India resurface. Competition from Chinese manufacturers is a challenge to SIs working with premium solution providers. Mr. Arindam Bhadra, Technical director of SSA Integrate said” “With the presence of various low-quality Chinese products, the biggest challenge for us is to convince our customers to buy products, which, although high in pricing, offers a better quality coupled with world-class technology. Still, many customers take cameras as just a device to watch the videos rather than for security surveillance. So, educating the customer and convincing them on the quality of products is the major challenge. Even they not bother type of cyber certification, UL etc.”

Cybersecurity threat mitigation awareness in the customer is not yet mature and, in such cases, we recommend products that follow best cybersecurity practices to ensure the IP Surveillance equipment doesn’t become the weakest link on the network. Marketing to end customers could be a possible solution, as this would support SIs in their efforts to convince the customer to not just focus on the price factor. When you combine this with steps to create more awareness of cybersecurity issues, customers will have a better understanding of what it takes to protect their surveillance data.

Several public video surveillance vendors in China have now released their Q1 financial reports that show their business being impacted at different levels. Revenue fell by 5% at Hikvision, by 19% at Dahua, by 36% at Kedacom, and rose just 0.5% at China Transinfo, the parent company of Uniview. The reversals are likely due to halted or delayed government-driven video surveillance projects as well as stagnant demand in the enterprise and small and medium business sector because of COVID-19.

Now I share one real life experience, happened with Nagpur based Si’s ACE Technologies, Mr. Ashish Agrawal said

“I would rather lose a order of 70 lakh than compromise on my nations security by Quoting on Manipulation done by Hikvision, Dahua, UNV or CP Plus.

For me Nation comes 1st.

May be emotional fool, but a Proud Indian at Heart.

Today i have rejected a customer asking me specs of these Chinese oem's. Kam profit hoga this FY, but at heart I'm happy that I've done my bit in securing safety and sovereignty of my Nation. My Tribute and Respect soldiers who laid down their lives for our security and security of this Great Nation from Pakis and Chinese. Many undercover we even don't know.

 

May be from business i made foolish decision, but not at cost of My Country.

 

It's time we as Indirect Security solution providers should stand together in supporting Safety, Sovereignty and Security of Our Nation.”

At last someone had to start, he did a bit. May be few SI's who have moral ethics and feelings for Nation can also do. Also few people who have sold souls and heart to Chinese companies can come back and Stand for their Nation.

 

Finally, dealing with government projects in India requires people who are familiar with how the system works. A potential solution some vendors have already considered is hiring such people to work as intermediaries. In a market like India, foreign vendors would always be better off with a reliable local representative. A lot of their success could depend on how efficient this representative could be.

Boycotting Chinese products & use NDAA approved video surveillance is correct process in new normal Indian society. Manufacturers wish and expect to make their products entirely in India in a few years, but there is much to be done before the country reaches that stage. “Make in India” is not as easy as it sounds. But “assemble in India” is good word.  

Download:

Restriction Rule Indian Public Procurement 2020 

New Make in India policy effective from 4th June 2020.

Technical issues with Outdoor Wireless Security Cameras

Technology is man-made and anything that is man-made will have a certain problems with them.  With latest technology developing day by day, the improvements on them also take place on a daily basis. What may have seemed like a solution once might become a problem tomorrow.  Same is the case with outdoor low voltage wireless security cameras.  They are the latest in security and surveillance systems, and have the fastest growing market.

These cameras have many great features that make them superior to wired CCTV cameras, but they to have a few drawbacks that may not be suitable to your needs, and would make having the traditional CCTV a better option for you.

Signal Disturbances in Outdoor Wireless Security Cameras

Since wires are not involved, the signal is transmitted through airwaves. These airwaves can easily catch disturbance from many sources. The signal can be disturbed by cell phone activity, microwaves or any other wireless technology. The footage quality is also compromised when the disturbance occurs. Though, modern-day cameras have become advanced enough to significantly reduce these disturbances, and with the advent of internet, the footage can be transferred through Wi-Fi systems.

Vulnerability of the Footage

Clever thieves can also block wireless signals with help of high-tech devices. Not just block them, the signals can be hacked into, and the footage can be stolen.  Even if the footage is transferred through password protected internet systems, this risk always remains.

Power Connectivity

Wires are not required, but electricity is. The cameras need power to function, and for that a power outlet is required. Each camera will need its individual connection, and since they are placed outside, this might prove to be a headache.

If the cameras run on battery, the question of charging them also arises. And in case of power outage, the cameras will surely need battery backup as the burglars become most active during power cuts.

Maintenance

Outdoor wireless security cameras are built to be placed outside, and hence are rough and tough. But the technology is modern, and needs to be delicately handled. A constant watch has to be kept on the functioning and upgrades in software and tech will also be necessary.

Vulnerability of the Camera

These cameras are small and portable; hence, one cannot forget that they too can be the targets of thieves. Since there are no complicated cables that are holding them, all one needs to do is unscrew them out of their secure place and the camera is theirs to keep.

Other Factors

They may not seem likely, but these things can affect your wireless cameras. Unwanted expenses can occur with these cameras, since everything is latest technology, the cameras may not work with the screens or computers you have, and you may end up having to buy new screens.

Needs differ and the newest in technology does not necessarily mean the right one.  Simplicity can be the best option many times, and you should think long and hard before making such an important decision as this is a question of security.