Protect your Surveillance System with a VPN

Protect your Surveillance System with a VPN 

Security cameras have become an essential tool in today’s world, where security is a growing concern for businesses and individuals alike. With the help of these cameras, you can monitor your property, deter crime, and protect your loved ones. However, while security cameras are a great investment, they also come with some security risks that can put your privacy and security in danger.

One of the most significant risks of using security cameras is that they can be easily hacked, leaving you vulnerable to cybercriminals who may want to access your data or spy on your activities. This is where VPNs come in. You can protect your surveillance system with a simple VPN download process.

In this article, we will explore the importance of using a VPN to protect your surveillance system and keep your data secure.

What are VPNs, and how do they work?

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a service that allows you to connect to the internet securely and privately. When you use a VPN, your data is encrypted, and your IP address is masked, making it difficult for anyone to track your online activities. VPNs are commonly used to protect sensitive information, such as online banking transactions or private messages, from prying eyes. However, there are other uses for VPNs such as blocking websites from tracking you, accessing restricted content and more.

VPN services work by creating a secure connection between your device and the VPN server. Your device sends data through this connection, which is then encrypted and sent to the VPN server. The VPN server then decrypts the data and sends it to its intended destination. This process protects your data from interception or hacking by cybercriminals.

The importance of using a VPN to protect your security cameras

While security cameras are essential for monitoring your property, they are also vulnerable to cyber-attacks. If your security cameras are connected to the internet, they can be accessed remotely by hackers who may want to spy on your activities or gain access to your personal data. To protect your security cameras from these threats, it is crucial to use a VPN.

Using a VPN for your security cameras can provide several benefits, including:

1. Protecting your privacy: When you use a VPN, your data is encrypted, and your IP address is masked. This means that hackers cannot track your online activities or access your personal information, providing an added layer of security for your security cameras.
2. Securing your footage: By using a VPN, you can ensure that your security footage is kept private and secure. This is especially important for businesses that may have sensitive information captured on their security cameras.
3. Preventing unauthorized access: VPNs can also prevent unauthorized access to your security cameras. By creating a secure connection between your device and the VPN server, you can ensure that only authorized users can access your security footage.
4. Protecting against cyber-attacks: VPNs can protect your security cameras from cyber-attacks such as hacking or malware. This is because the VPN encrypts your data and prevents it from being intercepted by cybercriminals.
5. Avoiding geo-restrictions: In some cases, security  cameras may be restricted to certain regions or countries. By using a VPN, you can bypass these restrictions and access your security cameras from anywhere in the world.

How to choose the right VPN for your security cameras

Choosing the right VPN for your security cameras is essential to ensure maximum protection and privacy. Here are some factors to consider when choosing a VPN:

1. Encryption: Look for a VPN that uses strong encryption, such as AES 256-bit encryption. This ensures that your data is protected and cannot be easily decrypted by hackers.
2. Server locations: Choose a VPN that has servers located in different regions or countries. This allows you to bypass geo-restrictions and access your security cameras from anywhere in the world.
3. Compatibility: Make sure the VPN is compatible with your security cameras. Some security cameras may not be compatible with certain VPNs, so it is important to check before signing up.

AI, Cloud and Cybersecurity Open New Opportunities for Integrators

AI, Cloud and Cybersecurity Open New Opportunities for Integrators 

I was recently asked which technologies are going to have the most significant impact on the physical security industry in the next few years. With the rapid pace of change in technology today, there is no simple answer to this question.

One thing that is certain is that companies are under pressure to become more efficient, secure and operationally aware. That, in turn, is driving the need for real-time data capturing and processing from every part of their business, including security.

We are just beginning to see how emerging technologies and concepts such as artificial intelligence (AI), Cloud computing and cybersecurity are impacting our industry. As companies plan for the future, budgets are increasingly focused on innovative solutions that can help to process the growing amount of data being captured and consumed.

Manufacturers and systems integrators that understand this shift have been quick to identify opportunities to win new business through the introduction of value-added applications or new services capable of generating recurring monthly revenue.

We explore some of those technologies and opportunities below.

Artificial intelligence and analytics

AI analytics is the product of automating data analysis—a traditionally time-consuming and people-intensive task—using the power of today's artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies.

AI analytics refers to a subset of business intelligence that uses machine learning techniques to discover insights, find new patterns and discover relationships in the data. In practice, AI analytics is the process of automating much of the work that a data analyst would normally perform.

Customers are looking to AI and data analytics to gain better insight into their operations. These offerings can enable security-related intelligence or operational and customer insights. The key to AI is self-learning algorithms that, over time, get better at identifying certain targeted behaviors or transactions and reducing false positives.

We have also begun to see several chip manufacturers introduce next generation processors with AI built into the core firmware. As a result, systems integrators can expect to see many product innovations in 2018 focused on advanced video analytics, data integrations and application software.

The challenge for their customers will be clearly defining which data is most valuable to them, who will have access to it, and how to best manage it. Systems integrators can play a key role in this process by having those discussions with customers up front and encouraging a proof-of-concept phase before fully rollouts are undertaken.

 

Cloud-based services

Cloud based services provide information technology (IT) as a service over the Internet or dedicated network, with delivery on demand, and payment based on usage. Cloud based services range from full applications and development platforms, to servers, storage, and virtual desktops.

In addition to AI and data analytics capabilities, we are seeing demand from customers for Security-as-a-Service (SaaS) offerings. The combination of low, upfront capital costs and outsourced services has made Cloud-based video and access control popular, especially in the hospitality and small-to-medium enterprise markets. Examples of SaaS cloud service providers include Dropbox, G Suite, Microsoft Office 365, and Slack. In each of these applications, users can access, share, store, and secure information in “the cloud.”

As technology providers add more sophisticated applications and services to further drive customer insight and efficiencies, expect enterprise retail customers to begin moving to this model as well in 2018. For systems integrators, SaaS solutions can represent a recurring revenue stream and a great opportunity to generate new business.

 

Cybersecurity impacts

Cyber attacks can cause electrical blackouts, failure of military equipment, and breaches of national security secrets. They can result in the theft of valuable, sensitive data like medical records. They can disrupt phone and computer networks or paralyze systems, making data unavailable.

Cybersecurity is crucial because it safeguards all types of data against theft and loss. Sensitive data, protected health information (PHI), personally identifiable information (PII), intellectual property, personal information, data, and government and business information systems are all included.

The sheer scope and size of the data breaches we saw in 2017 – Equifax being one of the most notable – has heightened concerns over cyber-preparedness. Increasingly, customers are evaluating their own level of cybersecurity preparedness, as well as that of their suppliers.

There’s no doubt that our industry is taking cybersecurity seriously, however there is still work to be done, and both systems integrators and their manufacturer partners need to be prepared. Information technology (IT) departments will continue to play an expanded role in approving products for deployment on corporate networks. The use of third-party cybersecurity audits will also become more commonplace, which will significantly impact how products are developed and deployed.

In addition to ensuring that their products are secure, manufacturers and system integrators will also need to improve their own organizational security. For video solution providers, that could mean demonstrating how they protect their software code and architect their software, and how compliant their solutions are with data privacy standards in North America and globally.

The need to bolster cyber defenses will also create demand for new equipment and software upgrades as the vulnerabilities of customers’ legacy equipment are exposed.

Cybersecurity will be a challenge for some systems integrators, but a great business opportunity for others. Customers will increasingly look for integrators that can meet their cybersecurity standards and possibly pass a cyber audit. If there’s a weak link in the chain – from product design to installation or service – then everyone loses. System Integrators know major China manufacturers like Dahua, Hikvision, Uniview are not impacted, from everything we have seen. We executed the proof of concept code from the disclosure on multiple devices and were unable to gain access using the backdoor. The backdoor primarily impacts devices using HiSilicon SOC with Xiongmai software, which is dozens of small OEM manufacturers, using minimally modified OEM firmware, Open Source OS and drivers, and enabling telnet on port 9530.

So it’s important that integrators and manufacturers work closely together and ensure that they share the same high cybersecurity standards. Integrators should also demand that their manufacturer partners be diligent about educating them on products and keeping software up to date to reduce potential vulnerabilities.

 

Knowing your market

Many of today’s leading system integrators have begun investing in the additional resources needed to educate staff and align their organizations so they can successfully adopt and provide these new capabilities to their customers.

It’s important that your organization have conversations with both your end user customers and your technology providers so you can take advantage of new opportunities while also helping to clarify what’s possible today and what’s still on the horizon.

As integrators move from equipment sales to consultative solution sales, it is important to understand the unique business problems of the customers in your target market. While this concept is not new, a growing number of integrators are putting vertical market initiatives in place to concentrate their expertise.

The top five business challenges of yesterday may no longer be the top five challenges of tomorrow. Integrators need to understand what those unique challenges are for each vertical they play in, and work with manufacturers that can provide proven solutions for specific markets.