Alex Holmstrom, Global Sales and Marketing Director for ACRE/Vanderbilt analyses the biggest trends in intruder detection.
For businesses across the world, intrusion alarms and detection are at the centre of a focus for establishing a comprehensive security plan. And the numbers support this: The European perimeter intrusion detection systems market is set to see growth at a rate of 15.7% annually through 2024, due in part to the growing demand for video surveillance, remote access via the cloud and wireless technology to help enhance security systems.
As demand grows, manufacturers are tasked with developing products and solutions that meet a wide number of needs. Technology advancements are driving significant trends in the intrusion detection market and also creating new use cases. Here is what we view as the biggest trends to keep an eye on over the next year:
The cloud
Perhaps the biggest trend across the security industry — and especially for intrusion — is the increased adoption of cloud-based systems as a means to achieve comprehensive and flexible protection for an organisation. The benefits speak for themselves: remote alarm management, increased connectivity and a greater ability for operators to streamline security operations. More and more investments are being made not only in cloud-based intrusion, but also access control and this trend is only expected to increase two-fold over the coming year.
Product to service focus
While a continuing trend, the security industry is seeing a big shift away from being solely product-focused to a focus on solutions designed to support evolving business and security requirements. The drive behind this shift is the idea that stakeholders today seek more long-term collaboration rather than “one-and-done” purchases. While this trend is really taking off, it mimics the shift seen in the IT world over a decade ago and marks one of the major developments in recent years.
Increased connectivity
Within intrusion and beyond, there’s a trend toward all devices becoming smarter, interoperable and interconnected and the industry can look toward the Internet of Things (IoT) as the source. Customers demand that their intrusion detection system can work seamlessly with their access control, fire detection and video management systems in an effort to correlate data between the systems for more actionable intelligence. This trend is set to continue as more and more integrations are made possible from various manufacturers and systems.
Secure communication
With increased levels of connectivity comes the demand to enhance communications across devices and teams. There are a number of new wireless initiatives designed to bring two-way communication through a cloud-based system that utilises the same interface but can be programmed either onsite or remotely. This approach will be a powerful tool for installers who will gain additional functionality and fix issues remotely.
Remote management and monitoring
The internet has revolutionised the way technology is used, allowing the creation of systems and processes that once required a plugged-in setup to our mobile devices. The ability to remotely manage and monitor a facility is paramount to the kind of flexibility that stakeholders want today, combining ease of use, efficient data capture and centralisation to deliver higher levels of situational awareness. For example, any time an intrusion alarm goes off, remote monitoring and management make it possible to investigate the alarm from anywhere, any device and at any time.
From the cloud and interconnectivity to increasing communication and a focus on service, demand for intrusion solutions that deliver more functionalities is rising. As the physical security industry continues to expand, security professionals must look toward the future to build comprehensive technology platforms to keep their organisations safe from rising threats. Through continued innovation and research, it is all possible.
This article was originally published in the June edition of Security Journal UK. To read your FREE digital copy, visit: https://digital.securityjournaluk.com/html5/reader/production/default.aspx?pubname=&edid=c1f7d3d1-1e78-412a-a61c-f9089a040a2d