The future of security

The world of security is advancing rapidly due to a flurry of new threats, allowing business owners to choose from a variety of enhanced systems to protect themselves and their staff. From a rise in artificial intelligence to the emergence of new data protection laws, it’s evident that these developments are expected to continue in years to come. 

Rise of IoT

IoT – The Internet of Things – is all to do with the intelligent connection of devices to the internet. So many devices around the world can collect and share information, so just imagine what the future holds. Each year, technology advances, and the internet merges with more devices. Whether it’s home security systems, RFID (radio-frequency identification) tags, energy systems, or jet engines, the internet can work with devices big and small. 

Already there are smart city projects with regions being filled with sensors to help us gain a better understanding and control of the environment. For instance, in Las Vegas, the city used Cisco’s solutions to collect and analyse data across environment, traffic, water, crowd control, transit, lighting, waste management, security, and parking to improve the lifestyles of its residents and visitors. 

In the next few years, looking ahead to 2025, Eugene Tsaplin, CTO at the web scraping services company – FindDataLab, predicts a rise of IoT:

“While [IoT] is already common on newer televisions, digital watches and video cameras, lowered costs and demand will expand this to everyday household devices by 2025. Examples include lights, refrigerators, microwave ovens, door locks, alarms, laundry machines, coffee makers, and even dog collars.  

“The term Internet of Things (IoT) is used in reference to this capability. It is important to note that the ‘Internet of Things’ is an umbrella term that refers to any device connected to the Internet. By the end of 2018, the world had an estimated 22 billion IoT connected devices. In the future, we expect to witness other smart appliances such as toasters, doors, lighting systems, cars, and toys, among others. Forecasts from International Data Corporation (IDC) suggest that the number will increase to over 41 billion IoT devices generating approximately 79 zettabytes of data by 2025.”

Before long, it’ll be hard to find something that isn’t connected to the internet. Our appliances and security systems are going to keep getting smarter. With intelligent AI video analytics, CCTV can already learn and detect specific behaviours, like loitering, an object being removed or being left by a person, and a person, vehicle or object stopping. So in the future, we can predict that the analytics and AI will work even more effectively, learning more like a human to spot unpredictable situations or actions on CCTV. 

Voice recognition 

Voice recognition and authentication software is deemed as being a “touchstone in the current high-tech era.” It’s expected that this will start to become the norm, not only within the increasingly popular Smart Home, but across businesses that heavily value security; think of this as an advanced, futuristic Alexa. To put this into perspective, Juniper Research predicts that there will be around eight million voice assistants in use worldwide by 2023, many of which will be used to replace a password.

The purpose of voice recognition technology is to differentiate between people’s unique voice patterns, identifying the physical and behavioural characteristics to create a template before granting access. 

This form of business security aims to provide a more convenient experience for customers and clients, as they won’t need to remember their mum’s middle name or first childhood pet. As a result, the whole process is much swifter, and there won’t be a risk of exposing private information in a public setting. 

Voice recognition software and the artificial intelligence behind it is only “getting more sophisticated”, according to the VP of Voices.com, Chris Kirby. All of the biometric information that the devices receive are stored away in a secure, isolated environment to protect from fraudsters and hackers, offering advanced security to businesses. 

It’s also expected that this technology will progress even further, eventually being able to detect a person’s mood through tonal recognition. Kirby goes on to state:

“I see a time when not only will the algorithms understand what is said, but the way it is said. Tonal inflection and all the other characteristics that add meaning to the spoken word will become part of the process of comprehension.”

Cloud-based access control

Cloud-based security has been a major trend in 2021, and it’s expected to rise in popularity over the coming months. This security software is constantly evolving in an attempt to keep up with an increasing customer demand for a better access control experience. 

Business operation has seen a period of drastic innovation as a result of Cloud technology, enabling effortless file-sharing and team collaboration, whilst boasting an extensive storage offering. Products such as our VOLO Cloud Based Access Control provide the user with a flexible and straightforward, yet cost-effective security experience, requiring less maintenance than traditional control systems. 

Multi-site access management is now a thing of the present, with a cloud-based access control system offering practically unlimited scalability. Michael Gips at Swiftlane quotes: 

“The adoption of cloud-based systems has become an emerging trend due to the ability to manage multiple sites under a single system. Access levels can easily be managed across all sites. Moreover, it’s possible to manage a global infrastructure without compromising security or convenience. In fact, security is strengthened and convenience is higher in this environment.” 

Now that multiple sites can be controlled from one location, the risk of information leaks that was once a result of oldschool manual practices are significantly reduced. 

CCTV privacy and security

With Security, Distributing and Marketing deeming video surveillance as having the highest sales potential, their popularity is expected to result in a need for stricter regulations. The risk of hackers has reached an all time high due to more devices being connected, with the FBI reporting that they received around 3000-4000 cybersecurity complaints a day in 2020 since the start of the pandemic. This is a massive contrast to the usual 1000 per day that was reported pre-pandemic, so it’s evident that people are becoming increasingly aware of security threats. 

Businesses are encouraged to protect captured video surveillance data due to the enforcement of stricter privacy laws, which will provide further protection against inevitable cyberattacks. It’s important to remember that CCTV does pose the issue of leaking personal information, so it’s essential that businesses continue to adhere to privacy regulations to avoid breaching GDPR. 

If you’re looking to enhance your business’ security, have a chat with our team of experts today. We’re always keen to discuss your requirements, from system installation to maintenance, we’re here to help keep you and your staff safe.