5 Megatrends In Security - Internet of Things

5 Megatrends In Security - Internet of Things

Global research company, Frost & Sullivan recently published their report on the "Top 5 Megatrends that Will Transform the Global Security Markets". They discuss the changing threats to governments and critical infrastructure as well as global economics that are driving security stakeholders to evaluate resources.

In order to combat these threats, Frost & Sullivan have identified the 5 Megatrends that will drive security over the coming years:

  1. New technologies
  2. Internet of Things in public safety
  3. Debate on public safety and information retention
  4. Web intelligence and Big Data in law enforcement
  5. Legacy systems replaced with newer technology

In this second article, we'll take a look at the Internet of Things (IoT) megatrend. What is IoT, what is the future of IoT in video surveillance, access control, how will these IoT devices communicate with each other and how will all this IoT data be managed?

What is the Internet of Things (IoT)?

IoT is all the rage, everyone in technology is talking about it. But it's not a new concept. IoT was first coined in 1999, at the height of the "dot com bubble" and it was used to describe where everything would have network connectivity (originally using RFID technology). So your fridge would be connected to the network, it would also work out what food you needed and order it for you.

Then the dot com bubble burst and the talk of everything connected died off. But in the background, networking technology got better and better. 3G then 4G mobile networks, now enabling you to watch video on your phone. 20 Mbps, then 120 Mbps, 200 Mbps and more is available to homes and offices. But what is going to use all that bandwidth? There's only so many cat videos you can stream...

On the other hand, network technology got smaller, cheaper and less power hungry. Thermostats were now network enabled, Amazon Dash gives a one button ordering service for cleaning products, coffee... toilet paper. That internet enabled fridge doesn't sound so crazy now.

Amazon Dash - an IoT device that allows one button ordering of... toilet paper.
 
So what is IoT? Essentially, it's any device that can communicate over a network - wired, wifi, cellular. Doesn't sound so complicated now, does it?
 

IoT In Physical Security

The concept of IoT in Physical Security is completely new. Actually, it's not. Just like above, IoT has slowly been creeping into the world of security. It's just that only recently it's been given the name IoT.

To give you an idea, take a look at this fantastic image produced by Memoori showing IoT in commercial buildings. The green central line is security and safety (because security should be seen as the central piece!) - Video Surveillance, Access Control, Mass Notification. These have been network enabled for years, just because they're called IoT shouldn't scare you!

Future of IoT in Security

Let's have a crystal ball moment, what could the future of security look like thanks to the IoT concept?

Video

Body Worn Video (BWV) is going to be a massive driver in security, especially when looking at IoT. We previewed our wireless BWV earlier this year, meaning you could stream video from anywhere with a wifi connection, removing camera cabling and installation costs (ASIS also recognised our BWV as part of their "Security's Best" awards). But where is wireless network going?

With 5G mobile networking, you'll be able to get mobile network speeds up to 10 Gigabits per second. You'll be able to easily stream Body Worn Video from anywhere with access to a 5G network. Even fixed security cameras will be able to use this technology, having 5G connectivity built-in. 5G testing is already happening, with network roll-outs expected between 2017 and 2020, it's not that far away!

Access Control

Contactless Smart Cards, the same technology used in Access Control and modern bank cards, has seen a big movement towards Near Field Communication (NFC). You might have already experienced NFC if you've used your iPhone and Apple Pay. Essentially, it's using your phone for identity management!

Banking is the big user of NFC, with over 1 billion NFC enabled devices. At the recent NFC Summit, additional uses for NFC were explored - AT&T demonstrated using your mobile phone to verify your identity in hotels would lead to a smoother, easier customer experience instead of a traditional key card. For Access Control, a case study was presented where Arizona State University piloted the use of mobile phones for access control to dorm buildings, offices and other secure campus buildings. 100% of the students said they would prefer to use their own mobile device over a campus issued card.

With IT departments deploying "Bring Your Own Device" more and more, maybe this will be pushed out to Access Control and Identity Management. After all, most phones already have fingerprint identification enabled making it more secure than a standard Access Control card.

IoT - How Will We Manage All This Information?

Probably the biggest challenge with IoT in Security is how all of this information is going to be managed. We now have a situation where more devices are network enabled, yet they currently all operate in "information silos".

Going back to the IoT train map above, currently each of those areas all use different languages to talk with each other. There is no standard communication protocol for Access Control to talk with Video, or for Video Management to talk with Building Management.

A few companies like Google (Brillo O/S and Weave Protocol) and Samsung (investing in SIGFOX) are proposing IoT communication standards, but just like in the early days of ethernet networking, these are all competing to be the one true standard.

But while the IoT standard process lumbers on, security managers are faced with "how do I manage all of this data?" That's why integration is a key part of IoT for the foreseeable future. Integrating all of these disparate systems into a single, manageable system.

That means you need to be able to translate the different languages. With IndigoVision you can easily translate these different security languages thanks to our Integration software modules and have a single user interface managing everything - Control Center.

Do you have multiple systems that you're looking to integrate?

With IndigoVision you get a single application that speaks to and controls all the others. It's our "stand-together" model of communication, where everything talks to each other in one language: ours.

Our linguistic experts are called Integration Modules. They act as translators so the various surveillance applications can speak to you and you can speak to them.

They convert all the applications, puts them into a single application - Control Center. Control Center then makes the information smart and actionable.

It clears your desk as it clears your mind. Forget the myriad of monitors. Everything is on the screens of Control Center.

Control Center puts you in (where else?) control.

Get your free trial of Control Center and see how it can put you in control.

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