24 February 2022 - Security Buyer Magazine

Genetec State of the Industry Report

Genetec, a technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations, and business intelligence solutions, today shared the results of its state of the industry report. Based on insights from over 2,000 physical security leaders from around the world, the report looks at how the role of physical security continued to evolve in 2021 as organisations adapted to changing conditions. The changing role of physical security Physical security continues to evolve from being seen as a tool for mitigating risk, to playing a much more significant role in organisations’ digital transformation. The survey showed that more than two-thirds (69%) of respondents described physical security and related data as “mission-critical”. Larger organisations in particular are increasingly seeing value in the data gathered by their physical security systems with over 46% saying they use their security systems as a way to “improve overall business efficiency, productivity and asset optimisation”. Several survey respondents commented that they intended to invest in data management solutions to advance or improve the functionality of their physical security environment in the coming 12 months. The survey revealed that an increasing percentage of organisations (36%) are investing in unified solutions to enable the ease of maintenance, visibility, and data collection across all their systems to improve functionality and operations. This compares to 31% in the 2020 survey. Over half of all respondents (51%) also said they had invested in video analytics to improve the functionality of existing deployments and digitally transform their business processes. “Before the pandemic, physical security’s role in business intelligence and operations was already growing, but over the last two years, it has proven to be a strategic asset in coping with a variety of challenges,” said Pervez R. Siddiqui Vice President, Offerings and Transformation at Genetec. “As we emerge from the pandemic, organisations will contend with three undercurrents; changes in the physical dimension of work as workspaces evolve into hubs for collaboration and cohesion, workflow automation of the mundane in a bid to drive productivity and retention, and board-level interest in achieving operational resilience through integrated risk management.” With the pandemic forcing restricted access to physical sites, cloud-based solutions that enable organisations to remotely monitor video, control cameras, assess system health, perform maintenance, and update firmware/software have become invaluable. The survey showed that 45% of larger organisations (with over 1,000 employees) have already adopted cloud solutions which is a significant increase compared to 2020 when only 26% of respondents said they had begun their cloud journey. A massive 94% of respondents said they have plans to deploy cloud or hybrid cloud solutions in the long term. To read more exclusive features and latest news please see our February issue here. Media contact Rebecca Morpeth Spayne, Editor, Security Portfolio Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 922 Email: editor@securitybuyer.com

Genetec State of the Industry Report Read More »

What to expect at Security Buyer Live

The new dedicated online experience will take place between 9-10 March 2022 Security Buyer Live (SBLive) is an innovative, new virtual event for the international security sector to source the latest equipment and systems, develop important business relationships and generate new business opportunities. SBLive is perfectly placed to establish itself as the leading and must-attend online event for the international security sector. With the rapid evolution of technologies and the constant shift of policy and challenging requirements of users, it is now more important than ever to stay abreast of the issues that affect you. Jon Pittock, Publisher, Hand Media International said “Our position in the market, coupled with our relationships with key associations across the globe and market leading companies in each vertical of the security industry, provides a fantastic opportunity to showcase and share our content to the industry, as well as creating a safe networking hub full of business opportunities.” He added “As the business continues to grow, each of our established publications will enter the virtual events market and offer their unique expertise to their specific industries.” The Security Buyer Live conference programme will be delivered in collaboration with the editorial team and regular contributors to International Security Buyer Magazine. Consisting of best practice, technological innovations, case studies and success stories, tailored to the needs of today’s users, developers and suppliers. Who are the event supporters? “SBLive is sponsored and supported by some of the most established industry leaders in the security sector from high-profile market-leading companies to some of the largest associations in the industry.”, said Jon Pittock. SBLive is supported by the security and safety event leaders IFSEC International and FIREX International. IFSEC will be making its long-awaited return to ExCeL in 2022 to provide the global security sector with a much-needed opportunity to meet up, renew old friendships and showcase world class technologies. Security Buyer and IFSEC have a long-standing and secure relationship, this virtual collaboration will ensure professional progression for both companies. Skills for Security is another supporter of SBLive. Skills for Security is a Grade 2, Good, Ofsted national provider, with a Technical Training Centre in Warrington. They hold direct claims status with two Awarding bodies and a direct contract with the ESFA. They are a part of the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) and a not-for-profit organisation. Managing Director, David Scott, will be speaking at SBLive. He will lead the session titled ‘Build your own talent’. The International Foundation for Protection Officers (UK & Ireland) committed to the support and professional development of their members and all security officers, supervisors and managers. Through advocacy, promoting training standards, providing accessible training, education and certification opportunities, they seek to enhance their professional standing as well as increase the perception of the vital services they provide. SBLive is also proud to be sponsored by the industry leading companies, Assa Abloy Opening Solutions, Seagate, Tyco and Micron. To read more exclusive features and latest news please see our Q4 issue here. Media contact Rebecca Morpeth Spayne, Editor, Security Portfolio Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 922 Email: editor@securitybuyer.com

What to expect at Security Buyer Live Read More »

Big interview – Mike Hurst

Big Interview, Exclusives, Middle East Exclusives / Editor

Security Buyer sits down with Security Buyer Live media partner and speaker, Mike Hurst, Main Board Director, The International Foundation for Protection Officers (IFPO) You will be speaking on ‘Mental Health, Education and Recruitment’ in your session at Security Buyer Live (SBLive). What key learning points will this session focus on? Education has been at the core of the IFPO mission for over 30 years. Better educated and trained frontline officers are more effective in their security roles, deliver better service and are more likely to see security as a career. At the core of this are our two global certifications, Certified Protection Officer (CPO) and Certified in Security Supervision and Management (CSSM). Over 92,500 individuals have achieved one of these which need to be recertified every two years through CPD. There are also some Certificate courses based upon the same material. With our learning partner, Nuology, we have launched the IFPO Learn platform in the UK and Ireland, offering bite sized modules. We are now starting to roll out our full Level 1, 2 and 3 programs. The level three is a mix of classroom, eLearning and practical application. These are accredited by Highfield. There are lots of well-meaning people and groups talking about the mental health and the wellbeing of frontline security officers, but there has been little real action. I feel we need less of the former and more of the latter. There are two main aspects of Mental Health that I and IFPO are focusing on. Officers are often the first point of contact (or first responders) with the public. I know of many instances where officers have had to drag people from rail tracks, edges of car park roofs or had to deal with violence and aggression from people with mental illness. To help this, officers need to have training on recognising the signs of MH issues in others and some guidance on how to respond. Frontline officers can be subject to many stresses to keep us safe: working long and often unsociable hours, maintaining vigilance, protecting people property and assets, dealing with MH incidents in others, verbal abuse, being spat at, being threatened and actual physical attacks. These can take a toll on their own MH and wellbeing. They need access to resources and support to protect their mental health and keep them effective. I have been involved with security recruitment for a long time and my company, HJA Consult, which specialises in executive level appointments, is back to pre-pandemic levels of activity. The chance to speak regularly with clients and candidates is one that I take at every opportunity. What are you looking forward to the most about being involved with the virtual event? I am passionate about what I do and the role I and IFPO can play in the development of the security profession and relishing the opportunity to get that message across. IFPO is partnering with SBLive, what experience and knowledge does this bring to the event? IFPO is a global association with members in almost 70 countries. This is a great opportunity to reach the wide and international audience that Security Buyer has; I am looking forward to it. To read more exclusive features and latest news please see our Q4 issue here. Media contact Rebecca Morpeth Spayne, Editor, Security Portfolio Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 922 Email: editor@securitybuyer.com

Big interview – Mike Hurst Read More »

New MyCena Enterprise security solution

UK News Desk / Rebecca Morpeth-Spayne

MyCena, provider in access segmentation and encrypted password distribution, announces the launch of a new mobile device add-on to complete its enterprise segmented digital access security solution. MyCena’s mission is to eliminate password phishing, stop supply chain attacks and prevent ransomware in today’s hybrid workplace. MyCena’s approach to securing digital access solves three major cybersecurity problems: password creation and distribution; risk aggregation; and committing passwords to memory. Digitalisation has increased rapidly during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the global use of services such as video-conferencing having grown ten-fold. As a result, ransomware attacks have increased in frequency and sophistication and are the biggest concern for today’s businesses. Phished passwords are the number one threat vector, responsible for 83 per cent of all cyberattacks last year.1 In the UK, businesses are subject to an average of 2,000 cyberattacks per business per day, an average of one attack every 43 seconds.2 And the average total cost of a ransomware breach is £3.66 million per incident. “Following a huge surge in cybercrime and ransomware attacks over the past two years, businesses are under siege,” says Julia O’Toole, founder and CEO of MyCena Security Solutions. “The vast majority of cybersecurity breaches today involve the use of legitimate passwords. Today’s hackers don’t ‘hack in’, they log-in, repeatedly looking for an easy lock to pick through password phishing, social engineering, brute force attacks and credential stuffing. It’s also important to remember that beyond the ransomware headlines and financial costs, there are substantial risks of operational stoppages, supply-chain risks, IP loss, commercial espionage, industrial sabotage, and loss of data integrity, ultimately threatening jobs and human lives. “How did we get here? The explanation is rather simple. As the workplace moved from a physical to a digital environment, the security rules used in the physical world have not been transferred to the digital world. The first mistake was to have employees create their own passwords: the equivalent of asking people to bring their own keys, fobs and passes to enter the company building, office or server room. The second mistake was to aggregate more and more systems behind a single point of access, whether a master password or biometric, using tools such as Single Sign-on (SSO), Identity Access Management (IAM), Privileged Access Management (PAM): the equivalent of people having a single key for their house, their car, their office, and their bank account. The third mistake was to require people to remember and type their passwords: the equivalent of asking people to cut a key every time they need to open a door. The result of these mistakes is hackers only needed to find one password (for example, through phishing or social engineering) to log in. Once in, with repeated success, they can quickly escalate privilege to take over command and control of the whole infrastructure within hours or days. “MyCena is based upon a very simple idea: digital access must reflect physical access. The first step to take in cybersecurity is to apply your company’s physical security rules to your digital environment. Don’t let employees make and share their own passwords. Don’t aggregate all systems behind a single door with one key that can open everything. And ensure all passwords stay encrypted from end-to-end, during creation, distribution, storage and use, so that no one can see, share, or phish them.” To read more exclusive features and latest news please see our Q4 issue here. Media contact Rebecca Morpeth Spayne, Editor, Security Portfolio Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 922 Email: editor@securitybuyer.com

New MyCena Enterprise security solution Read More »

Genetec State of the Industry Report

UK News Desk / Rebecca Morpeth-Spayne

Genetec, a technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations, and business intelligence solutions, today shared the results of its state of the industry report. Based on insights from over 2,000 physical security leaders from around the world, the report looks at how the role of physical security continued to evolve in 2021 as organisations adapted to changing conditions. The changing role of physical security Physical security continues to evolve from being seen as a tool for mitigating risk, to playing a much more significant role in organisations’ digital transformation. The survey showed that more than two-thirds (69%) of respondents described physical security and related data as “mission-critical”. Larger organisations in particular are increasingly seeing value in the data gathered by their physical security systems with over 46% saying they use their security systems as a way to “improve overall business efficiency, productivity and asset optimisation”. Several survey respondents commented that they intended to invest in data management solutions to advance or improve the functionality of their physical security environment in the coming 12 months. The survey revealed that an increasing percentage of organisations (36%) are investing in unified solutions to enable the ease of maintenance, visibility, and data collection across all their systems to improve functionality and operations. This compares to 31% in the 2020 survey. Over half of all respondents (51%) also said they had invested in video analytics to improve the functionality of existing deployments and digitally transform their business processes. “Before the pandemic, physical security’s role in business intelligence and operations was already growing, but over the last two years, it has proven to be a strategic asset in coping with a variety of challenges,” said Pervez R. Siddiqui Vice President, Offerings and Transformation at Genetec. “As we emerge from the pandemic, organisations will contend with three undercurrents; changes in the physical dimension of work as workspaces evolve into hubs for collaboration and cohesion, workflow automation of the mundane in a bid to drive productivity and retention, and board-level interest in achieving operational resilience through integrated risk management.” With the pandemic forcing restricted access to physical sites, cloud-based solutions that enable organisations to remotely monitor video, control cameras, assess system health, perform maintenance, and update firmware/software have become invaluable. The survey showed that 45% of larger organisations (with over 1,000 employees) have already adopted cloud solutions which is a significant increase compared to 2020 when only 26% of respondents said they had begun their cloud journey. A massive 94% of respondents said they have plans to deploy cloud or hybrid cloud solutions in the long term. To read more exclusive features and latest news please see our Q4 issue here. Media contact Rebecca Morpeth Spayne, Editor, Security Portfolio Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 922 Email: editor@securitybuyer.com

Genetec State of the Industry Report Read More »