The influx of IoT products in both consumer and industrial sense is blurring the lines of connectivity between people and their connected devices. After replacing traditional factories with automated and intelligent workflows in manufacturing and permeating deep into our lives through smart devices, home appliances, and vehicles, IoT has certainly contradicted many antiquated beliefs.
The boost in smartphone application development and their ability to use the internet to perform most nimble tasks in the physical world stand as a testament to its profound benefits. However, what seems to create opportunities through interconnectedness and scalability also has ample scope for threats and security risks that may not necessarily be benign.
IoT Affects Surveillance and Security Industry
As businesses and consumers make their way through the IoT-driven year (2018), the spending on security is also expected to reach whopping, 1.5 billion USD, suggests recent Gartner reports. “In IoT initiatives, organizations often don’t have control over the source and nature of the software and hardware being utilized by smart connected devices,” Ruggero Contu, Research Director at Gartner says in the report. “We expect to see demand for tools and services aimed at improving discovery and asset management, software and hardware security assessment, and penetration testing. In addition, organizations will look to increase their understanding of the implications of externalizing network connectivity. These factors will be the main drivers of spending growth for the forecast period with spending on IoT security expected to reach $3.1 billion in 2021.”
Based on the current industry trends, we have compiled the most prominent IoT driven trends in the security and surveillance market in 2018.
● Robots Will Become A Part of Security and Surveillance Projects: Adoption of robots in the physical security and surveillance projects have remained a fantasy for too long. In the current scenario, security robots are used by various businesses to increase safety standards and monitor crime-prone and high-risk areas. The prominence of robotics technology in surveillance can be attributed to its accuracy and accountability.
● The growth of Surveillance-as-a-Service: The concept of security-as-a-service is growing among smaller business community wherein; the customers can avail all the security benefits without having the actual knowledge about how to run it. Cloud-based video surveillance-as-a-service is also following the same footsteps by being offered as a cost-effective managed service to enterprises to augment their physical security. Also, the entire stack of video surveillance solutions is being outsourced to many third-party organizations to help customers avoid costs and infrastructural challenges associated with managing, running and maintaining physical surveillance hardware.
● AI-powered Tools will Grow in Prominence and Affordability: Smartphones and mobile devices today use different types of biometric scanners, facial and behavioral recognition systems for device security. Application development companies, device manufacturer and data analysis firms can broaden the scope of AI-powered facial and behavioral recognition features by embedding it in devices like surveillance cameras and use it alongside other tools that help identify suspicious activities and impending security threats.
● Replacement of Traditional Surveillance Camera with Ultra-high definition Camera: Normally, most footages captured through CCTV cameras and surveillance systems show blur and poor-quality images. Ultra-high definition cameras are gaining traction in the surveillance space as they are layered with superior IoT functionalities like multi-connectedness, motion detection, very high-resolution filming, video recording and more.
● Drones will be Leveraged as Air Surveillance Devices: Drones are one of the affordable forms of surveillance tools that be used by many enterprise customers, logistics, supply chain, oil and gas, field services and security firms to monitor activities in real-time. Drones with AI-powered features like behavior detection and night vision, integration into database systems and autonomous operations can single-handedly replace manual security personnel and can be deployed in large-scale projects to detect and prevent criminal activities.
● Job Opportunities in Surveillance Systems Market: Surveillance systems adopted in the past were nothing but capital expenditure on hardware that did not eliminate the need for manual intervention and support. But today’s surveillance systems are optimizing core IoT-enabled opportunities to lend superior assistance for users while also keeping at check cost and operational challenges. This has indirectly created the demand for security architects and experts that can build practical surveillance models and manage IP networked systems, their risks and security components.
● Use of Sensor Technology in Surveillance Systems: Video surveillance systems built on advanced IoT technology like connected sensors will help in detecting risks associated with manpower and resources based on temperature changes, smoke detection, and gas sensing capabilities. These advanced sensor-based surveillance systems are programmed to send notifications and triggers to avert dangers and damages. Further, video surveillance systems when combined with sensors and predictive analytics tools can also aid businesses to foresee possibilities for risks and proactive take measures to prevent damages and loss.
● Use of Geofencing to Detect Breaches: IoT devices are created with the ability to the leverage geofencing capacities to mark a network boundary that is impenetrable without access. Mobile application developments and IoT device manufacturers can make the most of this aspect of geofencing technology to identify breaches and observe devices that are trying to break in to gain the network access.
The market for IoT is burgeoning with trends that are disrupting industries to revamp their traditional operations and workflows by connecting the physical with the digital. But, its potential can only be exploited to the fullest if security is given the same level of importance as the IoT device manufacturers provide for connectivity, efficiency, scalability, and cost-efficiency.
“The absence of “security by design” comes from a lack of specific and stringent regulations. Going forward, Gartner expects this trend to change, especially in heavily regulated industries such as healthcare and automotive,” says the report.
As new technologies emerge and the existing ones merge with surveillance and security solutions, end-users can expect developments that increase applicability and relevance of surveillance systems.
