2020 vision

What will be the biggest challenges facing the security industry this year? 

In my opinion, the biggest challenge facing the security industry right now is the lack of training among engineers. There is no industry-specific qualification like with other trades so a good engineer can be hard to come by. Another challenge is recruitment of new engineers, it’s a time-consuming process and many engineers now specialise in one area and don’t work across disciplines.

What are the biggest opportunities available to the security industry going forward? 

Integration. Gone are the days of independent systems, everyone wants everything in one place on one platform. A security system is a fundamental application of any business assisting many departments with things such as warehouse control, access, ANPR, time & attendance, perimeter protection and automation of various business processes. A centralised integrated system simplifies the operation of the system giving end users and operators access to a wealth of information at the click of a button. In the near future we will be utilising Internet of Things (IOT) even further for cause and effect.

What are the most interesting developments happening around interoperability and integrated security, and where could it go next?

Smart home technology is moving at a very fast pace, CCTV and intruder technologies will have a massive part to play in this. We have seen companies such as AJAX come into the industry with smarter homes core to their ethos. There will need to be an open standard for all of these devices from different manufacturers to work in harmony, exactly like ONVIF had to happen before the IP CCTV industry really took off. Consumers don’t want to be tied to one manufacturer/ecosystem. An open platform like MQTT needs to adopted by the big players to see this technology really become mainstream and allow consumers to choose the right product for their needs.  

What other exciting technologies are you seeing and why?

Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Video Analytics have improved massively over the last few years. Systems now work for you instead of you working for it. These systems are so intelligent, they can differentiate between humans, vehicles and animals to filter out false alarms and give greater protection.

Another technology at the forefront is facial recognition, as well as integrating into access control systems to prevent theft of fobs or cards it also improves building security. The increased terrorism threat in the UK has warranted the need for advanced facial recognition that can identify suspects quickly and efficiently. Recently, facial recognition has had negative press due to data protection and GDPR but there is no denying it is an exciting technology and a useful tool.

Cameras with excellent low light level performance are also breaking into the market. These cameras can help massively with video evidence to identify people/vehicles quickly and with greater accuracy.

Where do you think the other biggest developments in security will be in the next few years?

The biggest developments in security over the next few years will be wireless technology. We have seen huge improvements in wireless technology in recent years, it now has better reliability and is more secure than ever.

Solar powered solutions are also becoming more popular, especially with rapid deployment solutions for use in several applications outside of the security sector, creating an eco-friendly solution. 

Lee Alm is technical manager at Oprema

Visit Lee's (aka The Almanac) YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/OpremaUK