International. A state of the industry report based on the insights of more than 1,000 physical security leaders looks at how this sector is reacting to the Covid-19 threat, how security professionals are coping with it, and how day-to-day operations and plans have been impacted for the coming year. The report was made by Genetec.
Challenges and priorities of the physical security industry
Not surprisingly, the survey reveals that COVID-19 has led to a focus on safety efforts to ensure the protection of people and facilities. For most security professionals, the top three challenges during the pandemic are: managing employee/visitor protection; handling physical security threats (e.g., vandalism, theft, breaking and entering, among others); and remote building management and security.
However, while the pandemic has brought with it numerous new challenges, the vast majority of organizations have had to face them creatively. The survey showed that 68% of respondents had project delays/reductions or cancellations this year; however, when examining the year 2021, 48% expect budgets to remain stable or increase, focusing on the continued investment of existing systems and the deployment of tools to support the ongoing response to the pandemic.
With new pressing needs and more limited resources, physical security organizations are working to the fullest, but at the same time, they are finding ways to pivot to cope with extraordinary circumstances. Using their ingenuity and creativity, many security professionals (48%) are turning to their existing systems to help them cope with these new challenges.
"The security industry excels at planning for the unexpected, and while the pandemic took the world by surprise, our industry has demonstrated extraordinary resilience and ingenuity. We have seen many of our customers and partners adapt quickly to the new needs and challenges demanded by the situation. They have been able to reuse and adapt their existing security infrastructure to address some of the new challenges created by the pandemic," said Pervez Siddiqui, Vice President of Business Development at Genetec, Inc.
Physical security lags behind in cloud adoption
While 37% of respondents said they were evaluating new technologies, adoption of cloud technology remains slow in the physical security industry. In stark contrast to the accelerated adoption of cloud-based solutions seen in other sectors in 2020, more than 61% of security professionals reported that they had no plans to implement cloud solutions, often citing concerns about the cost and security of data.
"The shift to a predominantly remote workforce became much easier for organizations that had already invested in cloud-based technologies, but very few companies had already begun that transition," said Christian Morin, Vice President of Cloud Services and CSO at Genetec, Inc. "As companies continue to reevaluate the way they do work, modern cloud-based solutions should be at the top of their list," he concluded.
The risks of cyberattacks remain
Even as cybercrime continues to rise and remote working creates more technological challenges, the physical security industry remains behind in its approach to dealing with cyber threats. The survey reveals that only 35% of respondents took steps to improve their cybersecurity strategy as a result of the pandemic.
"This new reality has underscored the fact that the perimeter of the network is really dead with the bulk of the workforce working remotely. This forces many organizations to rapidly rethink and evolve their cybersecurity strategies," Morin added.
To access the report, go to https://bit.ly/3mX6hM8
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