International. Genetec shared the results of its state of the industry report. Based on insights from more than 2,000 physical security leaders around the world, the report looks at how the role of physical security continued to evolve in 2021 as organizations adapted to changing conditions.
The Changing Role of Physical Security
Physical security continues to evolve from being seen as a tool to mitigate risk, to playing a much more important role in the digital transformation of organizations.
The survey showed that more than two-thirds (69%) globally of respondents and more than 63% in Latin America described physical security and related data as "mission critical." Larger organizations, in particular, increasingly see the value of data collected by their physical security systems, with more than 46% stating that they use their security systems as a way to "improve overall business efficiency, productivity, and asset optimization."
Several respondents commented that they intended to invest in data management solutions to advance or improve the functionality of their physical security environment over the next 12 months. The survey revealed that an increasing percentage of organizations (36%) are investing in unified solutions to facilitate maintenance, visibility and data collection across their systems to improve functionality and operations. This compares to 31% in the 2020 survey. More than 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. In Latin America, this number was even higher, at 54%.
"Prior to the pandemic, the role of physical security in business intelligence and operations was already growing, but over the past two years it has proven to be a strategic asset in addressing a variety of challenges," said Pervez R. Siddiqui Vice President of Offerings and Transformation at Genetec Inc. "As we emerge from the pandemic, organizations will face three undercurrents; changes in the physical dimension of work as workspaces evolve into centers of collaboration and cohesion, automation of the workflow of the mundane in a bid to boost productivity and retention, and board-level interest in achieving operational resilience through integrated risk management."
An accelerated move to the cloud
With the pandemic forcing restricted access to physical sites, cloud-based solutions that allow organizations to monitor video, control cameras, assess system health, perform maintenance, and update firmware/software remotely have become invaluable.
The survey showed that 45% of the largest organizations (with more than 1,000 employees) have already adopted cloud solutions, representing a significant increase compared to 2020, when only 26% of respondents said they had started their journey to the cloud. A massive 94% of respondents said they have plans to deploy cloud or hybrid cloud solutions in the long term.
In Latin America, 47% of respondents indicated that the pandemic had motivated or accelerated their cloud strategy. Over the long term, 96% of respondents said they have plans to deploy cloud solutions: 21% with fully cloud solutions and 75% with on-premises and cloud hybrid solutions.
"The adoption of cloud and hybrid solutions is accelerating rapidly in the security industry," said Christian Morin, vice president of product engineering and CSO at Genetec Inc. "While many physical security departments were hesitant to consider cloud-connected solutions in the past, they now better understand the benefits these solutions provide and how they can help them better utilize their resources to achieve their respective business goals while also realizing the benefits of these solutions and how they can help them better utilize their resources to achieve their respective business goals while also meeting their respective business goals. that minimize their overall operational complexity."
Investments in access control are increasing
When asked about the type of solutions they planned to invest in to advance or improve their physical security environment over the next 12 months, more than half of respondents (52%) chose access control.
"Legacy access control systems use outdated technology that makes them vulnerable to cyber threats and can cause damage beyond the door," said Thibaut Louvet, Director, Access Control Product Group at Genetec Inc. "It is therefore reassuring to see that organizations are taking the necessary steps to migrate their access control systems to more modern and cyber-secure access control systems."
To download a full copy of the report, go to https://www.genetec.com/es/a/reporte-de-la-seguridad-electronica-latam
Survey methodology
Genetec Inc. surveyed physical security professionals from October 26 to November 26, 2021. Following a review of submissions and data cleansing, 2011 respondents were included in the sample for analysis. Survey samples were conducted in all regions, including North America, Central America, the Caribbean, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Western Asia, and Australia-New Zealand.
