International. In its global report 'State of Electronic Security 2024', Genetec reveals that in Latin America there is concern about the lack of personnel, as well as optimism about the future migration to the cloud and AI implementations.
Genetec Inc. surveyed electronic security professionals around the world from August 12 to September 15, 2024. After reviewing the results and filtering the data, 5,696 respondents were included in the State of Electronic Security 2024 report.
"From the data collected, we observed some surprising shifts in priorities and a renewed interest in operational excellence," the company said.
How is Latin America doing?
- Personnel challenges in 2025: Integrators in Latin America are the most concerned about the staffing challenges ahead, with 88% saying they will increase somewhat or significantly by 2025. Although this figure was high in all regions, none exceeded 71%.
- The most optimistic about the future use of the cloud: More than 45% of end users in Latin America foresee a hybrid cloud implementation in their security systems within the next 5 years. In addition, 84% of integrators expect to see an increase in the installation of new security systems that enable cloud connectivity, compared to a global average of 78%.
- Cautiously adopting AI: Latin America is one of the first regions to plan to implement machine learning and/or large language model (LLM) applications in its physical security environment by 2025 (44% vs. 37% globally). 56% of organizations planning to integrate AI aim to automate the dispatch of emergency responses. However, they are proceeding cautiously, expressing significant concerns about how the data will be used and how AI works.
Key global findings
49% of end users delayed their projects in 2024 and 45% in 2023. However, the reasons were very different. In 2023, supply chain issues were the main reason, but in 2024 the cause was economic uncertainty.
Since 2021, both end-users and integrators have consistently reported staffing issues. The outlook for 2025 shows constant concerns. 72% of integrators expect to continue to have recruitment issues, while only 6% believe it will improve. Integrators also anticipate that this talent shortage will affect their projects, with 44% saying that attracting and hiring workers will lead to project delays by 2025.
Operating expense (OpEx) budgets in 2024 did not match 2023 predictions, where more than 50% of respondents expected that
OpEx budgets would remain stable or increase. Conversely, 44% reported an increase or stabilization of the OpEx budget.
Investment budgets (CapEx) also remained stable, with only 17% of end-users reporting a decline. Amid economic and political uncertainties, these slight adjustments highlight the pragmatism of the e-security industry and the essential role these systems play in organizations around the world.
As cyber threats increase, more end users are taking steps to strengthen their cybersecurity. Organizations are guided by the
industry regulators and cybersecurity partners who have the expertise to create plans and implement them. 38% of consultants indicated that they plan to expand their cybersecurity coverage. Industry regulations are also driving improvements in the protection of
data and cyber resilience. In 2024, 67% of end users said their organization was affected by these regulations, a big jump compared to 2023, where only 13% said this. Examples such as compliance with NIS2, GDPR, and other industry-specific standards were repeatedly mentioned.
Other general information
- In 2024, 57% of end-users said that the main challenges were an electronic security infrastructure and/or technology of the
outdated information (IT). - 65% of integrators said their customers want to benefit from new technologies and capabilities.
- 66% of end users ranked access control (50%) and/or video surveillance (39%) as key processes or top systems for this year.
- This coincides with 81% of integrators' work focusing on any of these core systems.
- 49% of end users reported that by 2024 they had 100% of their electronic security systems on-site (not in the cloud).
- 77% of end users said that e-security and information technology (IT) departments work closely together.
The full report is available for online viewing.
