At Cyber:Secured Forum, Cyber and Physical Security Professionals Tackle Integration Challenges

One topic seemed to dominate this year’s conference: the ongoing challenges of integrating physical security technologies with cybersecurity products

The agenda for this year’s Cyber:Secured Forum, held from July 29-31 in Dallas, Texas, was expansive. Attendees listened to top leaders from the cyber and physical security industries break down everything from the motivations of hackers to the latest trends in enterprise technology.

But there was one topic that seemed to be on the minds of nearly every conference-goer: the ongoing challenges of integrating physical security technologies with cybersecurity products in an era of constant attacks on corporations and government agencies. As one session description put it: “Connectivity has opened up a Pandora’s box of opportunity and challenges for the physical security industry.”

Vince Ricco, a business development advisory system engineer in the IoTSS global division at Dell Technologies, has seen that Pandora's box open up in real time. Having worked in the technology industry for decades, Ricco has seen major shifts in how the physical security sector approaches integration and cybersecurity.

“When you take video surveillance specifically, it was designed to emulate its predecessor analog technologies,” Ricco told Security Today on the last day of the conference. “That’s really what led to some of the [cyber] vulnerabilities.”

He added that manufacturers and other members of the industry had to overcome this “very analog mentality” and start finding ways to secure devices that were being integrated into video management systems.

“What complicates it for physical security is everybody has their space,” Ricco said, listing edge technology, light sensors, and video cameras as examples. “If I harden something at the edge, how does that now operate with the center of the universe: the video management system? That’s where we had to learn how to collaborate across the ecosystem.”

In the future, Ricco anticipates that more companies will take it a step further and adopt open APIs, which allow security integrators to change how applications communicate and interact with each other. Through open APIs, Ricco said, developers can offer a “single pane glass” for the end-user: a way for their video management system, camera manufacturer and audio sensor programs to work together securely and seamlessly.

“The more that there are some open APIs, that can allow all the individual components to have their value-add technologies,” he added. “They don’t have to open up and put things out in the public domain, but it does allow secure communications between them. And I do see that happening today.”

Overall, as medium and large enterprises look for security solutions with cloud technology, Ricco would like to see providers deploy their products in processes that work within companies’ existing cybersecurity practices rather than forcing those institutions to change their ways.

“I’ve been in technology for quite a while, and the one thing I always hated about technology was when I had to change the way I lived and do things to accommodate the technology,” Ricco said. “They have their cybersecurity practices in place, right? And to have to shift and change that to accommodate a service provider? Not the way to go.”

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Allegion, Comfort Technologies Implement Mobile Credentials at the Artisan Apartment Homes in Florida

    Artisan Apartment Homes, a luxury apartment complex in Dunedin, Florida, recently transitioned from mechanical keys to electronic locks and centralized system software with support from Allegion US, a leading provider of security solutions, technology and services, and Florida-based Comfort Technologies, which specializes in deploying multifamily access control, IoT devices and software management solutions. Read Now

  • Mall of America Deploys AI-Powered Analytics to Enhance Parking Intelligence

    Mall of America®, the largest shopping and entertainment complex in North America, announced an expansion of its ongoing partnership with Axis Communications to deploy cutting-edge car-counting video analytics across more than a dozen locations. With this expansion, Mall of America (MOA) has boosted operational efficiency, improved safety and security, and enabled more informed decision-making around employee scheduling and streamlining transportation for large events. Read Now

  • Security Industry Association Launches New “askSIA” AI Tool

    The Security Industry Association (SIA) has unveiled a brand-new SIA member benefit – askSIA, a conversational AI agent designed to help users get the most out of their SIA membership, easily access SIA resources and find the latest information on SIA’s training and courses, reports and publications, events, certification offerings and more. SIA members can easily find askSIA by visiting the SIA homepage or looking for the askSIA icon in the top left of webpages. Read Now

    • Industry Events
  • Industry Embraces Mobile Access, Biometrics and AI

    A combination of evolving workplace dynamics, technology innovation and new user expectations is changing how people enter and interact with physical spaces. Access control is at the heart of these changes. Combined with biometrics and AI, mobile access control has become increasingly crucial for deploying entry solutions that are seamless, secure and adaptive to user needs. Read Now

  • Sustainable Video Solution Delivered for Landmark City of London Office Development

    An advanced, end-to-end video solution from IDIS, with a focus on reducing waste and costs, has helped a major office development in the City of London align its security with sustainability objectives. Read Now

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems, an industry-leading manufacturer of pedestrian and vehicle secure entrance control access systems, is pleased to announce the release of its groundbreaking V07 software. The V07 software update is designed specifically to address cybersecurity concerns and will ensure the integrity and confidentiality of Automatic Systems applications. With the new V07 software, updates will be delivered by means of an encrypted file.

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.