INDUSTRY FOCUS

How Security and COVID-19 Became Partners

• By Ralph C. Jensen
• Sep 03, 2020

COVID-19 has changed a lot of things about life and business Some opportunities have been challenging, other plans have been nimble exercises of security technology stepping up to the place, swinging for a home run.

In this issue of Security Today, we are publishing a host of topics, many of them include what some people in the security industry are doing to mitigate the harmful side effects of this deadly pandemic. Let’s take a look.

Stephanie Weagle, BriefCam, writes our cover story, and offers a perspective about facial recognition and COVID-19. Here is where a partnership begins to form as technology meets pandemic head-on.

Weagle writes that facial recognition has also become a powerful asset for COVID-19 contact tracing for identifying those who should self-quarantine because they have been exposed to a person infected with the virus.

Cris Post, ASSA ABLOY, points out that there is no argument that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced upon us the way we interact in public spaces. He continues, that as the pandemic continues, nearly 6 million commercial buildings will be fitted to protect tenants, staff and visitors by retrofitting with hands-free door hardware.

CJ Powell, Boon Edam, writes that security and life safety have always been in lockstep. Both are fundamental needs to shield people and property from harm. The two concerns are merging as the global COVID-19 is causing a paradigm shift in operations.

We’re have seen that shift in operations as people have shifted from an office job to working at home. Are you anxious to get back to the office? Think about that answer. In our office building, we are notified when someone else has notified building managers that someone has tested positive for the virus. For that moment in time, I’m happy to be working from home.

I have written a short sidebar after interviewing Chris Sessa, director of key accounts at Salient. We talked about the banking industry and how COVID-19 has changed the way we bank, and how we handle out money these days. Think about it, when was the last time you walked into a bank for a transaction?

Said Sessa, “COVID-19 has fostered many unwanted and fraudulent results.” Some government entities have issued fi- nancial advisories to alert banks and fi- nancial institutions to be aware of secure financial risks.

This article originally appeared in the September 2020 issue of Security Today.