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.
About the Author
Ralph C. Jensen is the Publisher/Editor in chief of Security Today magazine.