By Gregory Hale
In the wake of COVID-19, there is a global mish mash of sorts hitting the industry these days as some countries are allowing sectors to start operating again and others going back to a more restrictive environment.
Who is right and who is wrong doesn’t really matter, but in the end, businesses need to be ready to pick up where they left off when it comes to enhancing physical security measures.
“Everyone talks about the high costs of cybersecurity meant to be reaching $6 trillion a year in costs globally for 2021,” said Jeremy Kimber, director video offering management at Honeywell. “There are reports that potentially up to 15 percent of cyber breaches are caused by breaches of the physical security system. So, cyber security of the physical access control and video systems is increasingly critical. The last thing you want to do as an end user or as an installer is get caught with the type of cost that are starting to come through with cyber breaches.”
Along those lines, with the industry getting more accustomed to the COVID-19 infused economy, Honeywell business leaders talked during a virtual event Wednesday about six outlooks companies need to look at:
1. Rapid changes in utilization
2. Upsurge in remote monitoring
3. Increasing need to protect assets
4. Doing more with less staff
5. More complex compliance
6. New definition of safe
One of new outlooks is with rapid changes in utilization.
Simpler and Easier
“When we hear about getting back to work, it is not exactly getting back to work, it getting back to work and not getting back to work; it is the constant fluctuation whether it is COVID-related or not,” said Rick Koscinski, North America general manager Honeywell Commercial Security. “It creates is a lot of confusion. What we have been working toward is working with third parties and more integration with our own legacy systems to make things easier and simpler to handle the unknown.”
There has also been an upswing in remote monitoring.
“Remote monitoring is more important now than ever,” Koscinski said. “We need the ability to see who, what, where and when, not to mention when we are not getting back to work. There is the same amount of priority importance with remote monitoring.”
They are also seeing an increase in the need to protect assets.
“Everyone takes for granted you are pretty well protected, but do we also have the reassurance we have access to the information about the protection we are aiming to deliver,” said Frederic Haegeman, European business leader for Honeywell. “Based on what we are trying to protect, can we get the analytics to ensure we are providing the right protection. On one hand, there is high demand for having good analysis and reassurance that the protection is out there. Whether we like it or not, the results can also show if we can do more with less staff. So, any staff in charge of facilities and security, do they have the right tools to supervise and deliver the right analytics? Will the analytics allow the facility manager or business owners to get into the compliance aspect?”
Complex Compliance
In the wake of the changing global economic environment, the industry is seeing more complex compliance.
“Since navigating the new normal and re-opening, an enterprise of any size also needs to understand the rapidly changing guidelines and regulations that often change on a moment’s notice,” said Fahmi Jabri, general manager Middle East Turkey and Africa security business for Honeywell.
That also can lead to a new definition of safe really means.
“The word safe is now an evolving definition,” Jabri said. “Having the right integrated security solution in place could be key to creating a healthy environment for buildings. Access control is gaining a new purpose now, not only from a security perspective, but also helping curb the spread of pathogens.”
To move forward and help companies work within this rapidly changing environment, businesses need to be prepared to implement more advanced security measures into their buildings as workers look to return in any capacity.
In that regard, Honeywell released its Pro-Watch Integrated Security Suite, a software platform designed to help protect people and property, optimize productivity and ensure compliance with industry regulations. The platform provides visibility of all connected systems while remaining scalable.
New Products
Pro-Watch Intelligent Command is a web-based user interface that provides organizations complete situational awareness of their security system to protect people, property and assets. The software platform combines access control, video surveillance, intrusion detection and other business critical functions into a single user interface.
Honeywell also launched the 60 Series line of 5MP IP cameras designed to comply with the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act 2019 (NDAA). The cameras provide greater detail than traditional camera and recorder solutions and offers fast notification and verification of potential threats and responses. The 5MP video delivers a clearer picture and can end up zoomed in from greater distances, allowing for fewer cameras to cover a larger area of view.
Also released was the 30 series embedded network video recorder which provides end-to-end secure surveillance that offers 4K HD (UHD) video resolution. The 30 Series eNVRs are for use as part of video systems which comply with NDAA, Section 889.