Technology taking over from guns, guards, gates & dogs!

Peter Dinham
Sunday, 24 May 2009 16:07

Business IT - Security

There’s an increasing emphasis on the use of the latest network surveillance technologies and changes in the way organisations are protecting their business assets, with more sophisticated security methods being deployed.

In its latest report on surveillance technologies, IDC says rapid advancements in network surveillance technology are shifting the emphasis away from guns, guards, gates, and dogs and placing it on “more sophisticated, scalable security solutions,” which the research firm predicts will see surveillance/monitoring camera shipments grow from 9.3 million in 2007 to 26.5 million in 2013.

According to IDC’s, Chris Chute, however, while some sectors – education, gaming, public safety, retail, and transportation – have been eager to adopt network surveillance solutions, others have been more reluctant to integrate security functionality into their network infrastructure.

“However, advances in camera and access technologies, as well as reduced hardware price points, are converging to create a perfect surveillance storm,” observes Chute.

Chute says market changes are causing a major shift in the way organisations protect their business assets," and, he says that moving forward, security administrators will “rely less on human observation to address their most critical security demands.”

For vendors, Chute says, as a consequence of the changes in the market, “the opportunity is tremendous for those who understand how to position themselves in this evolving space."

“In addition to protecting sensitive resources and property, companies are beginning to recognise how surveillance data can be used to improve/streamline a growing number of business processes,” Chute says, adding that “retail, transportation, and gaming verticals are successfully implementing network surveillance as a business enablement tool.”
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