Cybersecurity Should be Top of Mind

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When it comes to physical security systems and devices, such as video surveillance cameras, access control technology and video event management software, it’s critical to recognize the importance of cybersecurity. In the past, the term only evoked images of IT professionals working on computers or credit card numbers being stolen from shopping websites, but the two once siloed worlds are converging, propelled heavily by the increase in the use of the Internet of Things (IoT).

Interconnectivity between devices and expanding cloud technologies have created a platform that allows users to string together everyday appliances through an online network. And this trend will only continue: IHS Markit predicts that the IoT market will grow from an installed base of 15.4 billion devices in 2015 to 30.7 billion devices in 2020 and 75.4 billion in 2025.

How does this affect the security market? Unfortunately, although exceptionally beneficial, the IoT also brings with it an increased amount of cyber vulnerabilities. As security systems are using the Internet more and more to integrate a variety of technologies, the door is being opened to a number of potential threats that could compromise the entire enterprise.

Hackers tend to exploit areas that are unknowingly vulnerable to the user and reveal critical information, and the IoT creates a chain of sensitive data that can be easily followed. With a networked video surveillance camera’s feed, for example, something as minor as neglecting to change the camera’s default password can expose an entire IP network to an intruder.

This development is forcing security teams to look past just the security of a device itself and recognize how important cybersecurity is to the overall safety of an integrated security system. As new mobile devices connect to corporate networks, IHS Markit forecasts that by 2020, the global market for industrial cybersecurity hardware, software and devices is expected to surpass $1.8 billion.

Security companies are entrusted by customers to provide secure products and guidelines to safeguard those products from potential hacking and at the very least understand these vulnerabilities. In many ways, this understanding comes from partnerships throughout the industry and combining the knowledge base across multiple platforms.

Additionally, security professionals can utilize IT teams for assistance with challenging software components and comprehensively securing all aspects of a security network. By working together to provide a solution-based system that is rigid against cyber attacks, overall protection is improved.