Top Security Trends for 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has left virtually no industry untouched. From issues of cybersecurity, to rising crime, 2020 was certainly an unprecedented year. With that being said, we’d like to outline 3 top trends that we foresee impacting the security industry in 2021. 

Artificial Intelligence

More and more businesses are looking to Artificial Intelligence, or AI, to solve their challenges. Executive boards are realising that video surveillance systems are vital for more than just security purposes - when equipped with AI, they’re a highly valuable business intelligence tool. 

For example, at the start of the pandemic induced restrictions in 2020, we noticed a lot of businesses, in particular, essential retailers, struggling with the increased operational costs involved in keeping staff and customers safe. Retailers had to quickly introduce measures to facilitate social distancing requirements. Most retailers have had to therefore reduce the capacity levels of their stores. 

AI proved to be the ideal solution - Occupi, an automated occupancy management solution that uses AI and deep learning has won multiple awards and recognition for effectively solving this very problem. Occupi is a highly scalable solution that is quickly and easily installed across multiple sites. It is adjustable and adaptable to different store sizes and layouts and takes into account the behaviour of customers and staff. 

With many companies already seeing a rapid ROI and improved efficiencies from deploying AI solutions, it’s safe to say that in 2021 we can expect to see an increasing number of companies exploring how AI can solve their most pressing challenges. 

 

Cloud

The Cloud will become more widely adopted in 2021 as more businesses start to think outside the box. In 2020, we saw a major shift in employees working remotely. By now, organisations have more experience in handling remote working situations, and as a result they now have more experience with cloud solutions. With efficiencies having been achieved using cloud solutions, the benefits of cloud are becoming widely recognised. 

The benefits of cloud video surveillance are undeniable, and include improved data security, efficient remote access and maintenance, major cost savings, flexible storage and retention, scalability, disaster recovery, and heightened stability. 

Storing surveillance data in the cloud has numerous benefits that should be recognised not just by security teams but across the entire organisation. A major problem that occurs across all sectors and therefore should be on the radar of Executive Boards, is fraudulent injury claims. These claims are often filed 30 days an incident has reportedly occurred, however many companies only store CCTV data for 30 days. Fraudulent injury claims cost hundreds of millions of pounds each year, with spills and trips being the cause of nearly a third of workplace incidents. 

The solution to this wide ranging problem is the Cloud. A Cloud Video Surveillance Platform for instance, enables users to remotely store, manage, record, play, and monitor CCTV footage from anywhere in the world. The ability to recall incident footage after 45, 60, 90 days or even longer, gives companies the power to defend against fraudulent injury claims. 

With fraud on the rise in recent years, we predict that 2021 will be the year when companies look to cloud solutions to fight this pervasive problem. 

Data Protection

Respect for Data Privacy will only increase in 2021. The recent introduction of the CCPA in the US and the increased awareness of GDPR in Europe has made companies pay increased attention to data protection. Companies are now well aware that if they’re capturing personal data, they must have adequate privacy procedures in place. 

When it comes to the security industry, the protection of personally identifiable information found in video data is a top priority. In 2021, companies will recognise how crucial it is to have an approach which balances privacy regulation compliance with operational efficiencies. If they’ve not already implemented such an approach in 2020, it will be crucial that they do so in 2021 so as to avoid fines and/or reputational damage. 

We predict that more and more companies will adopt SaaS solutions that take the gruelling  work out of data protection tasks. One such task that can now be automated by intelligent technology is video redaction. Most surveillance video clips contain personally identifiable information which must be blurred out, or redacted. Pixelate is one such product that uses AI and machine learning to detect bodies in video footage and with a click of a button, automatically redacts individuals as instructed, thereby saving hours of work. 

 

The Year Ahead

It will be interesting in 12 months time to look back on 2021 and see if we got our predictions right. It’s safe to say, however, that 2020 was a year of unprecedented events and along with that comes change. There’s no doubt that this year, businesses will be looking to streamline their operations and stay more secure while doing so.