A June 2020 study by McKinsey & Company found that the pandemic has accelerated the digital economy by 7 years. The digital adoption of applications for corporate work, in conjunction with tech solutions for physical security, is not just a temporary fix. These solutions are here to stay.
As new technologies and digital solutions transform security operations, the role of security itself is undergoing a shift. What was once considered just another standard business expense or box to check has now become a critical source of added value — and is on the way to being a true strategic asset, one that can give enterprises a competitive edge.
Looking ahead to 2023, we’ll see this paradigm shift reflected in business leaders’ security investments. As such, we can expect five new trends to become best practices in the new year.
Trend 1: Integration will unlock greater security and innovation
This movement towards digitalization means IT, OT and cybersecurity will continue to come together. Modern technology will continue to blur the lines between the physical and digital worlds, and convergence between these sectors will deliver seamless and cost-effective solutions
Leaders want – and need – components that not only play well together but can also inform each other through two-way communication. The new expectation is that security technologies integrate easily, regardless of the brand, and work smoothly with non-security solutions. This compatibility will unlock new and creative use cases that were previously not possible.
For example, consider a retail storefront. Security cameras can be integrated with retail optimization solutions, allowing them to serve the dual purpose of routine security monitoring and employee learning tools.
Through this integration, video surveillance cameras offer operational views that drive process improvements, such as alerting managers when customers are waiting too long for checkout as well as monitoring for shoplifting. The insights gathered and shared among departments can increase organizational efficiencies.
Trend 2: Businesses will shift from reactive to proactive security stances
Traditionally, facility leaders have leaned on regularly scheduled preventative maintenance, which helps organizations address issues before they become problems that could disrupt security, as a way to approach proactivity. However, new technology is moving away from this method as fresh capabilities evolve.
Security solutions can now monitor themselves through routine self-regulating health reports. Rather than a technician travelling onsite to regularly check a camera hasn’t shut down, they can receive a remote notification alerting them a camera is malfunctioning or dying before it is no longer operational and can even correct it multiple times without having to go onsite. In doing so, they can avoid complete asset shutdown which can put the building at risk and requires costly emergency repairs.
Instead of reacting to risks, now is the time for building leaders to think of security solutions proactively. Organizations must be prepared to seek easy-access solutions that help guide security teams to clear action before an event occurs, rather than after.
Integrated security solutions are put in place to help organization leaders understand and get alerts for specific behaviors, locations and more, rather than relying on employee vigilance which can be time consuming and expensive.
Two-way communication will also become a bigger role; now security teams can not only alert building managers of a vulnerability, but the building manager can respond and give direction of how to proceed.
Trend 3: Enhanced communication between technologies and humans during emergencies
During a security emergency, every second counts, meaning the faster all stakeholders can be alerted to an issue, the faster a potentially lifesaving response can be deployed. As the nature of threats shift, organizations can no longer rely solely on human intervention.
As a result, automation will play an increasingly important role in streamlining alerts for potential vulnerabilities, increasing the speed of messages about how to respond to emergency situations as they occur.
Another way this enhanced communication will be seen in 2023 will be the widespread adoption of emergency response technologies. Leveraging powerful AI, these solutions can send an alert to all necessary stakeholders – local law enforcement, first responders, security managers and organizational leaders – when an intruder incident is detected.
Rather than placing the burden of reporting the incident on building occupants, integrated technology can automatically make outreach to response teams in near real-time, allowing occupants to focus on their safety while streamlining the emergency response.
Trend 4: Customer experience will guide security strategies
With organizations’ security needs rapidly changing, they require new solutions that are easy to implement, operate, optimize and maintain. They also will actively seek out industry partners who can not only give them the peace of mind that their occupants, buildings and assets are protected, but can make the processes seamless.
In 2023, the customer experience will play a core role in developing security strategies moving forward, and processes and solutions will be expected to rapidly pivot alongside customer expectations.
Businesses want more flexibility in their hardware choices, but they also want to streamline processes and offer more convenience to those who move through their buildings every day. If a product isn’t intuitive, it isn’t useful, especially during an emergency. And if security providers can’t provide an advanced level of service and expertise, their usefulness is in question as well. The new year will bring a new renaissance of customer experience excellence in security.
Trend 5: Security will be locked in as a business strategy
Often, organizational decision makers say it’s a challenge to make the case that security investments drive the core business. With data and success stories from similar organizations, however, leaders can show security is not only about reducing risk but also about growing success, ultimately demonstrating technologies’ ROI.
Security strategy will begin to drive overall business strategies as they begin to play a dual role in both protecting buildings and occupants as well as gathering information to improve operational efficiencies. For instance, digitally enabled access controls in a busy office building can provide insight into employee comings and goings to help improve building traffic flow.
They can also be integrated to automate lighting and temperature, ensuring these systems remain shut down in unused rooms to avoid energy and capital waste.
We can expect to see integrated security strategies help organizations with overall their business strategies by using advanced sensors to provide necessary information to grow businesses, protect employees, become compliant with regulatory issues and more.
Digital transformation in mind for security leaders
As threats and new technologies evolve, businesses’ priorities are changing with them, presenting exciting opportunities for innovation that reimagine security at every touchpoint. The new year will bring fresh opportunities for digitalization that enhance protection, streamline operations and provide creative use cases. The result is safer building environments that are designed for the future.
Greg Parker is a business leader with over 25 years of experience in product management, strategic planning, service portfolio management, channel excellence, and engineering. Greg joined Johnson Controls in 2020 and currently serves as vice president of innovation and portfolio management for the security business of Johnson Controls Building Solutions North America. He oversees the strategy and growth of the $2 billion business with over 2,000 field technicians and more than 300,000 customers across North America. His thought leadership and expertise has been published in various security industry publications.
