Recently, STANLEY Security has released a 2021 Security Industry Trends Report helping us understand the security trends you should be on the look out for.
At the start of 2021, many trends within the security industry have been a direct response to COVID-19. In this blog we look at the trends highlighted by Stanley and what this may mean for your business.
What is the Stanley Security Report?
The Stanley Security Report is a specially written article to help highlight industry trends. The report includes survey data from over 2,400 decision-makers worldwide, as well as insights from global security leaders on what trends, challenges and opportunities may impact organisations in 2021.
Through the results and trends developing, it is clear that “the scope and role of security solutions have expanded from protecting physical and digital assets, to promoting safer, healthier and more efficient environments.”
2021 Security Industry Trends
Below we look at 7 of the top trends identified from the Stanley Report. These are:
- Using security to mitigate health and safety risks.
- Cybersecurity and the emergence of a new perimeter.
- Rise of cloud solutions and the XaaS delivery model.
- Leveraging security data to improve operations.
- New privacy & data governance considerations.
- The transition to touchless.
- An increased demand for flexible, scalable, and integrated solutions.
Using security to mitigate health and safety risks
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, we have seen a huge increase in the use of security to mitigate health and safety risks. This includes health questionnaires, temperature screening, contact tracing and controlling people flow. Security solutions are helping businesses keep their employees and visitors safe by serving as a first defence against health and safety risks.
The outbreak of the pandemic produced new problems that organisations had not had to tackle before. These included, how to identify contagious individuals and prevent the spread of the illness. This meant that a fundamental shift was needed from organisations and security solutions provided the perfect leverage in how to tackle such problems.
Security solutions now include specific COVID-19 procedures specifically designed with ensuring the health and safety of their people in mind.
Cybersecurity and the emergence of a new perimeter
With the need for employees to work remotely and increased usage of virtual private networks (VPNs), organisations have faced new and intensified cybersecurity threats. This has affected both large and small organisations alike.
By having a large remote working force, organisations are at greater risks of potential cyberattacks. This puts sensitive data and information at risk of being stolen.
Organisations have had to adapt and produce new perimeters to ensure that each employee is safe from online threats. This solutions' development is likely to continue in the years to come with the possibility of remote working long-term looking more and more likely.
Rise of cloud solutions and the XaaS delivery model
2021 has seen many businesses opting to choose a cloud-based solution and remote service providing. These solutions have been developed on a subscription basis, often allowing for low operating cost.
The low cost is possible as cloud solutions remove the need for an on-site security presence. This has been particularly necessary as the pandemic has created financial strain for many businesses. These solutions, for that reason, are particularly popular in small-to-medium-sized businesses.
Leveraging security data to improve operations
With the continuous advancement of technology, we have seen many organisations collecting security data to help them adapt, stay agile and prepare for new threats. Modern technology, including Big Data, AI and Machine Learning, are allowing organisations to analyse the data like never before, creating advanced and responsive solutions.
By having access to real-time data, an organisation can deeply investigate their operations, compliance, and potential threat level. They can also identify patterns to help them improve their processes creating an efficient environment saving time and money.
New privacy & data governance considerations
With the need to screen and protect your organisation from potential infectious Coronavirus individuals, 2021 has seen an increase in the capturing of new personal data. This includes elevated skin temperature and personal track and trace information.
The additional data collected has produced the need to comply with privacy regulations and enforce stricter data governance controls.
The transition to touchless
The outbreak of the Coronavirus has acted as a catalyst and accelerated the transition to touchless security solutions for many organisations. The need to prevent the spread of the virus, as well as the introduction of social distancing and other rules, has made the touchless system an ideal way to safely allow workers to return to the office.
Touchless solutions remove the need for individuals to physically touch a surface reducing the risk of transferring the virus through touch. They also allow organisations to create sleek, streamline procedures to avoid crowding. Touchless solutions can include touchless doors, mobile credentials, NFC-powered access control, automated screening systems and more.
An increased demand for flexible, scalable, and integrated solutions
With the outbreak of the pandemic, we saw a move away from stand-alone security systems. Instead, businesses are now searching for flexible, scalable, and fully integrated solutions that can be adjusted as their needs and environment changes.
The unpredictability of 2020 cause by the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic has propelled the desire for systems of this nature. Fully integrated solutions give organisations the ability to adapt their systems and procedures when new challenges arise.
Additionally, integrated solutions offer convenience and speed of deployment. This benefits the organisation in navigating rapidly shifting requirements.
2021 Security Industry Trends you should be on the lookout for
As seen in the STANLEY Security 2021 Security Industry Trends report, the security industry is rapidly evolving and responding to problems caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. In many ways COVID-19 has caused the security industry to develop faster, providing sustainable and technologically advanced solutions to a public that need protecting more than ever.
If you are interested in discussing any security needs for your business, please reach out to one of the WINNS team. We provide personalised Security Solutions to suit all types of businesses.
You can download the full STANLEY Security report here.