Virtual Roundtable on New and Emerging Security Technologies

Bob Sommerfeld of G4S Technology and other experts share their views on technology with Security Systems News

New and emerging technologies and issues are changing and shaping the security industry. Which ones are advancing most rapidly and are the most important? And what other new technology trends are on the horizon?

Security Systems News recently posed those questions to a panel of industry experts who agreed to participate in a virtual roundtable discussion on new technologies. Bob Sommerfeld, president of G4S Technology, participated in the event.

Here are Bob's responses to the various questions that were asked at the event:

Q: At TechSec this year, we focused on a number of new and emerging technologies and issues surrounding them, including PSIM, cloud-based services, mobile apps, video analytics and identity management and access control. In which of those have you seen the most advances in the past year?

Bob: Probably the most advances we have seen are in the PSIM products and adoption by end users. As IP technology impacted and advanced security systems and networks over the past few years, more and more sophisticated subsystems were installed and integrated together. As this trend continued in both scope and quantity, the ability to manage, integrate or operate the system as whole became more and more difficult.

The magnitude of the issue, particularly for larger or diverse systems, has now resulted in a real need for efficient PSIM products to capture, analyze and utilize all of the outputs of the subsystems, along with a means to manage, maintain and efficiently operate the disparate systems as a whole system/security network.

Q: What emerging technology do you consider to be the most important for the work you do at your company?

Bob: We really expect all of the emerging technologies, along with the current product sets, to continue to be enhanced and advanced. IP technology coupled with ongoing software development will allow continuing upgrades to product offerings at palatable price points. PSIM products will continue to be refined to meet end-user needs.

They will continue to allow advanced integrations of multiple and disparate systems—both technologically and geographically—and we expect they will become highly “customizable” to meet specific requirements. If you couple this with the efficiencies (both operational and economical) of managed services (cloud-based) and the large menu of variations for remote monitoring, there are great and expanding opportunities for the technology-based provider of life safety and security services.

What other new technology trends do you see on the horizon, and what are the drivers of those trends?

Bob: A more holistic approach to security at several levels — opportunities through expansions and enhancements by manufacturing to incorporate more features and capabilities directly into products and product offerings; an opportunity to deploy more diverse subsystems and components to meet the security and operational needs of end users, that are efficiently managed and operated by PSIM products.

Opportunities for integrators to expand their services, offering larger, more complex, customizable and integrated “total solutions” encompassing multiple subsystems in a holistic manner to meet the very specific requirements of customers; and opportunities for operational recurring revenues offering managed services, ongoing maintenance and remote or supplemental monitoring of disparate components from multiple product providers.

My previous comments, although intended to be inclusive, do not specifically mention all of the recent advances specific to video. Analytics is becoming a very effective security tool when used appropriately and incorporated/integrated with other compatible subsystems. And the advances in camera quality, IP cameras, megapixel, etc., in a more cost-effective environment will continue to drive the expansion and deployment of vast surveillance systems, and also become a component of a holistic security network.

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