Top Physical Security Trends for 2022

The past couple of years have been unprecedented for everyone transforming everything from work culture to consumer behavior. In the security industry, the pandemic has deeply influenced innovation. From thermal scanning to drone systems and edge solutions, there is so much happening in the physical security landscape to enable businesses to operate in a secure manner. In fact, a majority of the current physical security solutions are geared towards reducing human interaction in potentially dangerous situations like the use of touchless entry and remote monitoring. Smart technology will continue to progress towards making security more proactive rather than reactive and security solutions more flexible, scalable and interoperable. Simultaneously, the industry has made commitments to ethics, not just in how security solutions are used but in how individuals’ privacy is protected in these systems.

These paradigm shifts have compelled businesses to be better informed and more cautious from the security perspective. In this article, we will cover what physical security trends will dominate in 2022 and what innovative security solutions will enable businesses to operate better and keep their employees and customers safe.

Artificial intelligence remains a real industry-shaping trend

Ranked second in 2020 and fifth in 2019, artificial intelligence jumped to first place in 2021 as the trend that is ultimately driving most technological advances in the security sector. It will remain there in the year 2022.

AI in the security industry has become mainstream in the past few years and is starting to replace legacy rules-driven solutions. The use cases of AI-powered technology include proactive monitoring with an impressive false alarm filtering accuracy, detecting anomalies such as fights, slips and falls, fire hazards, and advanced video analytics through big data processing. In the coming year, artificial intelligence will continue to evolve, influencing every sector of security.

The role of AI-powered video surveillance will increase and shape human guarding in 2022. It is becoming the tool that makes security more proactive rather than reactive. Due to advanced analytics integrated into video surveillance systems security officers get better, faster and more accurate real-time data that is significantly improving operator efficiency.

We also see a notable increase in reliance that companies are placing on AI technologies when it comes to loss prevention and business optimization. Monitoring large hypermarkets and parking lots can be a challenge for businesses, given the labor shortages and the sudden rise in the crime rate across the US. According to the PPIC, the year 2021 has witnessed an increase in property and violent crime numbers. About two-thirds of the recent increase in property crime is due to larcenies, a notable jump in car break-ins (by 21%) and vehicle theft (by 10%). Other studies indicate a surge in shoplifting crimes which is considered #1 America’s property crime. It costs companies millions of dollars every year. It is estimated that retailers suffer annual financial losses of $13 billion due to shoplifting.

That explains why AI-based innovative loss prevention and threat detection tools are going to remain a big deal this year. Basically, these software applications track object movement patterns to detect actions that could be potentially dangerous. Advanced loss prevention and theft detection tools like Scylla are already available. Retailers can use these to leverage AI video analytics without having to wait any further. It not only allows ensuring enhanced security but also lowers operational costs and acts as a piece of evidence while raising insurance claims.

Greater privacy concerns

Individual privacy matters the most and that is something businesses have begun realizing the hard way. Quite a few businesses that rushed with thermal scanning and tracking technologies did so without evaluating them for compliance. A closer look at how any of those security solutions work would clarify that very few keep personal data anonymous by using techniques like video redaction which blurs out faces.

This is essential because any AI solution that does not anonymize the subject would be in direct conflict with data privacy laws. Regulations such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and America’s Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) lay down prerequisites that must be complied with.

While the GDPR prevents the collection of any personal data pertaining to those residing in the EU region, HIPAA safeguards the medical records and personal health data of American citizens. So, the biggest challenge faced by the physical security industry is to design security modules that keep data anonymous and are fully compliant with the applicable laws.

Rapid cloud and hybrid cloud adoption

In the few past years, cloud computing has grown as work went virtual and businesses have focused on the delivery of services rather than maintaining costly physical IT infrastructure. In 2022, we will undoubtedly see continued rapid adoption of cloud technology which essentially makes every other technology lighter, faster, and more accessible from a customer point of view. According to predictions from Gartner, global spending on cloud services is expected to reach over $482 billion in 2022.

At present, business leaders are more informed on the advantages and potential drawbacks of the various cloud tools and platforms. Ignorance and fear of the implications of using the cloud have been replaced by increased awareness of security issues. Therefore, they are looking for another option that can provide users with flexibility. One approach is the transition to a hybrid deployment model which combines the benefits of cloud, on-premise server and edge technologies.

Physical and сyber security сonvergence

Another significant trend is the convergence of cyber and physical security. Given the new security landscape where data and IT systems are intrinsically connected to physical security, companies also start rethinking their strategies and apply a comprehensive approach to ensure the protection of sensitive data. It implies treating physical and cyber security as one rather than as separate business entities.

During the past year, we have all seen remote work culture take off — an operational model that is here to stay. Nevertheless, this paradigm shift has also given rise to various types of cybercrimes such as RDP attacks, executive deep fakes, drone system-led espionage attempts, ransomware, cloud-based and supply chain attacks, and so on. As a matter of fact, 2021 is a record-breaking year for data breaches. According to Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) research, the number of data breaches has exceeded the total number of such events in the previous year. The number of data compromise victims has increased during the year by 160 million in Q3 compared to 121 million in Q1 and Q2 2021 combined.

In 2022 businesses need to be more cautious in terms of data security and be aware of cybersecurity issues before adopting any new technologies. Also, the use of AI and machine learning will increase substantially and would be used to guard endpoints and detect anomalies. As these technologies deliver higher accuracy and greater efficiency, businesses will count on Managed SOC service providers who are equipped with such solutions.

Therefore, in 2022 the trend of cyber and physical security convergence is set to accelerate so as to close the security gaps that can emerge.

Increased demand for interoperability

In the security environment, the overall trend is toward open systems or the use of common protocols that can allow communication between multiple systems. Integrating security systems has become a necessity for security professionals, to assure effective work of various security solutions, for example, CCTV systems are alerted to access control or alarm incidents, and complement each other to provide evidence and tactical support as needed.

In the building environment, we can see an increased demand for interoperability as well. Smart building is currently an incredibly fruitful market sector. According to Statista, the smart homes world market is expected to show an annual growth rate of 15.64% between 2020 and 2025. In this field, the rate of interconnectedness is growing. Various organizations, be it an airport, hospital, corporate office or residential building, are seeking to analyze data from multiple sensors and automate processes to improve urban safety and livability. The common platforms integrated into a “smart building” type of environment include security video, building access control, intrusion alarm systems, fire detection systems, mass notification systems and more. It’s crucial for all these systems to be open in the ability to interconnect, to integrate with them so as to be fully functioning inside that building. From a security point, interoperability helps to get a clear understanding of what's happening at any given point in time, simplifies monitoring and aids response and mitigation.

Another reason for security systems to get connected with other business systems is the fact that customers demand business operational insights and efficiencies that can only be determined by correlating data from multiple systems.

It’s worth mentioning that with the increased use of wireless technologies and the rise in the number of smart solutions for security, business intelligence, IoT devices, interconnected security platforms are becoming more approachable and allow users to mix and match analytics and camera hardware and software from different providers without being burdensome on their budgets.

Drones for better security

The need of the hour is a versatile contactless physical security system capable of mitigating a wide variety of risks without endangering human life. This is precisely what a drone security system offers and that makes it perfect for all types of businesses. In the coming years, an increasing number of businesses are going to deploy AI-based drone security systems to enhance their physical security. According to Business Insider, the drone services market is all set to exceed $63 billion by the end of 2025. This massive growth can be attributed to the many innovative uses of drones in potentially dangerous situations. A few to mention are threat detection and response, surveillance, emergency rescue operations, hostage negotiations, and so on.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones were earlier invented to be used for defense purposes. They were found to be exceptionally useful because they can carry advanced cameras, microphones, and can even be programmed to intercept telecommunication. In fact, the Secret Service has been using drones for perimeter protection and monitoring purposes for quite some time. On the other hand, businesses use them to monitor public safety and other industry-specific activities such as land development, site inspection, precision agriculture, inventory surveillance and so on.

We expect the development of drone security to be continued this year allowing businesses to improve physical threat detection and help reduce response time with help of AI-powered modules like Scylla that can effectively work on drones.