Companies moving to the Cloud
As companies reflect on the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent changes to business operations, the maturity and effectiveness of physical security infrastructure and data has become imperative to a successful transition to remote and hybrid work models. In particular, Cloud-based software solutions have proven critical to maintaining a strong security posture as travel and resourcing constraints limit the ability to monitor and manage security operations in-person.
Cloud-based security software that gives organizations the ability to access and control camera systems, monitor video feeds, conduct maintenance tasks, evaluate system health, and perform updates to firmware/software from remote locations have been identified as must-haves for maturing security organizations.
“While many physical security departments were hesitant to consider cloud-connected solutions in the past, they now better understand the benefits these solutions bring and how it can help them to better utilize their resources to achieve their respective business goals while minimizing their overall operational complexity.”
Answers from more than 2,000 security leaders give insight as to how the physical security industry is changing, with more movement towards the Cloud and an increase in investing in upgrades to legacy and/or disparate access control systems. A recent Genetec State of the Industry report (https://resources.genetec.com/en-infographics/state-of-physical-security-2021) showed that 45% of large companies (those with more than 1,000 employees) have already adopted cloud solutions. An impressive 94% of survey respondents stated plans to deploy Cloud or hybrid-cloud solutions for their long term plans, a major increase from 2020 when 26% of those surveyed said they began implementing their cloud journey. 35% of respondents said the pandemic directly accelerated or triggered their Cloud strategy.
Christian Morin, Vice-President, Product Engineering and CSO at Genetec Inc, stated, “While many physical security departments were hesitant to consider cloud-connected solutions in the past, they now better understand the benefits these solutions bring and how it can help them to better utilize their resources to achieve their respective business goals while minimizing their overall operational complexity.”