This Week in Security: Essential Cybersecurity Advice for Video Surveillance Teams, Think Prevention Instead of Reaction in Endpoint Security & more!

Each week, the marketing team at ESA gathers the latest news from the security industry for our weekly integrator round up!

This week we look at How Integrators Can Learn an AI-Powered Approach to Active Shooter Prevention, 42% of Security System Owners Expect Police Alarm Response Within 10 Minutes and more…

Don’t Miss Out on the Latest News and Technology

Essential Cybersecurity Advice for Video Surveillance Teams

With?video surveillance systems?becoming increasingly sophisticated and interconnected, they have also become prime targets for cyberattacks. The consequences of a breach can be severe, compromising not only the security of physical spaces but also the privacy and safety of individuals. To mitigate these risks, it is essential to adopt comprehensive cybersecurity measures. This starts with building cybersecurity awareness among all integration team members, ensuring that everyone from top management to technicians understands the potential threats and the best practices to counter them.

Training staff in security protocols is another crucial step. By implementing standardized procedures for handling and securing data, responding to incidents, and maintaining system integrity, organizations can significantly reduce vulnerabilities. Furthermore, fostering a culture of security within the organization ensures that cybersecurity becomes a shared responsibility, integrated into daily operations rather than an afterthought.

SDM?consulted with over half a dozen manufacturers to explore best practices for developing a robust cybersecurity framework. These experts provide practical advice for security integrators on prioritizing cybersecurity education, fostering a proactive security culture, and better protecting assets to maintain trust in surveillance capabilities.

Read the Full Article - Essential Cybersecurity Advice for Video Surveillance Teams | SDM Magazine

How Integrators Can Learn an AI-Powered Approach to Active Shooter Prevention

The threat of?active shooting in public places?remains a significant concern in our society.

Despite a 4% decrease in such incidents from 2022, the latest?FBI?report highlights a troubling 60% increase in active shooter incidents since 2019. This alarming trend underscores the need for a holistic approach that combines traditional response strategies with cutting-edge technological solutions.

According to?IPVM, the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump will impact the physical security technology market, particularly spending on gun detection. Security integrators are uniquely positioned to bridge this gap, providing advanced systems that not only respond effectively to these dramatic events but also prevent them from occurring in the first place.

For security integrators, offering clients comprehensive solutions that include early detection and rapid response capabilities is critical. Numerous strategies have been developed to guide responses to active shooter incidents, but no universally accepted best practice exists.

Each situation is unique and requires a tailored approach. The effectiveness of a response greatly depends on factors such as location, environment, perpetrator’s intent, and the individuals targeted.

Another challenge is the rapid escalation of these incidents, which typically last between 10 and 15 minutes. Early detection of potential threats and providing actionable insights can save precious time for law enforcement, enhancing their ability to manage the crisis effectively.

AI-powered gun detection technology stands out as a powerful technology for security integrators. These advanced systems offer unparalleled precision and speed in threat detection, making them a crucial component in modern security solutions.

By integrating AI technology, security professionals can provide their clients with enhanced capabilities that not only detect threats early but also deliver critical insights that can make a difference in life-or-death situations.

Read the Full Article - How Integrators Can Learn an AI-Powered Approach to Active Shooter Prevention - Security Sales & Integration

42% of Security System Owners Expect Police Alarm Response Within 10 Minutes

New Parks Associates?research?finds expectations among security system owners regarding emergency response to an alarm diverge significantly from reality.

The firm’s new white paper,?Expectations vs. Reality: Enhancing Alarm Monitoring Response, developed in partnership with RSPNDR, reveals 86% of security system owners expect a police response to an alarm within 30 minutes, including 42% within 10 minutes, while in many municipalities, actual response times can be upwards of 146 minutes.

The white paper “highlights the threat this gap poses to the security industry, strategies for professionally monitored security to better align with customer expectations, and revenue opportunities emerging from these new and expanded solutions,” according to the Parks Associates announcement.

Inside Parks Associates’ Research

“Security system owners expect a rapid, reliable response, should the need arise,” said?Daniel Holcomb, senior analyst of smart home research for Parks Associates in the announcement. “Among security owners with professional monitoring, 83% say reliable and fast response to security events was ‘highly important’ to their system purchase decision.

“Even among security owners without pro-monitoring, the majority — 59% — still report that the promise of a fast police response was a very important factor in choosing their security system,” he says.

“The widening gap between what security customers expect and what the police can deliver is seen by many as an existential threat to our industry,” says Mark Zimmerman, CEO of RSPNDR. “We see an opportunity…for the industry to deliver a better customer experience and grow RMR significantly by providing on demand private guard service.”

The value consumers place on their security services comes through in their likelihood to recommend their service providers to others, measured by Net Promoter Score (NPS), according to the Parks Associates research.

Security service providers consistently score higher NPS than other home services, such as internet service, mobile service, and video services. Security companies risk this prime position if their customers receive a delayed response or poor experience from an alarm event, the Parks Associates research says.

“To protect their reputation, and open avenues to new revenues, security companies can explore new business models that could include services like private guard and remote guarding,” the announcement says. “These services could be marketed as an added layer of protection and reassurance, potentially reducing the need for immediate police response and alleviating the burden on local first responders.”

“By integrating private guard solutions and other innovative services, security providers can differentiate themselves in a competitive market while addressing the evolving needs and concerns of their customers,” says Holcomb in the Parks Associates announcement.

Read the Full Article - 42% of Security System Owners Expect Police Alarm Response Within 10 Minutes - Security Sales & Integration

Think Prevention Instead of Reaction in Endpoint Security

Cloud usage has evolved from enterprises debating the benefits and costs of cloud migration to a ‘cloud first’ approach in which SaaS, DaaS and VDI adoptions are driving investment in public and private cloud technologies. Gartner expects?more than half of IT spending?will focus on the cloud by 2025. Along with this transition to a cloud-based, hybrid work world comes the need to reevaluate and implement security strategies that more closely align with modern work methods.

From the earliest days of anti-virus to today’s multiple layers of security solutions required to protect the continuously evolving threat landscape, we have depended on ineffective, incomplete solutions that rely on a highly reactive model of monitor, detect, and remediate. But with a cloud native approach, we can rethink the current endpoint security model as we shift demanding workloads from the endpoint to SaaS apps, DaaS or VDI environments, and move to a secure by design approach. This mitigates the current ineffective posture and moves us toward one of prevention instead of a reactive response after an incident.?

AI Adds to the Threat Landscape

Among emerging threats, generative AI (GenAI) is now on the radar, according to a?Barracuda-Ponemon Institute survey?of IT practitioners, 50% of whom are alarmed over hackers using GenAI technology “to increase the volume, sophistication, and effectiveness of their attacks.”? The report also notes only 39% believe their security infrastructure can adequately protect against GenAI-powered security attacks.

Another?research report by Barracuda?analyzed 175 publicly reported successful ransomware attacks from August 2022 to July 2023, and in three categories — municipalities, healthcare, and education — the number of reported attacks more than quadrupled since 2021.

Successful attacks cost time and money. As cyber criminals become more sophisticated, Barracuda reports it takes only 6 hours for a technically proficient hacker to exploit a vulnerability vs. 427 hours IT teams spend responding to successful breaches.

Read Full Article -Think Prevention Instead of Reaction in Endpoint Security | Security Info Watch

And that’s all for this week, but don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram for real-time announcements of all our news content!

Sources: SecurityInfoWatch.com, Security Sales & Integration and SDM Magazine