Page 22 - Issue 2 2023

TECHNOLOGY

analysis often demands the processing significant opportunity, is the move beyond security.
power found in on-premise servers or the Surveillance cameras have become powerful sensors. The quality of video information
cloud. they capture, in all conditions, has increased year-on-year for decades. Today, through
And of course, there are the advanced analytics, they also create metadata – information about the video data – which
requirements – often defined by adds another layer of detail and value.
regulation – around data privacy and This of course improves and enhances their ability to support safety and operational
storage that vary from country to country efficiency use cases in addition to security. The opportunity now exists to combine
and region to region. These can define the data created by surveillance cameras with that from other sensors – monitoring
the difference between on-premise temperature, noise, air and water quality, vibration, weather and more - creating an
storage and the use of the cloud. advanced data-driven sensory network.
What’s essential is not to tie yourself We’re already seeing some use of such networks in industrial environments through
to a single architecture. Remain open, the monitoring of processes and supporting of proactive maintenance. The use cases in
and give yourself the flexibility to create which this network could be applied are limited only by our imaginations, but without
the hybrid architecture best suited to doubt they can help improve almost every aspect of our lives, including our safety.
your specific needs.
5. Sustainability always, climate change at the forefront
3. The emergence of cyber Sustainability has been featured in several of our annual technology trends predictions,
security sub-trends and we see no less of a need to maintain momentum behind sustainability initiatives
The importance of cyber security is also in their broadest sense over the coming year. Ensuring that organisations continue to
highlighted through the requirement measure and improve the environmental, societal and business governance practices of
to remain compliant. For instance, the their businesses will be essential in respecting people, being a trusted business partner,
proposed European Commission’s Cyber innovating responsibly, and protecting our planet. All these aspects will come under
Resilience Act will place greater demands increasing scrutiny from customers of security and safety solutions.
on producers of hardware and software However, given the extreme conditions of the past year, we do expect a more acute
across all sectors to ensure the cyber focus specifically on addressing climate change in 2023. It’s clear that we are not yet doing
security of their products, through fewer enough to stop the acceleration of global warming, and every sector will be expected to
vulnerabilities at launch, and better cyber double its efforts.
security management throughout the For Axis, a key step has been committing to the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)
products’ life cycles. The security and which will see us setting targets for reducing emissions, not only in our own business but
surveillance sector will, of course, be through our entire value chain, and this is a key point. While organisations might make
included. great efforts to reduce emissions from their own operations, these can be undermined if
The Act demonstrates both the their upstream and downstream value chains are not aligned to the same targets.
importance and the complexity of For technology companies, however, scrutiny of their own business operations will
cyber security. No longer can it be be just one side of the climate change coin. They will also be expected to demonstrate
seen as one subject, but rather several how their products and services support the sustainability goals of their own customers,
interlinked areas. Some of these are well creating efficiencies that also help those organisations reduce emissions.
established, but others are emerging.
In the video surveillance sector, 6. An increased regulatory focus
cyber security measures that ensure the Inevitably, given its pervasiveness and power, the technology sector as a whole and
authenticity and safety of data as it is specific technologies are coming under more regulatory and policy maker scrutiny. We still
captured and transferred from camera believe that the focus should always be on regulation of the use cases for technology, not
to cloud to server, will be essential to technology itself, and will always comply with local, regional and international regulation.
maintain trust in its value. But it can be a complicated picture.
We will see a more proactive The European Commission is one of the most active in looking to regulate technology
approach by technology vendors in an ongoing effort to protect the privacy and rights of citizens. Its proposed AI Act, part
in identifying vulnerabilities, with of the Commission’s European AI Strategy, aims to assign specific risk categories to uses
‘bug bounty’ programs becoming of AI and would be the first legal framework on AI. Like the Commission’s AI Liability
commonplace to incentivise external Directive, the AI Act will no doubt be the subject of much debate before it becomes law.
parties. But whether in relation to AI, demands around cyber security, data privacy, curbing
Customers will expect transparency the influence of ‘big tech’, or establishing tech sovereignty, it’s clear that technology
regarding the cyber security of security companies in the security sector will increasingly need to adhere to more stringent
solutions, with a Software Bill of regulations. In broad terms this should be welcomed, as ensuring business transparency
Materials becoming standard in assessing and ethical practice continue to be critical.
software security and risk management. The greatest opportunity for our sector continues to be in aligning continued
commercial success with our responsibility to address the critical issues facing the
4. Beyond security planet and our population. As ever, we’re optimistic that the combination of our human
One of the most significant trends for inventiveness, advances in technology, and ethical business practice can be combined to
the security sector, and with it an equally make the world a better place.

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