Protection with Regard to Apps and IT is the Top Priority: Latest Trends at Security Essen 2016

Security Essen, the global fair for civil security, is giving a comprehensive overview of the present status and foreseeable developments with regard to security technologies and security services. Current development lines for the security market can be derived from the announcements of the around 1,000 exhibitors.

In each case, the decisive driving forces are the latest developments in IT and communications technologies. In particular, the three following trends can be derived from them:

1) Apps are Opening up New Perspectives for the Home Security Market
To a great degree, the undiminished smartphone boom is helping to make electronic security solutions more attractive to private households.

Thanks to appropriate apps, the operation or the monitoring can be used in a simple and quick way everywhere.

For the manufacturers, they are thus the “key” to a market which has been far from exploited to the full until now. In this respect, a lot of security suppliers are benefiting from the fact that they have been working with products and services for remote monitoring, remote maintenance or remote control for a long time already.

Thus, the smartphone app for cameras and other sensors was just a small development step in most cases.

The current challenge now consists of keeping the protection on an acceptable level [1].

Although the direct selling of security sets or smart home packages with security components via web shops is making the solutions favourable, it also means that DIY enthusiasts, and thus not security experts, are then planning and installing the security technology.

In other fields of security, too, smartphones and tablets have long since become indispensable working tools. When organising security services, checking and maintaining security technology or reacting to security incidents, the combination of voice communication, mobile computing capacity and online data connection is supporting decisions, accelerating processes and thus saving costs.

For nearly all Internet-capable professional security solutions, particularly in danger alarm technology [2] and video surveillance [3], exhibitors are offering apps for the common platforms.

The smartphone apps are not rarely also a core element for new solution concepts.
This is shown clearly in the case of door and access control. Here, the apps perform the function of the key or of other ways of proving entitlement [4].

2) Smart Homes and Smart Buildings are Demanding Process Integration Instead of Stand-Alone Solutions
To an increasing extent, not only, above all, public consumers in the economy but also private sources of demand are expecting that security solutions can be interlinked with other technologies.

They should be integrated into the processes of production, logistics, administration or building management in the simplest and most cost-favourable way possible but without any functional losses.

Therefore, security suppliers are increasingly adjusting to the requirements of Industry 4.0 and modern building technology.

However, the particular susceptibility of highly complex processes to failure is not only opening up new utilisation chances for security technology but it is also simultaneously making demands on them to a particular degree.

On the one hand, it must be possible to incorporate the security components into the overall system without any problems.

On the other hand, it is expected that they can perform their protection tasks even in the event of a crash or an attack on the system, i.e. preserve their functioning capacity irrespective of other processes.

The discussion about interfaces is therefore very high on the agenda within the sector. At the fair, this topic is being addressed, amongst others, in the specimen building for smart security of Messe Essen and BHE Federal Association for Security Technology [5].

The subject of Industry 4.0 and what role security technology can play here will be taken up within the framework of the specialist conference called “Networked Security” on Wednesday, September 28 [6].

3) Security Technology is Also Demanding Secure IT
In particular, the incorporation of security into productive company processes is leading to more complex security requirements. It is no longer sufficient for a security component to be oriented just to the neighbouring links in the security chain – the interactions with other system components must be taken into account, too.

Moreover, the security product itself must not simultaneously become a gateway for cyber attacks. While attackers more rarely set their sights on proprietary, sealed-off security systems, not only manufacturers of web-based security solutions but also their users must today regularly ensure the adjustment of the device-specific protective shields [7].

Thus, there is a demand for updateable or modular solutions which promise an economically acceptable utilisation time to the user.

Another answer of the security market to the altered requirements relates to webbased service concepts. As is well-known from the IT world, “Security as a Service” solutions are now also being offered in classical security, not only for video surveillance (VSaaS – Video Surveillance as a Service) [8] but also for access control (ACaaS – Access Control as a Service) [9].

Here, a service provider supplies the technology, also offers the necessary all-round service and is thus responsible for the security of the solution, too.

Image analysis or storage and the checking and administration of entitled people then take place in the cloud.
Also in the other market segments at Security Essen, e.g. also in fire prevention, perimeter protection, security vehicles, video surveillance and mechanical security, it is possible to observe fair-to-fair refinements which make the products more efficient or smarter for the customer.

As far as video surveillance technology is concerned, the 4K solutions known from the consumer field are being introduced, for example, on many exhibitor booths.

1 VdS Schadenverhütung (Hall 1.0, Booth 1C32) has introduced a testing procedure for apps of security products.
2 Apps for danger alarm technology are being offered, amongst others, by: ABI-Sicherheitssysteme GmbH, Hall 3.0, Booth 3A18, ABUS Aug. Bremicker Söhne KG, Hall 1.0, Booth 1E08, FSO GmbH, Hall GA, Booth 24, IFAM GmbH, Erfurt, Hall 3.0, Booth 3E84, and Indexa GmbH, Hall 2.0, Booth 2A21
3 Apps for video surveillance are being offered, amongst others, by: Balter Security GmbH, Hall 2.0, Booth 2D35, and Megasat Werke GmbH, Hall 4.0, Booth 4A23
4 Apps for door opening / access control are being offered, amongst others, by: baimos technologies gmbh, Hall 5.0, Booth 5A39, Lock Your World GmbH & Co. KG, Hall 11, Booth 11B20, and CARL FUHR GmbH & Co. KG, Hall 12, Booth 12A04
5 Specimen building for smart security: Hall 7, Booth 7D04
6 September 28, 2016 (9.15 a.m. – 1.30 p.m.), West CC, Berlin Hall
7 Within the framework of the Security Forum (Hall 7) to which visitors to the fair have free access, hacking experts are demonstrating the latest cyber attacks live (programme at: www.securityforum.de)
8 Suppliers of VSaaS solutions include, amongst others: Axis Communications, Hall 2.0, Booth 2B14 and Booth 2D06, and Genetec Europe, Hall 2.0, Booth 2B30
9 Suppliers of ACaaS solutions include, amongst others: dorma+kaba group, Hall 3.0, Booth 3B30