Digital and networked technologies are the command and control infrastructure of the future and have bestowed intelligence that parlays into new, easy-to-deploy security solutions. Data is as specific as the user needs it to be, which can help make premises safer—while saving time and money. One thing hasn’t changed: the end-user still prefers a single service provider for their security systems integrations, and that can be you when you consider the following observations certain to have lasting influence into 2025.

Leveraging the cloud

No discussion on physical security would be complete without considering the cloud. Cloud management platforms are your control and management interface for video, access control, intrusion, energy management and other integrations. They are also increasingly used in building management and operational automation. 

Accessibility and the ability to share data and video images and alerts in real time to mobile devices gives users up-to-date information on systems they can quickly act on.

Through the cloud, which is essentially an off-site server you don’t have to maintain, you’ll have access to an array of services for the customer from anywhere with an internet connection. For systems integrators, it also means you can provide remote management and monitoring without rolling a truck. Let’s say a customer needs to add an access control user for the day or week. Through a cloud platform software program, new identification profiles and permissions for access control can be added quickly and virtually. There is even an option for the end-user to perform these functions. The same goes for power cycling, rebooting systems or taking a device offline, which can be done remotely without an expensive site visit.

The cloud also keeps your system current with automatic software updates and cybersecurity controls. It’s available as a subscription service, which you can mark up to the customer confidently by adding services and capabilities tailored to helping the user address and pinpoint challenges.

High-quality cameras and analytics

Using high-resolution cameras with artificial intelligence (A.I.) and analytics can be a game changer. These smart devices are force multipliers and now pinpoint intrusions and identify security weaknesses. 

With the ability to detect people, license plate numbers, objects and specific characteristics for real-time alerts and detection, they can prevent an intrusion before it escalates into an immediate threat. Analytics learn and adapt from the environment and can be programmed to count specific objects or, in the example of a school campus, identify delivery trucks or student buses arriving on game days. A.I. results in a stronger return on investment for the user: analytics yield historical data and records that add value and proactively increase situational awareness, with fewer deployed cameras.

Cybersecurity mandates to grow

Cyberwars are escalating and no systems integration business is precluded from offering secure products. Zero Trust is a directive centering on identity and system management that could trickle down to all physical security, including access and perimeter protection, whether a federal procurement or not. Zero Trust mandates are a result of Executive Order 14028, issued in May 2021 and directed at improving the nation’s cybersecurity profile against “increasingly sophisticated malicious cyber campaigns.” Zero Trust is based on the idea that no person or system should be trusted, and it requires specific controls in place beginning this year and no later than 2027.

“Zero Trust Architecture means a security model, a set of system design principles and a coordinated cybersecurity and system management strategy based on an acknowledgment that threats exist both inside and outside traditional network boundaries,” according to EO 14028. Guidelines for implementing Zero Trust are being established from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Zero Trust Maturity Model 2.0 and the National Institute of Standards Special Publication 800-207.

While it centers on software, EO 14028 regulations are anticipated to affect service providers in adjacent industries, especially as physical and logical security continues to converge. For example, physical access control systems, controlled by software, could be subject to potential system replacements to fulfill requirements that data is verified and continuously monitored throughout the enterprise. The entire solution—system, sensors, software and every input and output used for physical identification and security—must satisfy Zero Trust compliance.

Change is coming fast for systems integrators, and looking back at 2024 provides a solid indicator of what’s ahead. Prepare now by taking stock of trends and designing a road map to incorporate these technologies into your systems integration business.

stock.adobe.com / Nicolae G Talmach