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77% of IT managers: Physical security is not optimised

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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There are calls for greater collaboration between the physical security and IT communities to meet urgent security and intelligence challenges, after a study of 1,000 IT decision makers across Europe revealed that physical security systems are not optimised according to 77% of respondents, and 20% have identified physical security as a priority for improvement in 2020.

While nearly half of IT managers surveyed by Morphean reported currently using a cloud-based video surveillance (VSaaS) or access control (ACaaS) solution, a further 36% are considering such a solution with a majority of 79% anticipating instalment within one year.

The Video Surveillance as a Service (VSaaS) market is expected to reach $5.93 billion by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 22.0%[1] buoyed by its low cost set up, the flexible scalability on offer and the increasing demand for real-time and remote access to video surveillance data. Morphean says that for the IT security professional already working with cloud systems and services, the growth in connected digital devices through the IoT is resulting in a growing appetite for physical security, such as network cameras, to enhance existing IT systems and assist business intelligence gathering.

The results of Morphean’s independent survey of 1000 IT decision makers within companies from UK, France and Germany with more than 50 employees revealed:

  • Better security, cost benefit and better functionality are viewed as the most influential factors AND the most commonly realized benefits of hosted security solutions
  • Half of respondents cited better security as the #1 benefit of using VSaaS / ACaaS; better functionality (42%) and cost benefits (38%) placed #2 and #3 respectively
  • Half of IT managers have identified data / information security as a priority for improvement in the next 12 months
  • 84% of IT managers are currently using (48%) or considering using (36%) a cloud-based video surveillance or access control solution
  • Of those still considering VSaaS and ACaaS, 79% anticipate introducing these solutions to their business within 12 months
  • 77% of IT managers report that physical security is not optimized; 20% have identified physical security as a priority for improvement in the next 12 months

Rodrigue Zbinden, CEO at Morphean, said: “When looking at the data from our survey, we can infer a number of significant conclusions. Firstly, that while adoption of physical security systems hosted in the cloud is strong, they are not presently optimised to their full depth of intelligence gathering capabilities which the IT department seeks; and secondly, while there is a significant market to be served in the coming year, a language barrier between physical security installers and IT resellers may hamper progress.

“As the in-house IT department becomes increasingly involved in the purchasing process and on-boarding of network connected surveillance and access control devices, greater collaboration will be required between IT resellers and physical securityinstallers. In effect, the fast and effective provision of these systems that are fully optimised and fit-for-purpose, requires cooperation between the IT and physical security industries that are speaking the same language.”

The language barrier to adoption
Morphean says the IT manager, who might ordinarily turn to his/her provider of IT infrastructure to provision additional services, should also consider physical security installers who have proven expertise in this field and an understanding of the full intelligence capabilities of these systems. However, while the IT reseller sometimes lacks knowledge of the systems, the physical security installer needs to learn the language of the IT department, which is also a new skill requirement.

Greater collaboration needed between IT resellers and physical security installers
For the IT manager, easy plug and play connectivity of security devices facilitates rapid integration onto the network, governed by the security that is already in place to connect software and systems. Connection to the cloud allows for powerful insights to be gleaned from IoT sensors, while the operational expenditure model used in relation to video surveillance and access control as-a-service, is already the preferred model of the IT world. 

The increased appetite for hosted security presents an opportunity for IT resellers and physical security installers to work with businesses to help them improve their physical security, while also educating them on the potential business intelligence benefits offered by surveillance and access control solutions when integrated in the cloud. Through partnering, both sides can deliver optimal system set up protecting both the physical environment and the cybersecurity of systems through a comprehensive overarching solution that will better serve the needs of the market. 

Whitepaper download: 2019 Landscape Report: Hosted Security adoption in Europe

Hosted Security Landscape Report: Key insights for 2020

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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A new whitepaper has detailed market analysis of attitudes towards cloud adoption and purchasing behaviours behind hosted physical security from 1000 IT decision makers from across Europe.

The in-depth survey, undertaken by Morphean, a provider of hosted security solutions, illustrates a market that has overcome initial concerns about cyber-security, has understood the clear benefits and will be seeking to adopt such solutions at pace in 2020.

The independent survey of key decision makers within companies from UK, France and Germany with more than 50 employees clearly shows better security, cost benefit and better functionality to be the most influential factors and the most commonly realised benefits of hosted security solutions including video surveillance as-a-service (VSaaS) and access control as-a-service (ACaaS). These solutions are part of a cloud security market that is expected to grow from USD 4.1 billion in 2017 to USD 12.7 billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 25.5%.

The ‘2019 Landscape Report: Hosted Security adoption in Europe’ is the second study of its kind by Morphean, and facilitates a better understanding of market trends with comparative data from 2018. It revealed that 84% of IT managers are currently using (48%) or considering using (36%) a hosted security solution, which is broadly consistent with the 89% who said they would consider such a solution last year. It also shows that better security ranked #3 among the main benefits realised by the cloud (44%) compared to 27% in 2018; representing a 63% increase in the year and shift in perception around cyber security concerns.

2019 key survey findings include:

  • Better security, cost benefit and better functionality are viewed as the most influential factors AND the most commonly realized benefits of hosted security solutions 
  • Half of respondents cited better security as the #1 benefit of using VSaaS / ACaaS; better functionality (42%) and cost benefits (38%) placed #2 and #3 respectively
  • Half of IT managers have identified data / information security as a priority for improvement in the next 12 months
  • 84% of IT managers are currently using (48%) or considering using (36%) a cloud-based video surveillance or access control solution
  • Of those still considering VSaaS and ACaaS, 79% anticipate introducing these solutions to their business within 12 months
  • 77% of IT managers report that physical security is not optimized; 20% have identified physical security as a priority for improvement in the next 12 months

Rodrigue Zbinden, CEO, Morphean, said: “Our research clearly points to a market that is overcoming initial concerns about cybersecurity, understands the clear benefits of hosted services and reflects growing confidence and purchase intent for 2020. The increased appetite for hosted security presents an opportunity for us to work with businesses to help them improve their physical security, while also educating them on the potential business intelligence benefits offered by surveillance and access control solutions when integrated in the cloud.”

The growing confidence in cloud seems to translate into more positive purchasing intentions around hosted security solutions with 77% of IT managers reporting that physical security is not currently optimized and one in five identifying it as a priority for 2020. Of those considering hosted security solutions, 4 in 5 (79%) anticipate introducing them to their business within a year. While this clearly represents an opportunity for the IT reseller community to enhance its service offering, the report does highlight two trends that may inhibit growth; the first being the physical securityindustry’s ability to adopt the as-a-service business model; the second is system integration with emergent technology such as AI.

Alex Hilton, CEO of The Cloud Industry Forum, added: “With cloud technology we have a toolset that changes the way businesses think and act, ensuring a competitive landscape for years to come. Morphean’s latest research reveals that decision makers are seeing better security, cost benefits and improved functionality as a result of a switch to cloud-enabled security solutions. Cloud presents very real opportunities, but vendors need to hone their offerings and capabilities in order for its full potential to be realised across all markets and sectors.”

The Morphean survey also found that there has been a 5% drop in cloud investment over the past year. In 2018, 33% of the IT budget was spent on cloud services over the previous 24 months and this figure has dropped to 31.38% for 2019. This is in spite of the fact that the majority of respondents (78%) had said that they expected cloud related spending to increase due to the favourable benefits it presents. It’s not the only contradiction found in the report.

Cloud is key to driving operational performance, and yet 78% of IT managers felt that this area of the business was underperforming while only 36% identified it as a priority for improvement.

Cybersecurity’s biggest asset: Why use the cloud?

 960 640 Guest Post
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The cloud is one of those hot buzzwords that gets thrown around a lot both in the tech world and in our daily lives.

No longer reserved for IT departments alone, the cloud has become something that we depend upon greatly, especially in the way companies go about their business. And it’s about to become even more important.

In fact research shows that companies are looking to drastically increase their investment in the cloud in the coming years. Morphean recently conducted an independent survey of more than 1500 IT decision makers across Europe to discover their views on cloud services. The survey reported:

  • 78% expect their spending on the cloud to increase in the next two to five years
  • 47% said their internal data would be cloud processed within the same time frame
  • 45% said they would definitely consider migrating their physical security systems, such as video surveillance, to the cloud

There’s no doubt that the cloud is becoming a more important part of everyday business dealings, but some people still have reservations about the safety of this storage system, and whether or not it is worth it. We believe it is, and let us tell you why. 

But what exactly is the cloud?

Short for ‘cloud computing’, the cloud is essentially a terrestrial home for your data. So instead of being stored on the computer in front of you, it’s stored somewhere else, or in multiple places, and it is up to a network of servers to take you to it.

Some everyday examples you may recognise include the Apple iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, and even Netflix.

Is the cloud the future of cybersecurity?

Unfortunately, the cloud has received some negative press in the last few years in regards to security and safety. In fact, according to the Morphean survey, 45% of people cited security risks as being their biggest obstacle to instigating a full move across to the cloud. 

The only way to truly protect your information is to lock it up underground, but you can rest assured that the cloud is far safer than information stored on a local device. Cloud computing services have more complicated security methods in place than the average computer owner can come up with. Any wannabe hackers would then have to get past the cloud system’s first line of defence; encryption.

Encryption is the practice of using complex algorithms to protect your data. In order to get past these algorithms, the hackers would need something called an encryption key. 

But it’s not all down to these intricate and convoluted systems. In fact one of the biggest threats to cloud security is the barriers set by individual people. In other words, easy-to-guess password and security questions. 

Above we talked about negative press aimed at the cloud over the past few years, most notably the infamous Apple hack where celebrities had photos stolen and leaked. The media reported that the cloud had been hacked, which led to a drop in public confidence and has no doubt contributed to people’s existing fears. In reality the cloud itself wasn’t hacked, but rather the accounts of individuals who used the cloud to store their data.  

The truth is that the cloud is incredibly safe and secure, but it’s up to individual users to do their part. That means choosing strong passwords by adding letters, numbers and symbols, using different passwords for different accounts, and avoiding using passwords that relate to your personal life.

But if that’s not enough to convince you of the cloud’s excellent security systems, did you know that online retailing giant Amazon runs its entire business off of its own cloud service, AWS? 

Other benefits of using the cloud

It’s not only the increased security that comes along when you start using the cloud. Here’s a few more that you can expect for your business.

Continuity

No matter what kind of industry you are in, having a continuity plan in place is vital for protecting your sensitive data and systems. Disasters can strike at any time and for a whole multitude of reasons, ranging from the weather and natural disasters to power failures. By having your information stored off-site in the cloud, you can rest assured that it is backed up and protected in a secure and safe location. Even if you have to move office, you will be able to access and download your data from any location with internet, therefore minimising your downtime and avoiding loss of productivity.

Working flexibility

The world is getting smaller. Not literally of course but modern technology is drastically reducing businesses’ needs for a physical office with staff present 100% of the time. The cloud helps to make this even more possible by granting flexibility in staff’s working practices. Once employees are able to access their work from home, on their commute or even on holiday – anywhere with an internet connection – suddenly the whole world is your office.

Scalability

When it’s time to scale your business up, purchasing and installing upgrades to your storage needs can be both expensive and incredibly time consuming. But when you work with the cloud, everything can be done quickly to suit your exact needs. Whoever provides your cloud computer services will be able to handle all upgrades for you, leaving you free to get on with the important task of running your business.

It’s natural for any business owner to be concerned about the safety and security of their important data. Your business is your baby, and you of course want to protect it. The cloud is undoubtedly the best option and as research shows, more and more businesses will be placing their trust in this extraordinary technology, for more than its safety benefits, to further their growth and secure a strong future.

Image by Patricia Alexandre from Pixabay