HID Global emphasises on convergence for physical security

Convergence is the key word today, especially with the advent of the Internet of Things, technology has become largely ubiquitous and we have come to live in an increasingly connected world. HID Global, the trusted leader in providing access control and secure identity solutions, sees an era of convergence emerging.

Harm Radstaak, VP and MD, Physical Access Control, HID Global, says, “Depending on which company you talk to there are different interests as physical security and cybersecurity are deemed as being two different worlds. However, over time I see them merging since physical access control is making use of IT infrastructure. So the infrastructure backbone of the products using physical access will have to align with the cybersecurity aspects of a company.”

Ostensibly, the convergence is happening with the rapid pace of technology adoption with the advent the IoT, Cloud and mobile devices. This has led to a shift in the approach towards channels by the traditional security industry. It has become imperative for physical security vendors to ensure that their solutions evolve and keep pace with the time. There is a need to accelerate the adoption of technology in physical security.

Radstaak adds, “When it comes to their cybersecurity standards and infrastructure standards, if we are honest to ourselves then vendors need to accelerate that mindset and adoption. As a vendor HID would have to take by the hand, the traditional channel in the security industry. Predominantly in other areas like in intrusion or video you have standards preventing technology adoption. We have to be leading in these areas. This is trust and we have a big responsibility in these areas.”

HID Global sees factors such as smart infrastructure, smart buildings, smart security which vendors like HP adapt into mobile access or cloud services to drive the evolution of physical security.

The market opportunity is tremendous and statistics by Markets and Markets (a research firm) indicate that the global physical security market to grow from USD 65.41 Billion in 2015 to USD 105.26 Billion by 2020, at a CAGR of 9.98 percent from 2015 to 2020. The video surveillance segment is expected to be dominating the physical security market, having been projected to grow at the highest CAGR during forecast period of 2015 to 2020. With the rise of global security concerns, including the increasing incidence of terrorist attacks, governments have increased budget allocation for implementing physical security systems and solutions to ensure security of their premises, assets, and people. These factors are expected to drive the growth of the physical security market in the coming years. Among the services, the system integration segment holds the largest share of the physical security market, while the maintenance and support segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Convergence and the growth in cybersecurity is expected to drive market growth further.