What Does Cloud-based Security Mean for Security Clients?

Security is one of the many industries embracing and promoting “cloud-based” solutions and software to clients. It seems like almost everything you need to run a business or organization of any size is available in the cloud.

But what does cloud-based mean exactly, and why does it benefit clients of security providers?

To explain that, we need to give you a brief — very brief — tech history lesson. Around the time of the first Dot Com bubble of the late 1990s, new software was a massive investment, and time-consuming to build.

For clients buying new software, it was installed in hard drives and servers in clients’ offices (on-site), which meant buying software for businesses was expensive, risky, and time-consuming.

Since the bubble burst, in the early 2000s, entrepreneurs have found innovative, leaner and more agile ways to build software. And for clients, instead of software being installed in big expensive servers on-site, modern software, in most cases is hosted in data centers, known as “the cloud.”

Why is the cloud the preferred solution for commercial security?

Compared to other industries, security providers have been slow to adopt cloud-based systems.

Many other sectors have been quicker to switch to cloud-based software. When it comes to security, caution is the name of the game. So, this migration to the cloud has happened slowly, over the past ten years.

Now, according to IHS Markit data (2018), cloud-based access control systems account for 20% of the market. This means cloud-based software has entered the “Early Majority” phase of the Technology Adoption Lifecycle. In other words, it’s becoming mainstream, according to the widely read growth-related tech book, “Crossing the Chasm”by Geoffrey A Moore.

There are many reasons for this. Based on our positive experience with cloud-based platforms, such as Brivo and Eagle Eye, these are the most popular and compelling reasons for taking a leap into the cloud:

More Cost-Effective.

Compared to anything you need to buy hardware for (such as a server), you don’t need to worry about extra costs. Cloud-providers take care of everything. They manage and maintain servers, security, hardware, and automatic updates. All clients do is pay a monthly or annual subscription;

More Secure.

When software is in the cloud, security is a key element of what is provided. So when a security system is cloud-based, you can rest assured that heavy and ongoing investment is being made to keep those systems secure and the data contained within;
Unlike on-site systems, there are backups and redundancies, guaranteeing 99.9% uptime , as far as reasonably possible. Only in rare cases, such as power outages, can some security systems be disabled. But for the most part, these systems operate and record everything 24/7, so you don’t need to worry about downtime.

Accessible 24/7, on any device , anywhere in the world. Organizational leaders have a legal and moral obligation to safeguard staff, customers, and everyone on-site. However, you can’t be present 24/7, and nor can most security teams. With cloud-based video and access control systems, you can easily and quickly keep an eye on what’s going on around the clock, on any device.

Cost-effective.

Accessible and online 24/7, more secure, with reliable redundancies and backups; all good reasons for adopting cloud-based software as part of a commercial security system.

What next for cloud-based security innovation?

In November 2019, we attended a Brivo Summit, for partners of the platform provider. In the keynote address, Brivo President & CEO, Steve Van Till, predicted the following:

1. Sensor networks: Data relies on inputs from sensors (sensors could be cameras, access control system, alarm systems, etc.) 2. Internet of Things (IoT) Will increase the number of available sensors 3. Analytics: Especially cameras and anomaly detection in access control 4. Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) The security industry collects more data than social media.

Combined, innovation in this area could take the security industry leaps forward. At the same time, using more

sensors, machine learning (ML) and IoT-based innovation could make clients more secure, give them more control, and integrate sensors more effectively with surveillance and access control systems.

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