ELECTRONIC security sales are set to grow at $US110 billion through 2020 at the powerful rate of 11.3 per cent. The reason for the growth is 3-fold – bigger budgets, increasing global threat levels and good old product innovation.
As we head to Security 2016 Expo in Melbourne, suppliers, installers, consultants and end users need to bear in mind that the last thing on the list is the key to profitability and operational success. Electronic security technology has reached a point of layered ‘awareness’ that allows security managers to pry considerably more capability from inputs and outputs than ever before. There are new and clever ways of making the information from hundreds of millions of inputs and outputs actionable and accessible.
According to a recent Grand View report, adoption of innovative technologies such as cloud, and intelligent and analytics-based security systems, is expected to enhance the safety process across multiple verticals. In addition, a rising investment in hybrid solutions for real-time monitoring is expected to drive growth. The report said the security market is witnessing technological innovation from analogue to incorporated IP networked systems. The shifts include a disseminated public address environment integrated with smart devices, ubiquitous sensors, video displays, video analytics and access control systems. Rising security concerns from hardware, personnel, network and information infrastructure will also positively impact market demand. Leading growth will be the transport segment, which is estimated to account for 20.1 per cent of the market.
The report contained a few other plums that will interest electronic security people. Network cameras accounted for 53 per cent of all security cameras shipped in 2015 – that’s the first time IP has beaten analogue in a global count. And less than 1 per cent of network cameras shipped were 4K-compliant but given more than 250 million cameras were installed, that’s still around 2.5 million 4K cameras. Something else to note is that there’s been a strong move from traditional analogue to HD analogue offered by HD-CVI, TVI and AHD formats. This area of the market is reputed to be growing – consider that only 24 per cent of cameras sold in China are IP.
This morass of statistics underlines some of the things we’ve all been noticing. The trend to integration of multiple sub systems managed by single applications, the use of IVA to inform live monitoring applications and investigations. The widespread uptake of mobile management solutions for systems large and small. The implementation of thermal cameras and IVA to give iron-clad intrusion detection capability reported via VMS or security management systems. That last IVA is a serious building trend – it’s not about face recognition in most applications but mining camera data for incidents worthy of operator attention.
And there’s more. New wireless comms solutions, the simplification of access control applications – this makes systems more affordable, more available. With intrusion detection and home automation there’s wireless everything, as well as more access to high end wired sensors for capable alarm panels – even high tech paragons like Xtralis are in on the act with VESDA VLQ.
What will I be looking out for at Security 2016? IP-based access control. The intrusion of Wi-Fi and Z-Wave comms. Lateral enhancements to management systems. IVA is always very interesting. I want to see the latest big-end NVRs. Fire detecting cameras. The new Axis iCS lens – what is that thing? And I want a snapshot of video compression. Don’t think that revolution is over by a long shot, security people. Development has just got started and when it hits stride, super condensed video is going to change absolutely everything. ♦
