Incidences of increasing data theft, employee mobility, workplace violence, and more rigorous regulatory compliance are driving greater adoption of physical security solutions and new developments in technology.

In today’s environment, security professionals are tasked with overseeing a multitude of systems including access control, video surveillance, biometrics, autonomous data machines, and a host of other technologies contributing to a more secure workplace. And while this may seem like enough, that scope of responsibilities continues to evolve as the line between cyber and physical security blurs and major events like COVID-19 create new urgencies. For example, in the wake of COVID-19, many professionals were tasked with creating return-to-work strategies that leveraged access control data, biometric screening, video analytics, health attestations, and even space utilization data pulled from their systems.

The truth of it is, running a successful and scalable security program requires engineers, program managers, security experts, people to manage access levels and permissions, and local technicians to service and maintain a variety of technologies. But, according to Security Industry Association’s Megatrends, staffing and training is one of the top ten challenges facing our industry today. The need for qualified personnel coupled with limited resources has opened the door for a new age of security.

Managed services, such as Global Security Operations Center as a Service or Critical Event Management as a Service, are addressing these emerging and evolving trends within the security industry:

1. The threat landscape is changing and does not discriminate based on company size. An uptick in natural disasters, mass shootings, workplace violence, and societal unrest has led to a growing need for a more proactive approach to physical security. The industry’s call for better situational awareness, both internally and externally, will help mitigate these threats before they have significant consequences against a company’s people, facilities, and reputation.

2. The physical security environment has become diversified in the depth and breadth of technologies including video analytics, biometrics, and artificial intelligence. However, to fully leverage these systems, it requires a highly skilled and sophisticated workforce.

3. Security budgets are continuously scrutinized and with recent challenges facing companies and their ability to deliver products and services, teams may be uncertain as to what their future budgets will support. As a result, teams may struggle to secure the resources needed to monitor and manage their systems. Relying on a shared-resource model can be an instant force multiplier without a heavy internal investment.

4. There’s a greater need to use physical security data for operational decisions to remain competitive in the market but extracting this data from complex systems requires a heightened level or understanding and strategy. This shift to a more data-focused approach can not only support larger corporate initiatives but also take security from a cost-center to a value-add business unit.

For lean teams overseeing a multitude of systems, these trends can lead to feeling overwhelmed with competing priorities, limited resources, and a continued push for an enhanced user experience. And as companies continue to battle critical events that will impact their company's operations and personnel, companies may become vulnerable to unintentional gaps due to evolving threats. So, how can one bring balance to their programs in the face of adversity?

By leveraging an external vendor to manage your internal operations, teams can bypass staffing challenges, instantly add system experts to their team, and maximize budgets with confidence that threats are identified and abated no matter where or when they are happening. Want to learn more about how a managed service can bring peace of mind to your security program? Check out this white paper or reach out below!