The landscape of security is constantly changing. New technologies are being invented while some old longstanding traditions are becoming mundane. Needless to say, the future of security has always been bright and exciting, and it is an amazing experience to watch the way it unfolds. Taking a look at the way the security industry has transformed over the past few years is similar to planting a seed and watching it grow.
There used to be a time where security measures focused more on the physical aspect of things and aimed to physically bar people from things that they were not privy too. However, thanks to technological advancements the present and future of security are leaning more towards a hybrid of physical and automated security. As the landscape changes security professionals hope to combat new and innovative threats that are constantly springing up. The amalgamation of physical security and automated security seemed to set the pace for the next few years of security. However, what does this mean for security in 2016?
1. Product Integration
Over the past few years, there has been a rise in the number of offices and homes that use surveillance equipment and other security measures that help detect forms of unlawful action. Surveillance equipment has been moderately effective (for some) at helping detect and deter possible threats. However, it has been shown that their integration with other security systems and smart products increases their overall efficiency and helps cast a much wider security net that transforms the way data is being captured, stored, and used, to make things more secure.
Integrating a surveillance system to work with access control systems and motion sensors that provide perimeter protection, among other things, is shown to greatly increase the effect it has. It allows for centralized functioning and helps commercial business owners and homeowners follow the trails that people accessing these systems leave behind. It makes it easier to pinpoint exactly who may have had access to a part of your home or office. Integrating surveillance with these additional security protocols undoubtedly set the bar for security measures really high, at least until these measures began to be further integrated with smartphones and smart applications.
Smartphones completely changed the face of security. It allowed homeowners and business owners to control the security of their homes and their businesses from the palms of their hands. Integration of other security devices was one thing, but allowing for remote access to entire security systems? It’s like giving everyone the ability to be an IMF (Impossible Missions Force) agent. This trend is becoming increasingly popular among homeowners since it gives them the ability to better monitor their homes, trigger alarms, or lock their doors from remote locations. The future of security seems to be hinging on making complex acts more efficient, while also allowing them to be triggered from remote locations. Whatever the industry might be reaching for, it is safe to say that integrating different products is definitely one of the top security trends of 2016.
2. Hybrid Items
Another top security trend is the presence of hybrid security items on the market. Many of these hybrid security products take the idea of integration to a whole new level. Integrating products was a way of increasing the efficiency of a security system by making sure that each of its separate components was working together and communicating with each other. This made it easy to track when someone went in or out of a building, or when he or she accessed a room. However, hybrid items aim to do much more than that. Instead of integrating several products together (like connecting pieces of a puzzle) and utilizing their individual specialties, hybrid items aim to collapse all these qualities into one product. For instance, some of the smart locks on the market combine the features of a surveillance camera, a motion sensor, and a lock. This allows these hybrid items to transcend the nature of integrated products and deliver more to homeowners and commercial business owners. Smart locks like Blue guard and August are examples of smart locks that boast these features.
Many other smart lock companies are looking to collapse these features into one product while the home automation industry is also looking to make much better use of hybrid products. This allows owners to have centralized control of a single product that provides a host of different services. If your door can sense when someone is knocking on it, and then prompts a camera to record whoever is at the door, while simultaneously broadcasting a message to you on your smartphone (in a remote location), wouldn’t you be interested in getting one? The innovation behind these designs, and the envelopes they are pushing when it comes to home security, is part of the reason why hybrid security products are trendsetters in 2016.
3. Reinventing The Wheel
Reinvention and the pursuit of innovation are some of the reasons why the world continues to move towards the future at a steady speed. This seems to be the same driving force behind the constant reinvention of security, as it pertains to homeowners and business owners. If you trace security measures back over the last several decades, you can pinpoint the moments that would alter security methods and present us with what we have today. Security stands on this precipice once again, as there seems to be an ongoing shift from the traditional locks and security systems that have been in place for years.
The first sign of this emerged when smart locks were introduced to the market. However, none of them proved to be revolutionary enough to do away with traditional keyed and lock systems. Despite this apparent setback, many of these systems are growing in popularity and are paving the way for new innovative designs that seek to make locks and keys a thing of the past. This is one of the emerging security trends and many homeowners seem eager to replace their traditional locks and keys with locks that they can open from their phones.
4.Wi-Fi Control
Another emerging security trend is the use of Wi-Fi Controlled Alarms. These alarms aim to do away with the traditional wired in home alarm and surveillance systems and usher in a new age of Wi-Fi controlled security. One prime example of this innovative idea is the Scout alarm system. Like many of its counterparts, the Scout system operates on Wi-Fi and works by tracking the data it receives from other sensors set up throughout the room or building. Wireless alarm systems make use of radio frequencies to bounce data back and forth between sensors, the main processing unit, and your cell phone, to give you notifications. The alarm gives you the ability to customize how it should react in different scenarios and also allows you to remotely control it when you are not at home. One of the major issues raised about products like these, is the fact that since they are operating using the owners internet service, what would happen once the internet was shut off? Luckily, some of these alarms (Scout included) are capable of reverting to 3G cellular backup in case anything goes wrong with your internet.
It is no wonder that homeowners are gravitating towards alarm systems like these. They do away with wires and blend inconspicuously in with your other home elements. They are also not as easily accessible as wired security systems and they are much easier to install and have a wider reaching scope than traditional wired alarm systems.
Conclusion
Like I said earlier, the future of security is bright and we are fast approaching it. However, it is important to keep in mind that security evolution’s are nothing new. As consumers, we can only stand by and watch these products weather the test of time, or watch as they crumble and fail. Whatever the case may be, many of these products are still tinkering around with their designs and using feedback from customers to attempt to improve. Wi-Fi controlled alarm systems and product integration seem to be leading the pack in terms of popularity while hybrid items like smart locks still struggle to find their footing. It will be interesting to see where these innovative trends wind up by the end of the year.
Author Bio
Ralph Goodman is a professional writer and the resident expert locksmith on locks and security over at the Lock Blog. The Lock Blog is a great resource to learn about keys, locks and safety. They offer tips, advice and how-to’s for consumers, locksmiths, and security professionals.