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Security Technology Insights
At the security trade show Skydd
in Stockholm in late October
2022, it was a highly sought-after
moment when some of the real
super-entrepreneurs of the secu-
rity industry shared their views on
the trends that shape the industry
and the future market.
It came across as being almost
too good to be true with such a
line-up, and to some extent that
became true as well. Dean Drako,
the founder of Eagle Eye Net-
works and the cyber security firm
Barracuda Networks, couldn't
join the panel last minute. In-
stead, Dean participated via video
where he pointed out AI the most
important video surveillance
mega-trend.
Drako praised AI
According to Dean Drako the
most important technology trend
in the industry is the opportuni-
ties associated with the increased
use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
While AI may offer value in sever-
al sectors, Dean made it clear that
security applications lie at the
heart of the development of AI.
There will be opportuni-
ties using AI in assisting camera
operators, where AI currently
can detect a person attempting
to climb a fence, detect a person
running. Furthermore, Dean Dra-
ko also mentioned the possibility
of using AI to assist in classifying
and identifying objects using AI-
powered video surveillance.
This will play an important
role in supporting the camera
operators, not having the time or
attention to monitor all events
happening in real-time.
Dean Drako's conclusion was
crystal clear.
AI will have a big impact on
our industry, he stated clearly.
AI should be renamed IA
Pierre Racz commented on
Dean's view on AI and brought to
mindsome important limitations
to the often-endless possibili-
ties attributed to AI. Instead, he
believes there is an over-reliance
on the possibilities of AI. A bit
jokingly he sometimes refers to
AI as Absolute Ignorance instead.
On stage he explained that we
should rather focus our attention
to Intelligent Automation rather
than AI.
Humans will continue to
be key in the future. The benefit
of AI primarily lies in its ability
to capture routines and reoccur-
ring patterns, but a criminal will
unlikely follow a routine pattern,
he said and suggested that AI can
be a vulnerability in itself, since it
will not detect this type of devi-
ant behaviour.
IA stands for Intelligent
Automation, and it is a more
promising and human-centred
direction for the future, according
to Pierre Racz.
Make room for increased
technology use
Martin Gren was also skeptical
to Dean's view on AI, but not
as categorical as Pierre Racz. He
acknowledges AI as a trend, but
believes it won't have such a revo-
lutionary effect as put forward by
Dean Drako. Instead, he pointed
to another trend, more related
to the general direction of where
society is going. A trend that will
impact the security industry in
general and video surveillance in
particular.
Demand for security and
safety is rising much driven by
the debate on public safety in
Sweden in particular the rise of
organised crime and gang-related
crimes in recent years.
It's important not to limit
the response to the number of
police officers and security guards.
The key is to empower guards and
police with technology.
Martin Gren also highlighted
that 80% of the security costs
in the private sector is spent on
manned guarding.
They should use cam-
eras instead. Cameras that direct
security staff to a location where
something is happening, said
Martin Gren
Privacy protection
An additional trend raised by
Pierre Racz is the development
of technologies that combine
the need for privacy while at the
same operating an effective use of
video surveillance. He mentioned
that at Genetec they are looking
into a solution where the video
management system (VMS) takes
two video streams as input one
programmed to be somewhat
blurred and another encrypted hi-
res stream that may be unlocked
upon decision from law-enforce-
ment agencies.
The privacy aspect is im-
portant and I embrace privacy
laws that protect citizen's right to
privacy, and as a force for design-
ing privacy-centred technologies,
he stated.
Cyber security
the big trend
With regards to mega-trends
Martin Gren and Pierre Racz
agreed on much of what was
being mentioned. But most of all
they were in full agreement on
the importance of cyber security
for the future. This development
is not unique to the video surveil-
lance market but also society
more broadly. Pierre Racz stated
that this is a severe challenge at
many levels.
Business leaders have no
knowledge on how to deal with
cyber threats. In case a business
is attacked it is not unusual to
hear business leaders blaming the
IT department for the intru-
sion. This needs to be dealt with
forcefully.
I would go as far as to pro-
pose that these cyber incompetent
leaders should go to jail. They
need to be held accountable.
Suing the manufacturer
Pierre Racz also commented on
what is the responsibility of the
customer with regards to secu-
rity sourcing. He pointed to the
Martin Gren, Pierre Racz and Dean Drako the founders
of Axis, Genetec and Eagle Eye Networks respectively
were all invited to Stockholm International Fairs, to
speak on the opening day of the security trade show
Skydd about the future trends in video surveillance. Ob-
viously, a short summary of this opening talk is a neces-
sity when addressing video surveillance as a theme.
One trend is the development towards technology that aims to protect people's personal
privacy while video surveillance can be conducted effectively.
Super-entrepreneurs on future trends in video surveillance
By Markus Lahtinen
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Martin Gren, Pierre Racz and Dean Drako in discussion: