Interviews

Changing of the Guard

by Mark Rowe

Changing times call for global standards, writes Niall Kelly, pictured, CIO, Netwatch Global Group.

Only when you take the time do you realise how sophisticated the security sector has become. And how quickly. The retired, uniformed guard with the walkie talkie has given way to an industry with an annual spend of just under £2 billion. Electronic remote monitoring has evolved into a truly global platform. As GDPR demonstrates, discussions about digital, cyber and physical security can longer be held at a local, or even the national level. Off the shelf fragmentation, patchwork systems that fail to synchronise across sites and one-size fits all solutions are all long gone.

For over 18 years now, Netwatch has been at the forefront of this “Changing of the Guard”. From the adoption of complex technology that requires every greater vigilance and expertise to the demands of globalisation which needs bespoke, standardised systems across ever more remote terrains, we have been quick to meet the needs of our most demanding clients, from SME auto Retailers to Critical infrastructure Substations, across four continents.

Risk is the common denominator. Risk Officers have direct responsibility for its identification, monitoring and comprehensive reporting. Modern standards of governance now demand that boards understand, prepare for and categorise risks as part of their own regulatory reporting processes; that they demonstrate resilience. While each business faces its own risks and expectations from its board, high standards of analysis reinforced by ambitious KPIs [key performance indicators] have become crucial, as cyber and not just physical security presents ever greater dangers to business continuity.

Those KPIs would not have been possible without the evolution of technology; the perspective, speed and agility it provides. As tech continues to converge, ISDN has given way to gigabit fibre, 5G networks and cellular connectivity, allowing the highest standards of security in the most far flung and remote sites. Ever increasing processing power in the cloud, the advent of AI and deep learning are enabling revolutionary standards in facial, vehicle and intruder recognition.

These corporate clients demand increasingly best of breed, outsourced, bespoke customisation with seamless systems that can be applied internationally, backed by R&D that constantly adds new capabilities and keeps ahead of the curve. They recognise evolving security IT’s multiple efficiencies, and are willing to pay for its costs.

To meet their needs, Netwatch announced that we have brought together specific disciplines from several countries, to help align our sector to the bespoke needs of its clients, at home and abroad. We identified best of breed firms in three countries, brought them under one common proprietary platform backed by the latest AI, deep learning and secure software, and the management to create a company greater than the sum of its parts.

With a dedicated platform-as-a-service hosted with Evros and a global network of monitoring hubs, we now provide new standards as one of the world’s biggest providers of interconnected security, connected to over 100.000 camera worldwide, with world class standards in external video detection and the elimination of false positives – all backed by a nearly 20 year track record in R&D. Today we span six countries, more will follow, across a private network that gives integrators, installers and end users new capabilities in Intruder, Access, fire and CCTV networked monitoring systems.

In a radically changing world, some things will stay the same. CTOs will want ever more synchronised implementations of technology, CROs will want more control over cyber and continuity threats in secure environments and CEOs will have to meet the ever more onerous regulatory frameworks to which they are held. Only a unified response can provide for all parties, at a time when security has come to be embraced as a value, not as a cost, where legacy systems are being replaced with innovations and new threats are constantly being assessed.

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