Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 84 | Page 60

INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Enterprise Security

Genetec finds physical security adopting blend of on-premises , cloud- solutions

Genetec , a technology provider of unified security , public safety , operations , and business intelligence solutions , shared the results of its 2024 State Physical Security report . Based on insights from close to 700 physical security leaders , including end users and channel partners based in Middle East and Africa markets , the report looks at the security strategies organisations are putting in place to effectively navigate the realities of a changing industry .

“ The adoption of the cloud in the physical security industry is steadily gaining prominence , with the future for most physical security solutions appearing to be a blend of on-premises and cloud-based solutions ,” said Firas Jadalla , Regional Director Middle East , Turkey and Africa , Genetec .
Cloud adoption
The adoption of cloud-based solutions for physical security has been gradually increasing over the past decade , but it is now picking up speed . According to the survey , 40 % of end users reported that more than 30 % of their physical security setups are now either in the cloud or use a combination of cloud and onpremises solutions . This is a significant jump from the 24 % reported in last year ’ s survey .
Cyber concerns
Cyber concerns about cloud-based solutions are lessening significantly . In last year ’ s survey , end-users considered perceived cybersecurity risks to be the primary factor discouraging their organisations from adopting cloud-based security systems . However , there seems to be a shift in attitudes .
This shift underscores growing confidence in the capabilities of cloud solution providers to establish robust cybersecurity measures . As a result , in the 2024 survey , respondents have relegated perceived cybersecurity risks to the sixth position among the factors deterring their organisations from adopting security systems in the cloud .
Demand for hybrid
Feedback from channel partners also supports the idea that end-users are eagerly shifting towards cloud solutions . A substantial 74 % of channel partner respondents in MEA anticipate that more of their current customers will embrace cloud connectivity for security in the coming year . Furthermore , 35 % of channel partners stated that they prioritise cloud-based solutions whenever possible , and an additional 55 % offer cloudbased solutions upon customer request .
compliance requirements . As a result , IT and physical security teams are becoming increasingly interconnected as evidenced by 65 % of end users indicating that the IT department has access to physical security data . As technology adoption grows and remote access from external networks becomes more common , the partnership between IT and physical security will continue to develop .
Hybrid future
Firas Jadalla , Regional Director
Middle East , Turkey and
Africa , Genetec
It appears that most organisations will prefer a hybrid approach , combining both onpremises and cloud-based solutions . Close to 60 %% of end-user respondents revealed that their organisations aim for a security deployment strategy that combines both .
IT , physical security interconnected
The increasing adoption of cloud-based physical security systems has led to a rise in cybersecurity threats , data handling , and
The transition to hybrid systems is already in progress , with 12 % of MEA-based end-users stating that their organisations are currently storing video surveillance data both locally and in the cloud , marking a notable increase from the 4 % reported in last year ’ s survey . p
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