SECOM's Alan Blake Joins Expert Panel in The Security Industry Webinar

January 8, 2013 - On the 12th of December, SECOM's Marketing and Sales Director, Alan Blake took part in The Marketforce Security Industry Webinar joining security experts to discuss how technological developments are affecting the industry.

Specifically the webinar covered 'A Wireless Future' and took place at Vodafone UK. As such a number of experts joined the panel to discuss the potential for wireless in the security industry. Alan joined three other panellists, Peter Houlis (Managing Director, 2020 Vision Technology), Simon Banks (Group Managing Director, CSL DualCom) and Peter Manolescue (M2M Innovation Manager, Vodafone).

During the webinar a number of subjects were covered:

Firstly the panel tackled the issue of how the economy has frequently cut security budgets, subsequently changing customer demands and also the challenges faced by the security industry. In response, panellists discussed how technology is delivering added value, through improving the performance of CCTV systems, or improving interactivity at the customer level – providing business critical information 24/7 through tablets and smartphones to add more perceived value. It was also highlighted that wireless security technology has drastically reduced manpower and installation costs, demonstrating its long term value to the security industry as a whole.

The panel then went on to discuss how current wireless security is being used to cater for customers' changing needs. An example was provided by Alan, who explained how the petrol forecourts for a major petroleum company were better protected with the instant response times provided by wireless technology. This led the panel to discuss the importance of response speeds, particularly the supply of real time data to help tackle opportunistic crime.

Interestingly, it was highlighted how security systems can be used for additional business purposes. In the retail industry they have been successfully utilised for business intelligence i.e. CCTV being used to count footfall and statistics in the support of marketing. It can also be used for health & safety reasons, by controllers to ascertain remotely whether sites are performing correctly, and whether an onsite inspection is required. These additional uses were presented as a way for security departments to take a slice from other budget pots, increasing investment in security.

Technology more generally was also a topic of conversation. The panel discussed smart tech, and how the use of the cloud may affect the industry and through statistical analysis, help to predict criminal activities. They spoke about the move from analogue to IP systems and also the growth of asset tracking systems, opining how each is affecting the industry.

Finally, when surmising what was next for the wireless technology within the security industry. The panellists highlighted the rise in home automation, the growth is SIM based technologies and also the vital importance of educating customers and installation staff as important considerations for the industry to be aware of in the near future.

Following the webinar, Alan said "being part of this session was extremely exciting, not only because the subject of wireless technology has a great deal of potential, but because it's introduction into modern security solutions is helping to deliver greater value to customers. It was also a fantastic opportunity to share ideas with some of the security industry's leading lights." Alan also thanked Vodafone for supporting the webinar and expressed his enthusiasm to take part in the next event.

If you would like to view the webinar you can do so here. Alternatively, if you would like to discuss how wireless technologies may be utilised within your security solution, please contact SECOM today.