January 2022

State of Physical
Security 2021:
Adapting to an uncertain future
Research insights from over 2,000 physical
security professionals
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021

Contents

About the research 3

Executive summary 5

Key findings 6
Increase in OPEX budgets 6
Observations on cloud adoption 8
Mission-critical role of physical security 12
Insights on physical security today 14
Changes in technology – the past year 16
Changes in technology – the year ahead 17
Concerns about cybersecurity 18

Key takeaways 21

Appendix 22
Appendix 1 – Survey methodology 22
Appendix 2 – Survey demographic information 23
Appendix 3 – Open-ended comments 25

Genetec Inc. 2
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021

About the research

Genetec Inc. surveyed physical security professionals from October

26 to November 26, 2021. Following a review of submissions and data
cleansing, 2,011 respondents were included in the sample for analysis.

Some details about the survey methodology

The target population for the survey focused on two main groups:

• End users (individuals working for organizations participating in the procurement,

management, and/or use of physical security technology) and
• Systems integrators and installers (individuals who consult on, integrate, install or
service security solutions).
The target population was reached by third parties via their opt-in email lists, Genetec
opt-in email lists, and digital promotions. The results in this report are based on
responses from both end users and systems integrators/installers. However, each
result was analyzed by responses from end users only, systems integrators/installers
only and by these two groups combined. It was discovered that in most cases there
was little difference in the results (in terms of the percentage of responses for each
answer). In other words, responses from end users only were broadly in line with
responses from systems integrators/installers. The report points out instances
where this was not the case. Similarly, the report also points out instances where
the percentage of responses differs significantly by geographic region, by end user
industry, or by the number of cameras installed by the respondents’ organization.

25%

75%

Genetec Inc. 3
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021 ABOUT THE RESEARCH

Only fully completed surveys submitted by individuals within the targeted population were
included in the final analysis.

The target population was sampled across all geographic regions.

15%
47%
18%
6%
3%
11%

North America South America Middle East & Africa

Central America Europe Asia-Pacific

For more details about the survey methodology and demographics of participants please see Appendix 1 and 2.

Genetec Inc. 4
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021

Executive summary

Physical security is being used for more than securing people and assets. Organizations are
becoming more resourceful and creative about how they use, update, and deploy their security
systems. They are thinking more broadly about the role of physical security and what it can do
beyond traditional applications to deliver more value. Organizations are using physical security
solutions to move beyond safety objectives and using the data collected to optimize and
enhance business operations in unique ways.

• Enterprise transformation: The last two years have proved how important physical
security departments are to the organization and how security data and technology are
both strategic and enterprise-shaping. Physical security is becoming central to business
digital transformation plans

• Cloud: More organizations are looking at and adopting cloud-based solutions to trial
new applications

• Cybersecurity: As cybercriminals become more sophisticated, organizations are under

greater pressure to scrutinize the cybersecurity measures, standards, and certifications of
their physical security system and supply chain ecosystem

Genetec Inc. 5
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021

Key findings

Increase in OPEX budgets

Respondents' outlook was more positive this year than in the 2020 report. Budgets grew
more than expected as business began to rebound allowing for investment in physical
security solutions:

OPEX budgets in 2021

2020 survey 2021 survey

48% 56%
expected budgets to stay flat or increase reported budgets stayed flat or
in 2020 survey increased in 2021 survey

36% 22%
expected budgets to decline in 2020 reported budgets declined
survey in 2021 survey

Of those that reported budget increases in 2021,

80% responded an increased by
between 10% and 50%

Genetec Inc. 6
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021 KEY FINDINGS

Adapting to changing priorities

“Staffing and
Some regions continue to be affected by the pandemic while
others have returned to routine operations. Interestingly,
equipment
survey responses indicate physical security departments manufacturing/
have adapted and become flexible to changing priorities. For distribution
example, the increased ability for remote configuration and shortages have
health monitoring, even remote installs, and integrations, can caused serious
mean less time on site and cost savings for both the end user
and the integrator. The survey also suggests that end users are
delays”
– End user survey respondent
becoming more accustomed to remote work. 62% indicated
they had encountered it as a challenge in 2021, a drop of 17%
from 2020 (worthy of note is that this percentage was higher
for systems integrators with 72% encountering it as a challenge
in 2021). For systems integrators, a big part of their role
requires on-site presence, yet, physical security vendors are
assisting them with remote work where possible.

Viewpoint
“As we emerge from the pandemic, organizations will contend with three
undercurrents:

1. changes in the physical dimension of work as workspaces evolve into hubs for
collaboration and cohesion

2. workflow automation of the mundane in a bid to drive productivity and retention

3. board-level interest in achieving operational resilience through integrated risk

management”

Pervez R. Siddiqui
Vice President, Offerings and Transformation

Genetec Inc. 7
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021 KEY FINDINGS

Observations on cloud adoption

In the past, physical security departments were reluctant to move their systems to the Cloud.
But the functionality provided by cloud-based solutions has become more interesting as some
organizations had to close or partially shut down during the pandemic.

End users are looking to remotely perform/monitor:

• video • system health maintenance

• camera control • firmware/software patches
• recording management

35% of respondents indicated that the pandemic had either triggered or accelerated their cloud
strategy specifically related to physical security. This is an increase from last year’s survey when
31% of respondents indicated the same.

25% of physical security environments

are cloud or hybrid cloud
35% of
In 2021 respondents
40%
In 2020

26% indicated that the

pandemic had
said 1/4 of their physical security said 1/4 of their physical security
environments are cloud-based environments are cloud-based either triggered or
accelerated their
cloud strategy

40% of respondents reported that at least 25% of their physical security environment is cloud
or hybrid cloud, indicating their cloud journey has at least begun. This is a big increase from
last year’s survey when just 26% of respondents said the same. The responses to this question
varied by the size of the organization. 37% of respondents in companies with 1,000 employees
or less reported that at least 25% of their physical security environment is cloud or hybrid
cloud. This compares with 45% of respondents in companies with over 1,000 employees.

Genetec Inc. 8
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021 KEY FINDINGS

Cloud adoption around the world

Results from this question varied by region. 52% of respondents in Europe indicated that at
least 25% of their physical security environment is cloud or hybrid cloud while just 14% of
respondents in the Middle East indicated the same. The strict regulatory environment in some
Middle Eastern countries might be playing a role in limiting the storage of video data in the
Cloud. Respondents from the Middle East were most likely to select “hosting data outside your
country” as a reason which deters them from deploying cloud security solutions. European
respondents were the next most likely to select this answer.

CLOUD ADOPTION AROUND THE WORLD

Cloud or hybrid cloud adoption by region

100%
40% 52% 37% 14% 36% 42% 31% 48% 38%

80%
86%

60% 69%
63% 64% 62%
60%
58%
48% 52%
40%

20%

0%
a
a

pe

ia
a
ic

s
ic

ic

ric

ea
n

As
Ea
er
ro

la
er

er

rib
Af
a
Am
Eu

e
Am

m
Ze
dl

ar
lA
id

C
h

ew
th

a
ut

tr
or

-N
So

en
N

C
lia
a
tr
s
Au

0-25% adopted cloud or hybrid cloud 25-100% adopted cloud or hybrid cloud

Genetec Inc. 9
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021 KEY FINDINGS

CLOUD ADOPTION AROUND THE WORLD

How much of your physical security environment

is cloud or hybrid cloud? (Select one)
4%
3%
8% 0-25%

25-50%

50-75%
24% 60%

75-100%

All cloud or
hybrid cloud

Large organizations areTHE

more open to cloud solutions
CLOUD

30%
of respondents
29%
of respondents
The percentage of
respondents who
had deployed at least
some of these cloud
solutions increased
Have deployed at least Have deployed at least
with company size.
some Video Surveillance some Access Control as
as a Service (VSaaS). a Service (ACaaS).

Genetec Inc. 10
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021 KEY FINDINGS

Security professionals with cloud skills are in

high demand
Security professionals
Lack of education regarding the Cloud and qualified security with a good skillset of
personnel still seems to have a significant role in the adoption networking and cloud
of the technology in the physical security industry. This was expertise remain highly
most pronounced in organizations with smaller systems. End sought after.
users in organizations that manage 100 cameras or less cited
Sampling of end user
“unfamiliarity with the cloud” as the most popular reason for comments
the slow adoption of cloud-based solutions. This was much
“Too few new skilled
less frequent from end users in organizations with larger workers”
systems. The comments also demonstrated that when it comes
“Shortage of quality labor”
to recruitment, experienced security professionals with a good
skillset of networking and cloud expertise are difficult to find. “Finding and training people
in our unique industry”
“Need for additional
Cloud adoption will continue to rise resources and inability to
get enough support from
Responses clearly indicated that this trend toward the Cloud internal IT department”
will continue. 47% of companies who have deployed less
than 50% of their physical security environment to the Cloud,
indicated plans to begin or further deploy parts of their
security solution to the Cloud.
47% indicated
plans to begin or
further deploy parts of
their security solution
to the Cloud.

Genetec Inc. 11
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021 KEY FINDINGS

Mission-critical role of physical security

More than two-thirds of respondents described physical
security and related data as mission-critical. Physical
security continues to evolve from when it was regarded More than 2/3
as only a tool for reacting to crime. Today it plays a of respondents
described physical
more significant role as a core element in the digital
security and related
transformation of organizational processes. data as mission-critical.
It also appears that as organizations grow, their views
on the value and/or use of physical security data
change. A higher proportion of respondents from larger
organizations selected multiple uses for their physical
security and data. This may be because they are further
along in their digital transformation initiatives than smaller
companies. Having sufficient data management and
structure is key to unlocking additional value from data
gathered across physical security systems. Several survey
respondents commented that they intended to invest in
data management solutions to advance or improve the
functionality of their physical security environment in the
coming 12 months.

“We use intelligent surveillance to be

proactive instead of being reactive”
– End user survey respondent

“Without digital transformation, it is

almost impossible to manage the data
generated by a security services company”
– End user survey respondent

Genetec Inc. 12
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021 KEY FINDINGS

MISSION-CRITICAL ROLE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY

How organizations view physical security

and related data by organization size

500,000+ Employees 67% 56% 46% 50% 50% 40% 17%

100,001-500,000 Employees 78% 53% 46% 33% 37% 44% 29%

10,001-100,000 Employees 82% 63% 43% 34% 43% 47% 28%

1,001-10,000 Employees 78% 58% 34% 34% 36% 38% 28%

201-1,000 Employees 68% 51% 41% 34% 36% 33% 23%

21-200 Employees 64% 42% 43% 35% 27.% 25% 22%

1-20 Employees 59% 46% 40% 29% 25% 23% 25%

Mission critical to the organization by helping to secure people and assets

Secure our facilities/offices

Help improve overall business productivity, efficiency and asset optimization

Help improve customer satisfaction through better efficiency and insight

Ensure compliance with regulatory guidelines (during/post-pandemic)

Ensure compliance with regulatory guidelines (pre-pandemic)

Help reduce operational costs

Genetec Inc. 13
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021 KEY FINDINGS

Insights on physical security today

91% of those surveyed reported running both video surveillance and access control in their
physical security deployments. Not surprisingly, respondents from smaller organizations were
more likely to report only running either video surveillance or access control in
their organizations.

Indicated that their organization had

implemented either:

80%
of respondents
• integration between video surveillance and access
control systems from different vendors, or

• unified video surveillance and access control

solutions from one manufacturer

This is an increase from last year’s survey when 76% of respondents indicated that their
organization had implemented one of these options. It would appear that both end users and
system integrators want visibility and ease of maintenance and management across their
entire system.

Genetec Inc. 14
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021 KEY FINDINGS

INSIGHTS ON PHYSICAL SECURITY TODAY

Which additional technology have you deployed in your

physical security environment at your organization?
(check all that apply)

Video analytics 51%

Perimeter protection 42%

Visitor management solution 41%

License plate recognition 40%

Cybersecurity related tools 34%

None of the above 17%

Other 2%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Changes in technology – the past year

In the initial phase of the pandemic, interest grew quickly for
a variety of security solutions that could assist with visitor
management, implement government mandates, and improve
remote capabilities.

Genetec Inc. 15
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021 KEY FINDINGS

The State of the Physical Security Industry Survey indicates that the interest in temperature
reading had significantly subsided in 2021 with only 29% of respondents prioritizing it down
from 51% previously. This suggests that organizations have learned how best to respond to the
challenges presented by the ongoing pandemic. The ability for an organized system of track
and trace has become a required element of modern visitor management solutions.

CHANGES IN TECHNOLOGY – THE PAST YEAR

What capabilities did you prioritize in 2021?

Visitor management

Remote capabilities

Intrusion detection

Perimeter protection

Occupancy management

Temperature reading

Facemask detection

None

Proximity tracking

Other

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

Genetec Inc. 16
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021 KEY FINDINGS

Changes in technology – the year ahead

Cybersecurity will be a top priority in 2022. 36% of
respondents globally are looking to invest in cybersecurity-
related tools to improve their physical security environment
in the next 12 months. Also of note is the importance of
video analytics. 49% of respondents want to invest in video
analytics. The adoption of video analytics has grown quickly
in recent years as deep learning technology has enabled an
uplift in performance. New applications can improve the
functionality of existing deployments and digitally transform
business processes.

CHANGES IN TECHNOLOGY – THE YEAR AHEAD

Which solutions are you looking to invest in to advance or improve

your physical security environment in the next 12 months?

Access control
Video analytics
Video surveillance
Cybersecurity related tools
Perimeter protection
Facial recognition
Visitor management
License plate recognition
Incident management
Temperature reading technologies
Other

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Genetec Inc. 17
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021 KEY FINDINGS

Concerns about cybersecurity

In last year’s report, the top challenge that organizations faced was managing employee and
visitor safety. This year, visitor management dropped to position #5 with cybersecurity taking
over as the #1 challenge. A reason for this is that more employees are working remotely, and
as a result, more organizations are seeing an increase in cybercrime.

CONCERNS ABOUT CYBERSECURITY

54%
of respondents

Have more than 25% of their physical security

operations staff set up to work remotely

CONCERNS ABOUT CYBERSECURITY

Top challenges faced by organizations in 2021

52% 47% 47%

Cybersecurity Remote Outdated

vulnerabilities management infrastructure

“As remote work persisted, the strengthening of data security and

cybersecurity during remote work has progressed”
– End user survey respondent

Genetec Inc. 18
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021 KEY FINDINGS

Cybersecurity concerns deter cloud adoption

Most physical security deployments remain on-premises. Cyber

hardening practices need to be a major priority for the physical
security industry, especially considering the growing use of
the Cloud. Cybersecurity concerns were highlighted overall by
respondents as one of the major reasons deterring them from cloud
adoption. End users from financial institutions, transportation,
and government are the most concerned. These respondents cited
“Cybersecurity risks” most commonly as a reason deterring them
against cloud use in their physical security systems. For end users
from all other sectors “Cost” was the most commonly selected reason
with most still selecting “Cybersecurity risks” second most frequently.

Views on cybersecurity varied amongst respondents based on the

number of cameras they managed. End users whose organizations
had fewer than 500 cameras installed ranked “cybersecurity
vulnerabilities” most commonly as a top threat faced by their
organization. Yet, these same end users were less likely to have
installed “cybersecurity-related tools” in their physical security
environment compared with end users whose organizations had
greater than 500 cameras installed.

CONCERNS ABOUT CYBERSECURITY

Percentage of end users who identified that cybersecurity related

tools had been deployed in their organization’s
physical security environment.

26% Fewer than

37% Greater than
500 cameras 500 cameras
installed installed

Genetec Inc. 19
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021 KEY FINDINGS

When it came to the cybersecurity and data protection capabilities that respondents recently
implemented, strong passwords were the most frequently mentioned answer. The cyber-
hardening of security hardware and data confidentiality (e.g. encryption in transit and/
or at rest) were next most common. Better education around cybersecurity best practices
remains a trend in the industry with end users looking for guidance from their providers.
Respondents are concerned about general best practices in system design and use within
their organizations. Several noted additional cyber risks because of the rapid increase in
remote work.

“With more staff working remotely

I think there are more opportunities
for unaware staff to become a victim
of a cyberattack.”
– End user survey respondent

Viewpoint
“Cloud adoption typically improves the security posture of a system. As with
most aspects of the Cloud, security becomes a shared responsibility. A cloud
provider will take care of the infrastructure and its maintenance while the owner
will use this infrastructure and configure it. From a cybersecurity perspective,
cloud providers are good at managing their part of the responsibility and helping
their customers to manage theirs. They’ll provide a secure infrastructure, keep it
patched, actively monitor and prevent attacks, implement various security best
practices and comply with security standards, as well as invest in new technology
to better protect their users.

Increasingly, cloud providers are helping customers by configuring their

components to be secure by default, guiding the user in the configuration phase,
developing tools and dashboards to scan and assess the security of a given
system, and providing support and guidance in the event of a security incident.”

Mathieu Chevalier
Genetec Manager and Principal Security Architect

Genetec Inc. 20
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021

Key takeaways

1 Physical security demonstrates

its value
By adapting quickly and using security technology to
solve problems, physical security departments have
proven that they play a mission-critical role in addressing
new challenges for their organizations. And they’ll
continue to invest in unified solutions to enable the ease
of maintenance, visibility, and data collection across their
systems to improve functionality and operations.

The percentage using a unified system increased from

31% in our 2020 survey to 36% in the 2021 survey.

2 An accelerated move to the Cloud

As more organizations move to the Cloud, they’ll be
looking for a flexible solution that gives them greater
agility, flexibility, and access to updates for their physical
security deployments through cloud-enabled services.
No matter the installation objective or size, organizations
can minimize system maintenance and costs and
enhance cyber resilience using cloud solutions.

47% indicated plans to begin or further deploy parts of

their security solution to the Cloud.

3 A push for improved cyber resilience

As cybercrime continues to rise, the physical security
industry will make cybersecurity a top priority in 2022,
investing in education, tools, and implementing best
practices. They’ll also need to assess their supply
chain and take a closer look at all the vendors that
make up their physical security infrastructure and get
an in-depth understanding of their data and privacy
protection policies.

36% of respondents globally are looking to invest in

cybersecurity-related tools to improve their physical
security environment in the next 12 months.

Genetec Inc. 21
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021

Appendix
Appendix 1 - Survey methodology
Genetec Inc. surveyed physical security professionals from October 26 to November 26, 2021.

The goal of the research was to:

• get a view into physical security operations and environments

• understand organizations’ response to external challenges such as those caused by the
global pandemic and remote work
• understand the global focus for 2022
Following a review of submissions and data cleansing, 2,011 respondents were included in the
sample for analysis.

Details about the survey and analysis

• The target population for the survey focused Caribbean, South America, Europe, Middle
on individuals working for organizations East, Africa, East Asia, Southern Asia, South-
participating in procurement, management, Eastern Asia, Central Asia, Western Asia, and
service, and/or use of physical security Australia-New Zealand.
technology. The target population included • Response rates and survey completion rates
Genetec end users and participants contacted varied by region and by organization size
directly by third parties via their opt-in email potentially introducing sampling errors in sub-
lists. sample sets.
• Invitations to take the online survey were sent • Responses were collected from three main
to potential participants using email in English, target populations; physical security end
French, German, Japanese, Korean, users, systems integrators, and manufacturers.
and Spanish. Data cleansing was performed to validate
• The online survey form was available in French, respondent classification into one of these
English, German, Spanish, Korean, three populations and limit potential errors.
and Japanese. Any non-sampling errors are assumed to result
from the collection of data from outside the
• Only fully completed surveys submitted by
target population (for example, individuals
individuals within the targeted population for
incorrectly identifying themselves as end users
the survey were included in the final analysis.
when in fact they are employed as
• Survey samples were run across all regions system integrators).
including North America, Central America,

A note about survey calculations

Due to rounding and survey design (including rating scale and multiple-answer and
multiple-choice questions), not all percentage totals in this report will equal 100%.

Genetec Inc. 22
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021 APPENDIX 2 - SURVEY DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

Appendix 2 - Survey demographic information

INDUSTRIES JOB FUNCTION

Security System Services 39% Accounting/Finance 2%

Energy, Utilities and Telecoms 14% Administration, Legal 2%

Industrial & Manufacturing 11% Administration/Office Administration 4%

Education 7%
Customer Service or Support (incl. Tech-
6%
State/Local Government 6% nical Support)

Transportation 5%
Engineering, R&D, System Design & Qual-
16%
Federal/National Government 4% ity Assurance

Healthcare 3% Estimator 1%

Sports, Gaming and Hospitality 3% Facilities/Operations Management 5%

Banking and Finance 3% Information Technology (IT) 17%

Traffic and Parking 2% Marketing 2%

Retail 1% Operations Management 6%

Property Management 1%
Project Management/Risk or Compliance 9%
Professional Services & Associations 1% Management

Cannabis 1% Purchasing & Procurement 1%

Quality Management 1%

Sales 11%

Security & Safety 18%

VIDEO SURVEILLANCE DEPLOYMENT ACCESS CONTROL DEPLOYMENT

(# OF CAMERAS) (# OF CARD BADGE OR TOUCHLESS ACCESS READERS)

17% 1,001 + 28%

5,000+
28% 501 – 1,000 12%
1,001-5,000
251 - 500 10%
501-1,000

101-500 18% 65 - 250 14%

10-100 33 - 64 12%

less than 32 25%

23%
14%

Genetec Inc. 23
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021 APPENDIX 2 - SURVEY DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS ORGANIZATIONAL REVENUE (US$)

3%
6% $10B+ 5%

North America $1B-10B 8%

11%
South America $500M-$999.9M 6%

Europe $200M-$499.9M 5%
47%
Central America $25M-$199.9M 13%
18%
Asia-Pacific $5M-$24.9M 15%
Middle East & Africa
$500,000 - $4.9M 15%
15% Unable to disclose 33%

GLOBAL ORGANIZATION EMPLOYEE COUNT PHYSICAL SECURITY DEPARTMENT

EMPLOYEE COUNT

1-20 Employees
29%
21-200 Employees 1-20 Employees 42%

201-1,000 Employees 21-200 Employees 34%

19% 18%
1,001-10,000 Employees 15% 201-1,000 Employees 12%
12%
10,001-100,000 Employees 1,001-10,000 Employees 7%
100,001-500,000 Employees 5%
3% 10,000+ Employees 4%
More than 500,000 Employees

AGE OF RESPONDENT

51%

36-50 years 25%

51-65 years 22%

20-35 years

66+ years 2%

Genetec Inc. 24
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021 APPENDIX 3 - OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS

Appendix 3 - Open-ended comments

Survey participants were able to provide additional comments associated with some survey
questions. The following are selected responses that are representative of overall sentiments:

How is your organization’s physical security infrastructure Which of the following reasons deter you from deploying
structured? security solutions to the Cloud?

• Disparate administration on the way to full centralization • Having issues converting enterprise-wide solutions
• Enterprise-wide systems without a SOC or centralized to the Cloud without taking up too much bandwidth
security office using our existing systems
• Hybrid; several departments involved
• Hosting data outside the EU
• Physical security is under IT/cyber security, with no dedi-
cated full-time person for physical • It’s just a matter of time

• Piecemeal systems installed through a variety of provid- • Most federal and state facilities are not allowed to
ers. Previous discussions have talked about a standard have security systems outside their physical facilities
approach
• Multicast protocol not supported
• We strategically plan to move to centralized
security management
Which solutions are you looking to invest in to advance or
improve your physical security environment in the next 12
Which of the following best describes how your months?
organization views physical security and related data?
• Central Control Room
• A way to ensure compliance with regulatory guidelines
• Data management
(during/post-pandemic)
• Drones
• As an afterthought
• Duress points
• As IT technology evolves, new concepts of equipment
are applied, security corresponding to that equipment • Concealed weapons detection
must also be upgraded, and stability is critical to large- • GPS
scale controls
• IoT devices
• Assist with Liability issues
• Portable Badge Reader
• Help reduce losses, peace of mind and improve the
quality of life • Recognition by Iris

• Integrate the latest technologies with the best training • Remote public address system
of staff so that the efficiency of their performance is • RFID solution & multifactor authentication
part of the value chain of each company, guaranteeing
• There is a trend now to replace man guarding services
operational continuity programs, protection of Goods,
with technology [-] video analytics
Customers, and Services
• Transport fleet surveillance and management
• Minimum compliance with statutory requirements
• We are Pro digital transformation and automation in
What type of projects will be the focus of your depart-
security processes
ment for the rest of 2021 and 2022?
• Intelligent surveillance in order to be proactive instead
of being reactive • Duress Points, network infrastructure, server upgrades
and optimization, telephony
• We install and maintain and monitor for
some customers • Emergency communication

• We permanently analyze and evaluate the services and • Fire Detection

seek continuous improvement • KeyWatcher integration
• We provide this service to our customers so everything • GPS
applies according to the specific needs of each one
• HMI Door Control

Genetec Inc. 25
STATE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 2021 APPENDIX 3 - OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS

• Human factor training • Hybrid approach to remote work

• IoT • Only management and admin worked remotely
• Open Source/Social Media Intelligence
• Parking management What new processes or priorities were activated by your
organization in 2021?
• Screening control based on AI or deep learning ma-
chine learning • Biosafety protocols
• SSO Authentication • Remote access to what had historically been stand-
alone, isolated security systems
Please select the top 3 challenges faced by your • Security staffing changed its 24x7 model to a
organization in 2021: 12x5 model

• Finding and training people in our unique industry • System integrations between platforms when a high
percentage of the workforce is remote
• Logistics involved in servicing systems across the
Western half of the US
How has the pandemic affected your cloud strategy
• Change of technology in the CCTV system (from ana-
specifically related to physical security?
log to digital)
• Clients rejecting Cloud solutions • As remote work progressed, the strengthening of data
security and cybersecurity during remote work has
• Decrease in office space
progressed more than physical security in the office
• Deploying cloud-based technology in
• Cloud was and remains a non-starter for us
isolated networks
• We don’t use cloud-based systems, our systems are
• High Radiation Area Monitoring of personnel
deliberately isolated from the Cloud and the internet
• Managing pandemic related access requirements for
employees, vendors, and visitors
Have projects been impacted?
• More cameras in vehicles
• Need for additional resources and inability to get • Budget is the biggest factor impairing projects
enough support from internal IT department
• Cannot get equipment needed for the projects
• Sabotage
• COVID-19 altered attendance and available resources
• Supply Chain issues to dedicate to projects
• Getting equipment in, supply chain issues
What HR challenges have been encountered in 2021? • The installers can’t keep the installation pace I have
set, plus parts availability
• COVID Isolations [in staff]
• The staffing shortages and equipment manufacturing/
• Decision making and employee response to govern- distribution has caused serious delays
ment mandates
• Difficulty recruiting Which of the following do you think is a greater threat to
• Too few new skilled workers your organization/deployment?
• Servicing of prisons that are locked down due to
COVID • Government mandates

• Shortage of quality labor • Phishing emails, blackmail of encrypted files (ransom

attacks)
• Staff shortages
• With more staff working remotely over the last year, I
think this is where there are a lot of opportunities for
What percentage of your physical security operations unaware staff to become a victim of [a cyber] attack
staff were set up to work remotely?

• Closed network security facilities do not allow

access to external networks (no networking and port
restrictions for employees working remotely)
• Hybrid / rotational schedules were used to maintain
physical presence/coverage with reduced on-site staff

Genetec Inc. 26
About Genetec

Genetec Inc. is an innovative technology company with a broad solutions

portfolio that encompasses security, intelligence, and operations. The
company’s flagship product, Security Center, is an open-architecture
platform that unifies IP-based video surveillance, access control, automatic
license plate recognition (ALPR), communications, and analytics. Genetec
also develops cloud-based solutions and services designed to improve
security, and contribute new levels of operational intelligence for
governments, enterprises, transport, and the communities in which we live.
Founded in 1997, and headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Genetec serves
its global customers via an extensive network of resellers, integrators, 25 years of physical
security innovation
certified channel partners, and consultants in over 159 countries.

To learn more about us, visit

[Link]

For more information about this report,

please contact Genetec-research@[Link]

Genetec Inc.
[Link]/locations
© Genetec Inc., 2022. Genetec and the Genetec Logo are trademarks of Genetec Inc., and
info@[Link] may be registered or pending registration in several jurisdictions. Other trademarks used in this
@genetec document may be trademarks of the manufacturers or vendors of the respective products.