The inevitable convergence of
physical and cybersecurity
It may not be immediately clear
as to how, but physical and
cybersecurity are converging
and the need for a combination
of cyber and physical defences
will soon, if they aren’t already,
become a non-negotiable
addition to enterprise security
systems. Sven Smit, Portfolio
Director at Specialised
Exhibitions Montgomery, tells
us more.
hen you consider that today
we are able to remotely control
virtually all of our security
systems, from those that govern our
data to those that protect our physical
businesses, it should come as no
surprise that hackers are able to do so
as well.
W
The exponential adoption of the Internet
of Things (IoT) – with more devices
than ever before operating through the
cloud, 22 billion by 2020 according to
estimages from IMS Research – made
it necessary for security experts to
consider the correlations between
physical and cybersecurity, including
the shared risk factors and the shared
protective measures that can be taken.
Most modern buildings, for example,
include video surveillance systems,
access controls, elevator systems and
even digitally controlled air-conditioning
lines, which can all be accessed and
controlled remotely and are thereby
vulnerable to security breaches.
When you consider the types of people
we’re talking about here, there is always
60
who’d want to mess with it? But they
do, or they will, and the networked
enablement of business functions is
forcing companies to see that physical
and cybersecurity must be treated in a
unified manner.
Sven Smit, Portfolio
Director at Specialised
Exhibitions Montgomery
the risk that a cybercriminal could pose
a serious threat to the physical safety
of the workplace. Using their way of
thinking, the possibilities are endless –
imagine a fire alarm with all exits locked
and panicked staff, or no fire alarm at all
when it’s really needed.
It’s best to avoid being naïve or trusting
when it comes to security. When the
talking fridge was invented, who’d have
thought there’d be someone out there
The good news is that businesses
are seeing how the convergence of
physical and cybersecurity is increasing
operational efficiencies, with many
taking the necessary steps to protect
themselves and their customers by using
cybersecurity innovations to protect their
physical systems.
As Africa’s leading security and fire
trade exhibition, Securex South Africa
is mirroring the industry’s advancement
towards this convergence, tackling this
topic as well as a myriad of other issues
facing the security industry both now
and into the future.
Securex South Africa 2019 will take
place in May 2019 at Gallagher
Convention Centre in Johannesburg. u
Issue 09
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