Shooter Detection Systems Might Be the Next Big Tool to Keep Campuses Safe

While 2023 has only just passed its halfway mark, there have been more than 300 mass shootings so far in the United States alone. Many of those have taken place on school campuses.

In a recent news story, Security World reports that Shooter Detection Systems (SDS) has joined the ZeroNow alliance — a group that is geared to ensure a safe environment on school campuses — on school shooter detection systems. The security news site details that the developers behind Shooter Detection Systems stand as some of the earliest leaders in gunshot detection systems, reaching back to their work for the U.S. military back in the early 1990s. Harnessing that expertise, they are hoping to take what they innovated in that space and apply it to school safety.

This news can have wide ramifications for improved campus physical security.

Back in 2014, Shooter Detection Systems was created to bring gunshot detection technology to the commercial market. Their sophisticated systems are based on gunshot detection sensors that pinpoint gunfire and provide immediate emergency notifications to security officials, administrators on site, and law enforcement.

This tech has been used throughout the country and abroad in schools and workplaces. By joining ZeroNow, this tech company is hoping to achieve that coalition’s goal of “zero harm” in schools.

In a quote for the article, CEO and Co-Founder of ZeroNow, Are Bagdasarian said the goal is to create the “national baseline” for safer schools. By partnering with this company and collaborating with developers who worked to keep members of the military safe, ZeroNow hopes to set a standard for schools and campuses across the country.

“Access to experts in a wide range of safety technologies is essential to achieving this goal. Its decades of experience developing gunshot detection systems designed to work in tandem with other security technologies makes SDS an invaluable addition to ZeroNow,” Bagdasarian added.

From the tech developer side, Shooter Detection Systems Managing Director Rich Onofrio said this is the perfect pairing of innovation and policy.

“Students and school staff deserve the highest performing gunshot detection system available. The team at SDS is committed to making schools safer,” he said.

Given the complex modern reality that centers for learning aren’t automatically the safest place for students and staff, it’s important that administrators and security professionals think outside the box. Collaboration across sectors may be the way forward to ensure schools and campuses emphasize safety first.

A Reminder of How Important Data Centers are for Physical — and Cyber — Security

During a time when bad actors have become even more advanced in how they target a company’s cyber and physical infrastructure simultaneously, it’s important that security personnel have to be mindful of all potential vulnerabilities. Today, there is no real distinction between the digital and the physical — hampering one affects the other.

In a recent post for technology blog Fagen Wasanni, it couldn’t be underscored more just how intertwined these two key elements of a company’s safety are. The modern technology experts assert that enhancing the physical security of data centers is crucial for not just the safety of one’s company but the safety of the Internet at large. They write that “data centers are the lifeblood of our increasingly digital world” given that they store all kinds of data from online banking to personal and professional social media accounts.

The blog stresses how necessary robust physical defenses of these centers are. This includes traditional walls, fences, and gates that “are designed to deter unauthorized access.” To make this approach compatible with 21st century needs, the authors write that these physical barriers have to be outfitted with modern tools like biometric access controls, surveillance cameras, and intrusion detection systems, among others. Underpinning this entire approach is the need to institute access control measures that ensure only those authorized by a company can access these data centers. This might involve a PIN code and key cards or facial recognition features.

These traditional approaches are now also complemented by “advanced environmental controls.”

“These systems are designed to monitor and control the physical environment within the data center, helping to prevent damage from factors such as fire, flooding, or power outages. This can include the use of fire suppression systems, flood detection sensors, and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems,” the blog post reads.

While all of these features need to be in place, oftentimes, it’s all about the location. The authors explain that many companies today are situating their data centers in “remote or geographically stable areas” to avoid natural disasters and the impacts of climate change. Some firms might even choose to place their data centers in “underground or bunker-style” facilities.

The big lesson running through all of this is that a company can’t rest on its physical security laurels. Maintenance is needed. This means companies have to invest in updates and audits to ensure their physical security protections of their data centers are outfitted with the latest measures to keep their most sensitive assets safe and secure.

How Physical Security Flaws Could Affect Cybersecurity

Through the increasing link between cyber and physical security, it is well known that vulnerabilities exposed in one can affect the other.

Bad actors are constantly trying to find ways to infiltrate a business or firm’s most sensitive data and information, worming their way through systemic flaws in order to access important assets.

In a new piece for World Pipelines, Steven Kenny, of Axis Communications, explores how necessary it is that network security devices avoid standing as the “weak links” in the cybersecurity systems for energy providers. Outside of the energy sector, Kenny’s words are helpful reminders for businesses at large — it’s important to shore up inherent flaws so that attackers can’t compromise a company’s most sensitive assets.

To start, Kenny cites that the recent Colonial Pipeline cyber-attack was a wakeup call to the energy sector, revealing how criminals tapping into security vulnerabilities can greatly impact the country’s critical national infrastructure (CNI). To avoid these kind of attacks from making an impact, Kenny writes that installing physical security systems “that are manufactured with cybersecurity as a prime consideration” is paramount.

“A security system is only as strong as its weakest link and it’s imperative that these systems are not left open to attack, compromising the physical security of a site or multiple sites,” he adds.

Customization is key. He said physical and cyber security considerations vary site-by-site — all companies’ needs vary from one another.

Kenny points to surveillance cameras with onboard analytics, infrared motion detection, access control devices, and video management system (VMS) that offers alarm verification as all key technologies to adopt. He calls all of this a “multi-layering of different measures,” or a “defense-in-depth” approach. This “ensures that security is not significantly reduced with the loss of any single layer.”

Kenny writes that security systems based on Internet of Things (IoT) devices all possess significant risk.

“Network surveillance cameras, for example, which are not cyber secure can be used as a backdoor to gain access to the IT network, either from an insider threat or a remotely triggered assault,” Kenny explains. “Technologies manufactured in regions with lower standards of regulation and compliance might appear to offer adequate protection, but in reality, come with none of the assurances around quality of manufacture or adherence to cybersecurity principles. Secure technologies, built with cybersecurity considerations at the forefront, should form an essential part of any enterprise asset protection strategy.”

With these realities in mind. Kenny offers a clarion call to security leaders. When introducing any device or new security protocol, it is imperative that one thinks ahead of time, anticipating any potential vulnerability and making sure safeguards are in place before an attack even hits.

Be Aware of These 3 Physical Security Threats That Come During the Summer

It’s here — the weather is getting warmer, cookouts are scheduled, and beachside vacations are booked. The summer months are a time of fun, family, and togetherness, but they also bring with them serious physical security concerns. Especially as one prepares to go on a vacation away from home, it’s crucial that one’s home is best fortified to protect personal property when not planning on physically being on the premises.

United Security Incorporated outlines some of the main recommendations that should be front and center during these warm, fun summer months. Here are three of the main threats that are most prevalent:

• Concerns over theft: Theft is one of the most common concerns given that many people stay out later into the evenings and leave their homes unattended during vacations. Due to this, rates of theft climb. This applies to businesses as well as homeowners.

• Dangers of trespassing: During this time of year, there are more people wandering around homes and businesses. School is out during this time of year with increasingly more people out and about, which means there might be issues centered around trespassing on private property.

• Vandalism rates are high: Along with the above concerns is the threat of vandalism. People who might be loitering might be more likely to vandalize personal property. This could be graffiti, or it could even involve potential break-ins into one’s home or business.

With these threats ringing out loud and clear, there are some very clear solutions one can turn to. The security company recommends that everyone install lighting — make sure property and buildings are clearly lit. With property visible from the street, those loitering are less likely to enter or come near a seemingly unoccupied home or storefront.

Additionally, now would be the time to update surveillance cameras. When one is away, it’s important to not have malfunctioning cameras. One should consider investing in Internet-connected devices that enable remote monitoring — a feed could directly relay information to one’s smartphone, for example.

Outside of all of these precautions one can take, one might consider hiring security officers. This is very important for business owners. If one is leaving a store, restaurant, or company headquarters unattended while on vacation, a security officer on site can help protect property and sensitive assets from trespassers and even potential thieves.

Part of the joy of the summer season is to have fun and relax. By keeping these physical security considerations in mind, one will best be able to enjoy these warm weather months.

These Are Physical Security Trends to Put in Focus

For a company’s physical security officials, making sure their protocols are up to date is a necessity. Protecting digital and physical assets, a company headquarters or storage facility, and employees’ and visitors’ safety means adopting the most advanced and updated security systems.

This doesn’t mean dispensing with the old. Fences, security employees who are stationed onsite, and fortified locks and gates will always be needed. That being said, today’s ever evolving technology is needed to work in concert with these tried and true methods.

Space Coast Daily recently published an overview of some of the main emerging trends in the physical security industry today. Here’s a look at the technology they say should be on the radar of every company’s security personnel:

Cloud technology is key

All experts agree that cloud-based security solutions should be front and center.

With cloud systems, businesses can collect and retrieve necessary data without having to deal with the large, cumbersome servers of the past. This is a low-maintenance solution that cuts down costs and boosts efficiency.

Cloud systems enable security officials to scale up operations considerably. The sky is literally the limit with cloud computing. A firm can increase or decrease cloud capabilities depending on its shifting needs, with information available anywhere — ideal for remote and mobile access.

“Thus, cloud technology ushers in a proactive, real-time approach to physical security,” the website reads.

Biometric ID will keep a facility safe

Like the cloud, biometric security is something that was once relegated to science fiction films, but is now ubiquitous in modern life. Fingerprint and facial recognition is something that many use just to access their smartphones, for instance.

For any company hoping to stay as secure as possible, biometric identification is needed, especially to secure physical premises.

This involves fingerprint recognition, iris recognition, facial recognition, and voice recognition.

The AI revolution in physical security is here

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a major player in physical security in recent years. Space Coast Daily reports that AI technology has been a key part of advanced behavior analytics tools, which analyzes movements and patterns in real time, assessing a threat before it can strike.

AI has also been leveraged in predictive analytics. This means that AI algorithms have been applied to take in huge sets of data to pinpoint patterns and predict future security breaches.

IoT is the trend to watch

Internet of Things (IoT) devices are needed for any modern physical security approach. They can be used for access control, video surveillance, intrusion detection, and environmental monitoring.

In their conclusion to the piece, Space Coast Daily writes that the merger of physical security and this modern technology “has created a transformative trend within the security landscape.”

Any company hoping to remain competitive — and keep its data and assets safe — in the 21st century needs to embrace these modern tools.

The future of security depends on it.

Ways to Apply Physical Security to Protect Against Cyber Hacks

In light of how intertwined physical and cyber security is today, ensuring the safety of one affects the other. In a new piece for IFSEC Insider, Paul Dodds, Country Manager for the UK and Ireland at Genetec, offers his clear-eyed recommendations for how companies can protect their physical security systems from hackers.

Dodds begins by highlighting the fact that not enough people in the physical security industry acknowledge that their “systems are a potential platform for cyber-attacks.” While “Internet of things” — or IoT — devices have greatly streamlined the ability to monitor all aspects of a company’s physical space by way of cloud technology, new security risks have emerged in recent years.

He points to the fact that “video surveillance cameras, access control readers, and alarm panels can provide an entry point to gain access to networks” for both large and small companies.
The security executive spotlights three key recommendations to protect these physical security assets from cyber hackers:

• Form a partnership with cyber-attuned physical security providers

First and foremost, Dodds suggests that a company find a physical security provider that is well versed in cyber threats. An executive or security official at a firm should consider whether the provider is certified by a third party, have certifications like SOC2 and SO 27001, and adopt the most up-to-date IT practices.

“Consider selecting a physical security provider who makes cyber security a priority as a top-down approach in all that they do,” he writes. “This will include dedicated cyber security teams or departments and partnerships with vendors who share the same level of commitment toward cyber security.”

• Look for built-in cyber protocols

Dodds also said that business leaders should ensure cyber security protocols are fundamentally build into the physical security systems from the beginning.

“When a product is designed, built, coded, and tested with security by default, essential features such as authentication, authorization, encryption, and privacy are built into the system,” Dodds writes. “These measures ensure only those with set privileges will be able to access specified assets, data, and applications.”

• Adopt the cloud

Dodds concludes his recommendations with the one that is key for a modern approach to security — embrace the cloud.

He stressed how crucial it is that all companies move physical security assets to the cloud.

“Modern cloud systems include many layers of cyber security designed not only to protect against malicious actors but also human error,’ he adds.