Three Security Trends for 2022 – Blurring of Cyber and Physical Security

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By Gina Stuelke, CEO of Kenton Brothers

The lines are blurring between cyber and physical security. Here are three important trends we are seeing in the commercial security space for 2022.

1) Organizations will invest in new commercial access control systems and video analytics solutions that are more integrated.

CyPhy Part 1During the pandemic, many businesses had to get creative in managing new health and safety mandates. Controlling social distancing was critical. To adhere to health mandates, retailers, corporate offices, and others needed to know how many people were in their facilities at any given point. This has generated huge demand for occupancy management solutions.

While most are using this technology to count people entering and exiting a building, organizations will continue expanding this technology across all areas of their facilities.

These spatial analytics are helping businesses unlock insights about how people use their facilities. Long after the pandemic is over, they can extract data to learn:

  • How many people are waiting in the lobby
  • How many people are in the cafeteria
  • How specific spaces are being used over time

This data then becomes the catalyst for building improvements that enhance the visitor, employee, or tenant experience.

Implementing video analytics within camera systems can further strengthen site security and delivers more insights. From people counting and directional flow to object left behind and crossline detection, analytics are giving security teams a clearer picture of what’s happening in their environments. Analytics also allowed remote teams to stay on top of threats while securing near-empty facilities during the pandemic. Beyond safety objectives, organizations are using analytics data to reduce wait times, optimize staff scheduling and enhance business operations.

Corporate offices are also finding ways to best optimize their workplaces as they give employees the flexibility to split up their work time between the office and home. This space utilization intelligence helps them better track employee office attendance, monitor meeting room demands and make more informed floor plan changes such as adding more desk-sharing options.

All of this leads to higher operational efficiencies, effective resource management and cost savings.

2) Cybercrime will continue to grow and inspire new strategies.

CyPhy Part 2In today’s world, while we can harden and tighten the physical security of a facility, a truly secure IT perimeter no longer exists. Physical security professionals are collaborating with cyber security teams to put measures in place to deter hackers and protect their businesses.  Choosing trusted vendors and deploying physical security solutions that come with layers of cyber defenses are critical. It’s a layered and collaborative approach.

A report by Cybersecurity Ventures predicts that global crime costs will reach $10.5 trillion annually by 2025. With a growth rate of 15% per year, this is said to represent the greatest transfer of economic wealth in history.

As we continue to see more devices come online (at the rate of 17 per hour) and data processing becomes central to operations, businesses will need to remain agile and responsive to the evolving threat landscape. Businesses will also need to offer greater transparency to meet customer expectations of keeping their data private and secure. All of this will bring in a new model for physical and cybersecurity that relies on continuous verification rather than just hardening networks and systems.

3) More organizations will make the move to the Cloud and embrace a hybrid model.

CyPhy Part 3The pandemic is largely responsible for the surging demand for the Cloud. As online usage and remote work spiked, there’s been a global shift to accelerate digital transformation.

According to a report titled Predictions 2021 by Forrester, global public cloud infrastructure was predicted to grow 35% to a market value of $120 billion in 2021. To thrive in the long run, physical security professionals will need to determine how to best leverage cloud technology and offerings in the years ahead. More chief security officers will let go of the division between cloud and on-premises physical security systems and embrace a hybrid deployment model. This allows them to implement specific systems or applications in the cloud while keeping existing on-premises systems.

This hybrid approach can also be the simplest answer when deciding how to enhance scalability, redundancy, and availability to meet changing needs. Beyond that, cloud offerings provide tons of added value. Physical security teams can quickly migrate to newer technologies, minimize hardware footprint, boost cybersecurity and reduce costs.

It’s an exciting time in the security industry!

Innovation and continuous improvement are happening every day in the commercial security industry, both core values of KB! Let us be your commercial security partner and we will help you navigate these changes!

Project Spotlight: Allen County Sheriff’s Office

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Allen County Intercom ProjectBy Neal Bellamy, IT Director at Kenton Brothers

The Allen County Sheriff’s Office intercom system is part of the critical infrastructure that allows communication throughout the detention center. It serves as a tool for safety and security for officers and detainees equally. The existing system was operational, but aging. As part of the critical infrastructure, we needed to make sure it stays operational as well as make it possible to add future capabilities.

The server room is tight.

Allen County Intercom ProjectWith two equipment racks and cabinets on the wall, there wasn’t much room for testing and repairing any failed equipment. Every wire was in conduit extending down to the racks and cabinets, adding further difficulty to any troubleshooting. Replacing the intercoms was also our opportunity to re-organize the server room, consolidate equipment and remove one of the racks.

Because of the importance of the intercom system, it could not be offline while we weren’t physically there working on it. The idea was to organize and label the wires, then take the system, disconnect the wires, take out the rack, install the new rack, and re-connect the wires in one day. Then with the intercom operational again, we could clean up the other items around the server room and remove the empty rack.

This story is not about how things went perfectly. You know how people say “Man Plans, and God Laughs.”; This was one of those days. Today’s story is about how the KB team relied on knowledge, experience, and determination to overcome some difficult situations and meet our customer’s needs. #goteam

When we arrived, there was trouble with a shower valve.

Allen County Intercom ProjectThis cost us a couple of hours right off the bat. It was important to the customer, so we switched priorities to take care of them. Charlie, one of our project team members, got called away on a personal matter. Family comes first, so Jeremy and I wished him safe travels and hoped everything would be OK. (Thankfully, they are.)

Jeremy and I got started. It’s easy to say during project planning that we would just disconnect and reconnect the wires, but I think we underestimated what disconnecting and reconnecting 400 wires would actually take. Especially when everything was in conduit. After getting started at about 10 am we executed the plan. We stuck it out until about 7:30 pm when we finished connecting the last wire. With the new rack and new system in place, we were ready to start testing.

Wouldn’t it be great if everything was turned on and worked perfectly?

That just wasn’t the case. After about an hour of troubleshooting, we had to make a call. We couldn’t leave without a working intercom system, so we decided to put the old system back into play. A large portion of the project had been completed with the cabling and rack work. And we knew it would be a good idea to get to a stopping point and regroup. All the wires could stay in the rack, so we re-racked the old equipment and re-connected the intercoms and made sure everything was working. With the system back up and operational, we called it a day at 9:45 pm.

With the new rack in place, we decided to continue the server room clean-up while troubleshooting the new intercom system. Charlie was back in action. He and Jeremy continued working on the server room while I took the intercom back to the workbench at Kenton Brothers. After stepping through each component of the intercom system, we found the culprit. (It seems like it’s always the $10 part that fails.) After replacing the faulty part, Charlie was able to make a return trip to the Allen County Sheriff’s Office to reconnect the new intercoms and leave a more organized server room.

The difference is drastic as you can see in the before (left) and after (right) pictures.

Allen County Intercom Project - Before Allen County Intercom Project - After

Allen County Sheriff’s Office has a new intercom system that will serve them well for many years. And they have a server room with more space and much better organization. This will allow future equipment additions and troubleshooting to be done efficiently.

We are proud to be partnered with the Allen County Sheriff’s Office for their commercial security needs. This was a challenging and rewarding project!

CyPhy Part 2 – How big of a problem do we have? Why we need Security Convergence today.

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CyPhy Part 2By David Strickland, Vice President of Kenton Brothers

The second of a three part series covering the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Administrations (CISA) newest announcements around Security Convergence. Kenton Brothers Systems For Security hopes to help organizations understand this concept and adopt best practices for securing the Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) currently deployed.
(Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4)

In our last blog, we discussed what Security Convergence is and why it’s so important. In this blog, we will discuss how large the problem is and how many systems and verticals are affected by not having a converged security plan.

CISA Explains a Connected Environment

Convergence of Cyber and Physical SecurityCISA Explains that the adoption and integration of Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices have led to an increasingly interconnected mesh of cyber-physical systems (CPS), which expands the attack surface and blurs the once clear functions of cybersecurity and physical security. 

Juniper research reports that there are at least 46 billion IOT and IIOT devices on the connected network across the world. This number is expected to reach 125 billion by 2030. 18,788 are added every minute across the globe. There are approximately 6 IOT and IIOT devices per every human being on the planet. This will grow to approximately 12 per person (every man woman and child) by 2030.

The average number of devices per American household in 2021 was 10.

IOT Devices

Convergence of Cyber and Physical SecurityBeecham research provides a very useful look at the nature of IoT devices. (See graphic.)

This trend makes up a large part of the world’s economy. However, for every device on a network there is a vulnerability introduced. This presents a unique problem for commercial, government and critical infrastructure entities. Each physical security device that is connected to the network is also an IoT device.

Every cell phone that connects to the network is also a vulnerability. Every surveillance camera, video doorbell, IP telephone, television and computer present there own unique threats and risks.

IoT and IIoT to be considered secure on a network will normally have updated firmware, current certificates, have default username and passwords changed, have an updated OS and have at least dual authentication. As you may deduce with 46 billion devices out there, this is quite the task. Especially when each of these devices may have different manufacturers and communication protocols to let organizations know that there is a new vulnerability or a patch that needs to be applied.

46 Billion Devices

Convergence of Cyber and Physical SecurityThis 46 billion device reality, coupled with the fact that most organizations have siloed Physical and Cyber Security offices, has led to the vulnerabilities you hear about on the news every night. When the vulnerabilities affect critical infrastructure, such as energy or supply chain, the ramifications are far reaching.

In our next blog, we will concentrate on breaking down the CISO and CSO silos and the specific steps an organization can take to reach security Convergence.  Organizations with converged cybersecurity and physical security functions are more resilient and better prepared to identify, prevent, mitigate, and respond to threats. Convergence also encourages information sharing and the development of unified security policies across security divisions.

Kenton Brothers Systems for Security can help your organization understand this initiative and begin to help you close the gap. Please reach out with any questions.

CyPhy Part 1 – Have you heard of Convergence Security?

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CyPhy Part 1By David Strickland, Vice President of Kenton Brothers

The first of a three part series covering the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Administrations (CISA) newest announcements around Security Convergence. Kenton Brothers Systems For Security hopes to help organizations understand this concept and adopt best practices for securing the Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) currently deployed.
(Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4)

CISA defines Security Convergence as the formal collaboration between previously disjointed security functions.

The Convergence goal is to bring together the physical security leadership with the IT leadership to identify risks in their physical and cyber infrastructure. These departments normally hold two very different roles in an organization.

Convergence of Cyber and Physical SecurityConvergence seeks to bring together these two leaders to better understand the ways Physical and Cyber security depend on each other and its importance for protecting critical infrastructure including Healthcare Systems, Transportations Systems, Energy Systems and Industrial Control Systems. Today’s cyber-attacks are more developed and strategic than in the past. They also include hybrid attacks that combine cyber attacks with physical breaches.

CyPhy: The Convergence of Cyber and Physical Security

Convergence of Cyber and Physical SecurityTogether, cyber and physical assets represent a significant amount of risk to physical security and cybersecurity— each can be targeted, separately or simultaneously, to result in compromised systems and/or infrastructure. Yet physical security and cybersecurity divisions are often still treated as separate entities. When security leaders operate in these silos, they lack a holistic view of security threats targeting their enterprise. As a result, attacks are more likely to occur and can lead to impacts such as exposure of sensitive or proprietary information, economic damage, loss of life, and disruption of National Critical Functions (NCF).

Today’s threats are a result of hybrid attacks targeting both physical and cyber assets. The adoption and integration of Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices have led to an increasingly interconnected mesh of cyber-physical systems (CPS), which expands the attack surface and blurs the once clear functions of cybersecurity and physical security. Meanwhile, efforts to build cyber resilience and accelerate the adoption of advanced technologies can also introduce or exacerbate security risks in this evolving threat landscape.

Convergence Vocabulary Infographic

Convergence creates a framework for discussion and identifying ways these two departments can support each other. The goal is to have good communication, coordination and collaboration. To seek out any vulnerabilities and attack them together.

Over the next three blogs, we will discuss the following topics:

  1. How big of a problem do we have? Why we need Security Convergence today.
  2. Security Convergence – The first steps.
  3. Security Convergence – Tools and resources to continue the collaboration.

The Security Convergence Initiative

The Security Convergence Initiative by CISA is important and has a long reach. Kenton Brothers Systems for Security can help your organization understand this initiative and begin to help you close the gap. Please reach out with any questions.

Introducing the LenelS2 Elements Security System

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By Courtney Emra, Lead Customer Service/Sales Assistant at Kenton Brothers

At Kenton Brothers Systems for Security, it’s important that we partner with the best solution providers in the industry. LenelS2™ is one of those providers.

LenelS2 ElementsLenelS2 is a leader in advanced physical security solutions, including access control, video surveillance and mobile credentialing. Their products, systems and services tackle the evolving needs of some of the world’s most demanding organizations. They provide a security backbone with deployment options that incorporate multiple technologies including mobile, cloud, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. Their open architecture supports hundreds of third-party system interfaces that extend the capabilities of many security management systems.

The LenelS2™ Elements™ system is a comprehensive, yet simple, unified access control and video management solution built for the cloud. From single-site access control and video surveillance to more complex systems, the Elements system contains all the key ingredients for an effective and scalable, cloud-based solution; providing businesses with a brand-new security option that’s as simple as it is essential.

Perfect for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses

LenelS2 Elements ArchitectureThe Elements security solution is perfect for small to medium-sized businesses or satellite locations that need secure workplaces, but may not have permanent IT staff or security professionals. Easy to operate and maintain, the Elements system provides hassle-free, effective security that allows businesses to focus on more important things — like running their business.

Updates and enhancements are pushed in real time, reducing costly site visits. This makes budgeting more predictable and helps keep capital expenses down. Mobile first, the system can be accessed at any time, from anywhere. As the only unified access control and video management system that integrates with the OnGuard security management platform, the Elements solution can expand to meet a growing business’ needs.

LenelS2 Elements Checks All the Boxes

  • Cloud Based
  • Ideal for small and medium businesses
  • Easy to budget, get predictive monthly billing
  • Browser based user experience
  • No need for IT or security personnel