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Hikvision’s top security industry trends for 2021

In spite of a highly unusual 2020, the security industry’s transformation has not stopped. Several significant shifts in the use of technology are even accelerating.

Looking ahead at 2021, Hikvision shares some ideas and thoughts regarding key trends that may affect the security industry.

Intelligent video technology helping during the pandemic

Businesses are prioritizing finding ways to resume operations safely. Intelligent video technology has shown great potential to help companies keep their employees and customers safe while getting back to work. Employees are avoiding unnecessary physical contact with shared hardware in this tense era, accelerating the touchless access control system trend we have seen in the market.

Multi-dimensional perception

With the development and application of sensing technologies, more powerful edge computing and intelligent algorithms, integrated security devices and systems that employ multiple sensors are becoming possible. Now, more perception capabilities, such as radar detection, multispectral imagery, humidity and temperature measurement, and gas pressure detection, are being integrated with video cameras and systems. This integration extends perception capabilities of these video cameras and systems, and widens their applications by enabling the collection and use of multi-dimensional information.

Visibility – Any time, any condition

Users have come to expect uninterrupted performance from their video cameras, regardless of season, the weather, and certainly the time of day. It’s vital to have cameras that can respond effectively to capture clear images, no matter what time of day or night or how bad the weather is. Low light imaging technology that provides colorful images in dark environments and at night is becoming popular in the security industry, and customers have shown a preference toward cameras with color imaging 24/7.

5G technology for UHD and wireless video security

5G’s greater bandwidth and lower latency makes the regular transmission of high quality images possible, and, with the widespread adoption of ultra-high-definition (UHD) cameras, could bring new opportunities for video security. In the forthcoming 5G networks, wireless cameras will proliferate, and more edge devices will be connected in remote locations.

Convergence of multiple security systems

We operate in an industry where users expect comprehensive solutions. The concept of systems working seamlessly together has long been desired by the vast majority of security professionals. The benefits of converging multiple security systems into a unified platform are manifold, with efficiency and cost-effectiveness the most obvious.

Digital transformation of enterprises enabled by video security systems

Empowered by AI analytics, smart video security solutions are designed to improve automation and operational efficiency in various vertical markets. These solutions have been designed with digital dashboards to display data and information that come from the integrated in-house enterprise information systems. Operators can use these systems to get real-time status updates to help them make the best decisions for their business.

Accelerated cloud-based security solutions

The “moving-to-the-cloud” trend for businesses of all sizes accelerated across the security industry in 2020. Cloud-based security systems are making deployment much easier since there is no need for local servers and software. Through a cloud-hosting infrastructure, these solutions also benefit customers with remote operations and maintenance, quickly alerting them to key security events and allowing them to keep up with the latest firmware versions, upgrades, and service.

Increased edge computing to put AI everywhere

Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR), automated event alert, people counting, heat mapping, illegal parking detection, and hard hat detection, as well as a number of other AI applications, are becoming popular in the security market. With increased edge computing and optimized AI algorithms, it will become normal to see security cameras shoulder more intelligent tasks in the near future to help improve security in local communities and efficiency of data systems.

Open AI application ecosystems

With AI applications finding use in many new fields, market requirements for AI algorithms are becoming more diversified and the demand for customization is also increasing. Several security manufactures have launched programs to keep their edge devices open to third-party AI applications. This brings a greater variety of intelligent functionality, while development partners also benefit from the openness.

Emphasis on cybersecurity and data privacy

Cybersecurity and data privacy protection has been a challenge for the security industry since the moment the first security device was connected to the internet. Driven by the uptick in cloud-based solutions and a number of innovative technologies, such as IoT, big data, 5G, and AI, millions of security devices and systems now are joining this connected network.