10 Things You Might Have Missed Last Week in Security

1. BSIA takes lead on security regulation at Tory and Labour conferences

The British Security Industry Association (BSIA) has continued its excellent lobbying work on behalf of members and the industry at large by engaging with MPs, think tanks, and senior policing figures at the recent Conservative and Labour party conferences.

Click here to view Figure 1.

A key focus was the regulatory agenda. Of late, there has been talk of a “halfway house,” wherein business licensing could be introduced through secondary legislation with no civil enforcement powers granted to the Security Industry Authority. The BSIA’s view is that this compromise position could threaten standards of professionalism.

What are your thoughts? Tell us in the comments below.

2. EU Cybersecurity Directive “could cost organisations billions”

A study completed by Tripwire and the Ponemon Institute has revealed that many of the world’s largest enterprises are not prepared for the new European Union Directive on Cybersecurity.

Companies suffering a breach because they don’t have sufficient IT security in place to protect their digital assets face fines of up to 2 per cent of their annual global turnover.

3. “Competition not consolidation” will rule in physical security equipment sector

According to the latest research from IHS, the global industry for physical security equipment and services was worth a massive $110 billion in 2012.

Generating $46 billion in revenue last year, North and South America combined made up 41 per cent of the worldwide trade.

“We expect total industry revenue to reach $170 billion a year by 2017,” David Green, senior analyst for video surveillance and security services at IHS, said in a press release.

4. Britain will build “dedicated capability to counter-attack” in cyberspace

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond MP has announced that the MoD is set to recruit hundreds of computer experts as cyberreservists to help defend the UK’s national security.

Hammond confirmed the creation of a new Joint Cyber Reserve that will see reservists working alongside regular forces to protect critical computer networks and safeguard vital data.

5. Public needs to be educated about biometrics

An excellent blog on IFSECGlobal by MITIE TSM’s Darren Gamage extols the virtues and developments of biometric technology.

Gamage points out that there are still issues to be addressed around the safety of personal data. It’s probably fair to say law-abiding citizens don’t have any issues with data capture. What then happens to this information (and its security) is the main point of contention.

6. Met Police’s Central e-Crime Unit’s cyberinvestigations save UK more than GB pound 1 billion

The Metropolitan Police Service’s Police Central e-Crime Unit (PCeU) has saved the UK economy a staggering GB pound 1.01 billion in the last two-and-a-half years.

That’s an unprecedented achievement equating to savings of GB pound 58 to the public purse for every pound of funding invested in PCeU-led operations.

7. Wearable CCTV: the future of lone worker safety?

Connexion2’s managing director Craig Swallow, a member of the BSIA’s Lone Worker Steering Group, has raised the issue of wearable CCTV for lone workers.

Swallow says that providing lone workers with a video monitoring device that can discreetly raise an alarm (and take video of a situation if necessary) not only increases peace of mind for the employer but also helps those workers feel safe in their job while lowering the risk of incidents they may face.

8. Financial Policy Committee gives banks a year to create cyberattack plan

The Telegraph’s economics editor, Philip Aldrick, reports that the Bank of England and the Treasury are so concerned about the vulnerability of UK lenders to computer hackers that they want board directors to draw up plans that will address this issue within the next six months.

There’s an underlying fear that hackers could put payment systems out of action, for example, and thus destabilise the economic upturn.

Treasury officials are said to be working on new plans for assessing, testing, and improving system resilience.

9. SMBs face the IP HD surveillance paradox

Why are small and midsized businesses — usually the early adopters of the latest technologies — the very market segment most hesitant to embrace the promise and reward of a move toward IP HD surveillance?

Jamie Barnfield of IDIS addresses this question in a first-class read. He feels it’s time for SMBs to “take a second look” at IP HD surveillance, but he urges that fundamentals — a simpler buyer process, for instance — must first be in place.

10. G4S wins major UK security contract with Bank of America Merrill Lynch

G4S has won a major contract to provide security solutions to Bank of America Merrill Lynch operations in the UK. From December, more than 200 officers from G4S Secure Solutions (UK) will safeguard six key sites.

The three-year deal is one of the company’s largest commercial UK contracts. It includes provisions for reception security, access control, patrolling, administration, CCTV operation, and intelligence/risk management.