Businesses Told To Re-define Security As A Business Driver

Speaking at the Security 2010 Exhibition and Conference in Sydney today, Professor Gill said every business should have a security strategy for their organisation, and that security should be viewed as a profit-making enabler that adds to the bottom line.

Drawing on research conducted around the world, including in Australia and New Zealand, on how offenders chose their targets and how they were able to carry out their crimes, he aimed to give security professionals an additional means of responding to crime. He said criminals often chose their targets because the security measures in place were ‘easy’ to get around, and the risk factors associated with those crimes were low. 

Identifying specific markers on how a lack of security could affect the bottom line, Gill said: “Security affects every aspect of an organisation’s work, every location and every process. It can impact the organisation positively or negatively depending on how it is managed.” 

He also spoke about the importance of getting a security strategy in place, because if security failed, the consequences could be both unpredictable and dramatic. But he said one of the key reasons why security failed in the business world, was because security professionals often lacked a business awareness, and therefore cold not act well in a business environment.

Professor Gill, who is also a lecturer at the University of Leicester in the UK, said organisations should view security as an opportunity to improve the business, and as a distinct and fundamental part of their businesses. Apart from adding value through soft benefits which were difficult to measure economically, he identified several areas where security does provide a return on investment. 

For example, with CCTV, he outlined the economic benefits of collecting intelligence, determining whether a police presence was required, the benefits of early intervention and in gaining the arrests of the actual perpetrators of crime. He also said CCTV was a vital tool in reducing the costs of criminal processes, because it was most likely that when presented with the evidence of their captured images, offenders would enter guilty pleas in court, thereby reducing the costs of criminal investigations.

Security 2010, which this year marks its 25th year, also showcased products and services from more than 150 companies ranging from electronics, guarding and manpower services and physical barrier protection. 

Among the new products surfacing was an iPad and iPhone surveillance application from Hong Kong-based, TeleEye. IView enables users to remotely monitor homes and businesses via high quality video on an iPad or iPhone, using an independent HD CCTV video stream.  

IView is said to be the world’s first remote HD CCTV system to support iPad and iPhone viewing and control. Viewers can change the ptz (pan, tilt, zoom) functions of the camera remotely by sliding their fingers on the screen, and can also enlarge the view by tapping the screen twice.

IView’s launch in Australia coincides with the product’s selection as one of the finalists in ASIAL’s (the Australian Security Industry Association Limited) security awards program, the winners of which will be announced at a gala ceremony tomorrow.

Another company with shortlisted products for the 2010 industry awards program is Covetek, an Australian company which specialises in biometric technology. Its plug and play facial scanner and employee attendance log, iFace 201, has 4.3 inch TFT touch screen, and screens employees’ legitimacy in the workplace. Using a high res infra red camera, it captures facial scans in dark and back lit areas, and stores up to 700 faces, with ID number and RFID card registration for up to 10,000 ID cards. 

Kevin Mackay, marketing director for Covetek, said the system can be linked with existing payroll software and is a hardwired system that can be used as an access control device in upmarket homes, SMBs and medium-sized government departments.

The company is also showcasing its fingerprint lock, which is a biometric doorlock aimed at the domestic market and is available from Bunnings at an RRP of $499, and a digital deadbolt for homes and businesses which retails at an RRP of $299.

Bryan de Caires, chief executive officer of ASIAL, said both TeleEye’s IView and Covetek’s iFace 201, were two of number of new products in the fast-growing electronic security sector, which represents a $2.5 billion industry in Australia. Together with the guarding sector and physical protection devices, they combine to represent a $6B industry that is changing the face of security in Australia. 

De Caires said the perception of crime was changing rapidly and businesses, homeowners and government organisations are now expected to outsource their security requirements, instead of looking to the police force for protection. He also said many councils were implementing CCTV systems in public places and there are moves in place to establish a voluntary register of cameras in public places, documenting who owns them and which areas the cameras cover, in a bid to enable police to form a network of cameras that can be used in the event of an incident to provide them with vital information.