As vice president, leading security solutions innovation and portfolio management at Johnson Controls, Greg Parker is uniquely positioned to forecast trends and future developments within the security industry and adjacent activity. He predicts that making security streamlined and integrated will remain a focus in 2023. 

“IT, OT and cybersecurity will continue to come together as modern technology blurs the lines between physical and digital worlds, making this convergence seamless and cost-effective,” he tells SDM. “Additionally, in the coming year, the role of security itself will undergo a shift and be viewed as less of a business expense and more of a strategic asset that drives value.”

Ahead, Parker shares his top predications for the coming year. 

• Security silos will become less common. 

As security leaders continue to embrace taking a holistic approach to security, they will see the benefits of converging their IT, OT and cybersecurity strategies to streamline operations and allow their solutions to benefit from one another. Physical security strategies and digital security strategies have clear links and by working together, they can become more cost-effective and make the overall security landscape smarter and more efficient.  

• A thorough security solution tell you more than who enters a building. 

As access controls technologies become more sophisticated, building leaders have enhanced insights into current occupancy levels, and know more than just who is coming in and out of buildings. Now, integrated security systems can tell you where people are and what they are doing. Understanding occupant locations and actions can provide long-term business intelligence, helping organizations use spaces more effectively and sustainably. With insights into where occupants are, building leaders can make informed decisions about where to shut off lights and modify temperature to conserve energy. 

• Security strategies will protect occupants even after they leave buildings. 

Businesses will have to protect their occupants both inside and outside of buildings with an end-to-end solution. Protecting people has always been the focus of security strategy, but with the shift to the digital world there are increasing opportunities for employees to be taken advantage of when they leave buildings, so building security is no longer enough. New security solutions consider how they are protecting individuals outside of buildings and in the digital world.   

• Security leaders will expect a customized, practical approach. 

As security becomes more sophisticated, new cutting-edge solutions continue to emerge, but leaders will focus on the efficiency and simplicity of the solutions they implement. Rather than having the next best thing in technology, businesses will be more focused on making sure that the solutions they have are easy to implement and integrate with their existing security posture so they are effective quickly. Solutions such as Infrastructure as a Service that allow businesses to pick what solutions work best for them will become more popular to meet each organization’s unique needs. 

• Security will shift from a business expense to an asset. 

An integrated security solution can help improve customers’ overall business strategy by using sensors to provide necessary information to grow businesses, protect employees, become compliant with regulatory issues and more. When security strategies create this kind of intelligence, leaders will be able to prove the value of their business strategy.