Month: October 2022

“As technology advances, artificial intelligence (AI) is used in increasingly disparate ways to help achieve automated security measures. It’s now also being used in business scenarios, making it possible for business owners to resolve complex issues or tedious jobs with minimal effort. AI-powered applications, such as automated event alerts, false alarm reduction, ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition), and people counting, have already become popular in a variety of scenarios” For security professionals, being able to provide innovative solutions with AI features is already becoming a vital component to make them more competitive. To help them meet common and unique challenges, Hikvision offers a range of products and solutions with AI-powered AcuSense technology, as well as DeepinView and DeepinMind series of products that can streamline and maximize automation of security protection and business operations. Smarter perimeter security with AcuSense technology Conventional perimeter protection solutions provide certain detection features enabled by video content analysis, such as motion detection, line-crossing detection, and intrusion detection, however, all these easily trigger false alarms when an animal, a shadow, or other natural movements are detected. As a result, security personnel need to spend time investigating each one, potentially delaying response to a valid alarm and generally affecting efficiency. Smarter perimeter security solutions with ‘effective false alarm reduction’ and ‘quick target search’ capabilities can be helpful here, which can identify and react to perimeter breaches in real time, and automate footage searches to locate true events quickly. AcuSense technology from Hikvision meets these needs with advanced AI features that support faster, more effective responses to security incidents. With the ability to differentiate between humans and vehicles and other moving objects, AcuSense reduces costly false positives for customers. This means they can verify real security threats immediately, and benefit from automated video searches to save hours on manual video reviews. Hikvision delivers a range of front- and back-end products with AcuSense technology, covering cameras, NVRs, and DVRs, which are also simple to install and configure. This means that security professionals can deliver the AI benefits of smarter perimeter protection for their customers quickly and easily, without additional training requirements. Improved operational efficiency with DeepinView and DeepinMind series With the advancement of algorithms and computing performance, AI technology has shown promising potential in creating intelligence and automation for different business processes. Besides perimeter protection, security cameras with AI features are also being used more by businesses to help improve their daily operations. This means great opportunities for security professionals to go beyond its traditional area to a wider business scope. Hikvision offers DeepinView cameras and DeepinMind NVRs with embedded Deep Learning algorithms, such as ANPR, people counting, and queue detection, to achieve a suite of intelligent functions for businesses. In retail, as an example, people counting provides valuable insights for shopping center operators. It provides tracking patterns in customer footfall to predict when to expect a rush of visitors, allowing them to keep crowd density under control. At the same time, queue detection can calculate how much time people are waiting in line, notifying cashiers before a customer’s patience runs out. On the other hand, parking management can be a headache for apartment buildings, office towers, and business parks alike. Powered by Deep Learning, cameras with ANPR capture vehicle license plates, with sharp rendering of the letters and numbers to deliver clarity. When installed at parking entries and exits, these cameras trigger automated responses to open or close the gate as well as notify personnel when needed, greatly improving parking efficiency. What’s more, parts of Hikvision’s DeepinView series cameras can now incorporate several AI-powered Deep Learning algorithms in one unit. Algorithms can be switched, essentially putting five or six unique cameras in one housing. Users can simply enable an algorithm manually for dedicated use, then later switch to another algorithm as needed. Unified management with HikCentral Professional In addition, Hikvision provides a unified software, HikCentral Professional, for security professionals and customers to easily manage multiple products and systems in single platform. HikCentral Professional, can flexibly unite applications, so users can build a tailored system to match their security and business needs. The unified approach not only creates greater situational awareness of a security environment, it also reduces real day-to-day management resources previously required by disparate systems. Secure more with more assurance Hikvision strives to help professionals from many walks of life stay confident and assured with future-shaping technologies, just as our advanced cameras address security challenges in protecting large sites and open areas. Apply for a smart trial today for a hands-on experience with Hikvision’s high-performance products! Also visit our website to learn more. Or you can explore the Hikvision digital showroom for complete product lines, core technologies, scenario-based solution packages and more.  

Manish Chasta, Co-Founder and CTO, Eventus TechSol Cyber-crimes are plaguing industries of all verticals and sizes, and there is no end to it for now. Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are particularly at risk since they have minimal resources to combat threats. Ubiquitously, across industries, there has been a clear call for cyber resilience gaining momentum. Cyber resilience is the backbone that supports an organization’s overall cyber security strategy. Businesses today are compelled to operate in a threat landscape that is constantly changing, and traditional security protocols are unable to keep up. To ensure their continuity, they must reorient their attention toward a more practical strategy and turn to cyber resilience techniques. Understanding Cyber Resilience Cyber resilience relates to how an organization responds to data breaches and cyberattacks while successfully carrying on with its regular business activities. By employing cyber resilience strategies, IT security teams can cut expenses while swiftly identifying and containing possible problems before they propagate. While proactive security is a part of cyber resilience, it also takes into account measures created to reduce data risks after they had already affected the system. This covers strategies for guaranteeing business continuity and built in redundancy. Cyber resilience acknowledges that there is no way to shield systems and data from attackers. Even with thorough defensive measures in place, data loss and downtime – whether caused by criminal activity, user error, hardware failure, or a natural disaster – can happen at any point. The percentage of assaults repelled and breaches avoided can be used to gauge the effectiveness of cybersecurity, while recovery time (RTO), recovery point (RPO), and total system uptime can be used to measure the success of cyber resilience. Making a Systematic Approach to Cyber Resilience Now that we have established the definition, let’s examine a few crucial best practices for enhancing cyber resilience using a multi-layered strategy. Bolster Organizational Loopholes Malware enters networks primarily through phishing scams. Employees are tricked into downloading malicious attachments, using fraudulent emails, text messages, pop-ups, and web links. Training the workforce to be vigilant and to be mindful of any information they receive while acting upon it is highly critical. Employees must be trained on phishing simulations, IT and security best practices, data protection, and compliance needs. Vigorous implementation of such training programs will help lower the risk and frequency of attacks and incorporate a cyber resilience plan at the most exposed access points. Sophisticated Threats Necessitate Sophisticated Security Cybercriminals are highly ingenious and meticulous. They modify their strategies to get past network firewalls and other safeguards as organizations become more adept at spotting possible dangers. Businesses now need to implement internet security with threat intelligence to recognize harmful assaults that might otherwise look innocent. Advanced commercial antivirus software employs cutting-edge technology to find, stop, and remediate (by containing the threat) malicious threats that elude other, less capable antivirus software. Employ 3-2-1 Backup Procedure for All Organizational Data Having backups of data is crucial for business continuity as addressing data loss is highly complicated. Impacts of malwares, like ransomware, can be reduced through the adoption of 3-2-1 backup strategy. In a 3-2-1 method, organizational data is duplicated at least three times overall, twice locally on separate media, and once off-site. This helps in reducing the data exposure in the event of an unforeseen event. Having both a local and an off-site backup provides businesses additional alternatives for backup recovery. Make Sure to Conduct a Backup and Security Drill Periodically It’s crucial to evaluate disaster recovery methods and procedures to be confident about meeting the recovery goals for the business through improved cyber resilience. And any recovery strategy is good only if it is tested out regularly. To make sure the company can be cyber-resilient when necessary, regular testing criteria once per quarter or, at the very least, once a year should be conducted. This will help evaluate both large-scale system recovery as well as simple file and folder recovery. Hiring a MSSP Businesses who are considering outsourcing their IT operations can hire managed security service providers. Managed service companies proactively keep an eye on a corporate servers, reduce IT concerns, and resolve any problems that may arise. The majority of IT work is now outsourced thanks to advances in cloud computing. Without being present on site, the MSSP remotely accesses networks and provides solutions for any computing challenges. When employed, most of the MSSP’s offer all-inclusive solutions with vast IT resources. Daily network monitoring, Red Teaming, Incident Response, Cloud Security Posture Management, Infrastructure Security, Penetration Testing, Breach & Attack Simulation are all included in this. Businesses from a wide range of industries and regions are investing in managed IT services and support partnerships to outsource their IT infrastructure requirements, enabling their internal teams to concentrate on the expansion of their core businesses. Businesses should be aware that no one cybersecurity solution can stop the sophisticated and constantly changing cyber-attacks of today. Despite intensifying security, cybercriminals can still access a company’s network and IT systems by taking advantage of human error or flaws. To develop cyber resilience throughout the organization, it is crucial to adopt cyber resilience in this situation.  

At Hikvision, we recognize that the human visual sense has its limitations when faced with some challenging conditions, and technological innovations to expand visibility can provide major benefits across a wide range of situations and scenarios, in industries from security to healthcare, and from transport to farming. For example, it can help motorists to drive more safely, based on better visibility of the road ahead; it can help staff in care facilities to act faster if an elderly patient falls over; and it can help workers on large or remote sites to check security from their home, allowing them to spend more time with their loved ones and less time traveling to and from worksites. There are numerous examples that showcase Hikvision’s commitment to developing technologies that help people expand their visibility, so contributing to a better life. Here are just a few. Early-warning traffic safety alerts you to danger before you reach it Traditionally, drivers could only react to what happened right in front of them, within their field of vision. Where there are curves in the road, or blind spots caused by intersections, the risk of accidents vastly increases. To overcome this challenge, and to reduce accident risks, Hikvision developed its early-warning traffic solution. This combines smart video and radar technology to ‘see’ objects in the road long before they are visible to drivers, even in very low-visibility weather conditions. If there are dangers around a curve or farther down the road, drivers are notified in real time via roadside digital signage, giving them plenty of time to brake. This minimizes the danger and ensures they arrive safely at their destination. Fall detection technology secures those in need with responsive care Babies and toddlers fall over frequently when learning to walk but, unfortunately, this kind of accident can also occur in old age, with potentially much more dangerous consequences. If an older person falls, it is imperative that care-givers arrive quickly to help them, and to reduce the risk of future health complications. To enable the fastest possible response, Hikvision has created its fall detection solution, which uses AI-enabled radar technologies to ‘see’ falls when they happen. If someone does fall over, the solution detects the event and triggers an alarm in real time, allowing family members or other care providers to arrive on the scene faster. This ensures that elderly patients get the help and treatment they need immediately after a fall, safeguarding their health outlook. Solar-powered cameras provide peace of mind with more flexibility Smart video cameras can help small and medium size business owners and managers check their premises quickly and easily from any location, 24 hours a day. But in some types of businesses – like farms and other rural operations – the energy and communications networks needed to deploy cameras and other connected security solutions are simply not available. To help people take charge in these types of businesses to work more effectively and improve their work-life balance, Hikvision has created its solar-powered camera kits. Because these use the sun’s energy, they can be installed virtually anywhere – even in fields and other areas where no mains power exists. The ability to connect to 4G cellular networks means that these cameras can also let workers see live video feeds in real time – giving business owners and managers total peace of mind that all areas of their farm or business are secure. By reducing or eliminating the need to patrol expansive rural sites, the solution allows people to focus on more value-adding tasks, and – critically – to spend more time with their loved ones.  

The pace of change in retail has always been intense. From the introduction of self-checkouts to contactless payments, the deployment of fully unattended environments and blended in-store and online shopping experiences, innovation has been the only constant. These changes have had a huge impact on physical, bricks-and-mortar stores. Where customers previously entered, browsed, purchased goods, and only left after interaction with a sales person – the buying journey has become far more varied and complex. In many cases, customers can now purchase goods in-store, collect online purchases from the checkout or kiosks, and order goods online on their phones – all in the same physical store. All this means that retailers need to adapt quickly, and in the right ways, to ensure customers’ needs are met – whatever they expect from their in-store experience. The good news is that the latest smart video solutions can help in three key ways. Smart video enhances customer experiences With the latest generation of smart video solutions, retailers can achieve a level of ‘situational awareness’ in-store that would not otherwise be possible, supporting better, faster customer service. With the right AI capabilities built into a solution, for example, alerts can be generated automatically if the number of customers in the store or at any given part of the store exceeds a defined threshold. This allows staff to focus routine tasks such as deliveries, inventory, and merchandising, and turn their attention to helping customers on the shop floor only when required. Stores can also detect the buildup of queues at checkouts or kiosks and divert staff to those areas to reduce waiting times. The industry’s leading smart video solutions can also improve the overall shopping environment in countless other ways, from alerting staff when a product is sold out on a particular shelf, to detecting liquid spills or other obstacles that impact customers. Additionally, analysis of video data can help stores refine layouts and determine where kiosks and other in-store equipment should be positioned to minimize congestion and speed up customer journeys. While various other forms of data analytics can also provide data on the number of customers in store and their typical footfall, only video allows managers to see what a physical customer journey around the store looks like. This provides unique and unparalleled insights into how their experience can be improved, making video a true asset for customer service. Smart video increases business performance With smart video, stores can get real insights into how processes and product placement can be improved – leading to measurable performance gains and revenue growth. For example, the leading smart video solutions can identify merchandising ‘hot zones,’ and to adjust product placement to maximize sales. Business performance can also be increased as smart video cameras combine with other retail data points to improve in-store stock accuracy throughout the supply chain. This ensures that the right products are always available in store to maximize sales revenues and to avoid losses due to customers not finding what they need in stock. Equally importantly, stores can use AI-enabled smart video solutions to minimize risks, such as shoplifting, that negatively impact their business performance. It becomes possible, for example, to send alerts automatically to security teams in the event of a security incident, helping to deliver major savings that contribute to the bottom line. Smart video boosts efficiency In competitive markets, and in the face of intense online competition, retailers need to minimize their operating overheads and maximize efficiency. Here, the latest smart video solutions can help – providing insights that support more automated and efficient operations. Smart video, for example, is invaluable for brands looking to implement semi-attended or unattended retail stores. Video data provides the checks and balances needed to ensure that customers in these kinds of retail environments can find and purchase the products they are looking for, and that security at the checkout and in other areas of the store is taken care of. Another way smart video is improving efficiency is by cross-referencing transaction data with video data to reduce manual work and admin. One example of this is the ability to review video footage of orders being packed for customers at distribution centers. This speeds up dispute resolution and reduces costs associated with compensating customer complaints. Likewise, any errors relating to in-store payments can be reviewed using video data that is linked with transaction numbers in checkout systems, reducing the need for in-depth, manual accounting investigations. Finally, but equally importantly, automated alerts for sold-out stock, liquid spills, and other events saves a huge amount of time for staff, supporting cost reductions and ensuring that customer service is prioritized.