Designers Like Apoorva Avadhana are Rewriting the Approach India’s rapid expansion in IoT, smart surveillance, and AI-driven security systems has brought data privacy into sharp focus. From CCTV networks and biometric authentication to mobile-based identity verification, the country is building one of the world’s largest data ecosystems. Yet, within this transformation lies a complex paradox – the same data pipelines raising privacy concerns are also enabling unprecedented breakthroughs in accessibility. For millions of Indians with disabilities, especially those with visual or motor impairments, access to everyday systems such as banking, governance, and identity verification, often remains deeply uneven. Technologies like ‘Seeing AI’ demonstrate this tension clearly. Acting as a ‘virtual eye,’ such tools can read documents, detect objects, and even guide users to signature fields. But they also require processing sensitive personal data, often raising concerns around where that data goes and how it is used. This is not a new trade-off. Historically, accessibility has been a quiet catalyst for technological advancement. Alt text and captions that originally designed for people with vision impairments or low-bandwidth environments, have become foundational datasets for training computer vision systems. Today, those same systems power generative AI to enabling machines to create images from text. Accessibility, in many ways, has been the unseen infrastructure behind modern AI. Apoorva talking on Rural Inclusive Innovation Methodologies at The Invisabal Panel With The Tata Steel Foundation at The International Purple Fest 2025, Panjim, Goa. But in India’s current IoT and security landscape, the stakes are higher. For individuals with motor disabilities, even something as basic as writing or signing a document can be a barrier to accessing financial systems, government schemes, or legal identity. Increasingly, mobile cameras and sensor-based systems are being used to track facial movements, gestures, and expressions to enable interaction without touch. These systems, while powerful, operate at the intersection of biometric data, surveillance, and personal autonomy. It is within this intersection that Apoorva Avadhana’s work offers a critical alternative. At the International Purple Fest 2025, where global conversations on inclusion met grassroots realities, Apoorva emphasized a shift in thinking – accessibility is not about high-end solutions, but about enabling ‘survival, dignity, and participation.’ Speaking at the InviSabal panel on rural inclusive innovation, she highlighted how technologies designed for controlled, urban environments often fail in rural India – where infrastructure is fragile, maintenance is limited, and costs are prohibitive. Her work directly engages with one of the most overlooked barriers in India’s digital ecosystem – the inability to produce a consistent signature. Without it, individuals can be excluded from banking, welfare enrollment, and identity systems. While biometric solutions exist, they often introduce new privacy risks and dependencies on centralized systems. Apoorva Explaining Concept of Human-Centered Design & Receptive Design Methodologies Through her research with the NYU Ability Project, Apoorva contributed to the development of a low-cost, open-source assistive tool that reimagines this problem through a privacy-aware lens. Using AI-based face mesh tracking, the tool converts subtle neck movements into digital strokes, allowing users with severe mobility impairments including quadriplegia to draw signatures independently. Crucially, the system operates differently from conventional camera-based tracking technologies. It runs locally on the device, does not capture or store images, and instead relies on geometric relationships such as the distance between facial key-points like the eyes and nose to interpret movement. The output is stored directly on the user’s phone, ensuring that sensitive data, including signatures, never leaves the device. In an era where IoT systems often default to cloud-based data processing and continuous surveillance, this approach is significant. It demonstrates that accessibility does not have to come at the cost of privacy. Instead, through thoughtful design, it is possible to build systems that are both empowering and secure. Apoorva’s broader methodology, what she terms ‘receptive design,’ extends beyond technology itself. It is participatory in nature and receptive to people’s everyday way to living and working. Her work draws from India’s culture of jugaad, emphasizing adaptability, local materials, and co-creation with communities. Whether it is designing assistive tools that function without stable internet or leveraging everyday devices like smartphones as accessibility interfaces, her approach resists the notion that innovation must be expensive or centralized. Her professional experience with organizations such as IBM and MetLife further grounds her work in large-scale systems, where accessibility, security, and compliance intersect. Yet, her focus remains consistent – designing technologies that work in the real world, across diverse socio-economic conditions. As India continues to expand its IoT and surveillance infrastructure, the question is no longer just how to secure data but also how to ensure that the systems built on that data are inclusive by design. Accessibility and privacy are often framed as competing priorities. Apoorva Avadhana’s work challenges that assumption, showing that they can and must be designed together. Because in a data-driven society, true security is not just about protecting information. It is about ensuring that the systems we build do not exclude the very people they are meant to serve. About Apoorva Avadhana Apoorva Avadhana is a recognized design researcher specializing in accessibility, inclusive design, and assistive technology. Based in Mumbai and affiliated with The Ability Lab at New York University, she is CPACC certified and identified as a neurodivergent design researcher. With an MPS from NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program and a BDes in Human-Centered Design from the Srishti Institute of Art Design and Technology, Apoorva’s work bridges grassroots innovation with inclusive design, using low-cost and open-source emerging technologies to address accessibility in activities of daily living (ADL). She has professional experience as a UX researcher and Accessibility SME, for clients like IBM, TSB, and MetLife. Her research, residencies, and exhibitions have received international recognition, with her work presented at leading conferences and supported by numerous grants and awards. She has gained badges, honours and laurels and she led many important workshops and trainings in Accessibility and Corporate Design Thinking Frameworks. Her work spans a vast gamut of inclusive design, research, teaching, and interdisciplinary collaborations at the intersection of AI,…

Ashish BaliCountry Manager India, FireMon India’s enterprise technology sector has expanded at a pace that few markets can match. In banking and financial services, digital infrastructure that took other markets decades to build has been assembled in years – payment rails processing billions of transactions monthly, cloud environments layered onto legacy core banking systems, new digital services extended to hundreds of millions of customers. When you build that quickly, firewall rules rarely keep up. Access gets opened to support a new service and never closed. Exceptions get granted to keep a project moving and become permanent. Boundaries that made sense at design time get redrawn by operational pressure. For large organisations, including the Global Capability Centres now running significant security operations for global enterprises from Indian soil, the result is a divergence between access as it exists and access as it was intended. The pattern shows up reliably in firewall audits. FireMon’s benchmarking work shows that across large enterprise estates, close to 60% of firewalls fail at least one high-severity check. In environments that have expanded rapidly, that figure rarely surprises anyone. That it no longer surprises is precisely the problem. Nothing in day-to-day operations flags this. Indicators look stable, services run, and nothing breaks in a way that demands attention. Rules stay open and access stays excessive. And it accumulates that way until an audit makes it visible. The failure mode nobody plans for It is tempting to call these findings misconfigurations. That label implies a discrete mistake, something identifiable, correctable, closed. What audits actually uncover is different. The rules that fail high-severity checks are rarely the result of careless work. They are the residue of reasonable decisions – access granted because a project needed it, an exception created because something urgent could not wait, a rule that made sense in context and has simply never been revisited. Over time, policy stops reflecting decisions and starts reflecting history. The rule-base accumulates. Shadowed rules sit beneath active ones, creating the appearance of control while leaving effective access unchanged. Segmentation that looked defensible on paper does not hold under real traffic patterns. The result is a policy surface – every rule, exception, and inherited access decision across the estate – that no longer reflects deliberate decisions. This, as reflected in audit findings, is not an outcome anyone ever plans for. In almost every case, it happens because the environment kept changing and the governance around it did not keep up. Compliance evidence is not the same as governance Most large enterprises are responding to a significantly tightened regulatory environment. CERT-In requires organisations to retain ICT logs, including firewall logs, for 180 days and to report qualifying incidents within six hours of detection, one of the strictest windows anywhere in the world. SEBI’s Cybersecurity and Cyber Resilience Framework requires documented access policies, network segmentation controls, and mandatory audit submissions. The RBI places equivalent obligations on banks and NBFCs around continuous monitoring and independent audit. That investment in compliance tooling is necessary. But log retention and audit reporting answer a different question to the one that produces recurring firewall failures. Retaining firewall logs tells a regulator what happened. It does not tell you whether your policy reflects what you actually intended to permit. Similarly, a SIEM captures events; it does not govern the rules that determine what those events mean. Recurring high-severity audit findings are rarely a failure of logging. They are a failure of policy management. The organisation was capturing evidence of a problem it had not diagnosed. Security teams can usually describe architectural intent – where boundaries should sit, which flows should not exist. What they cannot consistently show is that enforced policy reflects that intent today, across data centres, cloud environments, and the legacy infrastructure running core operations. When regulators examine that gap, the audit does not create the problem. It simply makes it visible. Policy stops being a control when it loses its meaning A firewall rule-base can be technically operational and still not express a coherent access model. When it reflects years of exceptions and inherited decisions rather than current intent, teams lose confidence in their ability to test the impact of changes. Change control becomes conservative because nobody can reliably say what a given change will affect. The firewall becomes something that must not be disturbed. From there, the deterioration is predictable. Rationalisation gets deferred and access widens because tightening it feels riskier than leaving it alone. Audits become reconstruction exercises – explaining after the fact what findings mean – rather than evidence of a security posture that is understood and in control. A periodic review can describe that state. It cannot fix it, because the problem is produced every day by ordinary operational change. What continuous oversight actually looks like Network Security Policy Management addresses this by connecting intent, enforced policy, and observed dependencies in a single, continuously updated view. Used as an operational discipline rather than a reporting layer, it gives teams the means to see where access has expanded beyond what is justified, where segmentation has softened, and where exceptions have become the default. Crucially, it also allows teams to test changes before deployment, rather than discover their impact afterwards. What security teams need is a current, accurate picture of what their policy actually permits – not the intended state, but the enforced one – across firewalls, cloud controls, and the on-premise infrastructure that continues to run core operations. When a change is proposed, it can be tested before deployment – what it will affect, whether it complies, whether it stays within the intended access model. When drift occurs – and in any active environment, it will – it is surfaced before it becomes a finding rather than after. Our tech, for example, maintains the audit evidence trail that regulators ask for – what policy was in place at any point, what changed, and whether those changes remained aligned to stated business intent. That is the difference between compliance as a reporting exercise…

Sumit SharmaSr. Director – Pre Sales, Echelon Every network engineer knows the feeling – something’s wrong, the alerts are firing, and you’re bouncing between multiple management consoles trying to piece together what’s actually happening. It’s not that the tools are bad, each one does its job. It’s that none of them can see past their own vendor’s edge, and the problem almost certainly lives in the gap between them. Today’s enterprise networks have sprawled across cloud environments, remote offices, IoT deployments and data centers and to manage it all, organizations naturally turn to multiple vendors, each offering something the others don’t. It makes sense on paper. But every new vendor added to the mix is also another blind spot added to the map. That gap between what each tool sees and what your team actually needs to see is a visibility problem and it’s quietly become the defining challenge of modern network management. The rise of the multi-vendor network Modern enterprise environments are built incrementally over time. A single organization may use routers from one vendor, switches from another, wireless infrastructure from a third and cloud networking services from multiple providers. Mergers, acquisitions, regional deployments and evolving technology needs further contribute to heterogeneous infrastructures. In industries such as transportation, manufacturing, smart cities and telecom, the challenge becomes even more complex. Critical systems like surveillance, passenger information systems, IP telephony, IoT sensors, access control and data communication networks often rely on devices from different manufacturers operating simultaneously. This diversity creates interoperability and management challenges that traditional monitoring approaches were never designed to handle. Multi-vendor isn’t a problem we can architect our way out of. It’s the reality of every enterprise we work with. The only practical answer is visibility that works across all of it, not just parts of it. Why visibility matters in network management Visibility is the foundation of effective network management. IT and operations teams depend on real-time visibility to understand device health and availability, network traffic patterns, faults and performance bottlenecks, security anomalies and unauthorized access, bandwidth utilization, and service dependencies and application performance. When visibility is fragmented across multiple management consoles and vendor-specific tools, teams lose the ability to view the network holistically. Instead of operating proactively, organizations become reactive, responding to incidents only after users experience disruptions. In mission-critical environments, this lack of visibility can directly impact operations, customer experience and business continuity. The problem with vendor-specific monitoring tools Most networking vendors provide their own management platforms designed specifically for their devices. While these tools work effectively within their individual ecosystems, they often fail to integrate seamlessly with devices from other manufacturers. As a result, enterprises end up managing multiple dashboards simultaneously. For example – one platform monitors routers, another tracks wireless access points, a separate tool handles firewalls, and yet another manages IoT devices. This fragmented approach creates several operational issues. Operational Silos Different teams often manage different technologies using isolated systems. This leads to fragmented workflows, inconsistent monitoring practices and communication gaps during incident resolution. Without centralized visibility, correlating issues across systems becomes difficult. Increased Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR) When a fault occurs, engineers must manually switch between multiple platforms to identify the root cause. This slows troubleshooting and increases downtime. A simple network outage may involve checking logs, traps and alerts from several systems before identifying the affected device or link. Alert Fatigue and Noise Vendor-specific tools generate alerts independently without understanding broader network context. This creates duplicate alarms, false positives and excessive notification noise. IT teams become overwhelmed with alerts while critical incidents may go unnoticed. Inconsistent Data Formats Different vendors use different telemetry standards, reporting methods and management protocols. Even when SNMP or APIs are supported, data normalization becomes challenging. This inconsistency prevents organizations from building unified operational intelligence. Limited End-to-End Correlation Modern services rely on interconnected infrastructure. A failure in one subsystem may impact several downstream applications. Without unified visibility, identifying service dependencies and correlating events across vendors becomes extremely difficult. The impact on modern enterprises The consequences of poor multi-vendor visibility extend beyond IT operations. Reduced Network Reliability Incomplete monitoring creates blind spots. Issues that could have been detected early often escalate into major outages. In sectors like metro rail, airports, utilities and healthcare, even minor disruptions can affect public safety and critical operations. Higher Operational Costs Managing multiple tools requires additional licensing, training and maintenance. IT teams spend more time manually consolidating information instead of focusing on optimization and innovation. Operational inefficiencies also increase staffing and support costs. Slower Digital Transformation Organizations investing in AI, IoT and cloud adoption require intelligent, scalable monitoring systems. Fragmented visibility limits automation and prevents organizations from achieving true digital transformation. Without centralized insights, advanced capabilities like predictive analytics and autonomous operations become difficult to implement. Security Risks Security visibility gaps are among the most serious consequences of fragmented network management. Different devices may report events differently or not at all. This creates opportunities for threats to remain undetected across distributed environments. A lack of centralized monitoring also makes compliance reporting and forensic analysis more challenging. Why traditional NMS platforms are struggling Traditional network management systems were designed for relatively static environments. They focused primarily on uptime monitoring, SNMP polling and basic fault management. However, modern networks demand far more – such as real-time telemetry, multi-cloud visibility, IoT monitoring, AI-driven analytics, automated remediation, unified dashboards, and cross-domain correlation. Legacy NMS platforms often lack the scalability and intelligence needed to handle today’s heterogeneous infrastructures effectively. The shift toward software-defined networking (SDN), edge computing and distributed architectures further increases the need for adaptive, vendor-agnostic monitoring solutions. The need for unified multi-vendor visibility To address these challenges, organizations are increasingly adopting centralized and vendor-neutral NMS platforms capable of integrating diverse infrastructure into a single operational view. A modern NMS must provide: For example, transportation networks rely on interconnected communication systems including surveillance, passenger information displays, signaling, telephony and emergency communication systems. If each subsystem is monitored independently, operations teams lack a unified understanding…

Atul GoyalPresident, United Residents Joint Action of Delhi-URJA Gaps and compromises in RWA-managed security due to residents non-cooperation and legal vacuum While RWAs attempt to provide colony-level security, the absence of legal mandate and universal contribution mechanisms forces dangerous compromises. Unlike State police, RWAs have no power to enforce payments, discipline residents, or direct security personnel. This leads to critical operational gaps. Funding gaps = Coverage gaps With 20-40% residents routinely defaulting on security dues, RWAs are forced to reduce guard strength, cancel night patrols, or skip CCTV maintenance to balance budgets,¹ Many colonies operate with 1 guard per 200+ houses at night, violating basic perimeter security norms. The RWA cannot deny entry to defaulters or recover arrears, so paying residents subsidize non-payers, breeding resentment and eventual collapse of voluntary collections. Guards treated as personal servants = Security dilution A significant section of residents treats RWA-hired guards as personal attendants – directing them to carry groceries, wash cars, walk dogs, or open gates for individual guests. When guards comply to avoid conflict, they abandon post, leaving entry points unmanned. When they refuse, residents complain to RWA or threaten to stop payments. The guard, paid ₹12,000-15,000/ month with no job security, is caught between losing income and compromising the colony’s security protocol. RWAs have no service rules or legal authority to protect guards from such misuse. No enforcement power = Protocol violations RWAs cannot penalize residents who tailgate vehicles, refuse visitor entry logs, park across boom barriers, or abuse guards. Without statutory backing, security SOPs become ‘requests’ that non-cooperative residents ignore. Drunk/ violent residents cannot be restrained; unauthorized hawkers/ vendors allowed by influential members cannot be removed. The RWA’s only recourse is ‘persuasion,’ which fails when 5-10% of residents actively undermine the system. While RWAs attempt to provide colony-level security, the absence of legal mandate and universal contribution mechanisms forces dangerous compromises. Unlike State police, RWAs have no power to enforce payments, discipline residents, or direct security personnel. This leads to critical operational gaps. Liability without authority If a theft occurs due to a guard being on personal errand, the RWA faces blame but has no power to have punished the resident who misused the guard. If a guard is assaulted by a resident, the RWA cannot file an institutional FIR or suspend resident privileges. The RWA absorbs legal, financial, and reputational risk for a security function it cannot control. Result: RWAs deliver a compromised, part-time, legally vulnerable version of policing. They are forced to choose between unsafe gaps and confrontational enforcement they are not empowered to undertake. This proves the need for formal recognition under the 74th Amendment – with defined RWA powers, devolved security funds, and a legal interface with Delhi Police for beat-level discipline and cost-sharing. Security management by RWAs amid state policing deficit Delhi’s sanctioned police strength remains structurally inadequate when measured against both national benchmarks and global norms. As per the Bureau of Police Research & Development’s Data on Police Organizations, the all-India sanctioned Police Population Ratio (PPR) stands at 195.39 police personnel per lakh population, while the actual PPR is only 152.80 per lakh.¹ This is significantly below the UN-mandated norm of 220+ police per lakh.² For Delhi specifically, with an estimated population of 2.2 crore and a sanctioned strength of 95,000 personnel, the ratio translates to 1 policeman for 230+ citizens on paper, and worse in practice due to 20-25% vacancies and diversion to VIP security.³ The Model Police Manual prescribes 1 police station per lakh population and adequate beat staff to ensure coverage of 10,000 residents per beat; in reality, Delhi beats routinely exceed 30,000+ residents per constable, violating the Manual’s operational thresholds.⁴ This deficit has compelled RWAs to assume de-facto policing functions without statutory sanction or State funding. With no share in municipal taxes or government grants, RWAs levy voluntary contributions to finance private guards, CCTV systems, boom barriers, and night patrols – core law-and-order duties of the State. The average RWA security spend ranges from ₹40,000 to ₹2 lakh per month, yet office bearers lack powers to enforce payments or recover dues. Beyond funding, RWA members verify guard antecedents, maintain visitor logs, coordinate FIRs with overstretched SHOs, and respond to resident distress calls – effectively subsidizing a public safety shortfall created by the State’s failure to meet BPR&D’s own manpower norms.⁵ This arrangement is unsustainable and inequitable – RWAs perform State functions but receive no devolution of funds, no legal immunity, and no institutional interface under the 74th Constitutional Amendment framework. Refer Footnotes: Read More

Submitted by Prama India The growth story of physical security systems in the Indian real estate sector is driven by several key factors. This includes growing need for security solutions for residents and commercial establishments. The Indian physical security market is expanding rapidly, driven by increasing concerns over safety and security across various sectors, including residential and commercial real estate. The market is projected to grow significantly, with advancements in technology playing a crucial role. Technological advancements Innovations in surveillance, access control, and perimeter security systems are major contributors to this growth. The integration of AI, IoT, and cloud computing has enhanced the effectiveness and appeal of these security solutions. For instance, AI-powered analytics can detect unusual activities and alert security personnel in real-time. Regulatory and compliance needs Stricter regulations and compliance standards for building safety and security are driving the adoption of advanced security systems. Government initiatives and policies aimed at improving public safety are also boosting the demand for sophisticated security solutions. Increasing demand Both residential and commercial real estate sectors are seeing a rise in security incidents, such as theft and vandalism, which increases the need for robust security measures. The demand for video surveillance systems, access control systems, and intrusion detection systems is particularly high. Regional growth Urbanization and economic development in India are leading to increased construction of residential and commercial properties, which in turn drives the demand for security systems. The rapid urbanization in cities has heightened the need for effective security solutions to protect assets and ensure the safety of individuals. Overall, the physical security market in the Indian real estate sector is set to continue its robust growth, driven by technological advancements, regulatory requirements, and increasing security concerns. The demand for physical security systems in the real estate sector is growing due to several key factors: These factors collectively contribute to the growing importance and demand for physical security systems in the real estate sector. Security challenges in residential real estate Security challenges in commercial real estate Addressing these challenges requires a combination of advanced technology, robust security protocols, and continuous monitoring to ensure the safety and security of both residential and commercial properties. PRAMA real estate security solutions PRAMA India offers a range of video security solutions tailored for the real estate sector. These solutions are designed to enhance security and surveillance for residential and commercial properties. Some of the key features and products include: PRAMA’s video security solutions for the real estate sector addresses all the risks and challenges prevailing in the physical security domain. PRAMA’s Aisense Cameras offers more advanced ways to mitigate risks and detect threats. These technologically advanced help ensure the safety of residents and property, providing peace of mind for property owners and managers. Read More

Jawale GhanashyamHead – India Operation – Arohi The Scale of Vision Mumbai is now monitored by a sophisticated network of over 11,000 cameras covering major intersections, Mumbai entry points, vital installations, tourist/ iconic landmarks, important religious places, highly sensitive religious festivals and political gatherings and many more. This system, the Arohi Video Management System (VMS), serves as the technological foundation for one of India’s most ambitious urban safety initiatives. Challenges and issues User was facing multiple critical challenges – like DC-DR failover, auto switching was taking more than 10 to 15 mins to get system switchover from DC to DR, and hence forth, data sync was not happening after switching. After N+1 functionality and data sync was not happening. VMS client live operations were getting hampered during this operation. Phase 1 was working on H.264 compression, phase 2 needed to be on H.265. Camera’s firmware was different and to get Phase 1 and Phase 2 cameras on single client Servers; client machines upgrade was suggested by old OEM. As network and networking equipment were getting old so multicast was an issue. Bandwidth requirement was getting out of control. As some of the system were old and some were getting updated integration was an issue. Vital Solutions provided by Arohi – with fully scalable system thinking about future. Zero-downtime failover In traditional VMS environments, a system crash usually triggers a frantic 15-minute scramble to restore services. Arohi has eliminated this window entirely. Through an intelligent auto-switching architecture, the transition from Data Centre (DC) to Disaster Recovery (DR) – and back again – is instantaneous. It’s the ‘seamless’ promise that vendors often make but rarely deliver; here, it’s an operational reality where neither the user nor the network admin feels the shift. Continuity without compromise Redundancy is useless if data is lost in the handoff. Where legacy systems suffer from ‘data amnesia’ during failover, Arohi maintains persistent, real-time synchronization. The N+1 architecture finally functions as intended – a reliable, redundant lifecycle that preserves data integrity from the first byte to the last, regardless of hardware status. Codec agility Arohi’s unified interface handles both H.264 and H.265 streams simultaneously. This allows organizations to modernize their camera fleets incrementally deploying high-efficiency H.265 hardware where it’s most critical while protecting the RoI of existing H.264 assets – with no upgradation in VMS server, no upgradation in VMS client, no upgradation in GPU, No forced Hardware migrations. Intelligent network adaptation Bandwidth is a finite resource, and Arohi treats it with respect. The streaming server dynamically selects between multicast or unicast based on live network conditions. By reading the environment in real-time, the system ensures optimal stream quality without choking the infrastructure, adapting on the fly to prevent bottlenecks. Hardware-aware optimization Arohi rejects the ‘dumb terminal’ philosophy. Instead, the software actively audits the client machine’s configuration – leveraging GPU acceleration irrespective of its version or age and local computational resources – to maximize performance. It is software that respects, and amplifies, your hardware investment. Infinite scalability Growth shouldn’t come with a performance penalty. Built on a modular foundation, Arohi scales horizontally as your operational needs expand. Whether you are adding ten cameras or ten thousand, or integrating new geographic sites, the platform maintains peak performance without requiring a fundamental redesign. Seamless ecosystem integration Arohi doesn’t just sit on the network – it talks to it. Native, two-way integration with critical systems – such as Dial 100, Face Recognition (FR) apps, and custom security platforms – eliminates the brittle APIs and ‘middleware hacks’ that plague legacy setups. Arohi speaks the native language of the modern security ecosystem. SOP liberation: Returning agility to the operator Perhaps the most transformative shift is the democratization of control. ICCC administrators are no longer tethered to vendor support for protocol changes. Arohi grants the freedom to create, modify, and deploy Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for any incident type in minutes. What once required a support ticket is now a simple administrative task, returning true agility to the people behind the consoles. Arohi delivers autonomous resilience. The modern standard is zero-disruption failover, intelligent resource utilization, and administrative sovereignty over security The Technology Revolution What separates modern surveillance is its intelligence. Mumbai’s system isn’t merely recording – it’s thinking. It actively analyses them in real-time Live feeds and all relevant details shared between Commissioner Office, Mumbai Police, Regional Viewing stations and State Disaster Management centres etc. – are breaking silos that previously hampered emergency response. Arohi VMS features Automatic Bandwidth Adaptation Technology. The system continuously monitors available network capacity and automatically adjusts the live preview streams. This ensures a smooth, jitter-free display even in environments with low or fluctuating bandwidth, The architecture leverages multi-streaming capabilities to deliver video efficiently based on the user’s needs. Look, the RoI is undeniable – automated violation detection alone cuts operational costs by 40%, but what we’re really selling here is psychological safety. When citizens see those blue indicator lights blinking, they know someone’s got their back. By building a network that is visible, responsive, and eternally awake, A significant factor in the project’s success is Arohi’s local presence. Being headquartered within the city provides unique strategic benefits. Arohi possesses a deep understanding of Mumbai’s unique urban topography and proximity ensures rapid, on-site assistance and maintenance, minimizing any possible system downtime and ensuring the ‘Unblinking Eye’ stays operational 24/7 The Arohi VMS is not a finished product; it is a platform for continuous improvement. As analytical capabilities mature and camera coverage expands, the system’s capacity to anticipate and prevent incidents will deepen. Mumbai is not simply monitoring its streets – it is actively shaping the future of urban security in India. Mumbai is redefining what it means to be a modern ‘Smart City.’ Through the power of the Arohi VMS, India’s financial capital is ensuring that its growth is matched by its security. Read More

Col Ashok Kumar Singh (Retd.)Senior Security Consultant and Thought Leader A Tectonic turbulence or phenomenal convergence The friction of transition is the exact cost that progress extracts from legacy systems. True convergence occurs when compliance ceases to be a checklist and becomes an organizational culture. India’s Private Security Industry (PSI) stands as one of the largest employers of unorganized and contractual labour in the country, bridging the critical gap between public law enforcement and corporate, residential, and industrial safety. Historically characterized by fragmented labour compliance, razor-thin operating margins, and high attrition rates, the sector is experiencing a monumental legislative paradigm shift. The full implementation of the four labour codes – the Code on Wages, 2019; the Industrial Relations Code, 2020; the Code on Social Security, 2020; and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSHWC) Code, 2020 – represents a structural modernization of the nation’s employment landscape. By replacing 29 archaic Central labour laws with a streamlined, digitized, and highly integrated regulatory framework, the Government of India has fundamentally altered how human capital is priced, managed and protected. For Private Security Agencies (PSAs), this transition is not merely a routine policy update; it is an existential re-baselining. We are witnessing the formalization of India’s shadows. The private security industry, long relegated to casual compliance, is being forged by these four codes into a highly transparent, capital-grade profession. Change is not a bolt from the blue; it is a gradual convergence of forces that alters the ground we stand upon. Those who treat it as turbulence capsize; those who treat it as a compass navigate to new horizons.– Peter F. Drucker Turbulence vs. Convergence: The Industry’s Transitional State The implementation of the four labour codes introduces a dual reality for the private security industry. In the short term, agencies are grappling with operational turbulence; however, the long-term horizon signals a profound structural convergence that will formalize the sector. The phase of short-term turbulence The immediate aftermath of the notification of rules reveals significant friction points for PSAs across several distinct operational domains: The destination of long-term convergence Once the initial disruptions subside, the legislative framework steers the industry toward highly beneficial market convergence: Social Elevation of Security Personnel: From Invisible Labor to Formal Workforce At its core, the social narrative of the new labour codes centres on human dignity, formalization, and equity. Security guards in India have historically occupied a vulnerable position within the unorganized labour landscape, frequently subject to systemic underpayment, extended working hours without overtime compensation, and a lack of social safety nets. The codes systematically dismantle these vulnerabilities, driving a profound socio-economic upgrade. Universal wage security and the floor wage paradigm The Code on Wages introduces a statutory right to minimum wages for all workers, removing previous occupational exclusions that left sections of the security workforce unprotected. Crucially, the establishment of a National Floor Wage by the Central Government prevents state governments from setting minimum wages below a baseline standard of living. For the security guard, this ensures that geographic migration no longer means slipping beneath the poverty line. Furthermore, the explicit prohibition of gender-based discrimination in recruitment and compensation fosters a more inclusive environment, accelerating the formal deployment of female security personnel in retail, corporate, and logistics sectors. Comprehensive social security net and portability The Code on Social Security expands protections by linking benefits directly to an individual’s universal identity via Aadhaar-linked electronic portfolios. Feature Legacy System Framework New Labour Code Paradigm Impact on Security Personnel Gratuity Eligibility Requires 5 continuous years of service with a single employer. Reduced to 1 year for Fixed-Term Employees (FTEs). Guards on fixed annual site contracts are no longer deprived of gratuity accumulations. Social Security Portability Fragmented accounts; benefits frequently lost during employer transitions. Unified, Aadhaar-linked digital accounts. Guard retains accumulated PF and pension credits seamlessly when moving between agencies. Accident & Disability Cover Heavily reliant on slow-moving judicial paths under the Employee’s Compensation Act. Direct integration into expanded ESI and dedicated central welfare funds. Immediate access to healthcare and income rehabilitation following workplace injuries. The true measure of an industry’s maturity is not the wealth of its corporations, but the social mobility of its frontline personnel. Formalization is the bridge from invisible labour to dignified citizenship Workplace dignity, health, and safety Under the OSHWC Code, the psychological and physical environment of the security guard undergoes a structural upgrade: Dissecting the Compliance Matrix for PSAs To thrive under the new regulatory regime, PSAs must master a highly digitized, integrated compliance matrix. The strategy shifts from reactive management to real-time digital auditing. Navigating the unified definition of ‘wages’ The operational challenge lies in managing the 50% basic wage rule. The Code on Wages defines ‘Wages’ comprehensively while explicitly detailing exclusions (such as HRA, overtime, bonus, and specific allowances). If the sum of these exclusions exceeds 50% of the total remuneration package, the excess amount is automatically pulled back into the ‘Wages’ basket for calculation purposes. This dynamic directly alters an agency’s cost projections. Every PSA must audit its current payroll engines to ensure that basic pay plus dearness allowance complies with this threshold, preventing massive retroactive liabilities during future inspections. Operational adjustments under the OSHWC code Managing deployment schedules within strict statutory limits requires careful oversight. The code caps standard daily shifts at 8 hours, with total weekly hours limited to 48. While overtime is permitted, it is subject to clear daily and quarterly ceilings, and every hour of overtime must be paid at double the ordinary wage rate. Furthermore, the threshold for contract labour registration has been raised from 20 to 50 or more contract workers. This offers administrative relief to smaller operations, but larger, enterprise-grade PSAs must maintain precise digital registers to track hours, shift rotations, and overtime calculations across multiple client locations. The transition from inspection to facilitation The legacy, highly punitive ‘Inspector Raj’ has been replaced by the Inspector-cum-Facilitator model. The primary focus shifts toward guidance, compliance facilitation, and technology-driven transparency: When we change an individual’s designation…

Kunwar Vikram SinghChairman, Central Association of Private Security Industry ( CAPSI ) The aspiration to elevate the private security sector to the highest standards of professional efficiency and public trust is not merely a personal wish – it is an urgent national imperative. In a country like India, where the demand for safety and risk mitigation is expanding across urban and rural landscapes alike, the private security industry has emerged as a silent but indispensable pillar of stability. From safeguarding critical infrastructure and corporate assets to protecting residential communities and public spaces, the sector touches millions of lives every single day. Yet, despite its scale and significance, it continues to operate far below its true potential. My vision is clear – the private security sector must transform from a manpower-driven service into a knowledge-led, technology-enabled profession grounded in discipline, ethics, and accountability. Professional efficiency begins with training. A security professional must not merely be a guard – but a skilled ‘Guarding Officer,’ equipped with situational awareness, emergency response capabilities, and a deep understanding of human behavior. Standardized, high-quality training modules, aligned with global benchmarks, are essential. Continuous upskilling, certification, and specialization must become the norm rather than the exception. Equally important is the integration of technology. The future of security lies in the intelligent use of AI-driven surveillance, data analytics, remote monitoring, and predictive threat assessment. The human resource must be complemented – not replaced – by smart systems that enhance decision-making and response times. A modern security workforce must be as comfortable with digital tools as it is with physical vigilance. However, efficiency without trust is hollow. Trust is the true currency of the security profession. It is earned through integrity, transparency, and consistency in service delivery. Every security agency must adopt strict compliance standards, adhere to regulatory frameworks, and embrace ethical practices. Background verification, accountability mechanisms, and professional conduct must be non-negotiable pillars of the industry. There is also a pressing need to address the perception challenge. Security personnel are often undervalued, seen as low-skilled labor rather than trained professionals. This mindset must change. By improving nomenclature, career progression pathways, wages, and working conditions, we can attract educated youth and instill pride in the profession. A respected workforce naturally delivers higher standards of service. Policy support will play a decisive role. Effective implementation of the Private Security Agencies Regulation Act (PSARA), faster licensing processes, and institutional support for capacity building can unlock tremendous growth. Public-private partnerships can further strengthen the ecosystem, especially in areas of national importance such as critical infrastructure protection and disaster response. India has the potential to become a global leader in private security services. With over 10 million personnel and growing at an impressive pace, the sector can not only meet domestic needs but also export skilled security professionals worldwide. But this will only happen if we commit to excellence today. This is more than an industry transformation – it is a mission. A mission to build a security ecosystem that inspires confidence, commands respect, and delivers uncompromised protection. The journey to the highest levels of professional efficiency and trust is challenging, but it is achievable. And it must begin now. Read More

Capt Garry SinghPresidentIIRIS Consulting Why Human Responsibility Must Rise as AI Transforms the World New Age Imperatives for Upskilling & Readiness Artificial Intelligence is no longer a future possibility – it is the world’s new operating system. Nations, companies, and individuals are rapidly integrating AI across decision-making, security, healthcare, finance, governance, and even warfare. What was once considered an emerging technology has now become a defining force shaping the future of economies, industries, and societies worldwide. However, with this historic technological transformation comes an equally important responsibility. As Artificial Intelligence grows stronger and more influential, human intelligence must become more accountable, more skilled, and more prepared than ever before. AI can accelerate processes, optimise systems, and analyse data at unimaginable speed, but it still depends on human judgment, ethics, and responsibility for meaningful and safe outcomes. Like every powerful tool in history, AI amplifies the intent and capability of those who wield it – whether governments, corporations, professionals, or cybercriminal organisations. This makes human oversight, strategic thinking, and ethical decision-making the most critical assets of the coming decade. Present Stage The world is already witnessing an unprecedented shift towards AI-driven ecosystems. According to global studies, nearly 58% of employees worldwide are already using AI regularly at work as of 2025, with adoption rates highest in countries such as India, China, Nigeria, and Brazil. This clearly indicates that AI is no longer limited to technology companies alone – it has become a mainstream workplace reality. At the same time, experts estimate that nearly 80% of the global workforce will require reskilling or upskilling by 2026 in order to work effectively alongside AI systems. Traditional job roles are evolving rapidly, and new-age capabilities such as AI literacy, data understanding, cybersecurity awareness, and critical thinking are becoming essential across industries. The economic implications are equally massive. The World Economic Forum estimates that Artificial Intelligence could contribute nearly $15 trillion to the global economy, but only those countries and organisations that invest heavily in human learning and workforce preparedness will truly benefit from this transformation. The message is becoming increasingly clear – AI is not simply changing industries – it is redefining national competitiveness and future readiness. Global Pivot Towards AI The world is not just adopting AI; it is reorganising itself around it. Governments across the globe are embedding Artificial Intelligence into healthcare systems, defence strategies, public services, national security operations, and economic planning. Corporates are redesigning workflows, business models, operational systems, and workforce structures to maximise AI-driven efficiencies. Even small and medium businesses are using AI tools for sales forecasting, customer engagement, cyber protection, and financial management. This global pivot towards AI is creating a new international reality where technological leadership is becoming a strategic advantage. Nations that master AI ecosystems will shape future economic and geopolitical influence, while those that fail to adapt risk being left behind. The message is unmistakable: AI leadership is becoming national strategy. Artificial Intelligence is no longer a future possibility – it is the world’s new operating system. Nations, companies, and individuals are rapidly integrating AI across decision-making, security, healthcare, finance, governance, and even warfare. What was once considered an emerging technology has now become a defining force shaping the future of economies, industries, and societies worldwide The Skills Crisis Even as AI capability rises exponentially, human capability is struggling to keep pace. This widening gap is emerging as one of the biggest challenges of the modern era. Reports reveal that only 1 in 50 AI investments succeeds effectively, largely due to the lack of adequate human capability, training, and organisational preparedness. Many institutions are investing heavily in technology without equally investing in the people who must manage, govern, and work alongside these systems. Furthermore, nearly 70% of employers now consider AI skills more important than traditional computer literacy. This marks a significant shift in workforce expectations, where adaptability and technological understanding are becoming essential employability criteria. Interestingly, organisations that actively provide AI learning and development opportunities are witnessing approximately 34% higher employee retention, demonstrating that workforce empowerment and learning culture are becoming competitive advantages in themselves. The skills crisis therefore is not only a technological issue – it is a leadership, education, and policy challenge. Significance Despite its immense capabilities, Artificial Intelligence still has fundamental limitations. AI can calculate, predict, analyse, automate, and optimise – but it cannot be morally accountable. It cannot independently understand ethics, empathy, responsibility, or the broader human consequences of decisions. This is precisely why human intelligence becomes even more significant in the age of AI. Humans must continue to lead in areas that require setting strategic direction, exercising judgment. managing ambiguity, owning consequences, ethical decision-making, and human-centric governance. Without strong human capability and oversight, AI systems can unintentionally accelerate errors, bias, fraud, cyber manipulation, misinformation, and systemic risks at massive scale. In critical sectors such as healthcare, defence, policing, and finance, irresponsible or unchecked AI deployment can have serious societal and national consequences. The challenge therefore is not whether AI will replace humans, but whether humans will prepare themselves adequately to lead AI responsibly. Where is the Solution? The solution lies in building stronger human intelligence alongside stronger artificial intelligence. Mass upskilling & reskilling AI literacy, data literacy, cybersecurity basics, analytical capability, and critical thinking must become mainstream skills across sectors and professions. Continuous learning can no longer remain optional in the AI era. Policy modernisation Governments must establish national AI standards, responsible-use regulations, workforce readiness mandates, and ethical governance frameworks to ensure balanced and secure AI growth. Industry responsibility Corporates must treat AI training and workforce development as essential infrastructure investment rather than optional learning expenditure. Organisations that empower employees with AI readiness will remain future competitive. Human-centric AI governance Humans must continue to remain in control of critical decisions, particularly in sectors such as healthcare, finance, policing, defence, and public safety. AI should augment human intelligence—not replace human accountability. Conclusion Human intelligence must not shrink in the age of Artificial Intelligence. Instead, it must rise—stronger, sharper, more…