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Hikvision India premiered its advanced security products and solutions with a smart display at the IFSEC India Security Expo 2021. The trending transformative technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics and IoT Security Tech got an overwhelming response from the visitors. The 14th edition of IFSEC India Security Expo organized by Informa Markets at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from 9-11 Dec, 2021, the flagship event of Indian security industry turned out to be a resounding success for the key security industry stakeholders. The overwhelming response from the security industry and relevant visitors exceeded the expectations. Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, Minister of State (MoS), Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and Kaushal Kishore, Minister of State, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) were the Chief Guests at the inaugural session of IFSEC India Security Expo 2021. After the lamp lighting ceremony and Ganesh Vandana, they addressed the gathering by emphasizing on the ‘Makein-India’ vision and the key role of the security industry in securing the nation, its assets and people. While speaking on the high octane IFSEC India experience, Ashish P. Dhakan, MD & CEO, Prama Hikvision India Pvt. Ltd. said, “We have got a very good response at the IFSEC India Security Expo 2021. We would like to term it as a collaborative success. This time IFSEC India returned with resounding success for a big restart. It was good for us in terms of footfall and security industry specific visitors.” He further added, “Hikvision India showcased bespoke technological innovations in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics Technologies. We unveiled the latest products and solutions in the video security, access control, intrusion alarm, inspection and perimeter security segments. We also introduced mobile robot products, machine vision products and logistic vision solutions.” The key highlights of the technologies and solutions on display at Hikvision India booth, included AI product, Hikvision ColorVu technology, Hikvision AcuSense technology, command control center, Hikcentral, smart parking solution, intelligent traffic system, smart home cameras (EZVIZ), video intercom, security inspection products, AX series alarm system, HeatPro thermal cameras, professional transmission solution, Webcams and smart storage solutions. The booth also showcased solutions by scenarios theme for apartment buildings, factories, logistic park, offices and stores. Hikvision India booth showcased its advanced security solutions across product categories and conducted various fringe programs, including quiz contests to engage the visitors. To bring the live show experience to the online audience, Hikvision India also live streamed the glimpses and key product demonstrations at the booth via YouTube live on Hikvision India YouTube channel. IFSEC India Security Expo 2021 was organized with over 150 brands from over 10 countries to participate. IFSEC India exhibition cum conference has always been the platform of choice for security device manufacturers, system integrators and security practitioners cutting across industry verticals and government organisations. This year the event hosted key industry buyers and decision makers from among government and PSUs, CSOs, system integrators, partners, consultants and end-user community in the security domain. As part of the endeavour to bring key stakeholders in the security domain on one platform and to deliberate on new-age challenges to security of cities and organizations, IFSEC India conducted a two-day conference on 9th and 10th December at the same venue with the theme – Gearing up for New-Age Security Threats. Hikvision India participated in the IFSEC India Conference on 9th December with a presentation on the theme – ‘Make-in-India’ Manufacturing Roadmap and Smart security Technologies. The presentation was done by Gagan Lamba, Vice President, Enterprise Verticals, Prama Hikvision India Pvt. Ltd. On 10th December at the IFSEC India conference, Hikvision India was represented by Ashish Gujarathi, Assistant Vice President (AVP), Non -CCTV Products (access control, intrusion alarm, inspection and perimeter security), Prama Hikvision India Pvt. Ltd. The panel discussion was on a theme ‘Technologies that make Security Systems Smarter, Intelligent and more Versatile.’ It was moderated by Ajay Gupta, Co-Chair, Smart Cities Working Group, IET Future Tech Panel, Head of Sales & Strategy at SCS Tech India. Hikvision India was the Premier Plus Partner of IFSEC India Security Expo 2021. The event was supported by some of the leading the associations, including APSA (Asian Professional Security Association) and FOCUS (Forum of Critical Utility Services) etc. Ornately designed with wide range of products and solutions at display Hikvision booth was the center of attraction at the event. Hikvision has received overwhelming response from the key partners, trade visitors and key stakeholders at the IFSEC India. Also Read:- New Hikvision HikCentral Software Makes Access Control and Time Attendance Management Easy

Anil Puri CMD, APS group A first generation serial entrepreneur, thought leader and an action catalyzer rolled into one – Anil Puri is a rare combination of a visionary, an innovator and a strategic thinker. He has used this combination to innovate and implement on-ground many new business ideas. His rich experience in various businesses has enabled him to nurture & mentor innovative ideas and scale them up. INTRODUCTION Having been viewed as a ‘male preserve’ for many years, the security industry now finally realises the value and contribution of women. This is visible not only in the growing numbers of female security professionals, but also with more women taking leadership roles in organisations. Our female forebearers struggled to gain the rightful recognition they deserved, but as society has changed so too have attitudes. Women are now seen as equals, but our industry still has a disproportionate balance in favour of men. For many years now, women have made their impact known throughout the industry, and the numbers of successful women in security seems to increase every year emphasizing the growing importance of women managers in this field. The convergence of physical and cyber security is advancing quickly, which is helping to expand the role of women in physical security. More IT professionals have crossed over to the physical security systems world, and as a result, more women are engaging and operating in this space. During the past decade, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of women in leadership roles within in the security profession. More and more women are holding executive-level jobs in organizations across the globe. Women entering security in junior-level positions are quickly and remarkably climbing the organizational ladder of success. Women have been adding credibility to security organizations and have also been observed to be infusing respect in the processes and approaches of such organizations. Women no longer have narrowly defined roles in security. They can now enter any position – be that technical, managerial or right at the coalface of physical security. I am also pleased to see women recognised in security industry awards, reflecting our overall success. Ultimately, we need to reach a stage where gender isn’t even a factor and individuals are judged on their professional skills alone. These are some primary reasons why innovative and forward-thinking security organizations are hiring more women and placing more women in managerial roles. The keen eye for details and the depth of creativity and technical knowledge are key points that have drawn the attention of leadership in security organizations towards women employees who show promising potential. Now, women are moving into sales and business roles with direct P&L responsibility, as well as a wide variety of jobs within the security industry. There are women technicians, security officers, integrators, business heads, and business owners – Managing Directors. WHAT POSSIBLY COULD HAVE BEEN THE REASONS WOMEN CHOOSE NOT TO PURSUE A CAREER IN SECURITY I often ponder on it as to why it took us so long to reach this change and most of time I reach to a cluster of numerous likely reasons out of which I have summarized a few very obvious ones below: Security is a male-dominated industry. Sexual exploitation is still prevalent in the sector. Fears that gender will impede career progression. The perception that security work is unsafe for women. Lack of female role models, particularly in higher positions. The belief that typical ‘female’ characteristics will be seen as inferior. The misconception that men are stronger and only fit into security cloak. The idea that the security work is incompatible with family life. Evidence that female security staff face high levels of discrimination, sexual harassment, and bullying. Perceived lack of opportunities for women within the industry CHALLENGES Possibly the reasons above may not form the full explanation. Therefore, I find it essential to delve into the challenges which dwarfed the women entry into security domain for so long. The key challenges which come to my mind could have been substantial to navigate: Stereotyped roles offered to women as the Admin/ HR or marketing person. Difficult & inflexible work culture for the working mum. Stereotypical view of the PSI dominated by the law enforcement officers. Lack of formal training in the technical aspects of security domain. Perceptional deficit of the broad nature of the security and PSI. Criteria of the requisite experience to move on to senior roles OPPORTUNITIES The uncertain and changing times we all live in have increased the focus on security and risk services, creating a whole new world of opportunities and career paths within the industry that were not available previously. There are increased education options available now in security, criminal justice and terrorism studies than ever before, leading to job titles and career progression that didn’t exist 10 years ago. Increasing reliance on technology and networking means that women can enter the industry from IT, cyber security or other technology backgrounds, which increases the pool of knowledgeable professionals available. Any person entering the security industry now has more options than ever before, which is an exciting time for the industry. There are tremendous opportunities for women in our industry at all stages of their lives. They can do full time, part time or casual work. Part time and casual positions for team leaders, supervisors and operations managers allow women to reduce their hours while they raise a family and progress their career. Flexible hours with four to 12 hour shifts also allow people to work while studying right through to semi-retirement. There are many security roles where women are valued. Hence, opportunities are vast and endless in the right company. In the technical sector the components are small, light and easily managed. The work is relatively clean and mentally quite challenging. The potential career paths which women could have besides Admin, HR, Sales/ Marketing in PSI: Consultant – Security, safety & Quality Assurance (QA). Company Secretary & Legal. Quality Assurance Manager. Risk Management Professional. Loss…

Fortinet®, a global player in broad, integrated and automated cybersecurity solutions, recently announced the industry’s most complete solution to enable organizations to secure and connect work-from-anywhere. By unifying Fortinet’s broad portfolio of zero trust, endpoint, and network security solutions within the Fortinet Security Fabric, Fortinet delivers security, services, and threat intelligence that seamlessly follow users whether on the road, at home, or in the office to provide enterprise-grade protection and productivity. These capabilities – designed for the way business is done in the Work-from-Anywhere Era – are available now. Work-from-anywhere expands to benefit workers and cybercriminals The COVID-19 pandemic has surfaced as the forcing function that greatly expanded the work-from-anywhere model. A forecast analysis from Gartner® reveals, “by the end of 2024, the change in the nature of work will increase the total available remote worker market to 60% of all employees, up from 52% in 2020.” Also according to Gartner, “Organizations are facing a hybrid future, with 75% of hybrid or remote knowledge workers saying their expectations for working flexibly have increased.” At the same time, multi-stage sophisticated attacks like ransomware are plaguing organizations at an increasing rate. According to the 1H Global Threat Landscape Report from FortiGuard Labs, ransomware incidents have increased nearly 1100% from June 2020 to June 2021. And in a recent global ransomware survey conducted by Fortinet, an astonishing 67% of organizations report having been a ransomware target. It’s clear that remote and hybrid work is now the status quo and cybercriminals will continue to take advantage of this expanded attack surface. To address the shift in the workforce and threat landscape, enterprises must now take a ‘work-from-anywhere’ approach to their security by deploying solutions capable of following, enabling, and protecting users no matter where they are located. Fortinet delivers security built for work-from-anywhere As users move between travel, office, and home, they access applications from the cloud, data center or SaaS. Because of this continual flux, it’s imperative that zero trust, endpoint, and network security are all unified by a common set of APIs and integration points to ensure users can seamlessly shift from one location to another, enjoying a consistent user experience that is adequately protected with contextual security. Fortinet is the only vendor capable of delivering this unification to enable security customized depending on where users are and what they are accessing. Here’s how Fortinet enables the three use cases of work-from-anywhere: Travel: Users working outside the office or primary remote space (and the layered security it provides) potentially introduce unique threat exposure when connecting to the applications and resources necessary for work while using unknown and often unsecured networks and locations. This enables cybercriminals to snoop on exposed communications or launch attacks from inadequately protected devices. To secure users on the go, Fortinet delivers an integrated combination of: Endpoint Security: EPP, EDR, XDR (FortiEDR, FortiXDR). Zero Trust Access: ZTNA (FortiClient, FortiOS, FortiGate) + Identity (FortiAuthenticator, FortiToken). Network Security: SASE (FortiSASE Remote). “Empowering users to move seamlessly between different work environments has critical implications for maintaining user productivity as well as security. Cybercriminals have been quick to exploit the expanded attack surface and security gaps created by this shift in work patterns to get a foothold into the corporate network. Today’s enterprise organizations require work-from-anywhere security that is as flexible and dynamic as today’s business demands. Fortinet is the only vendor capable of delivering unified security built for the Work-from-Anywhere Era that seamlessly adapts based on a user’s environment and risk profile” Rajesh Maurya Regional Vice President, India & SAARC at Fortinet Work-from-Home: Remote and hybrid employees typically log in from a set remote location that has some infrastructure to enable work such as a monitor, home network, and external webcam and microphone. However, home networks are full of non-secure IoT devices as well as other users who might be consuming bandwidth with productivity-reducing video streaming or online gaming. They are also often outside the security of the corporate network and its controls. To provide managed, enterprise-grade security to users at home, Fortinet delivers an integrated combination of: Endpoint Security: EPP, EDR, XDR (FortiEDR, FortiXDR) Zero Trust Access: ZTNA (FortiClient, FortiOS, FortiGate) + Identity (FortiAuthenticator, FortiToken) Network Security: Linksys HomeWRK for Business – Secured by Fortinet Office: Even when users are working from a location managed by the organization that provides networking and security to employees, strong endpoint security remains an important part of a layered defense given the potential for vulnerabilities to be exploited or third parties to be compromised, providing an entry point for cybercriminals to bypass corporate controls. To secure users, devices, and servers in the office, Fortinet delivers an integrated combination of: Endpoint Security: EPP, EDR, XDR (FortiEDR, FortiXDR). Zero Trust Access: ZTNA (FortiClient, FortiOS, FortiGate) + Identity (FortiAuthenticator, FortiToken). Network Security: Next-generation Firewall (FortiGate + FortiGate-VM). All of the above are available as part of the Fortinet Security Fabric for stronger security, easier management, and superior total cost of ownership. Fortinet is the only vendor to support ZTNA across travel, office, and work-from-home, and is the only vendor capable of delivering all the required components to support the three use cases of work-from-anywhere as part of an integrated and automated cybersecurity platform. Simplifying services to support work-from-anywhere To further accelerate secure work-from-anywhere, Fortinet is committed to expanding its FortiTrust security as a service portfolio, which offers simplified consumption and unified licensing models designed for the way companies do business in the work-from-anywhere era. Unlike most complicated licensing that includes a mixture of device-based, appliance-based, and cloud-based fees, FortiTrust brings everything together under one user-based license that seamlessly follows users across any environment or form factor. This allows organizations to dynamically adapt to work-from-anywhere challenges such as shifting connectivity needs, hybrid workers, or resources that may need to move back and forth between physical and virtual environments and form factors. FortiTrust’s simplified licensing model allows true network flexibility and enables organizations to easily deploy new technologies designed for dynamic networks. Work-from-anywhere security enhanced with AI/ ML-driven threat…

Cyberspace saw the holding of the mammoth International Conference on Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity, organized by Cyberlaws.Net and Pavan Duggal Associates, Advocates from 24th to 26th November, 2021. The Conference 2021 was supported by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India; Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law & Justice, Government of India; Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India; and also by the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India alongwith various international and national organizations and institutions. The Conference 2021 had 44 different sessions with more than 165 speakers over three-day deliberations from different parts of the world. The conference discussed and deliberated upon some of the important aspects, issues and challenges concerning cyberspace. In the past years, the International Conference on Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity has been supported by 125+ international and national organizations. These include UNESCO, ITU, and UNU-EGOV in the UN Family, as also by Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications, Europol Cybercrime Centre, Interpol, Internet Society, World Federation of Scientists, International Association of Prosecutors, Global Prosecutors E-Crime Network and Asia Cloud Computing Association. The world’s famous International Conference on Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity, saw a glittering inaugural ceremony on 24th November, 2021. This annual Conference, which has become the only authoritative Conference in the world looking at the intersection of Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity, got off to a flying start. The conference was virtually inaugurated by Hon’ble Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Judge, Supreme Court of India. Inaugurating the Conference, Hon’ble Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, highlighted the significance of Internet for societies and the massive misuse of Internet that is emerging across the world. He also highlighted the need to have greater knowledge about Cyberlaw and various cyberspace related aspects concerning the law enforcement agencies, prosecuting agencies and the courts of law. He particularly also highlighted how the Internet is being used to target the sovereignty of countries, which is emerging as a big trend which need to be appropriately addressed. He flagged the tremendous increase in cyber terror and cybercrime cases and advocated the need for judiciary to adopt more proactive approach towards cyberspace related issues and challenges. While talking about the access to justice and virtualization of courts, he emphasized on the need of ensuring access to justice to the last man. The inauguration of the conference was further addressed by various national and international dignitaries including Vint Cerf, Chief Evangelist, Google and the Father of the Internet; Dr. Hamadoun Toure, Former Secretary General of International Telecommunications Union & Former Minister of Communication and Digital Economy Government of Mali; Ms. Renu Pall, Additional Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs; Alfredo M. Ronchi, General Secretary of the European Commission-MEDICI Framework; R. Adm. Mohit Gupta, VSM, Director General, Defence Cyber Agency, Government of India; Prof. Sarah Jane Fox, Associate Professor in the School of Justice, Security and Sustainability at Staffordshire University; Ms. Rosa Delgado, Chair/ International Consultant of Internet of Things (IoT), New Internet (IPv6) and Internet Top Level Domain Names; and Hon’ble Justice Rajesh Bindal, Chief Justice, High Court of Judicature at Allahabad. The conference was addressed by Hon’ble Justice Madan B. Lokur, Former Judge, Supreme Court of India and presently Judge at Supreme Court of Fiji, who highlighted various pressing challenges of cyberspace which need to be addressed internationally and also in India. In his sterling Cyberlaw session, the Conference Director Dr. Pavan Duggal specifically spoke about the evolving legal landscape, as far as Cyberlaw across the world is concerned. He highlighted the distinctive new trends in Cyberspace due to COVID-19 and how there is a need for addressing the same. He specifically addressed the need for expeditious evolving of norms of behavior in cyberspace. He emphasized on how distinctive national approaches on cyber security can become a predominant approach for regulating security and why there is a distinctive need for coming up with international common denominators to deal with cyber security regulation at global level. He also highlighted various cyber legal challenges that emerging technologies like artificial intelligence have brought forward to the world at large. The three-day of the conference marked massive discussions, deliberations and debates amongst various stakeholders. The conference had different sessions relating to Covid-19 and its impact on cyberlaw, cybercrime & cyber security, darknet, regulating artificial intelligence, freedom of speech online, digital transformation etc. on the second day. The remarkable capacity of the conference was its unique multi-stakeholder approach where attendees saw different stakeholders from different verticals coming in, deliberating, discussing and analyzing not just the present trends but also the future trends that are emerging on the horizon concerning cyberspace issues and how appropriate proactive approaches need to be adopted in this regard. The conference specifically talked about darknet, personal privacy in cyberspace. The conference also talked about artificial intelligence, cybercrime and cyber security. Other sessions of the conference include norms of behaviour in cyberspace, Cybercrimes, Trolling, Cyber Bullying, Cyber Harassment & Cyber Nuisance, Critical Information Infrastructure Protection, Free Speech Online, Cryptocurrencies, Blockchain etc. The Conference was addressed by distinguished global experts and thought leaders as also Indian digital thought leaders and important towering personalities in the digital world including Lt. Gen. Rajesh Pant, National Cyber Security Coordinator, Government of India; Hon’ble Ms. Justice Gita Mittal, Former Chief Justice, Jammu & Kashmir High Court; Alfredo M. Ronchi, Secretary General, EC MEDICI; Alan Brill, Managing Director, Kroll; Dr. Triveni Singh, Superintendent of Police, Cybercrimes, Uttar Pradesh Police; Harshdeep Marwah, Chief Growth Officer, iValue Info Solutions Pvt. Ltd.; Kenneth Adu-Amanfoh, Member (Security & Intelligence) Africa Cybersecurity and Digital Rights Organisation (ACDRO); Ajit Balakrishnan, Founder and CEO, Rediff.Com; and Prof. Dr. Christoph Stueckelberger, Founder and President, Globethics. Net amongst others. The conference had a unique format where interactivity amongst the panelists and the audience was highlighted. There were immense discussions and debates amongst the participants of the conference on coming up with new approaches on how to deal with newly emerging cyberspace issues. The valedictory session of the Conference was addressed by Hon’ble Justice Anup Bhambani,…

Hikvision India had participated in the 9th edition of TrafficInfraTech Expo 2021 to showcase the latest technologies, products and solutions for the India’s fast growing transportation sector. The Asia’s largest integrated expo on traffic transport, parking and smart mobility was recently organized at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The ornately designed booth at the expo showcased Hikvision’s latest solutions for transport security, traffic safety and smart mobility segments. It was one of the well-organized exhibitions after lifting of pandemic restrictions. “India’s transportation sector is fast evolving with the latest smart mobility trends and security solutions. We at Hikvision India are offering innovative solutions for the various transportation segments. The Trafficinfratech Expo continues to be a relevant platform to demonstrate the latest technologies, products and solutions to the key stakeholders of the transportation ecosystem,” said Ashish P. Dhakan, MD & CEO, Prama Hikvision India Pvt. Ltd. At the expo Hikvision showcased its latest products and solutions, including intelligent traffic management solutions (ITMS), mobile solutions, automatic number plate recognition solution (ANPR), artificial intelligence (AI) technology applications, vehicle surveillance, smart parking solutions, smart boom barriers, command and control, under vehicle surveillance solution (UVSS), emergency call box (ECB) and smart pole etc. The three-day Smart Mobility Conference was organised with the TrafficinfraTech Expo covered eclectic mix of contemporary themes on transportation, traffic management, logistics, mobility, smart cities parking management. The opening session started with address by Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Member, Niti Aayog. On the first day of the Smart Mobility Conference the Session II – round table discussion was on the theme ‘Effective Collaboration among Government, Infra Developers & Technology Providers for Highways and Urban Project.’ Rajiv Arora, National Manager-Roadways and Waterways, Prama Hikvision India Pvt. Ltd., gave a detailed presentation about Hikvision’s wide range of transportation solutions. It was followed by a panel discussion with eminent panelists, Amit kumar Ghosh, Additional Secretary Highway, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, R.K. Pandey, Member (Projects), National highways Authority of India, S.K. Nirmal, Secretary General, Indian Roads Congress and additional Director General Ministry of road Transport & Highways, and J.K. Goyal, Senior Principal Scientist- Bridges and structures Division, CSIR-CRRI. During the session these policy makers addressed the issues put forward by the infrastructure companies and technology providers. The Smart Mobility Conference had contemporary transportation themes and insightful panel discussions for three consecutive days. The conference got an overwhelming response from the conference delegates. The TrafficInfraTech Expo 2021 provided a networking forum for government representatives, experts, project heads, system integrators and service providers to collectively find solutions to urban transport challenges. The event got concluded with relevant insights on latest updates on the India’s transportation sector.  

Anil Puri CMD, APS group A first generation serial entrepreneur, thought leader and an action catalyzer rolled into one – Anil Puri is a rare combination of a visionary, an innovator and a strategic thinker. He has used this combination to innovate and implement on-ground many new business ideas. His rich experience in various businesses has enabled him to nurture & mentor innovative ideas and scale them up. Introduction The interpretations, connotations and comprehensions about the ‘only public’ character of security is undergoing metamorphosis. A large part of this change is attributed to the phenomenal rise of private security. In the recent past, the private security has witnessed a rapid growth both in terms of quantity as well as quality. A host of factors are responsible for this including – cost, accessibility, flexibility, perception of security and the limitations of public security. Private security has provided many security seekers with a 24×7 kind of reliable and cost-effective option for safeguarding their life as well as property. The internal security in India has been marred by the feelings of all pervasive deep ‘insecurity’ amongst the citizens on account of innumerable challenges. The challenges include persistent terrorist activities, growing spatial spread and consolidation of Naxalism, simmering social fault-lines of caste, religion, gender, ethnicity, region and language, crisis of governance including the failure of Police to enforce the rule of law; rising crime rate; dilatory and ineffective criminal justice system and politicized and unprofessional approach of Police. It is pertinent to mention here that shortage of manpower is one of the key factors hampering the public security in overcoming these challenges. The heightened threat perceptions emanating from terrorism and other disruptive issues have also pushed individuals and companies to look for tailor-made and reliable security beyond public security. No wonder, the number of private security agencies and private security personnel have increased manifold. The growth is also visible in terms of foray of private security agencies into multiple sectors including banks, industries, education, hospitals, hotels, shopping malls and airports around the world. In case of certain agencies, a great deal of specialization has also been seen. Private investments in security continue to expand and public/ private partnerships of myriad types proliferate, even as budgets for public policing stall or decline. Current Shape of the Relationship The boundary between public and private security is messy and complex. Police executives deal with some aspect of it almost every day. The police and private security, both function in order to provide security. The orientation, though, is different on account of public law enforcement functions being society- or community-oriented, whereas private security functions are essentially client-oriented. In this context while the public police acted in the public interest, private police acted for private interests that were often, if not always, at odds with the public interest. Further, there are limitations on private security personnel in terms of the possession and exercise of police powers – that is, the power of arrest. These differences, however, do not wean us away from realizing that for the sake of security at large, their roles should be complementary in nature. A state-centred view saw order maintenance as a quintessential function of government. In recent decades, a laissez faire view has emerged that celebrates ‘private-public partnerships’ and sees private policing as an industry providing both a service and a public benefit. Public law enforcement and private security agencies should work closely together, because their respective roles are complementary in the effort to control crime. Indeed, the magnitude of the nation’s crime problem should preclude any form of competition between the two. In spite of the emphasis on the advantages of working together and complimentary roles of the police and private security, there are issues of concern between the two causing strains in their relationship. However, continued growth in the private sector has forced the two sides to coexist. PSARA 2005, Central Model Rules 2020 and Rules framed by the State Govt. The Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act, 2005 through its provisions have also established the framework for relationship between the two agenciesthe police and private security. 4th clause of Section 7, Section 9, Section 10, Clause (1) sub clause (l) of Section 13, Clause (1), Clause (2) and Clause (3) of Section 18 and Section 21 of the Act need special mention. A look at the subsequent Rules framed by the Union as well as State Governments also reveal that there is a lot of interface between the police and private security on account of these aspects. This framework attempts to regulate the private security agencies as well as their personnel and controlling authority as well as police have been given powers in this regard. The private security agencies have raised concerns and fears of being over regulated, but when compared to the previous un-regulated era, one can easily comprehend that for the sake of standards, regulation is essential. Barriers in the Relationship As mentioned earlier, despite common goals of security and manifold benefits of cooperating, the police and private security have several issues of concern causing strains in their relationship. There is a feeling that these issues have resulted on account of misconceptions and lack of understanding about each other: Lack of mutual respect. Lack of communication. Lack of law enforcement knowledge of private security. Perceived competition between the two on the common turf of security. Lack of standards for private security personnel. Perceived corruption of police. Jurisdictional conflict. False alarm rates. Looking ahead, there is a possibility of some challenges continuing and others emerging in the context of relationship between the two. These challenges include permitting private security to enter into the areas hither to meant only for Police; understanding of the roles of each other, evolving coordination mechanisms between the two and level of arming the private security along with the requisite training balancing the public interest vis-à-vis private interest in the domain of security. It may sound radical in our context at this juncture, but five forms…

Matrix Comsec, a leading manufacturer of telecom and security products, was conferred with the prestigious 46th ELCINA Award for Excellence in Research and Development for the year 2020-21 at the glittering award ceremony held in New Delhi on 22nd October 2021. The award highlights Matrix’s commitment to R&D and its track record of launching innovative and cutting-edge products. Commenting on the achievement, Ganesh Jivani, Chief Executive of Matrix said, “We are happy to win the prestigious ELCINA Award for Excellence in Research and Development. We thank the jury for recognizing Matrix for its research, innovation and design capabilities. Matrix offers cutting-edge physical security and telecom solutions in more than 50 countries including many firstworld technologically advanced nations. With 250+ R&D engineers and world-class processes and infrastructure, Matrix is committed to designing cutting-edge high-performance solutions. This accreditation is a validation of our innovation and design capabilities that will go a long way in motivating us towards building world-class solutions.” Electronic Industries Association of India (ELCINA) is one of the largest and oldest associations in the country and was the first in India to institute the Awards for Excellence in Electronics in 1976. It recognizes the remarkable achievements of all the electronics and IT hardware companies having their R&D and manufacturing in India. With the Ministry of Electronics & IT, Government of India (MeitY) extending its support, the ELCINA Awards hold great esteem in the industry circles.  

Fortinet® a global provider of broad, integrated, and automated cybersecurity solutions, recently unveiled the 2021 Global State of Ransomware Report. The survey reveals most organizations are more concerned about ransomware than other cyberthreats. However, while the majority of organizations surveyed indicated they are prepared for a ransomware attack, including employee cyber training, risk assessment plans, and cybersecurity insurance, there was a clear gap in what many respondents viewed as essential technology solutions for protection and the technology that can best guard against the most commonly reported methods to gain entry to their networks. Based on the technologies viewed as essential, organizations were most concerned about remote workers and devices, with Secure Web Gateway, VPN and Network Access Control among the top choices. While ZTNA is an emerging technology, it should be considered a replacement for traditional VPN technology. However, most concerning was the low importance of segmentation (31%), a critical technology solution that prevents intruders from moving laterally across the network to access critical data and IP. Likewise, UEBA and sandboxing play a critical role in identifying intrusions and new malware strains, yet both were lower on the list. Another surprise was secure email gateway at 33%, given phishing was reported as a common entry method of attackers. Organizations more concerned about losing data The top concern of organizations regarding a ransomware attack was the risk of losing data, with the loss of productivity and the interruption of operations following closely behind. In addition, 84% of organizations reported having an incident response plan, and cybersecurity insurance was a part of 57% of those plans. In regards to paying ransom if attacked, the procedure for 49% was to pay the ransom outright, and for another 25%, it depends on how expensive the ransom is. Of the one-quarter who paid ransom, most, but not all, got their data back.   Ransomware Concerns Consistent Globally While concerns about ransomware were reasonably consistent across the board, there were some differences regionally. Respondents in EMEA (95%), Latin America (98%), and APJ (Asia-Pacific/ Japan) (98%) were only slightly more concerned about ransomware attacks than their peers in North America (92%). All regions perceive the loss of data as the top risk associated with a ransomware attack, along with the worry that they will be unable to keep up with an increasingly sophisticated threat landscape. APJ, uniquely, lists the lack of user awareness and training as their top concern. Respondents in APJ and Latin America were more likely to have been victims of a ransomware attack in the past (78%) compared to 59% in North America and 58% in EMEA. Phishing lures were a common attack vector everywhere, while remote desktop protocol (RDP) exploits and open vulnerable ports were top attack vectors in APJ and LatAm. The Need for Integration and Intelligence Almost all respondents view actionable threat intelligence with integrated security solutions or a platform as critical to preventing ransomware attacks and see value in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven behavioral detection capabilities. “According to a recent FortiGuard Labs Global Threat Landscape report, ransomware grew 1070% year over year. Unsurprisingly, organizations cited the evolving threat landscape as one of the top challenges in preventing ransomware attacks. As evidenced by our ransomware survey, there is a huge opportunity for the adoption of technology solutions like segmentation, SD-WAN, ZTNA, as well as SEG and EDR, to help protect against the threat of ransomware and the methods of access most commonly reported by respondents. The high amount of attacks demonstrates the urgency for organizations to ensure their security addresses the latest ransomware attack techniques across networks, endpoints, and clouds. The good news is that organizations are recognizing the value of a platform approach to ransomware defense” Rajesh Maurya Regional Vice President, India & SAARC at Fortinet While almost all of those surveyed felt they are moderately prepared and plan to invest in employee cyber awareness training, it is clear from the survey that organizations need to recognize the value of investing in technologies like advanced email security, segmentation, and sandboxing, in addition to the mainstays of NGFW, SWG, and EDR, to detect, prevent, and limit ransomware. It is important that organizations consider and evaluate these solutions to reduce risk given today’s ransomware tactics and techniques. The most advanced organizations will adopt a security approach for their ransomware protection strategy that is platform-based and provides core capabilities fully integrated with actionable threat intelligence. They must also be designed to interoperate as a unified system and be enhanced with AI and machine learning to better detect and respond to ransomware threats. About the Fortinet Ransomware Survey The report is based on a global survey of IT decision-makers aimed at better understanding how organizations view the threat of ransomware, how they are currently protecting against it, and how they plan to protect against it going forward. The survey was conducted in August 2021 with 455 business leaders from small as well as mid to largesized organizations worldwide. Survey participants are IT and security leaders from 24 different countries, and represent nearly all industries, including the public sector  

Anil Puri CMD, APS group A first generation serial entrepreneur, thought leader and an action catalyzer rolled into one – Anil Puri is a rare combination of a visionary, an innovator and a strategic thinker. He has used this combination to innovate and implement on-ground many new business ideas. His rich experience in various businesses has enabled him to nurture & mentor innovative ideas and scale them up. INTRODUCTION Safety and security lie at the heart of the prosperity of any nation. Citizens want to feel safe (protected from risk or injury) and secure (free from danger or threat). States have a primary duty of protecting the security of their citizens and all persons within their jurisdiction, maintaining and promoting crime prevention and community safety. Today, security is being challenged in many dimensions including physical, digital and economic. Accepted social norms of behavior are also being challenged. Added to this is deteriorating trust in public institutions and in leaders who should be a primary source of safety for citizens and businesses. Governance is becoming increasingly difficult and national and international unity is becoming harder to achieve. As a result, even in stable countries, a large cross section of citizens feel or perceive to be unsafe. As the graph of insecurity rises, more and more people are turning to the private security to ensure their personal safety and that of their families and properties. This demand is seen to rise due to a state’s inability to provide adequate security to its people. Consequently, private security agencies working for governments, local communities and the corporate sector have been identified to play an important complementary role in preventing crime and enhancing community safety. In this new reality, security, broadly defined, needs to be front and centre of government agenda – nationally, regionally and locally at the municipal level, as well as internationally – to deliver solutions that make the world a more secure place, so people trust institutions and the services they provide and so they both feel and are safe. Given that the threats come from many areas, this will require a much higher level of collaboration than we see today, both within government departments and among governments. Traditional security services such as the police, intelligence agencies and defence organizations will need to work with non-government organizations, businesses and citizens. With so many factors influencing perceptions of security, this type of collaboration needs across length & breadth of vision that is too often lacking and a level of organizational expertise that challenges current ways of working. In this new realm, national, regional and local governments need to view citizen safety (and security) in a holistic perspective and work across borders to achieve it. CONCEPT OF SAFE SOCIETY Societal Safety may be defined as ‘the society’s ability to maintain critical social functions, to protect the life and health of the citizens and to meet the citizens’ basic requirements in a variety of stress situations.’ The notion of security applies to anything we would want to make ‘secure’ from a perceived risk or threat. This includes digital and data security, national security, border security, food security, water security and social security, to name a few. All these are interconnected. In broader terms, therefore, security can be defined as the ‘alleviation of threats to cherished values.’ At a basic level, a society is nothing but a collection of people of different community. Individually each one is unsafe. But once networked, suddenly the concept of safety starts acquiring collective overtones. The concept of community is intrinsically linked with the intelligent design and architecting of urban spaces. It’s only through the integration of public and open spaces with the spaces of work, living and recreation that a vibrant community can be developed. An empowered community is a natural buffer and allows for proactive action to create an enabling environment for all sections of a society to lead their daily lives without fear and violence. The holy grail of a safe society assumes reality only when the quality of life naturally and automatically lends itself to creating an environment of empowerment, enablement and safety. ROLE OF THE POLICE The role of police in India is – The maintenance of Law and Order and the prevention & detection of crime. Currently, the police service is understaffed, under paid, over worked and dogged by accusations of corruption and inefficiency. Recently, it is characterized by increasing incidents of criminal activities, collusion between the police and the criminals in acts of lawlessness and a growing mistrust from the members of the public. It is observed that this disconnect between the police and the community members is best demonstrated by the phenomenon of rising number of private security companies and the demand of security by individuals, companies and institutions on the PSI. ROLE OF PSI The private security is driven by the profit motive. Their main service product is the protection of their clients’ interests at a profit while the police aim at protecting the public and their property as an obligation and public good. In general, the role of the private security providers is seen as providing security while maximizing on profits. The private security in India adopted the methodology of detect, deter, delay, and report. The security personnel don’t need to make arrest, but have the authority to make a citizen’s arrest, by requesting a police officer. The main duty of security guards is to enforce company rules and act to protect lives and property for which they are given training as mandated by the PSARA 2005. The main role and responsibilities of private security are: Protect people and the property of his contracted clients; Prevention of an incident/ offense before it has occurred; and Observe and report during or after an incident/ offense. The services provided by the private security personnel in an industry can be broadly segmented into the following: Manned guarding, Cash services, Electronic security services, and Armed escort services. ROLE OF PSI IN COMMUNITY POLICING Community…

  PRAMA India showcased its innovative transportation solutions at the 9th TrafficInfraTech Expo on October 26, 2021 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. Commemorating the ‘Make-in-India’ vision for AatmaNirbhar Bharat, Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways released a special commemorative book on India’s leading indigenous video security brand ‘PRAMA’ in New Delhi. The book captures the inspiring story of the evolution of ‘PRAMA’ and the missionary zeal for local manufacturing to provide boost to the Prime Minister’s vision for a self-reliant India. PRAMA is India’s largest and one of the first companies truly representing the motto of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat.’ PRAMA India participated in the 9th edition of TrafficInfraTech Expo 2021 to showcase the latest technologies, products and solutions for the transportation sector in the area of transport security, traffic and smart mobility solutions. PRAMA India offers indigenously manufactured innovative solutions for various verticals including the transportation segments. The brand is focused on developing products that carry the pride of India whilst ensuring boost to the local economy by ensuring employment opportunities. The company has made significant investments to create a product portfolio that combines cutting-edge technology with the best of innovation and quality from India that put the country on the global map for security and surveillance products. Prama India is grateful to Shri Gadkari, for releasing the special coffee table book which presents the journey of PRAMA into India’s Leading Indigenous Security Brand, for the world. India’s vast transportation sector is fast evolving with the latest smart mobility trends and innovative security solutions. The TrafficInfraTech expo continues to be a relevant platform to demonstrate latest technologies, products and solutions to the key stakeholders of the transportation ecosystem. The latest transportation solutions for highway, metro, airport and port have been put on display by PRAMA at the expo along with solutions for licence plate recognition, public safety, law enforcement and ‘in vehicle monitoring’ system. Founded on the core belief to put India on the global map for video security products, PRAMA is India’s largest and one of the first companies truly representing the motto of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat.’ The indigenous brand, PRAMA celebrates the maxim of ‘Made for India, Made by India and Made in India’ and manufactures high quality video security products catering to all the security needs. Encouraged by the Indian government’s ‘Make-in-India’ initiative, PRAMA India has established India’s first world-class manufacturing facility to help transform India into a global manufacturing and export hub for video security products. The company has a commitment to empower India through indigenous manufacturing of video security products. Its R&D Centre has been developed keeping in mind the ever-changing technology and advancements to innovate and update the hardware and software solutions.