Sr. Group Director & Digital Head
Informa Markets in India
“As part of the world’s leading portfolio of security and fire safety events, IFSEC India is South Asia’s pre-eminent authority on security products and solutions”
SecurityLinkIndia (SLI): Please share a brief background of the IFSEC India Expo.
Pankaj Jain: Informa Markets in India annually organises IFSEC India (www.ifsec.events/india), South Asia’s largest electronic, industrial and homeland security show, at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, since 2007. The 16th edition of IFSEC India Expo will be held from 7-9 December 2023 in Hall 5, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
As part of the world’s leading portfolio of security and fire safety events, IFSEC India is South Asia’s pre-eminent authority on security products and solutions. The parent company to IFSEC India Expo, Informa Markets in India, is the Indian subsidiary of the UK-based and listed, live media company, Informa plc. As an Indian entity, we provide diverse industries in the country with B2B platforms, enabling trade.
What are the top three trends you’re seeing in the security sector at present in your region?
With the Indian economy growing at a healthy rate, the security challenges to industrial and national infrastructure and assets are growing as well. To alleviate these challenges, the relevance of technological advancements in security products and solutions can’t be emphasised enough. Accordingly, we see tremendous traction in video surveillance products, wherein more intelligent and digitally connected cameras are in vogue, which proactively alert the security officer about any impending threat. Access Control technologies are also becoming more advanced and intelligent with the induction of more intelligent software, biometrics and face recognition features that make it impossible for imposters to penetrate an organisation’s premises. Another key trend is the digitalisation of the entire security infrastructure which marks a major shift from physical monitoring of assets. A vast majority of security products and solutions deployed within organisations are not just interconnected but also talk to each other in real time and therefore help alert the security officer about any security incident taking place anywhere in real time.
What’s the biggest challenge security professionals are facing?
With growing adoption of technology in the security industry, the security professionals need to upgrade their understanding of technology to keep pace with the times and to aid their professional growth. The physical and digital security lines are blurring fast, and the time is not too far when the role of the CSO will closely reflect that of a CISO. Accordingly, we see a lot of security courses being designed keeping technology in mind. Organisations of repute are increasingly seen to encourage their security professionals to learn new security technologies and visit security expos where a complete demonstration of the latest technologies can be seen in action.
How has security technology evolved in the past 5 years? What technology are security professionals most interested in?
While the incorporation of technologies such as AI, Deep Learning etc., in the security domain goes back by more than a decade, however, the increased focus on terrorism and cyber security threats have accelerated their adoption as part of security strategies of organisations. Security professionals are increasingly getting interested in knowing about the integration of AI as part of Video Surveillance, Access Control, Perimeter Security, and the like. Similarly, we see biometrics, face recognition, iris recognition, vein pattern recognition etc., getting more advanced and accurate in identifying the right visitor. Such technologies not only make the job of a security officer easier but also help them in focusing on their core requirement, which is ‘zero security incident’ within their organisations.
Can you tell us more about what to expect from your show this year?
In keeping with its legacy, the 16th edition of IFSEC India Expo will provide a 360-degree utility to security professionals in understanding the latest technologies in industrial, electronic and homeland security. Over 12,000 visitors to the show will witness more than 300 brands from 20+ countries, showcasing more than 700 security products and solutions in video surveillance, biometrics & RFID, access control, AI, IoT, Safe Cities, information security, GPS systems, video analytics, and intelligent building systems.
The top global solutions providers such as Premier Plus Partners – CP Plus, Dahua, Hikvision, Prama, Magtech, Realtime, Tiandy, Timewatch, Trueview, ZKTeco and Premier Partners: Bioroles, eSSL, Godrej, Syrotech, Thinkwill, TVT and XYZ Digital and other key partners such as A-1 Fence, BGI Engitech, Beninca, Cohesive, Face IT, Vehant, Lilin, Matrix Comsec, Panasonic Connect, Toshiba, Vintron, Fyber and many more would showcase their latest technologies and provide end-to-end demo of security solutions in action as part of their stalls. SecurityLinkIndia is the Media Partner of the event.
As a special attraction we have an exclusive pavilion from UK Defence and Security Exports wherein top security solution providers from the UK will showcase their latest solutions for the South Asian industry.
The two-day conference will provide deeper insights on security strategies followed by Indian industry, the adoption of latest technologies as part of security solutions, travel security, information security, security of digital assets, Safe Cities and the ‘Make in India’ mission.
The 6th edition of IFSEC India Awards, which will be held at the venue on 7th Dec, will help security professionals across Indian industry to showcase the work done by their teams in implementing the best of technology within their organisations.
The expo is supported by industry associations such as AIEA (All India Electronics Association), ASIS (American Society for Industrial Security) New Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad Chapters, CAPSI (Central Association of Private Security Industry), OSAC (Overseas Security Advisory Council) New Delhi and Chennai Chapters, IISSM (International Institute of Security and Safety Management), GACS (Global Association for Corporate Services), Global UAV Federation – India Chapter and Mitkat Advisory. Overall, it’s the biggest opportunity in entire South Asian region to network among the key security stakeholders in government and the private industry, as well as to learn about the latest in security technologies.
What new initiatives should we expect to see at IFSEC India Expo 2023?
We are happy to introduce our AI-powered ‘IFSEC Market Online’ that uses machine learning algorithms to connect you to the prospective buyers based on their preferences and interests & pre-schedule meetings with them. It has been designed to provide an year-long engagement between the sellers and buyers that goes beyond the three-day connect at the expo. In addition, there are several additional features that would truly enrich your experience while interacting with prospective clients. Through a minimalist investment in this platform, exhibitors stand to benefit from an enhanced connect with their prospective clients, who could be even those who are not able to visit IFSEC India Expo this year. What’s more the platform would enable continued connect with visitors post the expo and enable you to answer their queries at leisure and also further reach out to them with more offers.
Tell us more about the 6th Edition of IFSEC India Awards this year.
The 6th edition of IFSEC India Awards, which will be held at the venue on 7th Dec, will help security professionals across Indian industry to showcase the work done by their teams in implementing the best of technology within their organisations.
It is a unique initiative intended to recognize Security officers who implement path-breaking solutions across various industry verticals. To give you an idea of the scale of the awards, we received 233 nominations in the previous edition in 2022 and aim to surpass this number for this year’s Awards. The pre-jury advisory meet to deliberate on the various categories has already been held virtually in August 2023 wherein valuable inputs were assimilated from key influencers and veterans in the security fraternity. The final jury meet to select the winners will be held on December 1, 2023 in New Delhi. Ernst & Young (E&Y) are the process advisors for these awards and winners will be announced at a glittering ceremony on 7th December 2023 at the IFSEC India Expo venue itself.
