The increase in use of technology and the Internet of Things (IoT) in the security industry has led to the generation of massive amounts of data points each day. From smart interconnected systems to access control, surveillance and incident management systems, technology can produce powerful insights and guide security teams’ data-driven decision-making. To combat new and existing emerging threats, security professionals must be proactive in identifying security gaps and risks using data analytics.
The tale of pursuing data analytics’ utilization in the security field started with an experience, led to a hypothesis and ended with validated research findings. With a degree in Information Systems and experience working in both healthcare and banking industries as an analyst and later as a network engineer, data was always a critical asset. Upon transitioning to the physical security field, utilizing data and creating specific metrics to measure operational effectiveness was indisputable, but it appeared to be a new phenomenon amongst many of my security professional colleagues. This experience became evident when I led and directed a security metrics program implementation several years ago for a Fortune 100 company.