Smart cities rely on digital innovation to remain secure, but smart city leaders must make sure their physical infrastructure foundations are covered before introducing new technology.
Risk professionals take note. Experts say the greatest cybersecurity risks to local governments and their "smart city" programs are emergency alert systems, video surveillance devices and traffic signals - a greater risk than breaches of open data, water consumption and gunshot detection technologies and more.
The Ocoee Police Department in Florida will test a new video system that will allow police officers real-time access to surveillance camera feeds, along with the ability to rewind.
The health, safety and security challenges that business owners and managers have faced in 2020 have made one thing very clear: COVID-19 has acted as a catalyst for a flurry of investments designed to spur the reopening of retail stores, commercial office space and public venues. Such investments don’t need to be singularly focused on opening the doors, but instead can be part of a more sustainable solution that can offer long-term value and flexibility that can be applied to a variety of situations.
This is where smart security cameras connected to the IoT can help.
A report by N.Y. State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli discusses the risks and benefits of smart cites, after New York city recently began installing energy saving LED street lights and expanding wireless connectivity to certain neighborhoods.
Many view smart cities as the future of urban living, promising to boost the efficiency and effectiveness of city services and the quality of life for residents while helping cities keep pace with growth and the associated pressure on aging infrastructures.
In the monitoring and surveillance sector, Artificial Intelligence based solutions such as Intelligent Video Analytics (IVA), are entering the mainstream as they reach levels of refinement, usability and affordability.
If there is anything the security industry has learned over the past few years, it’s that this industry is not static. There are constant changes in technology and threats which can range from worrying about a possible break-in to employee theft or protecting a facility, its assets and employees. Security professionals are having to stay up to date with the latest and greatest security system technologies and adapt existing solutions quickly in order to keep their assets and information safe.
The New Year brings the possibility of a fresh start, new ideas and goals, and hope for a better tomorrow. And never before has a year started out with such a large focus on how the future can be improved through the promise of technology.
Smart city leaders are rightfully concerned about cybersecurity. Securing smart digital cities with millions of IOT devices from rogue actors with easy access to Internet connections anywhere in the world requires constant vigilant effort. Unfortunately, away from all the headlines of cybersecurity lies a new, but equally concerning threat: rogue actors with easy access to inexpensive drones that can violate individual privacy, menace citizenry in public spaces, and deliver contraband or even lethal payloads.
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