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COVID-19 has accelerated a variety of global trends. Some of these are perhaps ultimately good, for example moves towards more investment in AI and automation, or a growing focus on taking this opportunity to making lasting changes to benefit the environment. Many others are, however, quite concerning. Continued threats to the global order, the likelihood of states testing the resolve of the new U.S. administration, and increasingly polarized populations are all factors that will dominate 2021.

As organizations bring their employees back to the workplace, many are looking to leverage location technology as a means to increase safety. Return-to-work solutions ranging from digital contact tracing and social distancing monitoring to sanitation alerts and occupancy analytics are being explored and embraced in varying degrees around the world. However, it’s imperative that any technology deployed works a double shift to also provide value in the post-pandemic times. The same location technology infrastructure used to address infection prevention and mitigation can be used to complement and enhance traditional security efforts. 

As we have done in previous years, the Security magazine team compiled our favorite articles from this year. As we head into 2021, we hope you take a moment to review some of 2020’s top articles about lessons learned, thought leadership, security challenges and good practices.

Publicly available information (PAI) can give your security enterprise actionable data. Often, however, when an enterprise successfully manages the variety, volume and velocity associated with PAI, that intelligence is often processed in silos. Here's how to ensure your organization can overcome the silos and increase situational awareness for the enterprise.

Risk management firm Crisis24, a GardaWorld company, released its annual Global Forecast report and Risk Maps that provide expert insight and analysis of various threats for 2021 for businesses and organizations seeking to protect their people and operations, no matter their location or circumstances.

The 16th annual (Organized Retail Crime) ORC study released by the National Retail Federation found 75% of loss prevention executives at a cross-section of large and mid-sized retail companies said ORC activity had increased in the past year, up from 68% last year. 

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a report from a School Security Simulation Experiment (SIMEX) focused on current security procedures and technologies to improve both physical and operational security in K-12 schools. The two-week SIMEX, conducted jointly with MITRE and George Mason University in August, served as a pilot to determine whether a SIMEX is a viable tool that can be used to evaluate policies, technologies, and procedures related to school safety in the future.

The FBI released detailed data on nearly 7.7 million criminal offenses reported via the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) in 2019. The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program’s latest report, NIBRS, 2019, presents data about victims, known offenders, and relationships for offenses reported in 23 categories with 52 offenses. It also presents arrest data for those crimes, as well as 10 additional categories for which only arrest data is collected.

Since June, protests have been happening across the United States. As civil disobedience increases, law enforcement agencies will prepare for the possibility of protests across the country. The potential continuation of political unrest means private security professionals must also be prepared with a plan that is tactically sound and protective of people and property. Here are a few ways you can prepare to protect clients’ businesses.

How can venues use facial recognition technology to enforce COVID-19 response measures, enhance security, and streamline the customer experience into the future.