Page 78 - SyI Quarterly - Q3 and Q4 Edition 2023

Cyber Updates

IoT Security Systems

By Nick Bown MSyI

With over 20 years of experience, Nick Bown is a veteran of the Information Security industry.
Information Security, which is a mix of physical, electronic, cyber and data security focuses on
keeping information assets safe regardless of where they are. Although he’s primarily a specialist in
Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC), Nick has an eclectic mix of other skills including physical
access testing, electronics bypass and cyber security testing (known as penetration testing or
hacking). Nick has spent most of his career in the financial and banking industries, but has also
advised UK and overseas governments, media, healthcare and manufacturing industries. As well as a
member of The Security Institute, he’s also a fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Information
Security and the British Computer Society.

Recently, IoT has started to arrive in the workplace and has now started to enter the physical
security market. Cloud-enabled CCTV and door entry systems are now starting to become
commonplace in new buildings and offer security professionals new opportunities and challenges.
In this article, I will cover some of these issues which security professionals need to be aware of.

The biggest advantages of these new systems are:

Reduced initial cost – As these systems are monitored and managed via the cloud, they have a
lower initial capital cost. They use industry-standard IT networking equipment and cabling, and
data is stored in the cloud, there is no need to buy expensive, custom equipment, allocate secure
space to it, or provide (as much) environmental management (power and cooling) for it.

Ease of Monitoring – As systems are based in the cloud, they can be accessed anywhere in the
world, remote from the site(s) being monitored. This allows monitoring to be managed by a
central monitoring centre or by centres based around the world for 24x7 monitoring. Many
systems will integrate with Information Security System Operations Centres (SOCs) which allow
security events to be collated and incidents raised faster.

Ease of Management – Cloud management systems usually allow thousands of systems to be
managed and updated simultaneously. Many systems allow multiple sites to be managed from a
central console making it far easier to make large-scale changes (such as when a new site is
commissioned, or new legislation introduces new requirements). Whether it’s a manned or
unmanned site, this means that changes can be made in minutes, either on-site or remotely.
Integrating systems such as CCTV with access control systems can allow additional capabilities
such as using facial recognition to prevent users from sharing access cards or identifying known
offenders and automatically raising an incident.

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