“Video cameras are no longer solely for security, they are essential tools to bolster operations, productivity and safety,” says John Lutz Boorman, Head of Product and Marketing for Hanwha Vision Europe.

John Lutz Boorman was recently appointed as Head of Product and Marketing for Hanwha Vision Europe. In his new role, John leads the product, solutions and marketing roadmap for the European market, ensuring that Hanwha Vision continues to deliver high-quality video surveillance solutions – for which it is known – to customers.

With more than 30 years of experience working across business development, sales, product and marketing for leading distribution and manufacturing companies, John has vast knowledge and expertise in the security industry. We asked John about innovations in video surveillance over the next few years.

Q. What are the technologies that will change video surveillance over the next five years?

The video surveillance market has rapidly evolved over the past few decades. Video cameras are no longer deployed solely to record images for security, but have become essential tools for organisations to refine operations, increase productivity, provide business intelligence and enhance safety. AI offers accurate detection of faces, people and vehicles (as well as their attributes) to reduce false alarms and deliver deeper operational insights.

Over the next five years, AI will be increasingly deployed not only for “after the event” – but also to allow forensic search and analysis of hours of video in mere seconds. Using AI, video systems trained on real-world scenarios defined by users will be able to predict behaviour and alert operators to the potential for incidents even before they happen. Predictive AI-enabled video technology will, therefore, be called on to support business forecasting efforts, deploy corporate resources more effectively, and help users make better-informed decisions.  

Q. Why is the industry so interested in AI ‘at the edge’?

Putting AI to work used to involve vast amounts of computing power and infrastructure, which required a significant investment in energy and IT resources. By including AI in the camera itself – or “at the edge” – significant efficiencies are now possible. Analysis of images using AI at the edge removes the need to stream raw data back to a server for analysis, freeing up bandwidth and reducing processing demands on centralised systems, as well as lowering data costs. 

Cameras using AI at the edge can make a video installation more flexible and easy to scale. This is particularly helpful for organisations that wish to scale a project in phases, as cameras can be added as and when required without the need to invest in additional server capacity. Furthermore, edge devices can be utilised for more bespoke end-user applications to meet the needs of varying customer requirements.

There are cybersecurity benefits, too, with AI at the edge. As video analytics occurs on the device, only metadata is sent across the network – no sensitive data is transmitted for hackers to intercept. Additionally, running AI on a device can vastly improve the accuracy of event triggers and reduce false alarms. People counting, occupancy monitoring, queue management, and more can all be carried out with a high degree of accuracy thanks to edge AI utilising deep-learning technology.

Because AI offers such significant benefits, Hanwha Vision has led the adoption of AI at the edge for a number of years, having developed chipsets with improved processing power to allow data to be recorded and stored via SD card slots on its cameras. Edge-based AI also helps to ensure the widest possible adoption of this transformative technology, and for that reason, it should also be welcomed.

Q. What are manufacturers doing to ensure their products are cyber-secure?

For its part, the European Union is working to reduce the risk of cyberattacks to organisations and its latest efforts centre on two directives, the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and the Network and Information Security Directive 2nd edition (NIS2).

Business leaders using video technology must partner with manufacturers, such as Hanwha Vision, that are committed to cybersecurity and ahead of the curve in complying with NIS2 and CRA. They should also look to suppliers that are focused on addressing any potential security vulnerabilities in their products and solutions. This is something that Hanwha Vision’s Security-Computer Emergency Response Team (S-CERT) regularly carries out, including penetration testing and security checks.

As a manufacturer that takes cybersecurity seriously, Hanwha Vision’s products are all designed and developed with security in mind, with UL CAP Certification in the Wisenet 7, Advanced System On Chip. In addition, as an authorised CVE^® Numbering Authority (CNA), we publish potential threats and vulnerabilities and regularly release firmware updates and patches to ensure systems remain resilient. Of course, Hanwha Vision is also compliant with the US National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which prohibits federal agencies and their contractors from using video surveillance equipment from a number of named manufacturers.

Q. What role does sustainability play in the security industry?

Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) plays an ever more important role in the security industry. For video surveillance technology users and installers, this will increasingly mean taking care when selecting a manufacturer to partner with and the video technology they invest in. That’s because these decisions will directly impact their own organisation’s ESG efforts and help determine what they must report to stakeholders as further reporting regulations come into effect.

Elements they should watch out for, therefore, include the energy consumed and waste created in the manufacture of video equipment, as well as the sustainability of vendors’ supply chains. At the level of the camera, meanwhile, users and installers should be looking for lower power usage, product resilience, regular firmware updates and plans around the recycling of products when they are past their useful life. 

Ethical design and manufacture are already important factors for many, and brands that control the life cycle at every stage of their products should expect to be favoured over those that cannot demonstrate full ownership of the process. Hanwha Vision is also part of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative. The UNGC encourages companies to integrate 10 key principles covering human rights, labour standards, environmental protection and anti-corruption into their core operations and business strategies. 

Q. What’s your conclusion?

The message is clear: users and installers want to work with manufacturers that understand where the market is going and how technologies such as AI will be its core. They also want their concerns about cybersecurity to be taken seriously and their desire to “do the right thing” as part of wider sustainability ambitions addressed. It’s time for the market to step up – and the team at Hanwha Vision is already well-placed to play its part.

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