1. Connected in Hybrid Environments: For the end user of technology, from a consumer using their mobile phone to security personnel managing video surveillance, the technological architecture used to deliver services has become invisible. It doesn't matter if the processing takes place on a device, a local server, or in a remote data center: everything is simply "connected."
Last year, we discussed the world becoming "horizontal," where cloud, local server, and edge technologies would be increasingly combined, each employed in its own strengths, in so-called hybrid solutions. This hasn't changed, but it's very clear that the question of architecture is unique to each client and must take into account both internal resources and policies, as well as external factors such as local and international regulations.

2. Cybersecurity is born from healthy skepticism. We don't always think of skepticism as a positive trait, but in relation to cybersecurity, it can be prudent. The billions of connections that now exist between devices, networks, and data centers have made the concept of securing a perimeter around any organization almost entirely obsolete. The walls that might have existed previously have become permeable, and thus a new approach to security has emerged: zero-trust networks. The COVID-19 pandemic has also played a role here, as much more flexible work has seen more devices previously used within the walls of the organization connected remotely via the public internet.
When zero-trust networks mean that the security profile of every device and application that connects to a network is independently assessed each time it connects, it has significant implications for the video surveillance industry. Signed firmware, regular software updates, secure boot, encrypted data/video, and secure identity will become hygiene factors in customer solutions.

3. Authenticate Everything While adopting a zero-trust approach to cybersecurity focuses on authenticating the credentials of connected devices and applications, the ability to establish the authenticity of video surveillance itself is fundamental to trusting its value. The manipulation of video after capture, coupled with the increased sophistication in creating manipulated images, means we can expect the authenticity of video surveillance footage to be questioned more frequently.
Therefore, it will be imperative that video surveillance can be established beyond any doubt as genuine. Our approach is to add a digital signature to the video stream at the point of capture—a hash on each video frame—providing proof that the video was produced within a specific camera and has not been manipulated since. But this is a problem for the security industry as a whole. Therefore, it is imperative that the industry align behind initiatives to standardize approaches for ensuring the authenticity of video footage captured by surveillance cameras, ideally based on open-source initiatives and software.

4. AI is becoming established and accepted (with appropriate controls). The technology itself shouldn't be regulated, but the use cases of the new technology should be. Legislation and regulations related to the development and use of AI-based technologies and applications should be developed at the local, regional, and international levels. And it goes without saying that all organizations employing AI must comply.
While we remain positive about the potential of artificial intelligence and deep learning in video surveillance, we expect to see an even greater focus on initiatives to ensure that AI is deployed ethically and without bias. This is a positive development and will become even more important as AI is integrated into all aspects of video surveillance. Further integration of AI at the most fundamental levels of the technology—the system-on-a-chip (SoC)—will see AI used to improve and optimize all aspects of video surveillance performance, from camera configuration to image quality and analytics.

5. COVID-19 as a Catalyst: The pandemic has been a catalyst for low- or no-touch technologies, many of which are now permanently integrated, as is the use of intelligent video to ensure compliance with social distancing and public health guidelines. In the technology sector, the pandemic also resulted in supply chain disruptions that have led many organizations to reconsider how they create and source key components for their products.
The interconnected nature of everything has meant that a global shortage of semiconductors has been a major issue across many sectors, from consumer technology to automotive manufacturing. This, in turn, has led to more organizations publicly declaring their desire to design their own semiconductors or systems-on-a-chip.

6. 5G Finds Its Place. Some might think we're behind the curve by highlighting 5G as a 'trend' in the surveillance sector; however, for us, a new technology only becomes a trend when we start seeing valuable use cases in the security and surveillance industry. While we still believe it's early days, this is beginning to happen with 5G.
While much of the excitement surrounding 5G has focused on network performance improvements for consumer applications, one of the most interesting areas is how private 5G networks are emerging as a more compelling use case for the technology. We believe private 5G networks show genuine potential for video surveillance solutions at large or multiple customer sites and could bring particular benefits from a cybersecurity perspective. Certainly, if customers are creating private 5G networks, video surveillance will need to be seamlessly integrated.

All trends viewed through the lens of sustainability.
Sustainability should no longer be considered a trend. It must be integrated into everything we do: how we design and manufacture products, how we manage our business, the performance of our suppliers—all aligned to reduce our environmental impact and operate ethically and reliably. Whenever a technological trend appears to present an opportunity, it should also be examined whether it can be developed and brought to market sustainably.