Cybersecurity challenges and its implications on high security manufacturers
Cyber threats, data breaches, and industrial espionage continue to threaten global market stability, impacting operational integrity and business processes both physically and electronically in the protection of people and assets. Manufacturers of high security (credentialled) solutions are essential to providing physical access controls capable of delivering actionable intelligence in the protection of assets.
In today’s digital landscape, cybersecurity is evolving at record pace, creating a constant flow of cyber threats exposing vulnerabilities in a multitude of network-connected devices. Critical to maintaining an effective cyber defense is to ensure manufacturers of products and technologies are working in collaboration with government and federal agencies to determine the level of defense needed to remediate vulnerabilities and deliver hardened solutions that produce effective results.
Setting high standards with certifications and compliances
Government bodies around the world set performance standards for manufacturers they collaborate with to protect against such threats. Structurally, high security solutions are based on a policy of trust, identification, and authentication. A solution designed in this manner will have multiple moving parts and require a deeper dive into functionality and End User expectation.
Adhering to regulations and maintaining accreditations and certifications ensures compliance with standards mitigating risk for both the security technology manufacturer and the customer.
Beyond adherence to standards, high security manufacturers must embody a culture where security is a continuous thread woven into every aspect of operations, and the ones who can achieve that while maintaining flexibility and responsiveness make the best security partners for governments around the world.
The complexities of global trade and security systems
Global trade and supply chain dynamics play a crucial role in the manufacturing of integrated security systems. These systems often involve a complex network of suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors across different countries, a practice that leaves multiple points of vulnerability between the conception of a product and its arrival at the door of an End User. Everything from component sourcing to trade agreements plays a part in how much trust sensitive sites place in their security software and hardware.
For federal governments, the added weight of national security priorities, evolving geopolitical tensions, regulatory matters, and strict compliances and standards makes choosing a physical security manufacturer a far more complex decision than for most businesses – even those in the high security space.
The Five Eyes exemplify the complexities surrounding such a decision. To meet standards issued by nations within the Five Eyes (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States), security manufacturers must produce solutions capable of passing rigorous testing to ensure the highly sensitive activities of these organizations can proceed in confidence. Achieving these compliances is a testament to a manufacturer’s ability to protect against a bombardment of both physical and cyber threats the various intelligence agencies within the Five Eyes face.
For the End User, the list of viable security manufacturers capable of delivering solutions requiring regulatory compliance are few. The number of compliant manufacturers for high security and federal government applications is further reduced to a handful of solution providers capable of meeting demand.
In Part 2 of our High Security Manufacturing series, read how Gallagher Security sets a higher standard as one of those security manufacturers that meets and exceeds requirements, standards, and compliances for high security and government sites.