The security industry is a fast-paced environment. Every so often, the rise of new threats impacts security laws, requirements, and preferences. For this reason, professionals should continuously learn, rethink their programs, and implement necessary changes.  

If you want to address the ever-changing needs of the market, security training is a must. It’s crucial to know the risks you face before developing ideal strategies. This article will discuss five 2022 security trends you should integrate with your existing plans.   

Merging Physical and Cybersecurity 

Security experts have treated physical and cybersecurity as two distinct entities in the past, but they’ve become more linked over the years. Physical security experts protect a company’s assets by restricting access, and the reverse is true for Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs).  

Do you remember the Facebook outage incident from October 2021? During routine maintenance, an engineer unintentionally disconnected Facebook data centers throughout the globe from its backbone network. This breach physically locked employees out of their sites and disrupted countless business promotions.  

This year, security experts should develop a holistic approach to keeping company spaces safe. Physical and cybersecurity teams should work together to achieve desired results.  

Space Utilization 

The COVID-19 pandemic gave rise to a phrase that now resonates throughout the globe: social distancing. When the lockdowns began, business owners integrated occupancy tracking in their security training.  

While companies initially used such technologies to follow security laws, they later realized the value of the collected data. Today, organizations use spatial analytics to streamline business processes, optimize scheduling, and minimize wait times.  

These tools also enabled corporate offices to develop hybrid work policies, track employee attendance, and monitor room requirements. What started as a safety protocol transformed into a groundbreaking space utilization tool.  

Such applications have been around for a while, but we’re certain we’ll be seeing more of them in 2022.  

Artificial Intelligence 

We’ve seen countless security artificial intelligence (AI) applications before, but its grasp on physical components has grown in the past years. AI influences various physical security components, including the following: 

• Proactive monitoring 
• Facial recognition  
• License plate recognition 
• Foot traffic analysis 
• False alarm filtering 

There are many other AI-powered improvements in the industry, but these are some of the most notable ones. Instead of just implementing forensic analytics, experts can use such technologies to develop preventative techniques. With the right tools, they can stop crimes even before they happen. 

The best part about using AI with physical security is that professionals can rise above biases like racial profiling and focus on solid evidence.  

Adaptable Access Control Technology 

As employees started reporting for work in physical locations, their workplace demands have shifted with the new normal. They now expect safer, more adaptive access control solutions. While they want to streamline movements in the office, they also want to feel safe in their areas.  

For this reason, there has been a growing demand for physical identity access management (PIAM) — the framework that oversees identities and their physical access to facilities. This technology enables organizations to adjust access rights for anyone who enters company premises remotely.  

With PIAM, security experts can create custom solutions for their requirements, including verification and COVID control efforts. We believe the demand for such solutions will grow this year.  

Training Sessions 

Soon after the pandemic lockdowns began, industry leaders like Apple, Microsoft, and Spotify implemented hybrid work setups. It didn’t take long for the rest of the organizations in the U.S. to follow suit.  

Continuous learning is essential for security experts and guards because they need to identify threats quickly and learn how to handle them. However, because of the new work arrangement, training sessions for these professionals don’t work the way they used to.  

Instead of traditional instructor-led tabletop exercises, the industry now uses various online training styles. Today, security companies can use seminars, video games, and other simulations to train personnel without crowding participants together on one site.  

Enhance Your Security Knowledge Now 

New security laws and threats give rise to trends. However, no matter what challenges you face, security training can help you address them. Are you ready to face what’s to come this year? We’re here to ensure you are.