Government Security Update: Trends to Watch

Government surveillance is rapidly evolving, with agencies and organizations at all levels adopting new and emerging technologies. For government organizations, AI and cloud services remain top technology focuses for enhancing video surveillance. Also at the top of the priority list are device cybersecurity and maintaining compliance with federal and international regulations and policies, including NDAA, TAA, and FedRAMP.

Government organizations are getting savvier and more creative in their surveillance deployments, combining 24/7 protection with Artificial Intelligence, cloud-based management, and the data analytics need to generate critical operational insights.

Artificial Intelligence

AI is a major trend in government surveillance, and the market will continue to see open platforms and generative AI continue to emerge, supporting more granular capabilities for accurate tracking and object detection. 

While AI is a priority for many organizations, there are still misunderstandings about the distinction between AI and analytics. True AI learns and adapts based on its environment, while analytics are more based on predefined user parameters.  Another challenge is a lack of clearly defined testing parameters, guidelines, and benchmark standards for AI performance in general security and surveillance applications.

Government users need AI technologies that can be customized to their needs, rather than only relying on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products. For example, crowds moving through entrances and exits would typically be identified by a camera as normal behavior. But if a person is seen running in through an exit, AI cameras could learn to flag that as potentially abnormal behavior and worthy of generating an alert.

Government entities are also interested in customized advanced notification capabilities to detect potential emergency situations before they escalate or to coordinate incident responses more effectively.

Manufacturers need to ensure that their approach includes keeping customers informed about emerging technologies like AI and also make them feel empowered to actively contribute to the development of future products. By prioritizing customer feedback, product development can remain aligned with the evolving and dynamic needs of the marketplace. 

Strategic partnerships and technology collaborations are integral elements of bringing products to market that can be easily adapted to the unique needs of government organizations.

For example, a new AI multi-sensor camera from Hanwha Vision is the company’s latest example of a  commitment to offering customers wide-ranging options for easily enhancing their operations with new AI models. Hanwha’s unique camera design collaboration with the NVIDIA Jetson module adds up to 100 Tera Operations Per Second (TOPS) to the camera’s processing speed, plus immediate access to the NVIDIA AI app ecosystem.

Customers can use this expanded power to leverage custom-developed applications for the NVIDIA chipset and seamlessly enable new AI capabilities unavailable on competitive cameras. The result is an unprecedented combination of reliable serverless recording, on-board storage, and intelligent camera performance.

Cybersecurity

Built-in cybersecurity is an essential requirement for ensuring the highest levels of security in video surveillance devices used by government organizations. To reduce cybersecurity risks to the United States, Section 889 of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) prohibits the procurement of non-NDAA compliant security products by any government agency or recipient of federal grants. Other legislative issues include FedRAMP compliance related to the security of cloud services. As more companies start moving to the cloud for analytics or processing notifications, they have to be more cognizant of every aspect of their connectivity.

Regulations like these can affect international supply chains, contracts and even installed technologies. As a result, there is heightened awareness of the security manufacturing process for any product used by a government entity. Offering some assistance and relief are programs like the  State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP), under which the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) allocated more than $370 million in cybersecurity funding to aid and accelerate the replacement of prohibited devices with NDAA-compliant products. This “rip and replace” program is part of a larger $1 billion FEMA cybersecurity initiative.

Hanwha Vision is committed to complying with government and international trade regulations. Hanwha Vision supports NDAA-compliance across its product lines and has a full suite of trade-compliant devices. Hanwha Vision manufacturing facilities are located in Vietnam and South Korea, ensuring NDAA compliance and TAA availability,  with products qualifying for sale under GSA guidelines.

Hanwha’s Wisenet SoCs have always been designed and made in-house. The newest version, Wisenet 9, includes key cybersecurity enhancements plus standard features as  such as “secure by default,” meaning a camera’s out-of-the-box settings are already the recommended ones for use. The addition of FIPS 140-3 Level 3 certified protection also meets stringent government requirements, preventing unauthorized software and guaranteeing secure video storage, encryption, and access.

Surveillance technologies employed by government organizations are continually evolving to meet organizations’ needs for enhanced security, AI-powered intelligence-gathering capabilities, and customizable features.