safe & sound in the uae

THE UAE AND SAUDI ARABIA ARE AMONG THE LARGEST MARKETS FOR COMMERCIAL HOMELAND SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST REGION AS THEY ACCORD TOP PRIORITY FOR THE SAFETY OF THEIR CITIZENS

dubai — You can’t have a smart city without having smart security solutions in place to protect its residents and businesses, experts at Intersec noted, adding that investments in physical and IT security across the Middle East region is on the rise.

According to Gartner, worldwide security spending will reach $96 billion in 2018, up eight per cent from 2017. In addition, spending on information security technology and services in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region was estimated to have reached $1.8 billion in 2017, an increase of 11 per cent over 2016. Experts believe that this increase in spending by organisations is to mitigate new risks that traditional information security practices are not accustomed to.

Security solutions took the centrestage on Sunday at the Intersec 2018 exhibition. Inaugurated by Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the 20th edition of the show features 1,337 exhibitors from 59 countries.

Experts noted that physical security solutions such as intruder alarms, video surveillance, electronic locks, perimeter protection, door alarms, access control protocols and identification systems are in high demand, while the rise of IoT will mean an increase in smarter and networked systems available in the market. According to Frost & Sullivan, the intensity of investment is expected to peak during the next two years toward 2020, when spending on physical security will reach $10.2 billion, comprising 10 per cent of the global market

When it comes to the commercial security market, Frost & Sullivan estimates the market to be worth $4.8 billion by 2021, growing at a 17 per cent compound annual growth rate from its $2.2 billion value in 2016. Video surveillance accounts for a 75 per cent of total market share, followed by access control at 15 per cent, and intrusion detection at 10 per cent. Saudi Arabia and the UAE together comprise more than half of the entire regional market.

“One of the things that we are increasingly focusing on is