Interview: George Moawad, Genetec

What is the major potential tech pain point that will face all organisations large and small in 2023?

The exponential increase in available data will make data management an increasing pain point for organisations. Collecting, storing, normalising and filtering data to find actionable insights will become a more pressing challenge as technology continues to integrate and the expectations placed upon technological solutions increase.

What’s on your tech wish list from governments, innovators and the wider industry in 2023?

Achieving a higher level of situational awareness thanks to the interconnection of sensors and systems. There is a tremendous opportunity for organisations to understand their day-to-day operations through technology integrations, but this requires a shift in thinking to focus on open-platform solutions.

Which new technologies will reach critical mass and become dominant in 2023?

IoT devices will continue their growth and impact on various markets as more sensors become available and interconnectivity increases. These devices provide critical data for organisations to understand the cadence and effectiveness of their operations.

Forward-thinking organisations will also increasingly embrace video analytics solutions to strengthen site security, gain new insights and solve unique problems. This will be propelled by technologies such as machine learning and deep learning, which offer the potential to automate a lot of data processing and workflows while delivering actionable information to operators. Video analytics applications will continue to mature in ways that make them easier and more economical to deploy at scale. This is made possible by vendors who focus on hardware resource efficiency and offer more granular controls for running analytics at certain intervals or schedules, instead of continuously.

How is the current talent shortage impacting your industry and how will this be overcome in 2023?

Talent acquisition was a major problem in 2022 and will continue to be in 2023. Finding the right talent for the job has been the most difficult issue outside logistics and component shortages. While hiring and retention programs will play a key role in attracting the right talent, organisations should also look to technology to automate routine tasks and provide actionable insights to support the work of security professionals.

Will IT continue to drive organisational efficiency in a hybrid work world and who should lead the charge (CEOs CIOs CTOs etc)?

IT will remain a driving group in organisational efficiency, but this trend is widening and being led by groups outside IT as well. What we’re more likely to see is organisational efficiency being driven by multidisciplinary committees. For instance, IT and physical security teams should start working even more closely as a combined group that is focused on a comprehensive security program based on a common understanding of risk, responsibilities, strategies and practices.

How can the technology sector build resilience into supply chain management during times of global uncertainty?

The supply chain issues that the world has been experiencing have encouraged businesses to be less dependent on single-source, proprietary solutions. Forward-thinking organisations should be seeking open-architecture solutions that offer them increased choice and flexibility based on requirements and current availability.

But there’s more to supply chain issues than the current shortage of goods and materials. As cyber attacks become more sophisticated, organisations need to put a lot more focus on scrutinising the cybersecurity measures, standards and certifications of their entire supply chain ecosystem.

George joined Genetec in 2015 as Regional Sales Manager and has been Country Manager for the region since 2018. He is responsible for leading business growth and nurturing expanding market opportunities in Oceania. He brings over 26 years of experience in the security industry and holds an MBA from the Australian Institute of Business.