The great importance of security within Smart Buildings

The term Smart Building is often the first to think of the high sustainability measures that have been implemented to ensure that a building meets all the requirements of today, such as solar panels, state of the art ventilation systems and heat pumps. Security is rarely if ever included in this list. But camera security, access control and cybersecurity certainly contribute to making buildings smarter and the safety of users. And that this must be done carefully, is evident from the practical example of the American retail chain Target.

Target was working on making their buildings Smart by adjusting the air conditioning system to the presence of the shoppers. It was then decided to connect the cooling systems directly to Target’s network without proper protection. This allowed cyber criminals to access the credit card information of millions of customers.

Cyber ​​crime is more extensive than physical theft
Today, there are several areas within real estate that you as owner and user want to protect. In the past, people had employed a security guard to protect people in the building and perhaps a camera to monitor valuable items, nowadays it is also necessary to know how different applications pose a risk to the cybersecurity of a building. After all, cybercrime is now more extensive than physical theft.

The Dutch / American Eagle Eye Networks deals with physical security where cybersecurity is guaranteed. “You can provide your company with the most advanced security solutions inside and out, but if you don’t secure your company network with the same attention, the entire investment is more or less for nothing. A DDOS attack brought down 145,000 business cameras and recording systems in 2016. At such a moment your company is touched to the heart. These are the words of Rishi Lodhia Managing Director Eagle Eye Networks EMEA. The company specializes in cloud-based video surveillance for the cybersecurity conscious customer looking for maximum flexibility in the choice of cameras and locations.

Eagle Eye Networks makes buildings smarter and safer with camera security and access control, also in the field of cybersecurity. 

Lodhia says that by 2021, the total damage caused by cybercrime will be estimated at 6 billion dollars. In 2015 this amounted to 3 billion dollars.

Video solutions for the real estate sector
Eagle Eye Networks has developed security solutions for various sectors, including offices, coworking spaces, catering, schools, retail and homes.

“The camera is increasingly becoming a sensor that transmits data, just like many other sensors in the building that contribute to a smart building, only people had to light up some lights. Or alarm bells will ring ”, Lodhia says with a wink.

Rethinking
Eagle Eye Networks has provided a fundamental rethink within the security industry by applying ‘Cybersecurity by Design’. A security camera in itself is not necessarily unsafe, as long as it is not installed indiscriminately on the company network, but functions as a standalone device and communicates with the recorder. 

It is of course desirable to monitor everything from one place and therefore to connect to the network. But that is the moment where people often go wrong. Eagle Eye Networks developed a Bridge with which all cameras from different manufacturers can be linked. First of all, companies do not need to buy new cameras, but they can make their existing cameras safe. In addition, the Bridge has a full firewall, which means that the cameras are isolated from the network and only the bridge communicates with the network and the cloud. 

Subscription or prepaid
Eagle Eye Networks customers can choose a monthly subscription or a prepaid model for their solutions, depending on their needs.

“For a long time I had to say in the security market that ‘cloud is the future’, I am glad that I can finally say that the cloud is now.”, Lodhia said. “The focus on smart buildings will further help us to accelerate the transition to cloud security and we are happy to help real estate companies with that.”

Rishi Lodhia and Tijmen Vos

Although he has just turned 40, Rishi Lodhia (left) has been working on cloud security solutions for almost two decades and is one of the founders of this technology worldwide.

Together with his partner Tijmen Vos (right) they were the first to use the advantages of security solutions via the cloud with the product CameraManager. Consider, for example, the application ‘Babywatch’. This allowed parents to watch their child in hospital remotely via their telephone 13 years ago.

When they switched to Eagle Eye Networks in 2017, everything came together: both their experience with CCTV and the growth of the Cloud.

For more information, visit the website or contact Max van Riel + 31 20 26 10 460.

In the News

Covered on these news sites. Click image to read more.