7. Hardware-Centric Vendors Get Soft; Software-Centric Vendors Get Harder ― Looking to move beyond commoditized boxes and ways to make their products more relevant moving forward, many traditionally component-based suppliers are either creating their own integrated software, OEMing it from someone else or openly partnering with a specialist to expand feature sets. The corollary to this is vendors well known for programming expertise expanding into selling hardware components.
9. Wowed by Wireless ― Better WiFi reliability, Bluetooth integrations and adoption of Near-Field Communications (NFC) are among the drivers fueling ever-expanding products and applications here. And why not? The cost savings and flexibility can be substantial.
10. Energy Efficiency ― Long scoffed at as not having much relevancy for security, some vendors are now keenly focusing on reducing the carbon footprints of their devices and systems.
11. 4K Is A-OK ― With four times the resolution of 1080p, this has generated the most tech “buzz” the past year, especially for commercial/industrial security. Several of the leading video surveillance suppliers will show off more real-world applications of 4K cameras and components, while others are already showing off even higher resolutions.
12. Mobile Marvels ― App-based access and control of security systems anywhere, anytime continues to be a huge movement.