What a year it was – and will be!
At this time of year, many commentators make predictions about the future. I am going to start with a look back at 2024 to see what we can learn from a year that, I am sure you would agree, flown by!
Last year gave us a general election and change of government after 14 years of Conservative Prime Ministers at Number 10. The USA elected Donald Trump after a heated campaign in which he survived an assassination attempt, and the Democrats switched candidates with only a few months to go to polling.
At home, there was civil unrest and only small signs of inflation easing and only a gradual lowering of interest rates. Indeed, many western countries saw protests as the public discourse on issues as various as climate change, the cost of living and the impact of immigration grew heated. Of course, wars in Ukraine, the Middle East and North Africa continued, with massive loss of human life and disruption to supply chains. It’s true to say that the year was momentous.
Technology continues apace
All the while, the development of technology has grown exponentially and what started as a rarified area of academic study – Artificial Intelligence, or AI – only a few decades ago is now set to be a market worth $2.74 trillion by 2030.
The electronic security industry has been a prime mover in the adoption of AI, and while I have talked about its potential for some time, it is now ubiquitous across a range of products, applications and services.
This, in part, has been driven by the rapid adoption of the cloud as a host for security applications and it has got to the point that it not only represents the smart move from an operational point of view, but also from a financial perspective, as firms increasingly procure their security services on an OpEx, not CapEx basis, with all the associated advantages.
A big year for Reliance High-Tech
2024 saw big developments closer to home, as Reliance High-Tech moved its Bracknell headquarters and its Manchester and Glasgow offices. We updated our Alarm Receiving Centre and invested in a new service platform. We have continued to grow from work with existing clients but also new customers across a range of fields.
We won silver in the Installer/Integrator of the Year category at the Security and Fire Excellence Awards. And, in recognition of his expertise and Reliance High-Tech’s experience in AI and biometrics, our CTO Andy Schofield was appointed chair of the BSIA AI and Biometrics Special Interest Group.
Looking to the future
I don’t want to say ‘told you so’, but when I started this blog during lockdown four years ago, we at Reliance were already promoting the growing importance of cloud services, SaaS and AI. Indeed, I have written about the subjects in depth ever since! But in 2024, these technologies really started to be adopted in earnest, as mainstream manufacturers played catch-up to meet growing customer interest. Many others are now getting interested in the technology.
It’s not arrogant to say that Reliance High-Tech has led the way on these fields and, in many ways, are trailblazers. But we knew these would be massive technologies as their benefits were so obvious – hence our early investment and adoption.
What are my predictions for 2025? The acceleration in the adoption of the cloud and AI, certainly. Both will become mainstream and not just in security, but across our lives. In business they will become ubiquitous.
Leveraging AI
We are using AI to help drive value in the data we have. Our customers are gaining value also – understanding how their estate is used, when and how, predicting failure rates on products, dynamically cyber patching and anticipating life cycles. Spotting trends about how assets are being used to better manage efficiency. Yes, much of this centres around the use of data, but AI with data analytics allows for the prediction of behaviours.
We already have an AI consultant engaged in our business, and we work with an external body that supports us in building AI into our own workflows to make for a better more streamlined customer experience.
Getting AI right
Which leads me to a prediction for 2025 – the year that AI becomes properly mainstream in our industry. Reliance High-Tech has had an AI policy for a number of years, to guide its proper use and trusted implementation. Do you? If not, you should. Because while you can use AI and analytics to predict outcomes to add value, it is important you understand who you are talking to, and where your data is going. While there is huge value in platforms such as Chat GPT, from a cyber perspective at Reliance we have clear rules and checks regarding which platforms are secure, where data is stored and what we can and cannot share. Not only do we have policies in place, but we also openly discuss this in regular company updates.
If you think an AI-associated mistake can’t happen to you, think again. A feature in Nvidia’s artificial intelligence software can be manipulated into ignoring safety restraints and reveal private information, according to research. Businesses as diverse as McDonald’s, Air Canada, Microsoft and Amazon have all fallen for generative AI’s ability to hallucinate, misinform or display bias that can result in fines of millions of dollars.
So, as we enter a new year, there is much to be excited about. Technology will continue to transform our world. But only if you and we place people at its centre and continue to listen to customers.
I wish you every success in the New Year!
