Security Sales & Integration May 2023 - 32

Systems Integration
Airing Out the Case for
Drones
Huge facilities
understand that
when you have an
intruder or need
to secure a
perimeter, a
security team
cannot move fast
enough but a
drone can deploy
in 30 seconds.
- Tuvi Cohen, Easy Aerial
Indoor Applications
ADT Commercial recently announced it had
completed its first pilot sale of Tando indoor
drones to Movado, which is field testing the
solution at its distribution center. The drones are
part of ADT Commercial's EvoGuard solution,
which also includes humanoid robots by Halodi
Robotics that can conduct autonomous patrols
inside buildings (see cover story on page 20).
Indoor drones can potentially help mitigate
several operational or security issues, such as the
labor shortage and turnover.
" Indoor drones have the potential to respond
to this by supplementing or replacing security
guard posts with a security presence and awareness
that is virtually always on and mobile when
necessary, " says William Plante, the company's
director of emerging technologies strategic development.
" When equipped with robust artificial
intelligence and machine learning capabilities,
once one drone 'learns' an environment,
that information may become transferable to
any drone used in a security operation. "
They also are a mobile video surveillance system
that can record their observations and stream
it to a management system, without human bias.
Adds Plante, " Once an AI-enabled indoor
drone is optimized for its environment, it one
day may provide an independent and proactive
patrol function that can recognize risks such as
insecure doors or exit blockages. "
As has happened with other emerging technologies,
Plante expects the indoor security drone
market to grow as organizations seek to maintain
security more efficiently: " As technologies
develop and adoption expands, it's reasonable to
expect richer integrations and an expansion into
a wider array of operating environments. "
Countering Threats
Whether intentional or not, drone incursions
have become an increasing issue.
A drone landed on the White House lawn
at 3 a.m. in 2015, raising questions about the
site's security. More recently, a man was arrested
in Louisiana for flying a drone over chemical
plants, citing that he was a filmmaker trying to
capture the Mississippi River.
In December 2022, a Cessna over Tucson, Arizona,
reported seeing a superhero-edition drone
at 8,500 feet. This is just one of about 100 such
reports the FAA receives each month.
One sector of the U.S. border in Texas saw
more than 10,000 drone incursions from Mexico
last year, Chief Patrol Agent Gloria Chavez told
Congress. The cartels use the drones to monitor
the Border Patrol, she said.
The danger to public and commercial sites is
real. In 2018, Congress passed the Preventing
Emerging Threats Act, which gave limited authority
to law enforcement officers to disable and
seize UAVs that are posing a threat.
BEING CYBER SECURE IN THE SKY
▶ As a machine with an
Internet connection, UAVs
can be susceptible to
hacking.
" Secure communication
is paramount for drones
and ground robots. Our
drones and robots are at
the cutting edge of technological
development which
surpasses anything on the
consumer market today.
The technology used by
our drones and robots is
hardened with the latest
encryption methods and
standards. The deployment
of these standards protects
our drones and ground
robots from potential cyber
threats, " says Jake Shild,
CEO of LandSkyAI.
Strategies to mitigate
hacking can include keeping
the drone's firmware
current, applying manufacturer
patches, using strong
passwords, and using the
return-to-home mode,
among others.
At Magos Americas, a
unit of Magos Systems,
each software version goes
through penetration testing
to proactively identify
and address cybersecurity
issues prior to release.
" As a best practice, it's
important to follow proper
cybersecurity hygiene in
every system, however, by
definition, every system is
protected against yesterday
threats. We are working
with our customers and
partners to stay ahead of
the curve, " says Magos
America general manager
Yaron Zussman.
ADT Commercial's
indoor drones are considered
a " network object "
when installed onto a
computer network.
Says William Plante,
ADT's director of emerging
technologies strategic development:
" The main priority
in ensuring a cyber-secure
device is network security,
and this can be achieved via
a variety of network security
designs. Many company
information and cybersecurity
departments will require
various application security
testing and proofs as part of
their due diligence and product
acceptance process, and
this applies to indoor drones
with either a web-based or
desktop application. "
32
Security Sales & Integration MAY 2023
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