The spending on the Middle East physical security market is set to surge 36 per cent this year, as infrastructure investment coupled with increased urbanisation fuels demand for equipment to protect critical assets and people, according to new research.

 

Global analysts Frost & Sullivan have estimated the regional demand for physical security equipment will be worth $5.2 billion this year compared to $3.8 billion last year.  

 

Physical security solutions such as intruder alarms, video surveillance, electronic locks, perimeter protection, door alarms, access control protocols and identification systems are in high demand, while the rise of Internet of Things (IoT) will mean an increase in smarter and networked systems available in the market.

 

According to Frost & Sullivan, the intensity of investment is expected to peak during the next two years toward 2020, when spending on physical security will reach $10.2 billion, comprising 10 per cent of the global market.

 

The figures were announced at a press conference in the lead-up to the 18th edition of Intersec 2016, a leading trade fair for security, safety, and fire protection, to take place from January 17 to 19 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

 

Ahmed Pauwels, chief executive officer of organiser Messe Frankfurt Middle East, said: “Trends such as the Internet of Things is having a significant impact on the regional security, safety and fire protection industries, where products and services are increasingly becoming interconnected and ‘Smart’.

 

“This is especially true in Dubai – the home of Intersec for the last 17 years – where our ruler, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum recently issued a decree to establish the Dubai Smart City Office, a new government body facilitating Dubai's efforts to transform itself into the smartest city in the world.

 

“With this in mind, we’ve introduced a new Smart Home section at Intersec 2016 as a starting point to showcase technologies that support smarter, safer, and more energy efficient buildings in Dubai, the UAE, and the wider Middle East.”

 

Smart Home along with physical and perimeter security are the latest additions to the five other core sections at Intersec of commercial security, fire and rescue, safety and health, homeland security and policing, and information security.

 

“There is no other security, safety, and fire protection trade show anywhere in the world with such a diverse international mix of companies, of whom at least 100 have officially confirmed new product launches, from the world’s first and only remote-controlled firefighting support machine, to smart home security systems using the latest building automation technologies,” said Pauwels.

 

“With 83 per cent of exhibitors based outside of the UAE, and 37 of the world’s top 50 security solutions providers on-board – including, once again, the entire top ten – Intersec truly is a global event, and the world’s leading knowledge-sharing and business networking platform for anyone involved in safety, security, and fire protection,” he said.

 

Other new additions this year at Intersec include a Safety Design in Buildings Pavilion in the Fire and Rescue section, along with a dedicated Jobs and Careers Pavilion, bringing thousands of professionals together with specialist security-related recruitment companies.

 

The event will also feature a dedicated series of industry conferences held in cooperation with the Dubai Police and Dubai Civil Defence; the Occupational Health and Safety Conference will take place on January 17 and 18, while the Middle East Fire Conference and the Critical Infrastructure Security Conference will both take place on January 18 and 19. - TradeArabia News Service