Any high-value business is a target for criminals or protestors, anywhere in the world. In the UAE, where digital transformation and rapid development of the fintech future is accelerating, there can be a gap in knowledge between traditional security and any company that is purely cyber-focused. 

Whatever future-ready finance system a company is building, it might be protected from the online threats of hackers, malware and nation-state actors, but if the on-premises security is weak, the organisation, its hardware and workers remain highly vulnerable. 

From on-payment device cameras to whole-building layered security, protecting your company IP, office systems and staff from any type of threat is is key.                                                               

Physical Security to Protect Your Digital Business

Modern security systems can help protect the workforce and customers. They can also provide leadership with insights into potential in-office risks, from outside and internal threats. 

However, while your luxury office suite or block provider might focus on security cameras on the main entrances and access points, they might typically not consider deeper security to protect your specific financial organisation. 

Modern financial institutions face multiple threats, and while the focus is often mainly on cyber, growing physical risks, such as physical system or data theft, internal fraud and old-fashioned criminal violence, are all growing. 

Outdated surveillance systems can’t keep pace with the speed and sophistication of these threats. To mitigate and deter them, a digital, cloud-based security camera system can automatically monitor any number of cameras.

It can track suspicious behaviour and alert staff or management to unusual activity, and interact with access control systems to ensure people are who they (or their ID cards) claim to be.

Using AI Analytics and Smart Cameras to Protect Your Fintech

Smart cameras, equipped with AI analytics, deliver real‑time alerts and remote monitoring to close the gap between the needs of modern digital-first fintech companies, even those with large offices, physical footprints and data centres or server facilities.

Smart cameras can provide a financial business with ongoing situational awareness, adding features like facial recognition, behavioural analytics, and automated incident detection that help security teams or office staff identify suspicious activity before it escalates. 

And as they are cloud-based, they are always up to date, offer redundancy to maintain services, and can apply the latest AI features to turn legacy responsive services into proactive analytics to protect sensitive meetings, physical transactions and customer data.

Security in the UAE

Most office buildings and business suites across the booming UAE come with high levels of physical security, but it is rarely focused on the needs of specialist firms like fintechs. That’s largely thanks to strict governance and the use of advanced technology, linked to the police and emergency services. 

Visible at the likes of the Etihad Towers, Dubai International Financial Centre, ADNOC HQ and other high-profile locations, even more mundane office spaces supporting the UAE’s booming banking and startup culture are well-defended. However, these are not typically catering to the needs of a fintech or AI business with minimal focus on physical security. 

So, while banking or financial institutions may be focused on cyber security, there is a growing need to integrate physical security such as access control, SMART cameras and other sensors to protect the specific business. 

An integrated security approach protects both the cloud aspects of your physical security system and bolsters protection around office spaces, plus the growing number of public- or B2B-facing fintech spaces and your data systems. 

When all it takes is a stolen ID, a company laptop or smartphone and weak password security to threaten the wellbeing of an entire business. A hybrid approach to physical and data security is required to defeat or mitigate what can start out as a quick and simple crime that can escalate into a threat to the company. 

Many providers can deliver access control, door entry, inner office cameras and other systems as part of an extensive package. And smart camera providers can deliver in-house systems that augment the existing security for startups and smaller organisations. 

Whatever the cost and effort, it is an investment well spent, as criminals (smart or dumb) return to physical methods to initiate digital or traditional financial crimes against firms that can too easily think they are safe. 

Main Picture: via Freepik