Security DNA

Drones, remote monitoring, and AI are changing how organizations protect people and property, but how much can these systems really deliver in the field?

In this episode of Security DNA, Steve Lasky, Director of Content for SIW, Security Executive, and Security Business magazines, talks with Ryan Smith, president and founder of Titan Protection and Consulting. A former law enforcement officer with SWAT experience, Smith built a security model that blends trained personnel, remote video monitoring, mobile response, and drone-based surveillance.

They discuss the drone as a service model, how virtual perimeters and “Automated Response and Patrol” work, and how drone programs compare in cost to overnight guards. Smith also covers Titan’s FAA beyond visual line of sight waiver, what the coming Part 108 rule could mean for liability, how AI analytics are improving patrols, and why he believes the human in the loop will remain for a very long time.

In Part 3 of our conversation with Tim Freestone, Chief Strategy Officer at Kiteworks, we dig into the findings of the company's fifth annual Data Security and Compliance Risk Survey -- and the numbers are sobering. Eighty percent of organizations experienced a security or AI incident in the past year. Sixty-three percent of those incidents produced a compliance consequence. And half of organizations still cannot produce a complete AI data access audit record within one business day.

But the bigger story is what's driving the exposure. Tim breaks down why organizations with the largest security budgets are not necessarily achieving the highest maturity scores, why shadow AI has given way to a more dangerous problem -- sanctioned AI spawning vibe-coded apps with unvetted security flaws -- and why the governance gap is widening even as deployment accelerates.

He also lays out the three control planes every organization should have in place before significantly expanding agentic AI: identity, action, and data -- with data as the most critical and most overlooked.

Tim Freestone is Chief Strategy Officer at Kiteworks. Follow their work at kiteworks.com and on Substack at The Kiteworks Control Plane.

In this episode of the SecurityDNA podcast, Editorial Director Steve Lasky continues a conversation with Scott Brothers, COO of Oncam, that began on the show floor at ISC West in April.

Brothers, who spent 16 years as an integrator before moving to the vendor side, brings a pointed rebuttal to the industry's cloud-first narrative. His central argument: physical security generates too much data, and enterprise requirements vary too widely, for an all-cloud model to work the way it has in banking or streaming. Hybrid architecture, in his view, is not a transitional phase but a durable outcome, with cloud functioning as an enabler for exceptions and distribution rather than a wholesale storage replacement.

The discussion also covers what the Brivo–Eagle Eye Networks merger signals about industry consolidation, why integrators are financially torn between CapEx-driven business models and the pull toward recurring revenue, and what true interoperability looks like when a vendor relationship ends.

Brothers is direct about AI's operational value versus its marketing packaging, and he flags rising cloud-processing costs as the next issue end users need to interrogate before committing to a long-term platform.

AI-generated deepfakes are advancing so fast that video — long the gold standard of evidence in legal proceedings, compliance audits, and security investigations — can no longer be assumed authentic. So what does that mean for the 90 million surveillance cameras recording across the country right now?

At Milestone XPerience Days (MXD) in Las Vegas, SecurityInfoWatch Editor-in-Chief Rodney Bosch sat down with Jason Crawforth, Founder & CEO of SWEAR, to discuss the accelerating threat to video integrity and why his company believes proving authenticity from the moment video is captured is the key to deepfake detection.

Crawforth makes a compelling case: the legal system is already shifting the burden of truth. Jurors who consume fake content daily are increasingly skeptical of video evidence. And the cat-and-mouse game of deepfake detection is one that AI will always eventually win. SWEAR's approach — using steganography, advanced hashing, and blockchain to embed "digital DNA" into every pixel, frame-by-frame, in real time — takes AI out of the equation entirely by creating an independent chain of custody from camera to courtroom.

In this episode of Security DNA, recorded live on the show floor at the Electronic Security Expo (ESX) 2026, SecurityInfoWatch Editor-in-Chief Paul Rothman sits down with Jeremy Bates, incoming Chairman of the Electronic Security Association (ESA) and Senior Vice President of Business Development at Pye-Barker Fire & Security.

Jeremy came up through the industry the hard way, co-owning and growing Bates Security and Sonitrol of Lexington, Ky., into one of the most respected regional security companies in the nation before selling to Pye-Barker and joining the organization in May 2024. 

Now stepping into the ESA Chairman role, he brings a clear agenda: expand education and training, build out the new ESA Research Center – including a newly hired economist – and demonstrate concrete membership value as the industry continues to consolidate.

In this conversation, Jeremy shares his priorities for ESA, including revamped education and apprenticeship programs; offers a candid take on industry M&A and what the hollowing-out of the mid-tier integrator market means for entrepreneurs; explains how Pye-Barker is shifting its focus from acquisition volume to organic growth; and makes the case for why video – particularly proactive video monitoring – is the technology trend most worth watching right now.

SecurityInfoWatch Editorial Director Rodney Bosch sits down with Elizabeth Parks, President and CMO of Parks Associates, live at the 30th annual CONNECTIONS Conference in Santa Clara, CA.

Elizabeth reflects on three decades of smart home research, what the industry consistently misunderstands about consumers, the mounting pressure on dealer channels, and why cybersecurity is the conversation nobody is having loudly enough...yet.

‪Parks Associates‬ has been a foundational research voice for smart home, connected home, multifamily, and small business markets since 1986, helping manufacturers and platform companies validate product strategy and forecast where the market is heading.

Topics covered:

More coverage from Connections Conference 2026

In this episode of SecurityDNA, Editorial Director Steve Lasky speaks with ZeroEyes Director of Service Enhancement Vincent Martinez about the lessons from Brown and the Washington Hilton incident, including why strategic camera placement matters more than camera count, how AI gun detection is changing threat response, and the common surveillance mistakes that leave organizations vulnerable.

Drawing on experience with DHS tactical response teams and U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Martinez shares practical insights on surveillance audits, active shooter preparedness, red team assessments, and the future of AI-driven threat detection.

Learn more: https://www.securityinfowatch.com/

Technology isn’t the only aspect of the security industry that’s evolving. The very definition of “security” is changing, so the way practitioners approach security must change with it.

SecurityInfoWatch Associate Editor Samantha Schober brings Mary Gates, CEO of GMR Security Consulting Group, to the table to discuss the company’s rebranding effort, the rise of human-centric security strategies, and the unique strengths female security leaders bring to the table.

Mary Gates is a seasoned industry veteran with over 35 years of experience in corporate security management. Previously President and now CEO at GMR Security Consulting Group, Mary directs the company’s strategic vision and growth trajectory, leads expansion into new markets and service areas, and works to develop and implement enterprise-level risk management strategies tailored to each client’s needs. Prior to GMR, Mary spent nearly 25 years at JPMorgan Chase & Co., where she most recently served as Executive Director.

Gates is certified as an ALICE Instructor, CPTED, CFSSP, and CHPA-III. She has served on several boards, most recently as Advisory Member for the ASIS Banking and Financial Services Committee, and is a recognized international speaker at events hosted by ASIS, ATMIA, the American Bankers Association, and more.

As the physical and digital worlds increasingly merge, cybersecurity has become a critical component of organizational defense. The rapid growth of IoT devices has expanded the average attack surface, making businesses more vulnerable than ever--a single employee clicking on a malicious email can compromise an entire organization.

To protect against these evolving threats, companies must prioritize cyber threat awareness, understand emerging attack vectors, and implement proactive cybersecurity strategies. Knowledge is the first line of defense in preventing costly breaches and maintaining digital safety.

In this episode of Security DNA, SecurityInfoWatch Associate Editor Samantha Schober sits down for a chat with Russ Munisteri, Lead Instructor at MyComputerCareer, to discuss the evolving landscape of cybersecurity, the challenges facing cyber workforce development, and the critical role of training in defending against today’s threats.

Russ Munisteri is a seasoned IT professional boasting over 25 years of experience in systems administration, cybersecurity, and technical education. As Director of Education at MyComputerCareer, he leverages his extensive industry background and teaching expertise to prepare learners for success in IT and cybersecurity. 

In this episode of Security DNA, host Steve Lasky sits down with Tara Dunning, Vice President of Global Security and Network Infrastructure Sales and Strategy at Wesco, to explore how AI, IoT, and cloud technologies are transforming the role of today’s security integrators.

Discover how cameras are evolving from simple surveillance tools to powerful visual intelligence assets, why platform aggregation and data-driven security are redefining situational awareness, and what the next generation of digital transformation means for integrators, manufacturers, and end users alike.

Tara Dunning originally joined Wesco as VP of Global Security in 2021, where she scouted and evaluated new go-to-market opportunities and met emerging trends across verticals, segments, and geographies. She is currently Wesco’s VP, Global Security and Network Infrastructure Sales & Strategy.

Dunning has delivered transformative growth in the IT and OT industries over the course of her career. She has held multiple sales and strategy leadership positions at various distributors, manufacturers, and service providers across the globe. In addition to her work on SIA’s Board of Directors, Dunning has given back to the industry through over 15 years of service to various organizations that uplift female and multicultural voices.