Design has become a high priority to successful businesses. I am not talking about how something looks like, but more how we can set up interactions. Whether that’s a piece of software or a system. Looking at strong performing companies can witness a strong design-lead strategy. Think about Apple, Nike, Coca-Cola etc. For BigBrother design has two main sides though; essential is the interaction with our systems but crucial is the security embedded in that design.
Security by design is not just a fancy word.. It goes to the core of our existence A way of thinking that we have been living along for the past 26 years, ever since we started developing our own security and CCTV platforms. GDPR has made everyone more aware of the risks of data loss and the potential consequences, but a suitable design aims to prevent data loss in the first place and guides users to the correct actions without any data security compromise
Where the design of the user experience has almost a psychological view, the technical design and architecture of a product takes a logical approach, created by engineers to warrant performance, functionality, scalability and security. A simple example is found on our main products, PumpWatch and StoreWatch. They are on-site CCTV servers, not cloud based. This warrants first and foremost the performance on site but in a true doomsday scenario of a breach, only one site would be affected. Not thousands across Europe.
When thinking about the security of security products I can’t help but think of the issues that some – mainly Chinese – manufacturers of CCTV platforms have had over the last years. Servers and cameras for creating their own network and route to the manufacturer. Good from a support perspective, bad from a security perspective. The more we transfer the more we load the network and the more opportunity we would create for interception or data loss. The bases of our systems also works without a remote connection.
Users however prefer functionality on all levels. On site, on the go and in their head office. By developing each and every part of the platforms ourselves, we are able to control the data but also create the wanted possibilities. A BigBrother innovation that was launched recently – SecureVideo – does just this. Users can view their camera footage, live and recorded, in the WatchMobile app. But taking screenshots or downloads can be restricted, instead we are offering users the option to create a unique link – the SecureVideo link – to share their footage with other users and colleagues. No more screenshots and videos in WhatsApp groups with all risks attached.