The increasing convergence of cybersecurity and physical infrastructure means Australian CISOs are likely to see more engagement from private security providers building expertise in consulting, R&D, and infrastructure and service provision as they work to create new opportunities in cybersecurity.
Prepared by the Australian Security Industry Association Limited (ASIAL) and the Australian Security Research Centre, the newly released Security 2025 report lays out a four-year vision for the industry—which employs 180,000 people across Australia, primarily focused on conventional security arrangements such as access control, building protection, guard services, crowd control, locksmithing, and the like.
Despite its legacy in the real world, cybercrime is seen as the most significant emerging threat by both security service providers (82.8% of respondents) and security service users (91.3%)—outranking insider fraud, property and asset crime, physical assaults, and terrorism.
Traditional security providers start to see the cybersecurity opportunity
Despite strong awareness, however, just 5.7% of respondents to a recent ASIAL industry survey said they were currently offering cybersecurity services. This is likely to increase significantly with the increasing digitisation of the industry and adoption of technologies like biometrics, IT security, facial recognition, and location-based security.