Frost & Sullivan: Mass Transit Systems Provide Growth for Physical Security Solutions

Mass transit systems are often at the receiving end of terror plots, both successful and unsuccessful. These global attacks highlight the vulnerability of travel and the importance of proper security for passengers.

 

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PRLog (Press Release) – Dec 14, 2010 – MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – December 14, 2010 – Mass transit systems are often at the receiving end of terror plots, both successful and unsuccessful.  These global attacks highlight the vulnerability of travel and the importance of proper security for passengers.  Even though there have been no recent successful attacks on U.S. mass transit systems, the FBI and local police departments have allegedly thwarted several planned attacks against the New York City subway system alone.  The frequent use of mass transit systems and the sheer number of people at risk are cause for great concern.

“Since 9/11, the DHS and TSA have spent approximately $20 billion on aviation security, compared to roughly $960 million on mass transit security,” states Dilip Sarangan, industry analyst for Frost & Sullivan. “Aviation security is a definite priority given the events of 9/11; however, such an imbalance in federal funding poses a severe challenge for the mass transit security industry and its vendors.”

Frost & Sullivan’s recent study, North American Physical Security Solutions for Mass Transit Market, finds the market earned revenues of $.49 billion in 2009 and estimates this to reach $1.57 billion in 2016.

If you are interested in more information on this study, please send an e-mail to Johanna Haynes, Corporate Communications, at johanna.haynes@frost.com, with your full name, company name, title, telephone number, company e-mail address, company website, city, state and country.

The mass transit sector represents far different security challenges than aviation. Securing more than 400 domestic airports and ordering security upgrades for the airlines, while a major endeavor, were discrete and manageable tasks for the federal government. In contrast, the ground transportation industry involves thousands of organizations in multiple transportation modes spanning both public and private sectors. Also, the sheer size of the transportation infrastructure includes several thousand miles of track, large numbers of bridges and tunnels, countless passenger stops, and a vast number of buses, railroads and freight trucks traversing the country day and night. As large as the ground transportation section is, this system of transportation is designed to be open, accessible, and interconnecting for the convenience of passengers and customers.

With the shift toward internet protocol (IP), an overlap of information technology (IT) standards exists. IT standards such as TCP/IP are used for communication between edge devices and an application server. IT personnel also prefer systems that use these standards rather than proprietary networking standards. As these personnel are trained to handle the IT systems, the new IP systems based on TCP/IP seem like an extension that could lead to easier adoption. Hence, the adoption rate of IP systems using open standards increases and is more preferable. Although the shift from proprietary standards to open standards is a challenge for some solution providers, this is the preferred route for large-scale adoption in the long run.

“Integration and interoperability are critical to success in the market,” states Sarangan. “Emerging technologies such as physical security information management (PSIM can help vendors and service providers implement large solutions. The key success factor in this market is the ability to integrate disparate systems at low cost with rapid deployment.”

North American Physical Security Solutions for Mass Transit Market is part of the Security subscription, which also includes research in the following markets: North American Physical Security Network Storage Market; 2010 U.S. Physical Security Solutions within the Education Areas; 2010 U.S. Physical Security Solutions within the Mass Transit Areas; Changing Dynamics of the Physical Security Industry; and Opportunities in the World Perimeter Intrusion Detection Systems Market. All research included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends that have been evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants. Interviews are available to the press.

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North American Physical Security Solutions for Mass Transit Market
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Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, partners with clients to accelerate their growth. The company’s research and consulting services empower clients to generate, evaluate, and implement effective growth strategies.