Speed and quality of innovation have become crucial to surviving in highly competitive markets such as the security sector.

When seemingly all the effort of an organization is focused on the day-to-day operational activity it can be difficult to find the time and resources to concentrate on new products, services, or processes. To be effective, innovation needs to become embedded within an organization and not be an ad hoc or one-off event. 

By establishing an innovation system senior management can create an environment where people are encouraged to bring forward ideas knowing that they will be formally evaluated and, if appropriate, developed for the benefit of the whole organization.

The Importance of Innovation in the Security Sector

Any security organization which ceases to innovate will soon be left behind and will decline. Innovation is the essential process that translates inventions or ideas into commercially viable products or services that bring value to end-users as well as to our economy. 

Innovation is a separate process that fits between invention or discovery and commercialization. It is key to increasing a company’s competitiveness, market share, and long-term profitability. However, innovation does not always derive from within an organization. Customers, suppliers, and economic and political conditions can all be sources of new ideas. Collaborating with other organizations and even competitors can lead to improved performance, be it financial or operational. 

Standards are useful in these conditions as they guide managers through the principles of collaboration with its issues of intellectual property protection and sharing of technical expertise.

How does Standardization Enable Innovation in the Security Sector?

Contrary to popular belief, the vast majority of innovations don’t come out of the blue like the apple falling on Newton’s head; they are brought about via a defined set of activities that can be grouped under the heading “managing the process of innovation.” 

Standards boost innovation and help organizations adopt a more strategic approach from an early stage, giving them a framework to manage and assess their innovation activities to maximize the value they can achieve.

Security organizations are looking for access to world-class expertise in how to lead in areas of innovation and standards are an excellent tool for the industry to accelerate innovation and performance improvement. 

Standards are fundamental to innovation in today’s economy. Innovation is no longer a matter of transferring industrial technologies, but the broader organizational, economic and social embedding of these new technologies in a development environment. 

Innovators are inherently looking for solutions and if a standard concisely outlines the best current practice it can save the user time in researching an excess of other sources. At the very least it should provide a solid starting point from which to explore further.

To learn about how standards support video surveillance technology, click here.

Key Standards for Innovation Management

The British Standard BS 8538 provides best-practice recommendations for the services that relate to the commercialization of intellectual property rights. This includes copyright, trademarks, and, patenting, and is the first of its kind to set out principles of ethical behavior for organizations providing services to investors. 

BS 8538 looks at the principles for ethical behavior and defines integrity and competence. It explains how to ensure transparency of services, charges, and other payments or receipts. The standard also focuses on confidentiality and the disclosure of information, as well as the declaration of interests and conflicts. Other topics include complaints handling and non-disclosure agreements.

The BS EN ISO 56000 series helps organizations introduce an innovation management system to identify the most important challenges, capture the right ideas, seize the best opportunities and properly manage emerging trends and risks. 

BS EN ISO 56002:2021 Innovation management system gives guidance for businesses looking to adopt an innovation management system.

BS EN ISO 56003:2021 Innovation management tools and methods give guidance to organizations on the tools and methods for innovation partnership, support wider innovation training for staff, and provide guidance on how innovation partnerships are managed so that collaborative efforts become mutually beneficial.

Security organizations could also use BS EN ISO 44001 to further support collaborative business relationships with other organizations. This standard offers specific guidance around knowledge sharing and managing joint objectives to build better relationships and improve innovative results.

As technology continues to advance rapidly in the security sector, accessing the standards your business needs to adapt to these innovations does not have to be complicated and time-consuming. Our tailored BSI Knowledge subscription service provides flexibility, access, visibility, and control over the standards and insights your team needs to adopt emerging processes. Request to learn more.

Ensure your security organization is prepared for the future innovations of the sector by adding these standards to your collection today.