On September 14 and 15, 2021, the network for internal security met at the European Police Congress in the bcc exhibition center near Berlin’s Alexanderplatz. In addition, service providers and institutions for external security met on September 15 and 16 at the AFCEA Fachausstellung 2021 specialist exhibition in the World Conference Center in Bonn.

The main trade fairs for internal and external security – which had to be canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic – were held once again. However, the security community returned to a situation that has widely been described as the “new normal”. Following a short period of getting used to the especially strict hygiene and protective measures in force at the trade fair, the event represented a long-awaited reunion for the communities. The vital exchanges between providers and users at the trade fair were far more intensive than anything achievable via video or telephone conference.

SVA was present throughout the entire duration of the trade fairs with a booth and technical experts at each. As well as benefiting from the podium discussions, panels and specialist presentations held by renowned figures, the company was able to draw the attention of the participants to what are, in our opinion, the core challenges and solutions. The last few months have clearly showed just how fragile our daily lives can be, which is why increasing the resilience of administrative security infrastructures and the associated procedures and solving and preventing threats are some of the key topics of our time.

While prototypes and feasibility studies are often still used for modern procedures such as the use of artificial intelligence in security or the analysis of large data volumes and real-time data, we have succeeded in presenting established applications and use cases in these areas. Automated procedures for detecting patterns and algorithm-based analyses have long been used to prevent, respond to and solve crime.

Nevertheless, data centers are still the decisive interface when it comes to implementing cutting-edge infrastructures and procedures, with servers, storage and network technology forming the foundation here. These are joined by security solutions for protecting the data center itself, such as protection against network errors, power cuts or even natural events, as well as IT security for protecting the data from unauthorized access – both internally and externally. While the community generally tended to concentrate on security and performance, the focus is expanding to include flexibility and scalability, as well as sustainability.

We would like to thank all guests who visited our booths over the three fascinating days and who gave us important insights and opened up new fields of activity. We are looking forward to further interesting conversations at the next AFCEA Fachausstellung in 2022, as well as the next European Police Congress.