Digital transition and cyber security, customisation - both functional and aesthetic -, efficiency - aimed at energy saving but also at user comfort -, sustainability, but also continuous professional training and the valorisation of public-private partnerships: these are the topics of discussion that characterised the latest edition of SICUREZZA, which closed at Fiera Milano on last 17 November, enthusiastically welcomed by companies and visitors. This enthusiasm was reinforced by the strategic MIBA-Milan International Building Alliance, of which SICUREZZA is a part together with SMART BUILDING EXPO, MADE expo and GEE-Global Elevator Exhibition, and which was able to showcase building innovation across the board.

This proposal has significant numbers that confirm MIBA as a winning proposition: more than 80,000 operators from 111 countries met the 1350 exhibitors; all enriched by a solid campaign to recruit profiled top buyers with high spending power, identified in collaboration with the ITA-ICE Agency.

THE EXHIBITION PROPOSAL

SICUREZZA 2023 showcased the most innovative security&fire proposals, and also enhanced them, thanks to MIBA, in a wider scenario focusing on the evolution of buildings and cities in a smart direction.

There were three main trends in the offer: digitisation and high technology, necessary for ensuring quality and integration for each service; customisation, to meet the increasingly diverse needs of customers and application sectors, in terms of functionality, scalability, but also design; and efficiency in consumption and operations, to meet user demands for energy and cost savings, but also for comfort and accessibility. These trends are profoundly linked to each other, under the banner of an integrated approach, involving a new understanding of how to manage spaces - be they residential, infrastructures, retail or industrial - to suit real needs.

CCTV, fire prevention, intrusion detection, access control and passive security are increasingly converging with each other. The proposals presented were diverse and evolved, capable of exploiting artificial intelligence, deep learning and IoT to perform complex data reading and analysis automatically and quickly. Universal protocols, Apps and cloud-based management integrate and connect various services, where fire & security & safety systems are increasingly integrated with security systems, guaranteeing ease, efficiency, but also preventive maintenance.

Nowadays, videosurveillance is an advanced and multifaceted intelligent mechanism, remotely managed and often integrated with other intrusion detection and home-automation services, through customised solutions for any public or private environment. The new smart cameras are capable of autonomously tracking specific individuals or objects through established morphological parameters and can send immediate notifications via app in the event of abnormal behaviour. Advanced CCTV systems for access control provide analytical monitoring of incoming or outgoing flows, allowing even the profiling of human or road traffic in sensitive locations.

Access control, intrusion detection and passive security systems also address digital transition and integrated customised solutions for homes, workplaces and public spaces. The solutions are modular and can be integrated, allowing continuous updating, they can be managed by App and each part can be customised in design: handles and electronic cylinders are easy to install and offer modular solutions for remote access management in both small and large environments; smart video intercoms dialogue with the building's internal mobility systems to facilitate access; control units and sirens can be managed via App and combine design shapes, low-impact materials, high-resistance paints and customisable colour finishes.

Fire protection fits into this ecosystem, with reliable, customised and digital solutions for predictive and comprehensive monitoring of all building features, not only in residential but also in important infrastructures.

At SICUREZZA, new multitasking fire alarm control panels were presented, capable of managing extinguishing, gas detection, emergency lighting, and public-addressing at the same time; new extraction systems were presented, capable of distinguishing a real fire from a false alarm; all accompanied by cloud and App solutions, capable of decisively simplifying both the installation and maintenance phases.

Similarly, in public contexts, security is evolving in a highly technological and tailor-made direction: SICUREZZA featured certified temporary anti-terrorism deterrents suitable for securing large events, advanced drone-detection systems capable of intervening on the aerial trajectories of suspicious drones, and robot dogs, ground-based drones that are used both on construction sites and in the event of earthquakes and natural disasters, to dig without putting human beings at risk.

CONTINUOUS TRAINING AND VALORISATION OF PROFESSIONS

Once again this year, SICUREZZA was fertile ground for professional development, with more than 50 industry-specific training events held over the three days of the event, which complemented the MIBA training schedule.

Vigilance Operators, Security Managers, Installers, System Integrators and Designers all found solutions in the events at the trade fair. Associations, publishers, certification bodies and companies were able to provide an accurate picture of a rapidly changing sector, with the intention of taking stock of today's security industry culture, to ensure that it is recognised, disseminated and promoted, reaffirming the convergence needed between the public and private sectors.

Some of the topics discussed included: digital transition, digital-awareness of professionals, but also the necessary valorisation of their skills through training and certification. In addition to digitisation, there is also the issue of efficiency, a concept underpinning the new smart-building and smart-city, which aim to become accessible and sustainable spaces in both environmental and human terms, and therefore safe.

The fact that many Italian associations chose to hold their own institutional meetings during the event confirmed SICUREZZA as a relevant space for discussion for the sector, highlighting the desire and need to promote a public and shared exchange on current and future projects.

Lastly, the Cyber Security Arena events, organised by Business International, allowed us to take stock of the current situation of cyber security, including the objectives already achieved and the many risks still to be faced. The talks and the “useful” tips discussed cyber risk, artificial intelligence, and the current geopolitical scenario, but also Cyber Awareness, data security in Smart-Building and Smart-City, as well as the new frontiers of Cyber Threat Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence and blockchain as an innovative approach to cyber security.

The next SICUREZZA event will be held from 19 to 21 November 2025, again as part of MIBA, which, after its successful debut, confirms its format.