By Therese Hume, Strategic Partner Director
Cybersecurity has become a critical concern for organizations across the globe, especially in light of recent breaches that have involved known players in the industry. At Oncam, we have always been focused on ensuring the highest level of cybersecurity; it’s part of our ongoing promise to our customers, distributors, and OEM partners and it’s at the forefront during the inception, design, development, testing and maintenance phases of all our products.
Many of our partners are involved in significant projects with the U.S. Government, which is understandably one of the most demanding organizations when it comes to the cybersecurity, as well as video surveillance systems used for critical infrastructure and public safety. Due to recent concerns regarding the cybersecurity of government agencies, the United States has enacted a rule in regard to what brands can be used in networked projects within this sector.
Section 889 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is a U.S. federal law that imposes restrictions on the procurement and use of technology from specifically named Chinese telecom giants and their subsidiaries. It went into effect on Aug. 13, 2019 and was expanded approximately a year later to cover “contracting with” and include wording in regard to “critical technology.” It is important to note that the bill addresses specific technology vendors by name and is not related to the manufacturing location of products or components.
Agencies or end-users working with the U.S. federal government now must ensure that equipment “as a substantial or essential component of any system” is not originated from any of these banned brands. For technology providers, this means the federal government requires disclosure of the OEM, and its originating components. Therefore, video surveillance providers cannot be considered NDAA-compliant unless all of the specific technologies used to create their camera technologies are certified from OEMs not affiliated with any of the restricted vendors.
At Oncam, we pride ourselves of having a product line that is fully NDAA compliant. Our most recent collaboration for the C-Series is with Qualcomm Technologies, one of the leading SoC providers, a company that is not just at the forefront in delivering the features and technology needed for the next generation of fisheye cameras, but that is also laser-focused on ensuring compliance and following the most stringent cybersecurity protocols .
Nevertheless, it is necessary for us to continue to be vigilant about the entire supply chain, running comprehensive assessments to ensure the highest levels of compliance are met — this is part of our promise to you, as a partner and customer.
Oncam products are used and trusted by numerous governments and enterprises across the globe. As we continue to foster strategic partnerships and grow our business, we are committed to ensuring our technologies meet NDAA compliance because these rules will not change in the short term.
Learn more about our compliance with the NDAA and Oncam’s commitment to cybersecurity.