GJD Switchers & Switches

In 2017, DITEK saw how power surges from the many natural disasters that took place damaged many businesses. In a natural disaster, or even everyday business operations, a facility’s entire investment in security, life safety and surveillance systems technology can be disabled or rendered useless in a few seconds. Surge protection solutions can mitigate those risks and protect security investments. Proactive Approach To Risk Mitigation Throughout 2017, we also witnessed a change in how enterprises view surge protection, which included how investments are being made in surge protection to protect valuable security, life safety and surveillance systems, while also reducing downtime, manpower costs, liability vulnerabilities, and possibly compliance issues that can force businesses to actually cease operations. Effective security management is about mitigating risks. But risks cannot be mitigated without a proactive approach. Enterprises and integrators, who take the time to assess risk and to develop a strategy to incorporate effective detection, deter and response criteria to protect physical assets will be successful in 2018. 2018 And Beyond That strategy includes designing surge protection into new security systems, while also adding surge protection to existing systems. Enterprises and security integrators who implement a surge protection strategy during security planning processes – or after – will be exercising prevention and mitigation, and they will be successful in 2018 and beyond.  Surge protection devices have an untapped potential for enterprise surveillance and security systems In 2017, Ditek continued to offer security end users a solid surge protection solution. We also successfully educated system integrators, who are seeking value-added products or services to incorporate into their portfolios, on the importance of surge protection devices. Educating Security Integrators We believe that surge protection devices have an untapped potential for enterprise video surveillance and security systems, because they can and do meet safety and security challenges that have been rarely identified in the past. We are looking forward to 2018, when we will continue to develop new surge protection products – including a new product engineered to protect up to twelve individual fuel dispensers, which is critical to the financial operation of convenience stores. We will also continue to educate security integrators about the importance of including surge protection in the design/build RFP, to not only secure an enterprise’s valuable security equipment, but also to help integrators to differentiate their capabilities and knowledge from the competition.

Technology is changing the look and function of today’s security control rooms. Old-school CRT (cathode-ray tube) monitors are giving way to the thinner, flat screen monitors in the control room environment, but the transition is gradual. Randy Smith of Winsted still sees many control rooms that need to make the conversion, which is a boon to his company’s business. Furniture today is designed differently to accommodate the thinner monitors, often with larger screens. Need For Integrated Rack Systems With the increase of IP-based systems comes the need for integrated rack systems that include advanced functionality such as cable management, adds Jim Coleman, National Sales Manager, AFC Industries. Server rooms are environmentally controlled by cooling systems and power systems monitored on the IP network. Low-profile flat screens allow centers to utilize space vertically, thus creating a smaller footprint for the consoles. Additionally, with IP-based systems, workstations will have a smaller footprint because there is less cumbersome equipment. In most cases the servers are stored in a secured, climate controlled environment to eliminate overheating of the servers and maintain their security, says Coleman. This environment also helps with cable and power management. AFC builds technical furniture racks that adhere to the precise needs of computer network server room operators. The company designs and fabricates LAN workbenches with versatile functionalities, and server room workstation racks that are scalable. There is a complete line of IT workbenches, IT computer racks and computer server rack mounts with flexible mounting options. In most cases the servers are stored in a secured, climate controlled environment to eliminate overheating of the servers and maintain their security Flexible Control Room Designs Matko Papic, Chief Technology Officer of Evans Consoles, says the transition from bulky CRT equipment to flat-screen (lower profile) monitors was a major disruption in control room design; it changed the whole dynamic. Another evolution is the use of IP video streaming, which allows more flexibility in manipulation of audio-video content, and requires more flexible control room designs. Another shift, driven by larger, higher-definition monitors, is a shift to fewer monitors that display more information. Instead of a smaller monitor for each information stream, larger monitors now consolidate that information into “dashboard” displays. Looking ahead, control rooms will need to be more flexible, both in the initial design and the ability to adapt to changing technology, says Papic. Legacy customers who are currently using PCs may be moving to more remote applications. Sit-stand equipment will continue to be increasingly prevalent. “There will be more emphasis on flexibility, technology integration, and the ability to change over the life of the system,” says Papic. Consolidation Of Multiple Operations Into A Single System A trend in security is consolidation of multiple physical operations into a single system, says Papic. As a result, more customers are taking more interest in alarm management and situational awareness. How is the technology being used in terms of alarm triggers? How can the systems react rapidly and provide information to a larger audience in the control room? These questions impact how control rooms are designed, and Evans Consoles can adapt lessons learned from other markets to these trends in the security arena. Greater use of technology is inevitable, says Coleman of AFC Industries. “It is virtually impossible for humans to monitor all security data at the street level in our cities,” he says. “As computers become more powerful and their programs more all-encompassing, we will see a greater shift to robotic and technology uses that will provide enhanced monitoring capabilities and safety reactions.” Read our Control Rooms series here

The security industry will continue to see consolidation through acquisition in 2017. At the advent of IP camera adoption, we saw a great decline in large vertically integrated companies, which spurred a new era of innovation within smaller IP camera manufacturers, VMS providers and other hardware companies for storage and managed switches.   We are now living in a new era of consolidation that is taking us full-circle back to vertical integration. Ultimately, the industry as a whole suffers because this consolidation will stifle innovation until the next big technology disruption takes shape. Interoperability Across Different Verticals  This time last year, we noted that the marketplace was moving toward converged technologies and the need for alarm management across multiple platforms into a common interface, turned out to be a popular request. If anything, we are only seeing just the beginning phases of this transition. The biggest surprise is that interoperability is not only confined to security technology, but also extends to parallel systems such as building automation, safety and environmental controls, and even Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software. Using Video Event Management Software (VEMS) alongside these intelligent platforms proves to be a valuable verification process for many new and exciting vertical markets. Arteco plans to continue the revenue growth and brand awareness achieved in 2016 Event-Based Video Security Software At Arteco, our highest growth sectors tend to be slightly insulated from economic fluctuation in the sense that we focus on securing critical infrastructure (electrical utilities and communications) as well as corporate and education campuses. Unfortunately, the continued growth in active shooter incidents have made physical security concerns top of mind for many organizations regardless of economic impact. The unexpected repercussions are that many new security technologies are emerging that cater to real-time event notification on both the macro and micro level. The exciting part of this trend is that users are leveraging a layered approach with multiple autonomous applications working together toward a common goal to improve security, which will hopefully ensure a high level of protection.  Business Growth And Challenges Business has continued to grow year-over-year, and 2016 was a huge step forward for Arteco not only in terms of revenue growth, but also increased brand awareness in the United States and abroad. Our biggest challenge continues to be the crowded VMS market, which is filled with lower cost or even free substitute products. We are making great strides in overcoming this challenge by having a wonderful team of people, both on the technical and sales side of the organization, who are focused on finding new and innovative ways to advance intuitive, open and affordable event-based and intelligent video security software into 2017. See the full coverage of 2016/2017 Review and Forecast articles here

GJD has hit the ground running in 2019 with the appointment of Jason Hill as the company’s Commercial Director. Mark Tibbenham, Managing Director of GJD has big plans for the British manufacturer of external motion detectors and LED illuminators, and has recruited Jason Hill to help deliver on his aspirations. GJD Expands In The US Commenting on the new appointment, Mark said: “Even though we were 2017 recipients of the Queens Award for Enterprise, International Trade there are a significant number of markets where we have no representation and Jason can help us identify suitable distributors and partners globally. We are also expanding in the US after opening an office in Los Angeles last year and focusing on the Home Automation market there, Jason is extremely well connected with that sector in North America.” Most importantly GJD has ambitious new product development plans and we need to communicate those effectively to a large potential market" Mark continued to say: “Most importantly GJD has ambitious new product development plans and we need to communicate those effectively to a large potential market. Having worked with Jason over the last few years on a number of projects and partnerships, I felt he was the man we needed to take our business to the next phase.” Home Automation Platforms Jason Hill commented: “It is very satisfying to be working for a British security manufacturer after all these years in the industry. GJD is growing fast and is already recognized as a UK export success story, but there is still so much more potential. I will be busy traveling the world to meet new partners and supporting the US operation as it expands. Mark has already done the hard work of enabling support of GJD products into home automation platforms, so I need to work on market awareness. Reliable human detection in external applications is in huge demand from end users and we have the technology to deliver that, I have also seen the product roadmap for the next two years and there are some great projects on the horizon.” Jason joins GJD from Taiwanese surveillance manufacturer LILIN, where he was UK MD for 20 years and latterly Group Vice President. He has worked in the Security industry since 1990 predominantly with Manufacturers. Founded in 1983, GJD is the UK’s renowned manufacturer, designer and supplier of professional external detector equipment, as well as Infra-Red and White-Light LED illuminators. GJD’s Head Office is based in Heywood, Greater Manchester, UK.

GJD, a UK manufacturer, designer and supplier of professional external detector equipment, as well as Infra-Red and White-Light LED illuminators is proud to announce that its IP drivers are officially Control4 certified. The certification means GJD’s IP devices are Control4 ready straight out of the box, further enhancing GJD’s commitment to the Custom Install industry. The drivers are listed on the Control4, Janus Technology and GJD websites. All certified drivers must pass stringent testing in Control4 labs, ensuring smooth and seamless integration. GJD’s certification includes the incorporation of Simple Device Discovery Protocol (SDDP), which makes integrating GJD IP devices with a Control4 system easy and seamless. Passive Infrared Detectors Mark Tibbenham, GJD’s Managing Director commented: “We are extremely proud that our IP drivers are C4 certified. GJD is fully committed to providing Custom Integrators with all of the benefits of a truly customizable network-based security system. Our partnership will make it even easier for CI’s to install and configure GJD into Control4 home and commercial automation projects”. GJD offers a wide variety of IP devices ranging from external passive infrared detectors and highly accurate laser sensors for perimeter protection GJD offers a wide variety of IP devices ranging from external passive infrared detectors and highly accurate laser sensors for perimeter protection and intruder detection, to Infra-Red and White-Light LED illuminators for intelligent lighting. There is also a certified driver for the company’s IPAnything Module, which is an I/O Converter, designed to convert any type of analog sensor to an IP system, or vice versa. Personalized Automation GJD’s professional IP technology provides transformative benefits including early intruder warning alerts to provide an alarm when the intruder is at the boundary, rather than alerting the user when the threat is already inside the building. More unique benefits include utilizing detectors to measure outdoor light level and ambient temperature, which optimize environmental control. Overall an integrated GJD and Control4 system provides convenience, peace of mind and extremely reliable security detection to create a comfortable and safe environment for the user. Founded in 2003, Control4 is a provider of personalized automation and control solutions, which allows the user to control virtually any device in a home or business automatically. Control4 provides an affordable way to control and automate security, lighting, energy and music in a single room or throughout the entire home. The partnership between GJD and Control4 will bring even more versatile smart solutions for home and commercial projects.

An eruption of violence at a church in Charleston, S.C., this June has increased awareness of the potential for such incidents at our houses of worship. On June 17 at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in downtown Charleston, a 21-year-old attacker wielding a Glock 41 .45-caliber handgun took the lives of nine people. But it was far from the first security breach at a house of worship. In fact, since 1999, more than 500 people have died a violent death on church or faith-based property. That number is close to, if not slightly ahead of, the number of violent deaths at our schools. Seeking answers, we asked this week’s Expert Panel: What security solutions could help them remain secure? Can houses of worship remain as open as in the past?