News

In many regards, 2018 was a turbulent year for the physical security marketplace, driven by evolving technologies and changing customer needs, among other factors. Year-end is a great time to reflect, so we asked our Expert Panel Roundtable: What caused the most disruption in the physical security marketplace in 2018? 

Consolidation persisted in the physical security industry in 2018, and big companies such as Motorola, Canon and UTC continued to make moves. Also among the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) news in 2018 was a high-profile bankruptcy (that ended well), continuing consolidation in the integrator market, and the creation of a new entity called “LenelS2.” Here’s a look at the Top 10 M&A stories in 2018: 1. Motorola Acquires Avigilon Motorola Solutions announced in Februar...

The concept of how security systems can contribute to the broader business goals of a company is not new. It seems we have been talking about benefits of security systems beyond “just” security for more than a decade. Given the expanding role of technologies in the market, including video and access control, at what point is the term “security” too restrictive to accurately describe what our industry does? We asked the Expert Panel Roundtable for their responses to this p...

One of the biggest recent security divestitures in the news was the sale of Mercury Security to HID Global, which occurred around a year ago. The seller in that transaction was ACRE (Access Control Related Enterprises), also the parent company of Vanderbilt and ComNet. We recently spoke to founder and CEO Joe Grillo, a 30-year industry veteran, about the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market, ACRE’s future, and new opportunities opened up by the Mercury sale. Q: What’s new wit...

HID Global®, a provider of identity solutions, announced it has dramatically elevated the machine learning capabilities in its HID Condition Monitoring solution through high-bandwidth vibration sensors that help manufacturing facilities employ AI-based technology to monitor the health and performance of motors, rotating equipment, and other assets.  The cost-effective solution makes it possible for plant managers to extend their predictive maintenance strategies to all factory assets t...

Professional grade access control technology developer and manufacturer Essex Electronics recently announced the release of the revolutionary iRox-T Turnstile Reader. The iROX-T is a multi-technology reader designed for high-security turnstile systems. It provides streamlined migration for upgrading to the most secure credential technologies by closing the gap to growing security threats with powerful, cost-effective embedded HID iCLASS SE technology that supports a wide range of credentials. T...

HID Global, a worldwide provider of trusted identity solutions, announced that it has acquired Crossmatch, a provider of biometric identity management and secure authentication solutions, from Francisco Partners. Crossmatch’s portfolio of products includes biometric identity management hardware and software that complement HID’s broad portfolio of trusted identity products and services, making HID Global one of the world’s major providers of fingerprint biometric technologies....

The Global Security Exchange (GSX) seems smaller this year, which is not surprising given the absence on the show floor of several big companies such as Hikvision and Assa Abloy (although their subsidiary HID Global has a big booth). A trend affecting the number of companies exhibiting at GSX 2018, and other trade shows, is industry consolidation, which is impacting the show even beyond the fewer exhibitors this year in Las Vegas. GSX is the new branding for the trade show formerly known as ASIS...

Altronix, the provider of power and transmission solutions for the professional security industry, introduces the latest additions to its popular series of Trove Access and Power Integration Solutions here at GSX 2018 (booth #1950). The new Trove1M1WP outdoor enclosure with backplane allows for easy integration with Altronix power and Mercury/Lenel access controllers. The new Trove Rackmount Series accommodates access controllers from leading manufacturers expanding versatility beyond wall-mount...

Plasco ID, an integrator of identification solutions, announced it has been chosen as a trusted provider of HID FARGO Connect, the cloud-based card personalization and issuance solution by HID Global that untethers printers from dedicated computers and eliminates the need for locally installed ID management software or ID card printer drivers. Now, previously ‘isolated’ card printers are transformed into smart edge devices, bringing enhanced flexibility and productivity to end-user c...

The physical security industry is embracing the cloud in a big way. Cloud-based systems – which involve accessing a shared pool of information technology resources via the Internet – are much higher-profile in the video and access control markets, and large and small companies are getting on the cloud bandwagon. We asked this week's Expert Panel Roundtable: What factors are contributing to growth in cloud systems in the security market?

At GSX 2018 on booth # 2951, Genetec Inc. (‘Genetec’), a technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations, and business intelligence solutions, will demonstrate how true unification enables organizations to deploy a single platform that enhances situational awareness, streamlines and simplifies the operator experience, and reduces total cost of ownership. Specifically, Genetec will showcase the latest version of Security Center -- the company’s unified platfo...