Expert commentary

ASDs are ideal solutions for many common smoke detection applications High-sensitivity aspirating smoke detectors (ASDs) excel at providing very early warning of fires. Because of their high sensitivity chamber, their ability to cover large areas, and their ability to detect smoke in high-airflow environments, ASDs are ideal solutions for many common smoke detection applications. New ASD technology is enabling fire system designers to solve a much broader range of fire detecti...

Helping utility companies meet the new CIP-14 standard is an urgent new challenge On April 16, 2013, snipers fired for 19 minutes on PG&E Corp.'s Metcalf electric power transmission station near San Diego, California, knocking out 17 giant transformers that supply electricity to Silicon Valley. At least 100 rounds were fired from at least one high-powered rifle. The power grid was rerouted to avoid a blackout, but it took 27 days to make repairs and get the substation bac...

A value management process with clearly defined steps and procedures is critical In a highly competitive marketplace, where organizations need to ensure they are contracting for the best possible services, value must be visible. This starts with aligning with the right service provider – one that is dedicated to the organization’s success and has the people and processes to make an impact. Certainly most, if not all, service organizations say that they strive t...

A video security system's quality can be measured with mean time before failure figures and failure rate data When comparing specifications among a range of similarly featured video surveillance cameras, NVRs or monitors, it can be difficult to ascertain which of the devices truly has the best performance and/or quality. John Grabowski, National Sales and Marketing Manager of JVC Security Division, poses some questions for consideration: Can the human eye actually see a differ...

Endless possibilities for security deployment have been made possible with technological advancements Significant technological advancements have created endless possibilities in how security is not only deployed, but also leveraged by the end user – the customer. For example, customers can now view surveillance at eight different offices in eight different states from a single, central location. A security director can manage an enterprise-wide access control system, in...

New security technologies have dramatically changed the security landscape over the last decade The security landscape has changed dramatically in the last decade with the introduction of numerous new security technologies to detect crime and deter criminal activity. With a long list of new tools, professionals now need to process vast amounts of information within seconds from many different security systems and then make important decisions about how to respond to an inc...

The best standards are often baseline, common-denominator standards that leave room for innovation The collaboration between ONVIF and SIA to develop new access control standards is just the latest standards-related news from the Security Industry Association (SIA), the American trade association headquartered in Silver Spring, Md., near Washington, D.C.  In fact, SIA has a long history and tradition of standards development, dating back to the 1980s. SIA has produced 1...

Hydraulic controllers are very reliable and have few maintenance issues when installed properly When specifying the vehicle access control system you need to stop a truck-bomber, errant driver or vehicle not authorized to enter your facility, you have to decide among bollards, barriers or barricades. Once you have decided the type you will use, you then have to pick the model to use. Finally, you then need to select the type of power unit you are going to deploy. And, going gr...

Low-light imaging has historically been a problem for megapixel cameras. Arecont Vision, like other megapixel camera manufacturers, has struggled to solve the dilemma of low-light images, which are plagued by noise, smearing of video, high bit rates (requiring additional storage) and loss of color. Arecont Vision says it now has the answer, dubbing it STELLAR technology. The “LL” in the middle of STELLAR stands for “low-light;” the entire acronym stan...

What is it about biometrics that triggers so much worry?  Initial resistance gives way to mainstream acceptance when biometric technology allows convenient and secure access to healthcare, banking services, amusement parks, office buildings. What is it about biometrics that triggers so much worry? In the past, concerns seemed to have their foundation in the use of fingerprints in law enforcement; the association between fingerprints and criminality was strong.&n...

Retrofit solutions provide hardware, software, and processes for quick upgrades As security systems age, their components become obsolete, end users outgrow them, or end users may be faced with expensive and time consuming upgrades. Users can spend months researching new solutions or take a chance on a lengthy upgrade with unforeseen challenges and costs. Both options include finding money in the budget for a new system, upgrades or labor expenses that often were not planned f...

An open technology platform can adapt to any environment throughout the organization Looking at electronic access control (EAC) from an applications perspective is very helpful to security professionals when analyzing how to best protect a facility and its people. The fact is, no two doors are alike and no two end users are alike. Breaking down individual doors into a series of classifications can be most helpful in assuring that the EAC is performing to the highest standards...

Thermal cameras provide images that reliably show the presence of people in any lighting situation FLIR Systems broke a historic threshold in thermal camera pricing when it announced a thermal camera for $499 at the ISC West show in April. Before that announcement, the lowest-price thermal camera was $2,000, which was itself much lower than the $10,000 price just a few years ago in 2005. The price decrease resulted from FLIR’s R&D efforts specifically aimed at loweri...

A key criteria of video management software is adaptability for adding new components - as long as it is a true open platform Traditionally, security systems have been designed with the cameras in mind first then with added consideration for the infrastructure and cabling components. But this is old-school analog thinking. Milestone Systems CEO Lars Thinggaard states that a security system can be designed for more than just protecting assets by starting with specifications for...

PoE has redefined how security professionals design and deploy systems The migration from analog infrastructure to networked systems continues to gain traction at a rapid pace given all the inherent benefits networked technology provides for video surveillance and security applications. However, there are costs involved and they can be significant, especially if the move to networked infrastructure requires the removal of existing wiring and the installation of new Ethernet ca...

Ideal COTS solutions take cost, customization and convenience into account Physical identity and access management (PIAM) software enables streamlined management of security identities across disparate physical security systems. In this article, Ajay Jain, President and CEO of Quantum Secure, explains that PIAM software can ensure synchronized and policy-based on- and off-boarding of each individual identity by integrating physical with logical systems. It would also ascer...

Well-designed intrusion detection devices are capable of ignoring non-intruder events, thereby reducing false alarms Intrusion detection devices must maintain a delicate balance. Highly sensitive devices can cause too many false alarms while devices with insufficient sensitivity are easily defeated by sophisticated intruders. Innovations in intrusion detection technology have enabled significant advancements in performance, resulting in excellent catch performance while virtua...

Pelco is making its big comeback with renewed vigor and new lines of surveillance products to set it apart from the rest Working to Regain Momentum in a Changing Market: Most observers agree that Pelco lost momentum in the video surveillance market after the acquisition by Schneider Electric in 2007. Hervé Fages, senior vice president of Schneider Electric's video business, is looking to regain that momentum, guiding the surveillance giant in new directions as the marke...

IP surveillance cameras used in conjunction with VMS systems offer the best level of security for schools Campus security is a top priority in schools throughout the country and the capabilities of IP video surveillance systems make them one of the most popular and effective security tools available. In this article, Gadi Piran, President, OnSSI defines scope and structure of IP video and its advantages in a number of ways including: superior image quality, ease of manipulatio...

In China and Russia ONVIF Profile S compliance is becoming mandatory for smaller systems The familiarity and widespread use of ONVIF interfaces in the market are evidence of the success of ONVIF, which was created in 2008 by three manufacturers, Axis, Sony and Bosch. More evidence of success is a growing number of new members and compliant products. All over the world, ONVIF is being embraced – in China and Russia, as examples, ONVIF Profile S compliance is becoming mand...

Genetec promotes “hybridisation”, a combination of on-premises components and cloud services The impact of the IT department on physical security has been a source of discussion for years. Generally, the influence of IT on purchasing and technology decisions related to physical security systems has been seen as increasing with no end in sight. One industry leader thinks otherwise. Pierre Racz, president, CEO and founder of Genetec, sees the clout of the IT departm...

Gates and fencing can keep visitors to one part of a campus away from other parts of the campus The need for more robust security in schools has been brought to the fore by a series of shooting incidents in schools in the US in the last few years. While such incidents are relatively rare, the threat of untoward incidents in schools is real and too serious to be ignored. This article lists some essential steps for school administrators to respond to potential security issues ca...

Combining cloud-based computing and local data gathering to improve management of business remotely A new Technology Report from SourceSecurity.com, produced in collaboration with Oncam Technologies, highlights how a new technology platform that combines cloud-based computing and automated on-site data collection can help businesses with remote monitoring and management. Combining inputs from surveillance systems, access control, intrusion detection systems, and video analytic...

PPVAR is working with police and sheriff's departments throughout the United States to drive new standards of video verified alarms In practice, 90 percent or more of burglar alarms are false, and studies have estimated the related arrest rate at about 0.02 percent. No wonder law enforcement responds as a low priority, if at all. In contrast, a video-verified security alarm provides the virtual equivalent of an eye-witness to a crime in progress, and responding to video alarms...

 “Soft” biometric measurements, such as gait, gender, and ethnicity offer new possibility for biometric solutions What is the next wave of biometrics? The Center for Identification Technology and Research (CITeR) is looking at the possibilities. New developments include consideration of new “soft” biometric measurements, such as gait, gender, and ethnicity. Although not accurate enough to identify a specific person, the capture and analysis of such...

 H.265/HEVC coding format will bring major benefits to IP video cameras offering a new level of video quality at an economic price The emergence last year of a new format for High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) is poised to have a huge impact on IP video surveillance cameras over the next few years. Among the benefits of the new H.265/HEVC coding format over the legacy H.264/MPEG-4 is a 40 percent or more bit rate reduction at the same visual quality. Therefore, a camera...

There are new biometrics on the horizon, but much of current biometrics research centers on improving the biometrics we have, especially the face, iris and fingerprint recognition systems commonly deployed in the field. These systems are effective and provide good accuracy, but their usefulness is often limited by the conditions under which data is captured. Research is looking for ways to make face, iris and fingerprint biometrics more accurate in more real-world situations....

Security officers work diligently to protect people and property and are often first on the scene of an emergency. Working alongside police, paramedics and firefighters, security officers demand our collective respect. The Freedonia Group reports that the demand for security officer and patrol services is forecast to rise at an annual rate of 4.6 percent through 2014 to $25 billion and the number of officers employed by private security firms is expected to increase 2.6 perce...

A U.S. economic forecast of 2.3 percent growth in real gross domestic product (GDP) bodes well for security businesses to thrive in a healthy economy in 2014. The Conference Board’s 2.3 percent growth prediction for 2014 is higher than its 1.7 estimate for 2013. Globally, both the physical access control and video surveillance markets are forecast to record healthy growth rates this year. Conference board predictions on housing starts (up 1.16 percent in 2014, compared...

The principals of fault-tolerant access control are designed to limit the chances of system catastrophe by hardware failure Today, fault-tolerant security systems have become a necessity in several high-security environments as they ensure that security is not compromised in the event of some hardware malfunction. The availability of competitively priced fault-tolerant access control systems also make them attractive for security installers as well as end-users. In this articl...