Expert commentary

Every building starts with the entrance. A solid enterprise risk mitigation and security strategy include protecting that entrance. Often, risk mitigation strategies protecting the entrance have included high-resolution video surveillance cameras, video management systems, and access control solutions. But that strategy and set of security solutions only tells part of the story. Imagine a security guard who is protecting a facility after hours, when an individual approaches the entrance and see...

This year has been characterized by uncertainty and extraordinary strain, which has fallen heavily on all manner of key workers. Alongside our celebrated healthcare professionals, carers and the emergency services, those working in essential retail have proved themselves to be the backbone of our society during this challenging period. As people try to grasp onto normality and cope with the unexpected changes taking place in every aspect of their lives – including the way they are allowed...

The threat landscape we operate in today is changing all the time. Around the world, pressures on law enforcement bodies remain incredibly high as they face the challenge of rising international threat levels and a backdrop of intense political, social and economic uncertainty. It is a challenge that demands a considered, proactive and dynamic response. It’s clear that new technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), can dramatically improve the effectiveness of today’s physi...

Blind spots in surveillance coverage, incompatible video and access control systems, lack of adequate perimeter measures—these are common issues that facility directors must address with their security teams. At the end of the day, facility executives need technology that accomplish more with less—that expand situational awareness, overall system functionality, and real-time response capabilities while generating cost-savings. By leveraging technology like thermal imaging, this is...

A recent survey compared how employees, tenants, property owners and managers, and developers feel about returning to the workplace, and what would make them feel safer. Among the responses from employees and tenants, 63% don’t feel comfortable returning to work, and cited their own health and safety, as well as the safety of their loved ones, as the main cause for concern. However, 73% of business owners said they plan on reopening as soon as possible, within 2-4 weeks. How can we fix the...

Schools play a key role in shaping our future. Following the reopening of classrooms up and down the country, young minds are returning to some normality. Once again they're being inspired, learning useful skills, and forging new interests to ensure our country's continued prosperity. Schools need a comprehensive security infrastructure to protect the children who attend them. Most notably, secure perimeters that keep unwanted people out, but also ensure visitors, parents, and students alike ca...

For bricks and mortar retailers, there’s no going back to how it was anytime soon.  Even before the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis, they had been fighting a fierce battle against online shopping and significant e-commerce players.  The high street has done a pretty good job of evolving over the years. From its humble beginnings in the late 19th century to its boom in the late 20th, it’s constantly adapted to meet changing consumer needs. The risk to retail But, i...

We still have some way to go before we see 5G service rolled out as a UK-wide service, but we can discuss future implications of 5G, and how it can improve device capabilities once its widely accessible.  The impact of 5G lies within the increase in the amount of data that can be transferred between smart home devices through a cloud-based system. By utilising the cloud’s mass com...

Indoor positioning is, in many ways, an inside version of the satellite-navigation apps we rely on for outdoor navigation, but with an added twist – it can also be used to help locate people and things. Let’s say you’re at home and misplaced your car keys, or you’re in a grocery store and can’t find your favorite brand of coffee. Or maybe you’re working in a factory and need a particular tool from a storage bin, or you’re a site manager dealing with an...

In recent years, multinational corporations such as Cathay Pacific, Facebook, Uber and numerous others have been heavily fined due to security and data protection violations. This period has seen data protection laws increase as more and more information is gathered and shared online. As such, it becomes crucial to account for security capabilities when choosing an embedded device that touches potentially sensitive data. RFID readers very much belong to the ecosystem wherein personal or user i...

Electric locking is among the most ubiquitous examples of everyday security. Yet the complexity of electric locks and the advanced technologies deployed to provide simple, dependable and, for the most part, impenetrable locking often goes unnoticed. And that’s a good thing: when we take things for granted, it usually proves they’re fit for purpose. As experts in the field of solenoid actuated designs, we’re okay knowing that remote electric locking solutions are taken for grant...

People have always had an innate need to feel secure, from building fires at the front of caves that ward off predators in prehistoric times, to today’s efforts of locking your front door. This need for security extends to venturing further afield from the home and is critical for communities to thrive and survive. More than ever, people want to be and feel safe; protected against physical and now biological threats. When it comes to staying safe, populations around the world have recentl...