Larry Anderson's Security Beat

From robots to drones to counter-drone solutions, a range of new technologies will be displayed at ISC West 2019. The Unmanned Security Expo will return, including a dedicated complimentary education theater for attendees offering sessions on a range of topics. UAVs, UGVs And Autonomous Systems Also included will be demos of the best UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), UGVs (unmanned ground robotics and vehicles) and autonomous systems on the market. The market growth for unmanned technologies be...

A futuristic alternative to plastic cards for access control and other applications is being considered by some corporate users in Sweden and the United Kingdom. The idea involves using a microchip device implanted into a user’s hand. About the size of a grain of rice and provided by Swedish company Biohax, the tiny device employs passive near field communication (NFC) to interface with a user’s digital environment. Access control is just one application for the device, which can be...

School shootings continue, as does a search for answers. What solutions are there to prevent school shootings and/or to improve the response (and thus minimize the death toll)?  In the physical security industry, we like to think we have solutions that can help, if not “solve”, the problem, but realistically speaking, how effective are they at the end of the day? We like to think we have solutions that can help, if not “solve”, the problem: but how effective ar...

If you’re heading to ISC West in Las Vegas this year, it’s helpful to acknowledge immediately that there’s no way you can experience all aspects of the show. Just not enough time and too many options. Once you give up on seeing everything, you can immediately lower stress. But you also raise the stakes in terms of picking and choosing exactly what you have time for – or want to make time for. Hoping to help out as we all set our ISC West priorities, here are some ways to...

Application of artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning in the physical security market runs a gamut from cloud computing to edge computing. A variety of hardware solutions enable AI to be deployed at any level of a system from the cloud to edge devices such as security cameras. Smarter AI-Powered Applications A distributed structure can incorporate cloud computing and edge computing. It extends the Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithm from the cloud, to an edge network of on-premises...

A hyperconverged infrastructure is a software-defined environment in which various elements of a physical security system – computing, storage and networking – are combined together and run more efficiently on fewer hardware devices. Rather than each element of a system being represented by a physical hardware device, those elements are combined on a cluster of hardware devices. Hypervisor software separates a computer's operating system and applications from the underlying physica...

Anyone looking to ensure customer satisfaction in the video server market for security integrators and end users need look no further than the supply chain. Eliminating the inconsistencies and time delays in the supply chain is a key strategy to ensure customer success, and certified systems builders can provide extra value in the process. Tom Larson, Chief Technology Officer, BCDVideo, says supply chain issues impact customer satisfaction for integrators and end users at all stages of an inte...

In the physical security industry, the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning is most commonly associated with potential improvements in video analytics performance. However, AI is also applicable to a variety of content analytics beyond video. It will be interesting to watch how companies that take the next step beyond proving viability for security purposes to deliver true business applications to the market. Right now, we’re seeing organizations working hard to develo...

Constantly optimizing deep learning algorithms yields better video analytics performance, even in complex applications such as facial recognition or in scenarios with variable lighting, angles, postures, expressions, accessories, resolution, etc. Deep learning, a form of artificial intelligence (AI), holds the potential to enable video analytics to deliver on long-promised, but not often delivered performance. Our AI series continues here with part 2. Adapting Existing Hardware Today, low-co...

Choosing the right server for a video surveillance application comes down to one question: What does the customer expect from the system? Is it a retail location with two cameras that only needs video stored for 24 hours? Does the system need failover protection? What are the ramifications if a system goes down? Does business have to stop? How fast does the customer need to have access to video? Is it a regulated industry where immediate access is a requirement? How mission-critical is the vid...

AI Is currently a buzzword in the physical security industry, and it is also a force that has the potential to transform the industry. Following are the basics of AI (and the related term “deep learning") in part one of our AI series. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the broad computing category referring to intelligence that is displayed by a machine, as opposed to a living creature. Informally, AI refers to machines that mimic the cognitive functions we associate with living creatures, s...

Security is arguably at the heart of the United States partial government shutdown: President Trump’s demand for $5.6 billion to start building a wall along the southern border with Mexico is the major bone of contention as gridlock in Washington prevents passage of a spending bill to keep the government in full operation. The partial government shutdown has affected security in other ways, too, and some of the impact could continue long after the impasse is settled. Some 800,000 federal...