Surveillance cameras News

(see bigger image) The very nature of true enterprise PSIM software is that it has the capability to connect to other systems and subsystems In this article, James I. Chong, CEO & Founder of Vidsys, sheds light on true PSIM (Physical Security Information Management). He mentions how Vidsys is continually innovating and accelerating its roadmap for PSIM toward Converged Security and Information Management or CSIM. Citing various analysts’ projection, James s...

Honeywell, Twitter integration brings security communication to its life safety products Honeywell, Northford, Conn., is leveraging the Twitter social media platform to bring higher levels of situational awareness and emergency communications to its life safety products. This move focuses to improve emergency response by monitoring various security, safety or building systems and providing information to identify potential threats. Gamewell-FCI’s Focal4 Now, Gamewe...

David Bleisch, ADT general counsel, addresses the media at a conference Door-to-door selling can be an effective tool to garner new security subscribers, and it’s been practiced for decades, according to Jay Hauhn, executive director of the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA), Alexandria, Va. But it has to be done right, he says. A recent conference by ADT Security Services focused on deceptive alarm sales practices and the need to report such practices. In her late...

Monitronics’ ProShop offers sales and marketing materials to its dealer network as a valuable resource Monitronics Security, headquartered in Dallas, continues to stress the importance of professional monitoring services to its dealers and their customers as a critical component of recurring monthly revenue (RMR). “Traditional dealers need to emphasize the advantages of live, around-the-clock monitoring for anyone considering a non-traditional provider or do-it-yo...

As the home automation industry has expanded with an ever growing number of devices and services, companies are placing bets on which wireless protocols will dominate. The past few years the leaders have been Z-Wave and ZigBee. Companies are also using a variety of other standards including Crestron’s Infinet, Insteon, and proprietary technologies such as Lutron’s ClearConnect. Next-Generation Protocols: Bluetooth And Wi-Fi “Right now companies are releasing really i...

We asked this week’s Expert Panel: What are the limitations on where video cameras can be placed because of privacy? With hundreds of new cameras installed every day, the likelihood increases exponentially that a camera will be placed in a location where it violates privacy. In fact, threats to privacy are often among the largest objections when video surveillance is proposed, whether in a public area or in the workplace. Allaying fears about undermining privacy is a basic requirement to m...

This article by Keith Jernigan Sr., General Manager - MOBOTIX Corporation states the enormous impact of smart surveillance on various sectors. Highlighting the changing trends of video surveillance, Keith talks about the several benefits of IoT. He mentions that the new era will see video surveillance companies as more than just video security cameras sellers. To summarize, IoT is forecasted to conjure up businesses offerings, reduce costs and hazards, create jobs and opportunities, thus leading...

Security and technology are rushing to offer home automation solutions and build out the Smart Home of connected devices and applications. As cameras, alarms, as well as, thermostats and other appliances become controllable and programmable using Internet-enabled smart phones, they are becoming part of a vast web called the internet of things (IoT). Achieving Greater Value Through Smart Data Exchange This network of physical objects or "things" embedded with electronics, software, sensors and...

Affiliated Monitoring’s UL-Listed monitoring center with a second floor dedicated to areas for security company meetings Central monitoring stations have innovative approaches to assist security installing companies in growing their account base, adding value and boosting recurring monthly revenue (RMR). These companies do much more than simply monitor accounts – today they provide a host of services to give security installing companies the added edge in an extrem...

Security-Net has grown significantly in stature as a global national accounts organization Back in the day, security companies kept their business close to the vest, didn’t collaborate and worked locally, without expanding beyond limited geographic boundaries. Security-Net™, Exton, Pa., came about in an effort to find a better way. So some 22 years ago, in 1993, the organization began a journey – one that would eventually establish it as a highly respected n...

For police, BWCs can significantly improve how evidence is collected by recording the visual and audio actions Body worn cameras (BWCs) are becoming common place in law enforcement. While the spotlight for body cameras is on police in the news, BWCs are also sought after in security-related contracts for airports, campuses, correctional facilities and for private security. It’s quite likely interactions with police or security guards will be recorded (people who re...

We have all heard the sales pitch: Use of megapixel cameras lowers the camera count needed to provide adequate video coverage, thus making the overall system less expensive. Use of fewer cameras equates to less infrastructure, bandwidth and storage, according to the claims, and megapixel cameras provide enough detail that you don’t miss anything using fewer cameras. It’s a compelling pitch, but one that has sometimes been questioned in the market. To look beyond the marketing hype, w...

Salesmen may face pressure to “seal the deal,” but might an overemphasis on the ABCs of selling (“always be closing”) actually work to the detriment of an unsuspecting customer coerced into buying too much (or the wrong) technology to meet his or her needs? Not likely, according to our Expert Panel, who this week address the topic of salesmanship in the security market. We asked: Can an end user trust a security salesman’s advice? Our responses are overwhelmingly in...

What does it take to be a success in the rapidly expanding home automation sector? For large and small security companies, making the jump from providing traditional security services to enabling the new Smart Home means dealing with competition. Security Firms v/s Cable And Telco Giants The market is filled with providers of all kind who want a piece of the action. In addition to security companies, cable and telco giants have all rolled out a home automation platform – usually on top o...

Check out our recent interview with Scott Schafer at IFSEC 2015 hereScott Schafer of Arecont Vision is outspoken about the limitations of standard resolution/VGA video cameras. The megapixel camera company’s Executive Vice President says standard resolution and analog video cameras are the “most toxic asset” at end user companies because they produce the least value for the money. Megapixel video cameras, like those made by Arecont Vision, are much more cost-effective, says Sch...

Today, the once crime-ridden area of Los Angeles is a flourishing shopping and tourist mecca Los Angeles struggled with a rising crime rate. Constant crime plagued the historic area with its well-known tourist attractions, which include TCL Chinese Theater and the Walk of Fame. Criminal activity ranged from major to minor, from felonies to prostitution, public drunkenness, trespassing, vandalism, theft and on and on. Time and budget constraints had forced local police officer...

New notification appliances from Silent Knight provide code-required low-frequency output Just before the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) World Safety Conference and Expo, June 22-25 in Chicago, Honeywell unveiled new solutions and features designed to boost life safety and provide more intuitive installations. S3 Series Control/Communicator A “virtual press conference” unveiling the announcements was kicked off by Beth Welch, manager of publi...

When it comes to protecting buildings and property, traditional methods of security—such as structural barriers, security guards, and security cameras—have their limitations.  Advanced laser scanning technology can overcome many of these limitations and provide a safe, reliable, and easy-to-use solution. Overview Of Laser Scanning Technology Laser scanning technology for building security applications utilizes the time-of-flight method, in which a sensor em...

When video analytics first emerged in the security industry about a decade ago, there were high hopes it would instantly transform the landscape of video surveillance. Problem was, the technology was not mature and, in essence, was oversold as far as its capabilities. Analytics such as heat mapping, directional and license plate recognition technology have improved, lending themselves to applications beyond security and into the realm of actionable business intelligence Integra...

Suffering a breach is probably something that companies won’t admit to unless they must As the world has grown more and more interconnected through the Internet and company networks, cybercrime has grown at an alarming rate. According to the Federal Trade Commission, 783 businesses reported IT breaches in 2014, up 27.5 percent from 2013. “There were probably many more, but most go unreported,” says Kim Phan, of council with the Washington, D.C., law offices o...

Wi-Fi, real-time location tracking and security sensors are important elements of IoT solutions The tracking of people, processes and things continues to grow, and that’s good news for systems integrators, who can add these services to their arsenal of offerings and boost their levels of recurring monthly revenue (RMR). Real-Time Location Tracking Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) are great ways to not only add security, but ope...

ESA opens the 2015 exhibit show floor with a ribbon cutting ceremony The Electronic Security Association (ESA) wrapped up ESX 2015, June 24 to 26 in Baltimore, Md., drawing integrators, manufacturers and association members from across the country to attend the annual educational, exhibits and networking event. Security Integration Companies Celebrating its eighth year, the show is jointly owned and sponsored by ESA and the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA). ESX inclu...

The technological resources from the physical security sector available to prisons dealing with contraband threats are effective For those outside the security industry, the idea of prison contraband rarely extends beyond the old gag of a file inside a cake. In fact, contraband at prisons and other custodial premises is a major challenge: deterring and detecting it occupies many man-hours, and manufacturers devote much R&D activity to the problem. Contrabands In Prison T...

The ultimate goal is to predict violent incidents through analytical intelligence Potential deployments of video analytics, or my own preferred term “intelligent scene analysis,” are being worked on by some of the best minds at university campuses across the United Kingdom. Later this year I will visit Kingston University whose Digital Imaging Research Centre is one of the largest computer vision groups in Europe. Violence Prevention Through Analytical Intelligenc...

For many years, generally speaking, the use of video surveillance has been seen as an extension of an end user customer’s security system. However, recently, we have also heard about how video can help customers more generally, providing benefits that extend beyond security and encompass better operations and management. Easier economic justification is one important aspect of looking more broadly at the benefits of video surveillance to the enterprise as a whole. Better return on investme...

Today, a number of school districts are saying no to these kinds of realistic active shooter drills In the wake of the shootings at Columbine High School in 1999 — 16 years ago — and the school shootings that have followed, we have struggled to figure out how to keep students and teachers safe during such an attack. Protective Measures An approach to the problem that has grown controversial is armed assailant or active shooter drills. Six states including Arkansa...

The great increase in the amount of data is driving physical security to the cloud Physical security is migrating to the cloud — because it improves the performance of physical security technology while holding down costs. “Essentially what is happening is that physical security technologies are growing more powerful and generating more and more data,” says Steve Surfaro, business development manager and security industry liaison with Axis Communications, wh...

The crystal clear images provided by new 4K cameras have attracted a lot of attention at recent industry trade shows in the security market. But the improved video resolution comes at a price. The cameras are more expensive, and the systems to support them – more bandwidth, more storage – portend even more expense. There have been higher-resolution cameras on the market for years, of course, but an advantage of 4K security cameras is that they represent a standard that could be appli...

As my trip to London for IFSEC International ends, I can look back on three days jam-packed with new approaches, new technologies, and the best the global security market has to offer. I met people from all over the world who share an interest in physical security technology -- and how it can be used to make the world a safer place. I heard several exhibitors mention that business was slow in Europe in the early part of 2015. However, the show highlighted that R&D investment has continued t...

In the vast center of the hall almost none of the randomly shaped stands display their index number I enjoy IFSEC each year, spending three days walking the halls. I do feel frustrated by the acres of "me too" products prompting a "meh" response. So often I’m left feeling the "big news" is that hype and lies are growing and continue to drown out the truth. If companies' marketing budgets were simply given over to their product development departments, we would find thing...