IP Dome cameras News

Video analytics allow users to automate the use of video and extract more value Almost anyone in the video analytics market will admit that the capabilities of the technology were initially oversold. The first generation of analytics simply didn’t work as promised, and an undercurrent of distrust of the technology in general still haunts the market. Ironically, video analytics capabilities have now matured into a robust and dependable option for a variety of applications...

This week brought a big surprise to the security and video surveillance market; specifically, the announcement of Canon’s plans to acquire iconic IP camera manufacturer Axis. But surprises happen all the time, especially in a dynamic, technology-driven market like physical security. Those who have been involved in this market for many years have often been surprised, for better or worse, at the various twists and turns over time. It’s part of what keeps life interesting! This week, w...

When a recession leads to social unrest, governments usually reduce their spending on policing and camera surveillance With elections due later this year in the UK, Spain and Switzerland, attitudes to the prevailing political landscape of austerity are changing rapidly. Are physical security budgets in the public sector ever protected from cuts, and what is the outlook for our industry? Consider the landscape: A left-leaning party has come to power in Greece on an anti-auster...

Drone is a toy with a bright future—until it causes a catastrophe  Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, are today’s gizmo du jour. A recent Bloomberg article reported that Amazon alone is selling more than 10,000 a month, and with prices as low as $50, it’s a toy with a bright future—until it causes a catastrophe. Consider the January incident at the White House when a drunken National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency employee lost control of a quad...

Surprise – shock, even – was the initial reaction of most in the industry to the announcement earlier this week of Canon’s intent to acquire Axis. Maybe it was the (apparent) suddenness of the move, or its scale ($2.8 billion!) that caught us off guard. Maybe it’s the continuing ripples the move is likely to cause through the industry that has us still talking about it. It’s clearly the biggest story in our market in years. But after you think about it a couple of...

Better, faster networking plays into the optimistic outlook for the transportation vertical Our market has plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future of security systems in the transportation vertical. “Given the advances in processing power and technology, we can only imagine what the capability of an IP camera will be in five years,” comments Anthony Incorvati, business development manager, critical infrastructure and transportation, Axis Communicat...

Have we entered the age of the security company "open marriage?" I used that phrase just a few days ago in relation to the Panasonic-Video Insight acquisition. Now the phrase springs immediately back to mind related to the truly shocking news today about Canon buying Axis, which last year bought video management system supplier Milestone.Is it possible for a video management company and a camera company to be owned by the same company and yet remain "open?"That was the premise when Canon bought...

Is Axis Communications getting ready to expand its business beyond IP video cameras and even access control? A recent comment by Axis founder Martin Gren appears to suggest as much. In a Q&A sponsored by Memoori Research, Gren was asked about “adjacent markets that will merge with IP video” as they relate to the Internet of Things (IoT). Here is his answer: “If you’re talking about IoT, you’re talking about all types of intelligent sensors. Our DNA (at Axis) is...

In-vehicle technology allows security officials to view live footage from the bus’ cameras during an emergency One of the biggest security opportunities in transportation is onboard surveillance for buses and trains. While most transit organizations have invested heavily in video security for facilities such as terminals and stations, far fewer have taken the next step and installed IP cameras on board vehicles, says John Recesso, strategic business development manager,...

Camera apps ensure that surveillance systems meet specific needs, provide compliance, and deliver enhanced versatility Of the many benefits offered by new and advanced IP video surveillance cameras, the ability to easily customize these devices with third party apps has the potential to change the landscape in video surveillance system design and implementation. By providing the ability to customize individual cameras with the specific functionality desired for every specific...

Education is always a hot vertical market, so Panasonic’s acquisition of Video Insight is not a surprise considering the video management system (VMS) supplier’s popularity among school professionals. Panasonic cameras have been installed in a lot of schools, too, and the Japanese conglomerate has several other product categories that also play in the school market, such as interactive white boards, audio systems, etc. The surprising aspect of the acquisition, announced this week, i...

Decision-making and investigations are faster if operators don’t have to navigate among different applications Overwhelmed by too many choices for an access control system? Where do you start? Always seeking to help, SourceSecurity.com asked access control suppliers to describe what differentiating characteristics set their systems apart from others in the market. AMAG: Easy Migration, Simple Pricing Model AMAG’s Symmetry platform includes access control, photo...

“The quality couldn’t be clearer – something the police hope will help capture the criminal you are about to see.” The local news report then shows an image from the surveillance camera video of an ATM robbery in Arlington, Texas. The video depicts a black Kia automobile rolling up to a Wells Fargo ATM, and the 21-year-old female driver makes a withdrawal. The video then shows a robber sneaking around the ATM and surprising the victim. He’s holding a cell phone in...

The stigma of the cannabis industry still hangs in the balance Final installment of 4-part series:The legalization of recreational marijuana use in Colorado and Washington, along with it medical use in about 23 other states, has created an industry made up mostly of small mom-and-pop operators. “While the revenues in this industry are big, the number of people involved is pretty small,”said one security industry insider. That’s about to change as Wall Street...

True cloud or hosted video streams real-time video from the customer site directly to a safe location Hosted video surveillance, or cloud video, has been utilised in small markets over the past few years and is just now really being pushed as a viable alternative to traditional onsite DVR’s.  Most of the major surveillance companies are marketing cloud products.  Some of these cloud products represent true hosted video surveillance and others are a play on word...

To succeed at outsourcing, the relationship between the organization and the outsourcing company has to be an equal partnership Can you save money on security by outsourcing? Maybe, maybe not, according to William J. Powers III, CIPM II, CIPI. “Considering the way I approach outsourcing, I’m not sure if it saves money,” says Powers. As director of facilities at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Mass., Powers oversees facilities,...

2015 is shaping up to be a strong year for dealers and integrators The systems integration industry is abuzz. Access control is super-hot, and the product category continues to grow. IP video surveillance specifications are moving along at break-neck speed. New technology categories in the security market – energy management, home automation and interactive services – are helping savvy dealers and systems integrators grow their businesses. But do these companies r...

We all like hearing about the latest and greatest technologies, but how well are we using the technologies we have? We asked our panelists to reflect on opportunities to maximize the benefits of using common technologies in the marketplace, specifically to point out ways to garner more value from existing products. Underutilizing existing technology capabilities are a waste of money, aren’t they?

Good security basics enabled a security response before the shooting started Mass shootings by emotionally disturbed individuals and terrorists have led authorities and security professionals to search for means of prevention. “Analyzing an actual incident in which a potential shooter was stopped seconds before becoming active can illustrate how solid security basics can help prevent catastrophe,” says Drew Neckar, CPP, CHPA, regional director of security with the...

I speculated earlier about an anticipated spike in demand for body worn cameras in response to the highly publicised shooting incident in Ferguson, Mo., last August. An analysis of a database of procurement activity and spending plans from more than 80,000 government entities in the United States confirms the continuing impact the shooting is having on the demand for body worn cameras. Reflecting what might be called the “Ferguson effect,” government data firm Onvia reports there we...

A growing number of users look to add cloud-based functionality to their surveillance toolkits In today’s market, both end users and resellers seek new technologies to make security programs more effective, while also helping business and employees be more efficient. Cloud-based monitoring services are gaining a significant amount of attention as an emerging solution to meet these needs. Maria Cambria, Vice President, Technical Center of Excellence, DVTEL says that end u...

Video surveillance, or CCTV, is becoming increasingly common in cities and other public places all over the world. The benefits of video surveillance cameras to prevent crime and aid police investigations have been well documented, and there have been several high-profile cases in which video was instrumental in solving a crime. Still, whenever video surveillance is proposed in a public place, there can be opposition, based on privacy concerns, from various interest groups and the general public...

Cameras at airports today are often used for operations rather than (or in addition to) security Video cameras are great tools for security at airports, but increasingly cameras are offering operational benefits, too. Anthony Incorvati, business development manager, critical infrastructure and transportation, Axis Communications, says cameras at airports today are often used for operations rather than (or in addition to) security. For example, cameras mounted at departure gate...

Security technologies are used in a wide variety of locations and environments in the transportation vertical Transportation is among the more diverse markets within the security industry, consisting of multiple non-homogeneous segments and some varied sub-segments, too. Transportation means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Typically, the transportation vertical includes any entities responsible for moving people and goods – that would encompass pu...

The growing market for legal marijuana (now available in some form in 24 states) has also generated a demand for security products and service to protect the industry from illegal activities. “For the most part, companies are looking for what we call the traditional surveillance systems whereby you have visible deterrence,” says Monty Henry, president of DPL-Surveillance-Equipment.com LLC in Ventura, Calif. Many companies are seeking more sophisticated systems t...

The solutions offered today in the field of server virtualization seem to be a natural fit for the evolution of security systems from analog to IP The video surveillance industry has been transitioning from analog to IP-based systems over the last several years, and it is clear that this trend will continue. In light of this, it is apparent that taking advantage of the advancements in the IT world for use in security system design is the next logical step. In this article, Guy...

Dave Tyson has 30 years of experience in all facets of enterprise security The incoming president of ASIS has volunteered with industry groups for years. His goal: to help people get better at their jobs. With 30 years' experience in all facets of enterprise security, Dave Tyson, CPP, CISSP, looks forward to his 2015 term as President of ASIS International (ASIS). “I’ve spent a lot of years working to make a difference in the security industry,” Tyson says...

Global positioning systems (GPS) have a role to play to combat shoplifting, especially in the fight against the growing trend of large-scale organized retail crime (ORC). Todd Morris, founder and CEO of BrickHouse Security, recently explained to me how GPS fits into the fight against retail crime. A variety of GPS devices – from small “micro” sensors to plug-in devices for cars to wired devices – can all be tracked using the same cloud-based service, which manages the de...

Often our selection of a network switch is based on price or major brand names, both of which can lead to problems Networking Basics for Security Professionals:  How bandwidth requirements guide selection of network switchesIf a network switch looks like a network switch, is it a network switch that will work for IP video security applications? The surprise answer is “not necessarily.” There are major differences between the network switch performance require...

It has been interesting to read all the Review and Forecast articles we published over the last month. The holiday season was a perfect time to reflect on the previous year, and it is interesting to read about all the companies, their visions for 2015 and their accomplishments. It reminds me how lucky I am to be a part of an industry dedicated to protecting assets, people and facilities. The opportunity to report on a constantly changing business climate and a wealth of interesting technology is...