Sensormatic Intruder Alarm Accessories

Construction site theft can cause project delays, property damage and loss of profit for companies in the construction sector. It is imperative to deter thieves from targeting construction sites with the help of construction site security. Here, we look into the various security options and how they can help protect your firm from the threat of a break-in. Construction theft has soared during the COVID-19 Pandemic Construction site theft is an ever-increasing problem in the UK, costing the industry an estimated £800 million ($1,040 million) per year. Unfortunately, this type of crime has accelerated further throughout lockdown by an estimated 50% due to the abandonment of construction sites across the UK. With many uncertainties around a potential second wave in the UK, it is time for construction firms to enhance their security strategies to help prevent thieves from becoming opportunists on construction sites. Why are construction sites ‘easy’ targets? Construction sites can easily be targeted, as they typically lack adequate security loss prevention practices. The most popular security-related issues that are leading causes of construction site theft are: Poor overall site security Multiple pieces of equipment sharing the same keys Easy access to open cabs Unsecured sites, particularly at night and over weekends Lack of product identification systems If you do not want your site becoming a costly statistic, you might want to try implementing some or all of these preventive measures. Strengthen your perimeter Putting a clear boundary around a construction site will help to prevent youths and members of the public from inadvertently wandering onto the site. To stop opportunist thieves in their tracks, you will need to go one step further by erecting robust fencing and concrete blocks along with signage warning intruders about the consequences of trespassing. Putting a clear boundary around a construction site will help to prevent youths and members of the public from inadvertently wandering onto the siteIf potential trespassers can see that it would be too challenging to attempt a break-in, then they will look elsewhere to find another construction site which is not as well secured. Lock away valuable tools When considering the vulnerabilities in your construction site, it pays to think about this from the perspective of a criminal. What is it exactly that they are looking for? What can a thief steal easily to make money if they were to remove something from your site? Unfortunately, many construction firms do not lock away their tools, materials or vehicles properly, which makes them an easy target. Ensure valuable tools and materials are locked away and are not left unsecured or lying around. Criminals are mostly interested in scaffolding, bowsers and other valuables that are quick to sell on, so it is important to have a strategy in place to keep these locked away, safe and securely. Put tracking devices in your equipment If you are unable to securely lock away valuable tools, then modern technology makes securing equipment easier than ever before. Tracking devices can be installed onto vehicles and equipment; if any thief is unwise enough to steal from the site, site owners will be able to provide the location to the police who will be able to follow this up. Site owners should also engrave company identification numbers on valuable tools, equipment and vehicles so that it can easily be identified and will serve as proof who it rightly belongs to. Invest in CCTV Closed Circuit Television, otherwise known as CCTV, is renowned for being one of the most effective deterrents for thieves, especially when it comes to construction and building sites.The items that criminals steal from sites are notoriously hard to trace The items that criminals steal from sites are notoriously hard to trace, but if you have CCTV, there is a chance that you can capture clear footage to help bring criminals to justice, such as footage of the vehicle used and the car licence plate. CCTV cameras can help to oversee every inch of a construction site, and can even be hidden out of sight where required. Step up with regular site patrols With a wide range of security monitoring methods available, stepping up on regular site patrols can help to keep track and respond to any criminal activity taking place on your site. Traditional site patrols can be carried out on a schedule by professional SIA-approved security agents. With the presence of guards patrolling a construction site, any criminals in the area will be deterred to force entry onto the site. Schedule supply deliveries on an as-needed basis To prevent an excess of supplies ‘sitting around’ on the site, construction site managers should instead order what is needed at the time, so that valuable materials are not left around waiting to be stolen for weeks at a time. Good planning and excellent communication between the team will be required so that projects are not delayed, but planning accordingly will help to reduce the chances of theft on a construction site. Drone surveillance As technology becomes more and more advance, drone surveillance may soon be a security option that many construction sites could benefit from.Many construction firms in the UK are using drone services to provide aerial images, and are seeing huge cost savings by either purchasing and operating their own drones or by hiring out the work to a company equipped to provide imaging.As technology becomes more and more advanced, drone surveillance may soon be a security option With surveillance drones already handling tasks like mapping and surveying of construction sites, one day they may be able to patrol construction sites at night, equipped with motion sensors and infrared or night vision cameras; They could be automatically deployed from a charging station and fly along a pre-programmed route at regular intervals. One to keep an eye on for the near future! Construction site security to help protect your site If you are ready to tighten security on your own construction site, then your starting point will be to identify your main vulnerabilities and get in touch with a reputable security specialist.

Johnson Controls recently unveiled the findings of its 2018 Energy Efficiency Indicator (EEI) survey that examined the current and planned investments and key drivers to improve energy efficiency and building systems integration in facilities. Systems integration was identified as one of the top technologies expected to have the biggest impact on the implementation in smart buildings over the next five years, with respondents planning to invest in security, fire and life-safety integrations more so than any other systems integration in the next year. As advanced, connected technologies drive the evolution of smart buildings, security and safety technologies are at the center of more intelligent strategies as they attribute to overall building operations and efficiencies. SecurityInformed.com spoke with Johnson Controls, Building Solutions, North America, VP of Marketing, Hank Monaco, and Senior National Director of Municipal Infrastructure and Smart Cities, Lisa Brown, about the results of the study, smart technology investments and the benefits of a holistic building strategy that integrates security and fire and life-safety systems with core building systems. Q: What is the most striking result from the survey, and what does it mean in the context of a building’s safety and security systems? The results show an increased understanding about the value of integrating safety and security systems with other building systems Hank Monaco: Investment in building system integration increased 23 percent in 2019 compared to 2018, the largest increase of any measure in the survey. When respondents were asked more specifically what systems they we planning to invest in over the next year, fire and life safety integration (61%) and security system integration (58%) were the top two priorities for organizations. The results show an increased understanding about the value of integrating safety and security systems with other building systems to improve overall operations and bolster capabilities beyond the intended function of an individual system. Q: The survey covers integration of fire, life safety and security systems as part of "smart building" systems. How do smarter buildings increase the effectiveness of security and life safety systems? Hank Monaco: A true “smart building” integrates all building systems – security, fire and life-safety, HVAC, lighting etc. – to create a connected, digital infrastructure that enables individual technologies to be more intelligent and perform more advanced functions beyond what they can do on their own. For example, when sensors and video surveillance are integrated with lighting systems, if abnormal activity is detected on the building premise, key stakeholders can be automatically alerted to increase emergency response time. With integrated video surveillance, they also gain the ability to access surveillance footage remotely to assess the situation. When sensors and video surveillance are integrated with lighting systems abnormal activity on the premise can automatically be detected Q: How can integrated security and life safety systems contribute to greater energy efficiency in a smart building environment? Hank Monaco: Security, fire and life-safety systems can help to inform other building systems about how a facility is used, high-trafficked areas and the flow of occupants within a building. Integrated building solutions produce a myriad of data that can be leveraged to increase operational efficiencies. From an energy efficiency standpoint, actionable insights are particularly useful for areas that are not frequently occupied or off-peak hours as you wouldn’t want to heat or cool an entire building for just one person coming in on the weekend. When video surveillance is integrated with HVAC and lighting systems, it can monitor occupancy in a room or hallway. The video analytics can then control the dimming of lights and the temperature depending on occupant levels in a specific vicinity. Similarly, when access control systems are integrated with these same systems, once a card is presented to the reader, it can signal the lights or HVAC system to turn on. In this example, systems integration can ultimately help enable energy savings in the long run. Security and life safety systems contribute to help enable greater energy efficiency and energy savings in the long run Q: What other benefits of integration are there (beyond the core security and life safety functions)? Hank Monaco: Beyond increased security, fire and life-safety functions, the benefits of systems integration include: Increased data and analytics to garner a holistic, streamlined understanding of how systems function and how to improve productivity Ability to track usage to increase efficiency and reduce operational costs Enhanced occupant experience and comfort Increased productivity and workflow to support business objectives Smart-ready, connected environment that can support future technology advancements Q: What lesson or action point should a building owner/operator take from the survey? How can the owner of an existing building leverage the benefits of the smart building environment incrementally and absent a complete overhaul? Lisa Brown: Johnson Controls Energy Efficiency Indicator found that 77% of organizations plan to make investments in energy efficiency and smarter building technology this year. This percentage demonstrates an increased understanding of the benefits of smart buildings and highlights the proactive efforts building owners are taking to adopt advanced technologies. There is an increased understanding that buildings operate more effectively when different building systems are connected As smart buildings continue to evolve, more facilities are beginning to explore opportunities to advance their own spaces. A complete overhaul of legacy systems is not necessary as small investments today can help position a facility to more easily adopt technologies at scale in the future. As a first step, it’s important for building owners to conduct an assessment and establish a strategy that defines a comprehensive set of requirements and prioritizes use-cases and implementations. From there, incremental investments and updates can be made over a realistic timeline. Q: What is the ROI of smart buildings? Lisa Brown: As demonstrated by our survey, there is an increased understanding that buildings operate more effectively when different building systems are connected. The advanced analytics and more streamlined data that is gathered through systems integration can provide the building-performance metrics to help better understand the return on investment (ROI) of the building systems. This data is used to better understand the environment and make assessments and improvements overtime to increase efficiencies. Moreover, analytics and data provide valuable insights into where action is needed and what type of return can be expected from key investments.

The smart home market has seen significant growth since 2010. Specifically, less than 0.5% of homes in the American region had connected home devices such as thermostats, lighting, security and entertainment in 2010; by the end of 2017, nearly 12% of households in the region will have connected home devices, an average of six devices per home. The success of smart homes started with professional security providers offering bundled packages, focused mostly on security monitoring. However, due to the cost of professional contracts, consumers began to embrace the do-it-yourself (DIY) approach. Despite the challenges and opportunities that come with professional and DIY approaches, the momentum of smart home growth depends on these two approaches working symbiotically. Smart Home Technology Partnerships A few recent examples include the relationship with Vivint and Best Buy and Vivint with Sprint. In most cases, Best Buy is a competitor to Vivint because a consumer can buy point devices and ecosystem and install it themselves or enlist the help of the Geek Squad. Even more recently, Nest announced optional professional monitoring with its Nest Secure products in partnership with MONI. Although this approach isn’t new, Scout Alarm, LiveWatch and SimpliSafe already have similar approaches, it continues to stress the need to combine multiple channels and approaches to the smart home market. Moreover, these are examples of symbiotic partnerships that will help the total market. In 2017, there were about 122 million smart home devices shipped globally. The retail channel represented about 62 percent of all device shipments in 2017 and will represent about 70 percent in 2021. Despite the increased demand for professional installation, the do-it-for me approach, most the volume remains with ad-hoc purchases. This includes a consumer video camera or a smart thermostat purchase from a retailer or when a consumer wants to add devices to an existing professionally installed system, they often will buy products from retail. There is a growing needto combine multiplechannels and approachesto the smart home market Furthermore, the multiple-system operator (MSO) and professional security provider channels will be evenly split in 2017; however, by 2021, the MSO channel is expected to be double the market size of the security provider channel. The primary reason for this rapid change over five years is the lack of professional security providers in EMEA and APAC; as a result, MSOs will dominate the professional channels in these regions, while across North America, security providers will maintain a strong market presence. Top Trends In Smart Homes A few of the top trends in smart homes to watch out for over the next 12-24 months include user interface, flexible services, cyber security and adjacent markets. The user interface trend continues to evolve for the smart home. Although voice commands are trending towards becoming the new user interface beyond 2017, the voice will not be the only means to control and interact with the smart home. Mobile phones or tablets will still be required to configure most devices. This means that although the Amazon Echo can control a WeMo plug, the consumer will still be required to download the WeMo app and configure the device. However, after the device is added to the same network as the Echo, the app is no longer needed on a day-to-day basis. Displays will also become increasingly popular throughout homes because the smart home is becoming increasingly isolating. Mobile phones or tablets will still be required to configure most devices in future smart homes DIY ecosystems such as Wink or SmartThings or Philips Hue lighting are often limited to one person with one mobile device. As a result, other members of the household would need access to that mobile device or would need access on their own device after being authorized by the primary user (all assuming a smart speaker is not being used). This is very limiting and the user experience is negatively affected. (Voice assistants like Google Home have added a feature to allow multiple accounts using voice recognition, which will help personalize smart homes.) However, displays in the home are a way to access all devices for anyone in the home. Smart Home Equipment Cost Flexible service offerings and pricing is already taking shape across smart home offerings. DIY installed smart home systems such as Scout Alarm already offer no contract monitoring. Professional monitoring companies are already offering no contract pricing and providers such as Comcast are looking to pilot programs for just video monitoring bundled with Internet for a low monthly fee. Options for financing are also going to become commonplace. Smart home equipment is expensive, especially when attempting out outfit a modest size home (2,500 square feet +). Immediate access to services is becoming more critical. This means consumers should be able to access on-demand service options directly from a mobile device to activate or deactivate professional monitoring. Lastly, pricing still needs to come down for many smart home devices but there is a threshold. Since many smart home devices today do not have a recurring monthly fee, the cost of maintaining mobile apps, platforms and support services must be propped up by higher device prices. However, companies can look to offset some cost by sourcing different material. According to the IHS Markit Teardowns Team, the cost of the metal ring on the Nest 3rd Generation thermostat is $10, which is more expensive than the LCD display which comes in at $9. In comparison, the Ecobee3’s most expensive part is the LCD screen at about $4.00. As a result, the Ecobee3 costs nearly $20 less to manufacture compared with the Nest 3rd Generation thermostat. Smart Home Security Securing the smart home will be a hot topic over the next 12 months. One method of change will be manufacturers requiring consumers to change default passwords. Manufacturers need to start requiring consumers to change passwords before a product can be used. Home routers, for example, often use ‘admin’ as the username and ‘password’ as the password and most users never change these. For elder care, door/window sensors and motion sensors could be used in combination with software to monitor routine The challenge that many consumers and suppliers face today is that many passwords are built directly into the firmware and the consumer has no way of making changes. As a result, the integrity of the device comes down to the supplier. As threats become more severe with ransomware and other botnet attacks, manufacturers will need to implement additional thresholds of threat assessments to keep consumers safe. One method involves two-factor authentication. IHS Markit expects the monetization of cyber-security for residential customers to start appearing in 2018. This means that security service providers would monitor network traffic for the consumer. The software would not be monitored or implemented directly by the consumer; instead, the service provider will take care of all the monitoring of network traffic. What this means is that the software or router would monitor network traffic for patterns and manage which servers are pinged by IoT devices such as consumer video cameras. Care Homes And Insurance Companies Although the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for smart home device revenue is set to exceed 50% through 2021, the growth could be much higher with support from adjacent markets such as elder care, construction/developers and insurance companies. For elder care, door/window sensors and motion sensors could be used in combination with the software to monitor routine. If an elderly person suddenly changes their routine, this would alert caregivers. This same premise can be used in professional elderly care settings to help staff prioritize patient needs. IHS Markit expects the monetization of cyber-security for residential customers to startappearing in 2018 Working with insurance companies is another method of reaching the customer with smart home devices; however, the use of insurance is highly fragmented across regions. As a result, North America is the best opportunity as of 2017 to partner with insurance companies. Furthermore, insurance companies are mostly interested in managing the entire ecosystem. Blending Professional And DIY Smart Homes While offering subsidized equipment (smoke detectors and water leak detection) can reduce claims, insurance companies need to have full access to the data – as a result, they are more interested in creating their own platform from scratch or working with a provider to support data analysis. Working closely with builders will also continue to gain traction, especially across EMEA and APAC. By working closely with builders, this reduces the challenges associated with B2C channels and the overall cost of the system can be masked by the mortgage payment, resulting in more system installations with less distribution expense. Overall, the line between professional and DIY smart home is blending. CEDIA and Amazon recently announced a collaboration and Netgear Arlo announced the first wire-free and battery-operated ONVIF compliant camera. With the combination of voice-control, consultations from Amazon and Best Buy, the reduction in the pile of smart home hubs in the basement as more protocols are embedded in gateways/routers, and no further need for the special Apple chip for HomeKit compliance after iOS 11, smart homes are becoming easier to achieve both for consumers and professionals.

Illustra IP PTZ  cameras allow Century 21’s surveillance staff to monitor activity in stores Introduction Century 21 opened its first store in downtown Manhattan in 1961 and now operates eight stores across the New York/New Jersey area. The stores are focused on high-fashion, low-price apparel for women, men and children, along with cosmetics, handbags, shoes, lingerie, housewares, luggage and more. Merchandise can range from less than $10 to more than $7,000. The newest Century 21 site, which opened in April 2013, is at Jersey Gardens: The Outlet Center in Elizabeth, N.J. The largest outlet mall in the state, Jersey Gardens is also a major tourist attraction, drawing approximately 18 million visitors a year from more than 160 countries. The company’s loss prevention department is headquartered at its flagship store in Manhattan, although each store maintains its own LP department and staff. Challenges With each new store opening, Century 21’s loss prevention department looks to incorporate the latest technology to enhance the quality of its LP activities. The brand new Jersey Gardens store, which opened in April 2013 in an existing mall storefront, presented Century 21 with the opportunity to explore the transition to IP cameras from analog as well as discover additional features that could further reduce shrink as part of the company’s proactive LP program. “We like to think we are a leader in technology and in pushing the envelope,” said James Betesh, Vice President Loss Prevention, Century 21 Department Stores. “As a 25-year customer with American Dynamics and Sensormatic, we trusted them to provide cutting-edge technology that would perform to our standards.” One specific challenge that Century 21 presented to Tyco Security Product’s American Dynamics brand of surveillance solutions was how the company could address issues of latency that have been associated with some IP cameras. Latency is a delay between the movement of the joystick to command the camera and the camera’s response to the command. Like most retailers that employ a team of active surveillance personnel to monitor their facilities, Century 21 was averse to delays in camera control that affected their ability to track and monitor situations in their stores in real time. After evaluating older IP dome cameras, Century 21 LP personnel found that the delay between the joystick command and camera movement was too long to effectively follow specific individuals around the store. Solution Instead, Century 21 chose 10 Illustra 625 IP PTZ dome cameras with very low latency for accurate camera tracking control, allowing Century 21’s surveillance staff to actively monitor activity in their stores. With the Illustra 625, the camera moves to position as fast as 512° per second, allowing for active surveillance and efficient tracking of suspicious behavior. “We have very proactive LP policies in place to protect our inventory and guest experience so we needed the lowest latency and best quality picture from these domes as possible,” Betesh said. “You can access any one of the Illustra cameras we have installed and still have a crystal clear view”, says Tyrese Williams, Loss Prevention Manager, Century 21 The selection of the Illustra 625 IP PTZ cameras, along with an additional 34 Illustra 610 HD IP mini-domes, marks a definitive shift for Century 21 from analog to IP-based surveillance. Along with the IP cameras, the retailer also implemented the victor video management system from American Dynamics. Using the victor unified client, Century 21’s LP staff at Jersey Gardens is able to view, manage, and control recorded video from four VideoEdge network video recorders. Loss Prevention Manager Tyrese Williams, who is the onsite LP professional at Jersey Gardens, noted that the IP cameras were an improvement over analog for several reasons, beginning with the clarity of the images and the superior zoom-in ability. “You can access any one of the Illustra cameras we have installed and still have a crystal clear view,” explained Williams. Cameras are placed in key locations so LP staff can actively observe various activities, such as transactions at the registers throughout the day. With the new cameras, Williams said they have the capability to zoom in at the register “and get the best pictures possible.” This was the type of activity that was critical in testing the performance of IP over analog, said Tom Hamlin, Sales Manager Retail/Manager Professional Services for Tyco Security Products. "Tests on previous IP PTZ cameras had not performed to the level that C21 required," he said, "especially with their uncompromising LP standards." But the i625s, along with the victor/VideoEdge video management system (VMS), were able to provide the necessary low latency, high-quality picture and continuity of image capture that Century 21 required. Within the video management system platform, according to Williams, one of the most appealing features is the speed of the system for searching recorded video. Video that used to take as long as four hours to watch can be condensed to just 25 minutes, he said. The VideoEdge metadata collection and motion search tools are credited with reducing search and review times. Additionally, the user friendliness of the system makes it easy to burn key video onto a CD or DVD, which is an activity Williams does on a daily basis. Benefits "The i625s, along with the victor/VideoEdge VMS, were able to provide the necessary low latency, high-quality picture and continuity of image capture that Century 21 required", says Tom Hamlin, Sales Manager Retail/Manager Professional Services, Tyco A further advantage of the system is the ability to access video via an iPad or iPhone, so security personnel aren’t tied to their desktop or office or even have to be on-site to monitor and respond to situations. As part of Century 21’s efforts to continue to innovate with its LP system, Betesh said “they are looking at analog-to-IP conversions for its other locations, beginning with the flagship downtown Manhattan site. That store, which spans more than 200,000 square feet, also features more than 800 analog cameras.” Store size, layout and design all play a role in the number and placement of cameras, according to Betesh. The high ceilings in the Jersey Gardens store actually allowed for the use of fewer cameras because each one could cover a wider area. Converting from analog to IP would certainly be an investment, acknowledged Betesh, but he sees opportunities because the system can be used for more than just loss prevention. “There are a lot of additional returns on our investment in technology that are possible, such as tracking shopper behavior that can improve our guest experience,” he said. By using active surveillance to track shopper movements, store operators can better position merchandise and displays, and staff their stores for both sales and security based on time-of-day analytics. And while on-site staff is making use of this type of analysis, Betesh said analytics can also be tied into the POS system and used by fraud analysts to detect issues at the cash registers. With all the new features, plus not losing anything in the analog-to-IP conversion, Betesh said he sees the long-term value in continuing with an IP surveillance system such as victor/VideoEdge that allows Century 21 to maintain the benefits of analog with the possibilities of IP video. “As long as we maintain what analog provided for us, everything else is just gravy,” he said.  

exacqVision is now integrated with the Sensormatic electronic article surveillance (EAS) detection system. The combination of exacqVision and Sensormatic EAS gives retail customers a unified solution to improve their loss prevention and shoplifting protection within one interface. Sensormatic And exacqVision Allows Retailers To: Connect surveillance device data with video Notify employees when someone tries to remove an EAS tag from a location or exits the store See live exacqVision video images of the alarm event as it is occurring Search previous EAS system events for corresponding exacqVision video at the time the event happened Quickly identify suspects for potential theft instances Improve real-time response to shrinkage control This integration requires exacqVision version 6.6 or later, and Sensormatic Local Device Manager Configurator version 8.3.

With the completion of the acquisition, Avigilon now holds 124 US and international patents Avigilon Corporation (“Avigilon”), a leading global provider of end-to-end security solutions, recently announced that it has completed the acquisition of the entire patent portfolio and the patent licensing program of ObjectVideo, Inc. (“ObjectVideo”) for cash consideration of US$80.3 million (the “Acquisition”). Founded in 1998, ObjectVideo is an innovator in the intelligent video solutions market. ObjectVideo’s video analytics patents, now acquired by Avigilon, are licensed and deployed by leading IP video manufacturers around the world. Under the Acquisition, Avigilon has acquired all of ObjectVideo’s 76 US and international patents and over 50 US and international patent applications. In addition to the foregoing, until January 31, 2015 ObjectVideo will continue to generate additional US patent applications, and has agreed to transfer any and all such applications to Avigilon for no additional consideration. With the completion of the acquisition, Avigilon now holds 124 US and international patents, and 202 US and international patent applications. “The future of the video surveillance industry is in video analytics,” said Alexander Fernandes, founder, president, CEO and chairman of the board, Avigilon. “The acquisition not only bolsters Avigilon’s portfolio of intellectual property, but it also brings with it a recurring royalty revenue stream.” "The acquisition not only bolsters Avigilon’s portfolio of intellectual property, but it also brings with it a recurring royalty revenue stream" The patent licensing program provides companies with the opportunity to leverage the innovative features of industry-leading video analytics patents. Nineteen royalty-paying licensees have joined the program, including global corporations such as Sony Corporation, Panasonic System Networks Co., Ltd., Bosch Security Systems, Inc., Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co., Ltd., Pelco, Inc., FLIR Systems, Inc., and Sensormatic Electronics, LLC (Tyco), and more. “The acquisition opens new doors for Avigilon, provides us with additional freedom to operate, and greatly strengthens our intellectual property portfolio,” said Fernandes. “It positions Avigilon to continue leading the way into the future of the video surveillance industry.” GMP Securities L.P. acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Avigilon on the Acquisition. Avigilon expects to file a Business Acquisition Report, as such term is defined in National Instrument 51-102 Continuous Disclosure Obligations, respecting the acquisition in due course.