Genetec Network / IP Cameras

Today’s environment has evolved into something that according to some may seem unexplainable. But in the context of video surveillance, this is something that we understand. Allow me to shed some light and understanding in terms of security and why it truly is a necessity. Security is not a luxury, it is a necessity. An essential practice now peaking the interests of all businesses small and large. A video surveillance system is a cost effective option that does not require monitoring fees. As business slows, temporarily shuts down or closes, an increase in vacant properties is inevitable. This pandemic will continue to put severe pressure on many businesses around the country. With so many considered non-essential, it is really sad to see how many must shutter their doors and lay off employees. Keeping an eye out for suspicious activity using a commercial grade surveillance system that supports advanced analytics, may end up saving your potential customers thousands of dollars down the road. Demand for video surveillance and security products We can certainly draw on the conclusion that security is a “need” more so than a “want”. Times like this just further cement that thought process. In today’s economic spiral, people aren’t actively looking for lighting controls or home theaters. What they look for is a way to keep their loved ones safe, protect their homes, businesses and property. Video surveillance technology provides added security for you, your family and your business In my opinion, you will see video surveillance and security product sales skyrocket in the coming months and years. It has been reported that response times for first responders may be impacted as a result of COVID-19, leaving those with bad intent more time to ransack a property knowing that law enforcement may be slow to respond. Criminals will always take advantage of the situation. All we can do as a community is use common sense, stay vigilant through these odd times and watch out for one another. For some of us that may mean mitigating risks with technology. Affordable video monitoring solutions Having a solution that can quickly and securely share video footage may be the difference between identifying a perpetrator and becoming a victim. Ella, a video search platform developed by IC Realtime, makes every second of video instantly searchable and shareable, either with the authorities or your neighborhood social apps. Plus it is compatible with any RTSP streaming device. To wrap this up, it’s not about pointing out the obvious, it’s really about bringing awareness as to how technologies can be implemented to provide peace of mind without breaking the bank. Video surveillance technology is a way to do that and provide added security for you, your family and your business.

The safeguarding of premises through the monitoring of entrance and exit points has traditionally been a very manual aspect of security. Human operators have been relied on to make decisions about who to admit and deny based on levels of authorization and the appropriate credentials. The access control business, like many industries before it, is undergoing its own digital transformation But the access control business, like many industries before it, is undergoing its own digital transformation; one where the protection of premises, assets and people is increasingly delivered by interconnected systems utilising IoT devices and cloud infrastructure to offer greater levels of security and protection. Modern access control solutions range from simple card readers to two factor authentication systems using video surveillance as a secondary means of identification, right through to complex networks of thermal cameras, audio speakers and sensors. These systems, connected through the cloud, can be customized and scaled to meet the precise requirements of today’s customer. And it’s the ease of cloud integration, combined with open technologies and platforms that is encouraging increasing collaboration and exciting developments while rendering legacy systems largely unfit for purpose. Remote management and advanced diagnostics Cloud technology and IoT connectivity means remote management and advanced diagnostics form an integral part of every security solution.Cloud technology and IoT connectivity means remote management and advanced diagnostics form an integral part of every security solution. For example, as the world faces an unprecedented challenge and the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause disruption, the ability to monitor and manage access to sites remotely is a welcome advantage for security teams who might otherwise have to check premises in person and risk breaking social distancing regulations. The benefits of not physically having to be on site extend to the locations within which these technologies can be utilised. As an example, within a critical infrastructure energy project, access can be granted remotely for maintenance on hard to reach locations. Advanced diagnostics can also play a part in such a scenario. When access control is integrated with video surveillance and IP audio, real-time monitoring of access points can identify possible trespassers with automated audio messages used to deter illegal access and making any dangers clear. And with video surveillance in the mix, high quality footage can be provided to authorities with real-time evidence of a crime in progress. Comprehensive protection in retail The use of connected technologies for advanced protection extends to many forward-looking applications. Within the retail industry, autonomous, cashier-less stores are already growing in popularity. Customers are able to use mobile technology to self-scan their chosen products and make payments, all from using a dedicated app. From an access control and security perspective, connected doors can be controlled to protect staff and monitor shopper movement. Remote management includes tasks such as rolling out firmware updates or restarting door controllers, with push notifications sent immediately to security personnel in the event of a breach or a door left open. Remote monitoring access control in storage In the storage facility space, this too can now be entirely run through the cloud with remote monitoring of access control and surveillance providing a secure and streamlined service. There is much to gain from automating the customer journey, where storage lockers are selected online and, following payment, customers are granted access. Through an app the customer can share their access with others, check event logs, and activate notifications. With traditional padlocks the sharing of access is not as practical, and it’s not easy for managers to keep a record of storage locker access. Online doors and locks enable monitoring capabilities and heightened security for both operators and customers. The elimination of manual tasks, in both scenarios, represents cost savings. When doors are connected to the cloud, their geographical location is rendered largely irrelevant. Online doors and locks enable monitoring capabilities and heightened security for both operators and customers They become IoT devices which are fully integrated and remotely programmable from anywhere, at any time. This creates a powerful advantage for the managers of these environments, making it possible to report on the status of a whole chain of stores, or to monitor access to numerous storage facilities, using the intelligence that the technology provides from the data it collects. Open platforms powers continuous innovation All of these examples rely on open technology to make it possible, allowing developers and technology providers to avoid the pitfalls that come with the use of proprietary systems. The limitations of such systems have meant that the ideas, designs and concepts of the few have stifled the creativity and potential of the many, holding back innovation and letting the solutions become tired and their application predictable. Proprietary systems have meant that solution providers have been unable to meet their customers’ requirements until the latest upgrade becomes available or a new solution is rolled out. This use of open technology enables a system that allows for collaboration, the sharing of ideas and for the creation of partnerships to produce ground-breaking new applications of technology. Open systems demonstrate a confidence in a vendor’s own solutions and a willingness to share and encourage others to innovate and to facilitate joint learning. An example of the dynamic use of open technology is Axis’ physical access control hardware, which enables partners to develop their own cloud-based software for control and analysis of access points, all the while building and expanding on Axis’ technology platform. Modern access control solutions range from simple card readers to two factor authentication systems using video surveillance as a secondary means of identification Opportunities for growth Open hardware, systems and platforms create opportunities for smaller and younger companies to participate and compete, giving them a good starting point, and some leverage within the industry when building and improving upon existing, proven technologies. This is important for the evolution and continual relevance of the physical security industry in a digitally enabled world. Through increased collaboration across technology platforms, and utilising the full range of possibilities afforded by the cloud environment, the manufacturers, vendors and installers of today’s IP enabled access control systems can continue to create smart solutions to meet the ever-changing demands and requirements of their customers across industry.

Large event venues spend significant resources on physical security, and the vast majority invest in video surveillance systems as a way of monitoring public areas such as parking lots, garages and seating, as well as “backstage” areas such as loading docks and offices. Even though the camera footage is often preserved for investigating incidents, for the most part, video footage goes untapped because – realistically – security staff cannot constantly and efficiently monitor cameras in real-time or review the high volumes of archived video. Video Analytics Powered by Artificial Intelligence Increasingly, event venues are overcoming this challenge and maximizing this video data by investing in intelligent video surveillance. In this article, I’d like to explore how the combination of traditional surveillance and groundbreaking video content analytics enables event venues to not only optimize physical security and safety, but also improve customer service, streamline operations, and gather valuable business intelligence. Deep learning and artificial intelligence-based video content analytic systems detect, identify, extract, and catalog all the objects that appear in video footage, based on classes and attributes such as gender, appearance similarity, color or size. This – along with behavioral detection, such as object interactions, dwell times, and navigation paths, as well as face and license plate recognition – enables searchable, actionable and quantifiable analysis of video. The technology makes it easy for users to accelerate post-event investigations, improve situational awareness, and derive critical business insights from video data. Accelerate post-event investigations, improve situational awareness, and derive critical business insights Accelerating Investigations and Real Time Response Where there are crowds, it’s not uncommon for medical or criminal incidents to transpire. In the aftermath, security teams must quickly understand the scene and, by making video searchable, video analytics helps them efficiently gather information or evidence from multiple camera. Whereas a manual search of video footage would require hours, if not days, of valuable time and staff resources – while being subject to human error – a video content analytics system enables effective multi-video search using a variety of filters, so that post-incident investigations can be focused and, thereby, accelerated. For instance, if witnesses claim that a man in a yellow shirt caused a disturbance and then drove away in a blue pickup truck, security could filter video to review instances where people or vehicles matching those descriptions appeared, and then focus their investigation on relevant video evidence. For the same example, if the perpetrator was still at large in the venue, security managers would want to track the person’s movements and, ultimately, apprehend him. Using the same cataloged metadata that drives video search, intelligent video surveillance accelerates real-time response to developing situations from threats and suspicious behaviors to emergencies, or even any behavior that requires closer monitoring or intervention. Something as mundane as an unwieldy queue forming at a concession stand, can translate into alerting logic that increases operators’ situational awareness and ability to effectively intervene when time is of the essence. By understanding developing situations in real-time, they can respond more quickly to prevent or solve a problem. Rule-based real time alerts Users can configure rule-based real-time alerts, based on specific scenarios – such as when people counts in the defined space next to the cashier are higher than the specified threshold, indicating a queue, or when vehicles are detected dwelling in a no-park zone or sensitive security area. In the case of the offender in the yellow shirt, security could configure alerts to notify for appearances of men in yellow shirts or blue pickup trucks within the event complex. If they’re able to extract the perpetrator’s face or license plate from the video search, security officers can also identify and track the specific person and vehicle of interest. Intelligent video surveillance users can compile “watchlists” Object recognition is helpful for tracking specific, identified threats, but it can also be leveraged for locating missing persons or vehicles or offering VIP services to guests who comply. Intelligent video surveillance users can compile “watchlists” – that include persons of interest, such as past agitators, recognized criminals or terrorists, missing persons or VIPs – to be alerted when matches for these faces appear in video. Face recognition can also be used to differentiate recognized employees from visitors that are not authorized to be in certain spaces, to prevent security breaches. Because camera conditions aren’t always optimal for “in the wild” face and license plate recognition – where lighting conditions or camera angles don’t always allow for a pristine face or plate capture – it is critical to have a comprehensive video content analysis tool for triggering alerts based object classifications and non-personally-identifiable parameters is critical. Optimizing Operations Based on Business Intelligence While having real-time situational awareness is crucial for proactive intervention to developing situations, understanding long-term activity and trends can be equally important for an events venue or stadium. With video analytics, video surveillance data can be aggregated over time to generate statistical intelligence, trend reports, and data visualizations for operational intelligence. This capability transforms video surveillance from a siloed security tool to an intelligence platform with broad value for business groups across the organization: Marketing departments can gain visitor demographic information for targeted advertising and product placements. On-site retailers can uncover how visitors navigate their stores and the products or spaces that draw the most attention. Property management can follow heatmaps demonstrating where visitors dwell and the durations they stay at certain exhibits or areas, to base rental and leasing fees on actionable and quantifiable intelligence. Operations managers can more effectively plan and hire staff for events, by analyzing visitor traffic trends, entry and exit points and occupancy statistics.   Video surveillance data can be aggregated over time to generate statistical intelligence For these reasons and more, event organizations that already rely on CCTV networks, should consider how to better leverage those existing investments to deliver substantial value across the organization: By making video searchable, actionable and quantifiable, intelligent video surveillance empowers event managers to enhance public safety and physical security, while also streamlining operations and improving customer service.

Hanwha Techwin America, a global supplier of IP and analog video surveillance solutions, announced a line of 4K AI cameras. Part of the Wisenet P series, the new AI-based cameras capture pristine images at up to 4K resolution while including powerful, in-camera deep learning algorithms for advanced object detection, classification and error-free analytics. Utilizing object recognition versus motion detection all but eliminates false alarms while also providing valuable business and operations insight. AI cameras analytics “Our new AI cameras have solid performance in both analytics and deep learning applications,” said Ray Cooke, Vice President - Products, Solutions, and Integration, Hanwha Techwin America. “The included, license-free analytics detect and classify a range of objects including people, vehicles, license plates, and faces. This technology will provide more reliable edge based intelligence, and open new opportunities in security as well as business and operations intelligence.” Unique attributes of the objects are also stored as metadata alongside the video information including: Colors of people’s clothes for both top and bottom People’s clothing length for both top and bottom People wearing of glasses or not People wearing or carrying a bag Age group Gender Vehicle types Vehicle colors Hanwha’s plugin for Video Management Software This metadata can be read by a VMS server and used in post-event forensic search to significantly reduce time spent investigating specific events. Wisenet P series AI cameras offer integration with Wisenet WAVE and other popular VMSs from Milestone and Genetec using Hanwha’s plugin. As businesses re-open with new policies regarding social distancing and occupancy limits, it’s never been more important to accurately count customers and employees as they enter and exit the premises. Unlike traditional, imprecise methods of people counting with dedicated overhead cameras, the Wisenet P series AI cameras deliver the accuracy with people counting based on the camera’s AI object detection algorithm. Reducing Server bandwidth for analytics Wisenet P series AI cameras are equipped with a ‘BestShot’ feature which ensures that only the most suitable image of classified objects is sent to a backend server. The full video image can be up to 4K resolution to see details of objects, along with tagged attributes metadata. Users have the option to set the image resolution to less than 4K for full video streaming or use BestShot to minimize bandwidth and storage requirements for server-based analytics. Additional key features include: Digital auto-tracking: provides two simultaneous streams of video, enabling operators to see the camera’s full field of view, while simultaneously viewing a Full HD digital PTZ auto-tracked image of a person or vehicle Upgraded Business Intelligence: integration with Wisenet Retail Insight providing gender and age group counting 12V DC power supply (50mA max): provides power for external sensors including LEDs, PIR sensors, and glass break detectors, eliminating the need for an additional power supply AI Dome cameras series The new Wisenet P series AI cameras are available in the following configurations: PND-A9081RV – 4K AI dome camera with built-in IR illumination PND-A9081RF – 4K AI flush-mount AI dome camera with built-in IR illumination PNV-A9081R – 4K AI vandal-resistant dome camera with built-in IR illumination PNO-A9081R – 4K AI bullet camera with built-in IR illumination PNB-A9001 – 4K AI box camera

According to latest research from its video surveillance and analytics intelligence service, Omdia (Informa), Genetec Inc. (‘Genetec’), a global technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations, and business intelligence solutions, continues to build its position as the world’s major developer of video surveillance software with a widening share of the global market. Overall, Genetec grew at three times the pace of the global video surveillance solutions market and demonstrated the fastest growth of all major software companies across all geographies (based on Omdia reported 2018 and 2019 data). Video surveillance software major “Genetec is encouraged by this news but we remind ourselves that the true measure of success is not to be found in market share figures but whether or not our partners and customers feel like we have delivered against the service levels and outcomes they expect,” states Pierre Racz, President, Genetec Inc. Pierre adds, “Our independence and single-mindedness have helped us earn the trust of the market, and our investment in research and development have helped us deliver products at the cutting edge of client needs.” Importance of privacy and cyber-security We strongly believe that security and privacy can coexist and deliver greater benefits together than in isolation" He continues, “We have a broader obligation to our communities and society. As such we have been outspoken about privacy and cyber-security. We strongly believe that security and privacy can coexist and deliver greater benefits together than in isolation. We also believe that this is what fuels our continued success with organizations that share these values. We will continue to work hard to earn their trust.” Enterprise, government, education, and public safety organizations alike are seeking greater privacy and cyber-security functionality, as well as additional operational value and return on investment from their physical security systems. Unified physical security platform Their requirement for a secure video surveillance solution as part of a truly unified physical security platform has resulted in Genetec outpacing market growth across all geographies. “The Genetec share of the global video surveillance software market continues to grow year on year,” said Jon Cropley, Principal Analyst, Video Surveillance at Omdia, adding “The company reported high growth in all regions including in EMEA where, in spite of a slower market that contracted by over 3%, Genetec revenues increased by 19%.” Video encoders, recorders and software provider Additionally, according to the report, Genetec is now the top Western supplier for back-end video surveillance equipment that includes recorders, encoders and software, demonstrating an increasing demand for trustworthy devices from a recognized firm in privacy and cyber-security. Comparing year-on-year Omdia Research Statistics (2018 to 2019): Genetec increased its lead as the top video surveillance software in the world, with 11.9% market share (up from 10.6% in 2018). Genetec global market share growth increased 18.7% year on year, from 10.6% in 2018 to 11.9% in 2019. Genetec saw the fastest growth of the ten largest vendors in EMEA at 19% in 2019. Genetec posted Asia’s highest video surveillance software growth at 37%, compared to 11.1% growth for the market in general.

As hospitals, manufacturing establishments, large retail stores, and public-facing businesses strive to put in place health screening measures to minimize the risks of outbreaks, they often have to rely on manual processes that are time-consuming and error-prone. To address the challenge, Genetec Inc., a renowned technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations, and business intelligence solutions is working with customers on new ways of using Genetec Mission Control, the decision support system of Genetec Security Center, to help automate the screening process for employees and visitors entering facilities. Decision management system Mission Control also keeps track of every step of the response process, enabling comprehensive after-action review Genetec Mission Control is a collaborative decision management system that is already widely used by airports, critical infrastructure organizations, and security departments to coordinate incident response through greater situational intelligence and guided action. Designed to eliminate doubt, it filters out noise to provide the essential data, insights, and tools needed to respond to situations quickly and collaboratively. Mission Control also keeps track of every step of the response process, enabling comprehensive after-action review and continuous improvements to standard operating procedures. Mission Control can also be used to streamline screening processes and ensure accurate record-keeping. Maintaining safety compliance The system digitizes the screening questionnaire used by the organization and walks admission personnel through each step to identify individuals requiring additional assessment. It also centralizes the data collected and automates supervisor notification. With Mission Control, customers can significantly speed up the screening process while maintaining safety compliance and minimizing operational disruption. Whereas most solutions either require custom coding or the involvement of the manufacturer, Mission Control provides an intuitive configuration interface that lets administrators create a tailored questionnaire to guide personnel performing the screening and automatically identify the need for additional verification. Connected security systems “This is a great example of the unique value offered by Mission Control,” said Gabriel Labrecque, Mission Control Product Manager at Genetec. “Where traditional decision management systems are slow to adapt and hard to use, customers are able to tap into the capabilities of Mission Control to rapidly address an emerging challenge. This is done by simply using out-of-the-box Mission Control features and tapping into data from their existing security systems.” Key features of Mission Control for screening applications include: Centralized data: Mission Control leverages data from connected security systems to streamline screening, eliminating the need to extract and record data in multiple locations. Guided operating procedures: The system automatically identifies individuals requiring secondary screening based on questionnaire responses, instead of relying on personnel following offline procedures. Automation: When employees are delayed by secondary screening or sent back home to self-isolate, data is automatically tracked, and managers and employees can receive a copy of the screening questionnaire. Dashboards: Using Security Center dashboards, customers can keep track of the latest screening metrics to measure efficiency, track trends, and assess resource allocation, as well as the impact of screening on an organization. centralized data collection Mission Control offers an intuitive design and administration interface. Procedures can be created and customized in a few clicks, so that screening staff can easily keep up with changes to guidelines. Its centralized data collection provides real-time data from each screening station.