Transportation security applications - Expert commentary
Remember the old adage “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts?” Nowhere is that truism more evident than when you add network video to the current generation of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. Whether we’re talking about industrial IoT applications, “Smart – X” (city, building, parking etc.) or retail operations, integrating network video into the solution provides value far beyond simple situational awareness. Optimising Sophisticated Video Tec...
Workplace violence has been on the rise in mental health facilities, schools, and detention centers across the country. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), “Nearly 2 million American workers report having been victims of workplace violence each year.” As such, security directors are looking for technologies to help identify and mitigate these incidents. Increasing use of vocal aggression detection technology Shift from video surveill...
What do users want from their surveillance system? Ask any security professional, and you will hear answers like these: sharp, high quality images; widespread camera coverage; real-time analytics; fast search and retrieval of video footage with minimal, if any, intervention from people in the information technology department. In other words, they want the tools they need to do their job. Delivering those tools requires an underlying technology infrastructure that includes a storage file system...
http://hubs.ly/H0800J20 Video surveillance systems have some unique requirements that set them apart from other types of enterprise applications. Determining where and how the cloud can support these systems depends on a set of five primary requirements: bandwidth, storage, cost, security and accessibility. This March Networks white paper outlines some of the key considerations mid- and large-sized enterprises need to examine before deciding to move their video surveillance...
Since the introduction of smartphones with downloadable applications, vendors have been trying to replace the traditional plastic identification (ID) card with a mobile phone application. People might lose or misplace an ID card, but most people immediately recognize if they are without their mobile phone. Mobile ID badges for access control Bluetooth Low Energy iBeacon technology Technical challenges The logical extension is to replace or augment the traditional corporate ID and access...
According to the FBI’s most recent data, there were almost eight million property crime offences in the United States in 2015, while the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) estimates roughly two million employees per year are affected by some form of workplace violence. Don’t let your business become part of these statistics. June is National Safety Month, so it’s the perfect time to reassess your facility security measures and look for improved and effic...
Colleges and universities have been targeted in the last several weeks with a series of bomb threats received via campus printers and fax machines. Targeted institutions included Vanderbilt University, the University of Southern California, the University of Virginia and the University of Detroit Mercy, among others. Businesses were also among the targets. Around 100 organizations in all received print-outs, faxes or emails demanding that a $25,000 ransom be paid to a Brazilian citizen to avoi...
Security control rooms should be functional and durable, and their aesthetics should incorporate matching colors that are conducive to a 24/7 operating environment—not too much contrast and easy on the eyes. Another factor driving aesthetics is an enterprise’s desire to create a ‘showpiece’ to demonstrate a commitment to security for shareholders and other stakeholders. “Everyone wants to have a good-looking control room and a cost-effective design,” says Mat...
Today, almost every employee carries with them a smart device that can send messages, capture, and record images and increasingly live-stream video and audio, all appended with accurate location and time stamping data. Provide a way for staff to easily feed data from these devices directly to the control room to report an incident and you have created a new and extremely powerful ‘sensor’, capable of providing accurate, verified, real-time multi-media incident information. You need...
Technology is changing the look and function of today’s security control rooms. Old-school CRT (cathode-ray tube) monitors are giving way to the thinner, flat screen monitors in the control room environment, but the transition is gradual. Randy Smith of Winsted still sees many control rooms that need to make the conversion, which is a boon to his company’s business. Furniture today is designed differently to accommodate the thinner monitors, often with larger screens. Need For Inte...
Manufacturers depend on consultants to get their technologies specified in customer projects. Consultants often depend on manufacturers to provide them current information about the technologies that are the building blocks of their projects. It’s a symbiotic relationship, but not always a perfect one. We recently gathered three consultants to discuss what they want from manufacturers, and a representative of HID Global to add a manufacturer’s perspective. Manufacturers also look to...
Did you hear the one about the bear that nearly caused a nuclear catastrophe? It was around midnight on October 25 1962, in the midst of the Cuban Missile Crisis. A guard at Volk US Air Force Base – home to a number of armed nuclear bombers – spotted a shadowy figure apparently attempting to scale the fence. The supposed Soviet saboteur tripped the alarm, which was fatefully miswired. As a result, the klaxon was accidentally sounded, triggering a maneuver to scramble...
Energy security, access to the electrical grid and police and fire safety are just a handful of the networked services that we take for granted and rely upon on a daily basis. Every second of every day, sensors are digitizing the real world, creating information and transporting it across multiple networks and interfaces to a broadening audience. While there is obvious utility being gleaned from this process, from our vantage point here in the physical security space, information sharing and tra...
Just when you think you have seen the worst that cyber criminals have to throw at you, they are back with more sophisticated, and in some cases, more severe threats. Understanding emerging and evolving cyber threats is the first step in helping to protect your organization. The next, and most important, step is shoring up your defense technologies with the proper training, education and deployment. To help prepare for what may be coming next, let’s take a look at what are already shaping u...
Mobile access is probably the largest emerging trend in the security marketplace, but it is only one of several that are changing the face of the access control market. Another factor showing potential to change the market is the emergence of location systems and positioning systems, as reflected by HID Global’s recent acquisition of Bluvision, a provider of real-time location tracking system for assets and employees, and building information modeling (BIM) is impacting how consultants do...
The role of storage in video surveillance systems has evolved, from a means of preserving evidence to an evidence search tool, and soon as the main data repository for predictive analytics. Old analog systems are now being replaced with massive multi-camera IT systems. Necessary storage volumes keep growing as video resolutions increase. 1K, 4K, and 8K megapixel cameras require such gigantic storage space that network video recorders (NVRs) can hardly handle more than a handful of them...
Some end users and integrators are daunted by the idea of designing control rooms, but they shouldn’t be. “It’s not difficult to design because we will help,” says Randy Smith, President of Winsted. “We will walk you through the entire process.” Some control rooms still need storage areas for consoles underneath the workspace; however, when hardware is relocated to a server room, Winsted has modern, streamlined and simplified designs with no doors or storage...
Security consultants are on the front lines of trends such as “smart buildings” and the increasing demand for green technologies. We recently gathered together several consultants to reflect on what’s new in these areas, joined by a representative of HID Global. Participants were Chris Grniet of Guidepost Solutions, Brandon Frazier of Elert & Associates, Terry Harless of Burns & McDonnell, and Harm Radstaak, HID Global’s Vice President and Managing Director, Phy...
The transition from analog to IP technologies has had a large impact on the ways intercoms are used in the security industry. The analog-to-IP transition has generated a lot of attention in the camera market, and the transition is also taking place for intercoms. Twenty years ago, Axis Communications (2N’s parent company) led the industry in converting from analog cameras and video to IP. Integrated IP System The conversion took 15 years to achieve, but the same conversion in intercoms i...
When people think of control rooms, images from James Bond movies or intense action stories come to mind. What they fail to realise is the incredible level of ergonomics, technology, precision and craftsmanship required to create a top-notch command and control room. “These are rooms of complex functionalities, where hundreds of elements must be integrated and function in sync,” says Jim Coleman, National Sales Manager, AFC Industries. Professional teams from several different indus...
On 19th December, 2016, the news exploded with information about a vehicle attack on a Christmas market in Berlin that killed at least 12 people and injured more than 50 others. Less than a month before, the US State Department had warned about such attacks in public places throughout Europe, saying that extremist groups including the Islamic State and Al Qaeda were planning to focus on such locales during the Holiday Season. Two Types Of Vehicle Access Point To stop these attacks, security pr...
Real-time location systems allow organizations to communicate with visitors, employees, and staff in the event of an emergency Today's threat landscape is bigger and more broad than ever before, with an increasing number of emerging risks falling on the shoulders of security professionals in a variety of markets. Many of these leaders face the growing concerns of finding efficient, integrated solutions that provide protection from threats, but also can be used in everyday comm...
Access Control as a Service (ACaaS) has grown into a mainstream product offering from many access control manufacturers and the product offering is gaining significant growth in the market. With the adoption of this technology, end users and integrators need to ask several pertinent questions. This White Paper explores several important factors which must be understood in order for end users and integrators to make a sound decision when selecting an Access Control as a Service provider.What's...
Part 4 in our Intercoms in Security Series The ONVIF standard makes it simple to integrate the intercom with other ONVIF-compliant video management systems, access control solutions, and cameras Open standards are enabling new capabilities in the intercom market, some of it driven by the transition to systems based on Internet protocol (IP). Today’s most-used phrase in the intercom business is interoperability, given that the intercom is integrated with solutions s...
Part 3 of our Intercoms in Security Series: Zenitel’s Call Access Panel manages intelligible critical communications through a security operations center or control room Greater connectivity, security software enhancements, more customization, and better sound quality are some of the enhancements driving the intercom market.An advantage now offered on Code Blue’s emergency speakerphones include self-diagnosing software that monitors the status of the phones an...
Gaps in video from dropped video frames are a common problem. A web search on the phrase “dropped video frames” turns up links oriented towards gamers, YouTube videographers and even the world of video surveillance, discussing why frame drops happen and providing advice for coping with them. On Windows computers, video frame drops are a fact of life. Much of the advice can help reduce the number of frame drops, though never completely eliminate them. If you are an amateur filmmaker,...
One leading company has developed an identity management system using patents that verify the identity of an applicant Most enterprises rely on background screening providers to report accurate and complete information without understanding the litigious landscape. Security executives often have little input in how background checks are performed or by what provider, as this has become the domain of human resources (HR). A growing trend finds employers and their background scr...
By drawing data from a number of different sources and subsystems, including building automation, it is possible to move towards a truly smart environment Security solutions should be about integration not isolation. Many organizations are considering their existing processes and systems and looking at how to leverage further value. Security is part of that focus and is a central component in the move towards a more integrated approach, which results in significant benefits. G...
Part 1 in our Intercoms in Security Series Lambert-St. Louis International Airport uses Code Blue intercoms Organizations are demanding a new level of interoperability among mission-critical security systems. Intelligible audio, the ability to hear, be heard and be understood, is critical to communication, which is essential to the core security processes within an organization, as well as to emergency situations. Intelligible audio provides a platform to optimize v...
Part 2 of our Intercoms in Security Series The 2N Helios IP family intercoms present a comprehensive portfolio of security offerings for businesses and individuals Some integrators and end users may think of intercoms as older technology that isn’t required as part of a robust security system. Not true. Intercoms include innovative technologies that have developed rapidly, keeping pace with other categories. Just as cameras and access control systems have made techn...
