ONVIF News
ONVIF, the global standardization initiative for IP-based physical security products, hosted its annual membership meeting in late October, providing an update to members on the accomplishments of ONVIF in 2017 and its outlook for the year ahead. Attendees heard presentations on the final release of Profile A in 2017 and the ongoing development of Profile T for advanced video streaming, activities which are enabling the growing prevalence of the nearly 9,000 ONVIF conformant products in bid and...
Industry standards make it possible for systems and technologies to connect and work together. Standards enable today’s integrated systems. But does adherence to standards stifle innovation? Does the necessity to interface using an industry-wide standard slow down the implementation of newer (and possibly not standards-compliant) capabilities? Or do standards eliminate extraneous variables, empower more integration and encourage greater innovation? We asked this week’s Expert Panel R...
Avigilon Corporation, a provider of trusted security solutions, has announced it will preview Avigilon Blue, its new integrator cloud service platform, at ASIS 2017. Additional Business Value For Subscribers Avigilon Blue is a powerful cloud service platform for security and surveillance that is purpose-built for Avigilon partners and their customer. It will offer a new recurring monthly revenue model based on site subscriptions. Avigilon Blue will enable Subscribers to add new services as the...
The need for interoperability, which is making different types of devices or technologies communicate with one another, is certainly nothing new in our industry. At Anixter, we have been testing interoperability in our Infrastructure Solutions Lab for many years, connecting devices and clients from different suppliers to our test server site to ensure that integrations and multi-supplier solutions are going to work correctly for our customers in real-world scenarios. Open Standards In Access Co...
ONVIF, the global standardization initiative for IP-based physical security products, announces the Release Candidate for Profile T, a draft specification with advanced streaming capabilities that includes support for H.265 video compression and an expanded feature set that extends the capabilities of ONVIF video Profiles for systems integrators and end users. ONVIF Profile T ONVIF Profile T for advanced streaming employs a new media service that enables the support of High Efficiency Video Co...
ONVIF, the global standardization initiative for IP-based physical security products, announces the final release of Profile A for broader access control configuration that establishes a standardized interface for access control clients and expands the configuration options of ONVIF conformant access control systems. The release marks the first open specification that allows for the mixing and matching of access control devices and clients within a system, facilitating interoperability for multi...
For many years, cybersecurity was the unmentioned elephant in the room. Possible vulnerability of IP-connected devices to a cyber-attack was seldom, if ever, mentioned, and even the most basic measures to prevent such an attack were not implemented. For the last couple of years, however, the physical security industry has begun talking more about cybersecurity, in some cases with an abounding enthusiasm typical of the newly-converted. Have our discussions sufficiently addressed the long-standing...
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...
Consolidation is a reality in the security and video surveillance market. In the last several years, we have seen a variety of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) involving scores of companies of all sizes. But what is the impact of M&A activity on the companies involved, on their customers, and on the industry as a whole? We posed this question to our Expert Panel Roundtable: Do mergers and acquisitions have a net positive or net negative impact on the security market (and why)?
ONVIF, the global standardization initiative for IP-based physical security products, hosted its 16th ONVIF Developers’ Plugfest (ODP) May 10–12 in Québec City, Québec, at the Delta Hotel Quebec City in the Old Town district. With multiple testing’s of ONVIF conformant products, the Developers’ Plugfest offered interoperability testing for five ONVIF profiles, including the Release Candidate of Profile A for broader access control configuration, which is sch...
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) describes standards as guidelines or characteristics for activities or for their results, aimed at achieving the optimum degree of order. They might include product standards, test methods, codes of practice, guideline standards, and management systems standards. In the security marketplace, there are many standards currently used, including those from organizations such as ONVIF, PSIA and ASIS International. Might the value of standardiza...
ONVIF, the global standardization initiative for IP-based physical security products, announces that it will speak at the annual conference of the International Association of Professional Security Consultants (IAPSC) on May 7-9, at the Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol in Austin, Texas. The IAPSC’s 2017 conference focuses on how the scope of a security consultant’s role is changing as the physical security industry evolves to address such issues as cyber/IT threats and crowd secu...
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...
As security industry buzzwords go, “convergence” is perhaps the best known and most pervasive. We have been hearing about convergence in our market for almost 20 years. We have heard it’s happening soon. We have heard it’s inevitable. And yet, for all the talk of convergence, it has sometimes seemed there has been more talk than action. We wanted to check in with our Expert Panel Roundtable and get their latest takes on this most enduring of industry buzzwords. We asked t...
Once again, ISC West has come and gone. The show continues to please exhibitors and attendees. Reviews are generally glowing and enthusiastic. For all its successes, however, there is a certain repetition from year to year – a lot of the same players, the same technology trends (not to mention the same venue every year, but who doesn’t like Vegas?) But even among the repetition, there is usually at least one element that is surprising. Perhaps it’s the unexpected elements that...
The minutes are counting down to one of the biggest security industry trade shows of the 2017 calendar. Expectations are high going into ISC West 2017 in Las Vegas: Last year’s show was very well attended and highlighted lots of new technologies. Looking ahead to this year’s show, we wanted to get the Expert Panel Roundtable’s take on what news will dominate the show. So we asked our panel: What do you expect to be the big news at ISC West 2017?
Open systems are great at providing freedom for end user customers. But does the term “open system” mean the same thing throughout the industry? In the bad old days before the introduction and broad acceptance of open systems, security vendors produced proprietary systems that used only their own hardware and software. This locked in a customer to a specific vendor’s product line, and if another vendor offered a better product, the only way to get it was to switch to that vendo...
Jonathan Lewit will touch on the array of connected devices and open platforms in the market ONVIF, a standardization initiative for IP-based physical security products, announced that it will be presenting at TechSec Solutions 2017, February 27-28, 2017, at the Delray Beach Marriott, Delray Beach, Florida, as part of a panel discussion on standards, best practices, cybersecurity, and the Internet of Things.Internet Of ThingsJonathan Lewit, Chair of the ONVIF Communication Com...
Some Expert Panel Roundtable topics are more challenging than others. Occasionally a question will “stump” the panel – i.e., no one will choose to answer it. Other times, only one or two panelists will step forward to answer a question. One comment does not a “panel” make. Taken together, however, these varied comments offer their own range of insights into the evolving physical security market. Let’s look at some of these assorted Expert Panel comments over t...
SourceSecurity.com’s Expert Panel covered a lot of ground in 2016 about a variety of topics in our Roundtable discussions. The very most-clicked-on Roundtable discussion in 2016 was about how to choose between a cloud-based system and a server-based system. Other hot topics that made the Top-10 list of Roundtable discussions included edge-based video storage, the challenges of commoditization, and mistakes customers make when buying and installing security systems. He...
Drastic increase in cybersecurity discussions is one thing that many of us in the security industry didn’t predict for 2016. Cybersecurity has obviously always been an important issue in general, but the discussion has gained a lot of momentum in the past year. As I said, this wasn’t predicted by most of us in the industry. The intensity of the focus on and discussion around cybersecurity in 2016 was a response to some of the high-profile denial of service (DoS)...
The access control industry is now picking up the challenge of embracing new technologies The access control business has, over the last 10 years, completely changed its image from being a rather unattractive slow growth and conservative business to taking up a position as a fast-growing confident business. The access control industry has listened and acted on the needs of the stakeholders in the supply chain and as a result the world market for access control products and so...
ONVIF will be eight years old in the next several weeks. It has been interesting to watch the open industry forum’s impact on physical security since it began in 2008 with a goal to develop a global standard for the interface of IP-based physical security products. ONVIF’s influence has accelerated just in the last year, with the number of ONVIF-conformant products in the market growing from about 5,000 a year ago to more than 7,000 today – more than a 40 percent increase. ON...
Per Björkdahl announced the recipients of the 2016 ONVIF Award at the annual membership meeting ONVIF, a standardization initiative for IP-based physical security products, hosted its annual membership meeting on October 25, 2016, updating members on ONVIF’s accomplishments of 2016 and its outlook for the year ahead. ONVIF member companies heard presentations on the final release of Profile Q in 2016 and the ongoing development of Profile T for video, in addition t...
The webinar will examine how IoT and cloud computing have already shaped the physical security industry IoT And Physical Security ONVIF, the global standardization initiative for IP-based physical security products, is pleased to announce that Per Björkdahl, ONVIF Steering Committee Chair, will be the featured presenter in the webinar ‘Physical Security, IoT and Open Standards’, on August 17, 2016, at 4:00 PM BST. The webinar is hosted by Memoori, an independ...
Software drives video solutions in the IP environment, but often that software is a pre-installed component of a purpose-built network video recorder (NVR). In other cases, software solutions are sold separately and then installed (usually by the integrator) on a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) server. But how can an integrator or end user decide which approach is best for them? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a pre-configure...
Profile Q offers out-of-the-box functionality for systems integrators and end users with an easy set-up mechanism and basic device level configuration ONVIF, the standardization initiative for IP-based physical security products, has released Profile Q, the specification that features quick and easy discovery, set-up and configuration of conformant devices as well as advanced security features. What Is Profile Q? Profile Q offers out-of-the-box functionality for systems inte...
Environmentalism is a universal consideration in most business sectors in 2016. Whether seeking to provide greener products, or looking for new ways to minimize waste of manufacturing processes, most companies are involved to some degree with environmental concerns. Green has not traditionally been a big driver in the security industry, but there are indications the profile of environmentalism is increasing. We asked this week's Expert Panel: How green (environmentally friendly) is the security...
ONVIF's 1.0 Core Specification debuted in 2008 at Security Essen The adoption of the ONVIF protocol by manufacturers continues to grow. Last year, the number of member companies in the ONVIF forum exceeded 500 and more than 5,000 products are currently certified on the ONVIF website. How did ONVIF achieve this amazing result and experience this wild adoption? More than a decade ago, every manufacturer was defining their own protocols and pushing for Video Management Software...
It’s a challenging time for security integrators and installers. Equipment prices are going down (along with margins), and commoditization is wiping away what used to be the advantage of exclusively offering a top product brand. Integrators can continue to succeed by finding a way to move ahead of the pack – but how? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How should integrators/installers differentiate themselves or make themselves stand out in today’s market?
