TDSi News

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...

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...

The end of the year is a great time to reflect on what the security industry has accomplished and to look ahead. We invited our Expert Panel Roundtable to weigh in on what they expect looking forward to the new year. Most industry-watchers are familiar with the major trends, but how will those trends play out in 2017? Specifically, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What will be the biggest headlines for the security marketplace in 2017?

In a fast-moving market like physical security, sharing information is an essential component of growth. However, there often seems to be more information available than an integrator or end user could ever digest and put to use. How does one go about finding the information he or she needs in an environment that can seem to be drowning in information (sometimes the wrong information). We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable to share their strategies and suggestions. Specifically, we...

If all the components within a security and wider IT network have the ability to interact together, they can offer so much more than their individual capabilities The widespread use of open protocol systems is one of the most important developments in the security and safety sector for decades. With a heavy reliance upon various security softwares (even for physical security), using open systems has gone from being a desirable selling point to a necessity in the security indus...

We in the physical security market tend to watch closely how the buying decision is made. If anything, the buying process has become more complex in recent years. We have seen the impact of security systems extending beyond the core security department, and with greater impact come more stakeholders. “Buying by committee” is more the rule than the exception, and the committee is getting rather large in some situations. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Who should be...

TDSi will be giving visitors a chance to see its new range of GARDiS software and hardware solutions Integrated security manufacturer TDSi will be giving visitors a chance to see its new range of GARDiS software and hardware solutions at IFSEC Southeast Asia 2016, which is being held in Kuala Lumpur from 7th-9th September. The show follows this year’s highly successful IFSEC International in London, which saw increased stand visitor numbers and considerable interest in t...

Big security trends are driving change in the physical security market. We see change happening around us every day, and much of it is disruptive to the status quo. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What has caused the greatest disruption to the physical security market in the last 12 months?

TDSi enjoyed a 21% increase in new visitors and a 38% increase in export markets visitors at IFSEC 2016 Integrated security manufacturer TDSi enjoyed a 21% increase (compared to 2015) in new visitors at the recent IFSEC International 2016 event at the ExCeL London, which the company partially attributes to the unveiling of its new GARDiS online security solution. Increase In Visitors Reflecting upon the success of the event, TDSi’s Managing Director, John Davies commen...

Foot traffic remained at respectable levels during Day Two of IFSEC International 2016 at ExCeL London. Attendees are bombarded with sensory overload as manufacturers look for new ways to stand out from the crowd. The result sometimes seems more like a lot of noise. Everyone is looking for ways to stand out from the noise of competing product features and claims at the show. One exhibitor, Tyco Security Products, is taking a different approach at this year's show, abandoning traditional emphasi...

GARDiS features an intuitive interface, designed and built directly around the needs of users and operators Integrated security manufacturer TDSi will be giving a sneak preview of its new forthcoming GARDiS software on stand F1200 at this year’s IFSEC International. TDSi will also be demonstrating how its systems can integrate with those of other key manufacturers including Milestone, ASSA ABLOY, Texecom and SimonsVoss at show, which runs from 21 to 23 June at...

TDSi’s stand will display its SOLOgarde, MICROgarde and EXcel controllers, as well as the company’s enterprise solutions Integrated security manufacturer TDSi will be showcasing its fully integrated security solutions, including a sneak peek at its new innovations, on its stand at this year’s IFSEC International. TDSi will be welcoming visitors to stand F1200, from 21st to 23rd June at the ExCel London Exhibition Centre. Year Of Planning For IFSEC Sophie Wi...

Stringent security policies are necessary in an organization to prevent incidentsof misplaced trust leading to an attack from intruders Trust is a word closely associated with both physical and logical security, after all, knowing who to trust is a key part of any security policy. However, when trust is wrongly assumed it rapidly becomes a key problem and a significant weakness in the security regime. Often the weak link is human nature itself. This means that to begin...

Women in Security will be a focus at this year's ISC West in Las Vegas, including targeted conference sessions and the Women in Security Forum Breakfast on Friday, April 12. As a preview of the upcoming events, let's revisit an Expert Panel Roundtable on this subject. We asked: How is the role of women in the physical security market changing and expanding?

Terrorism is in the headlines all over the world. After any such incident, many of us in the physical security market find ourselves asking: What could we have done to prevent it? Assessing risk and preventing catastrophes before the fact are part of our market’s DNA; and yet, too often the random nature of terrorist attacks and their targeting of public places leave us unsure of anything anyone could have done. How can we translate the benefits of our industry’s products into real-w...

We hear that everything is going to the cloud – or is it? Security end users can be understandably confused by conflicting claims in the market from proponents of cloud-based or server-based systems. A number of major security companies are offering cloud video surveillance solutions apart from the traditional server-based systems. At the end of the day, how do you choose? What factors should be considered? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What factors should a customer...

As the security industry continues to evolve and come up with innovative technologies, it has also thrown open the doors for competition among manufacturers of security systems and products. Price wars are emerging in the physical security market, while manufacturers and integrators are looking for new ways to offer greater value and better service. It’s one thing to fight it out for a new customer, but nobody wants to lose an existing customer based on price, or any other factor for that...

2015 has been an eventful year for the physical security industry. As 2016 looms, the pace of industry change shows no sign of decreasing.   Seeking insights into the state of the physical security market at year-end, SourceSecurity.com this month is publishing dozens of 2015 Review and 2016 Forecast articles submitted by manufacturers, integrators and other industry leaders. Taken together, the articles portray a mostly optimistic view of the industry’s present, and an...

Overall 2015 has been a year of increased public sector spending (as the UK economy continues to emerge from the recession), which has been highly beneficial to the security industry. This trend has been particularly evident in the healthcare and education sectors, which are key markets for TDSi. Nobody could have predicted the significant number of international security and terrorism threats this year. Undoubtedly this will result in even closer ties among the security industry, police and se...

Healthcare organizations are an important vertical market for many security manufacturers and integrators. Like other vertical markets, healthcare has its own unique set of requirements and challenges for physical security systems. We asked this week’s Expert Panel: What are the distinctive security problems faced by healthcare organizations? What technologies are being embraced to increase security?

People using computers to surf the Internet is "so 20th century". Today, the big trend involves machines using the Internet to communicate, exchange and analyze data in what has widely become known of as the Internet of Things. Various security devices are among the IoT components, and how devices connect effectively using the Internet – even devices not related to security – will constitute a large part of the future business of security integrators and installers, whether in the re...

With more physical security systems using Internet protocol and being connected to the enterprise IT network, it’s not surprising that the corporate IT department is more involved than ever in the buying decision – for better or worse. Does the IT department bring valuable resources to the table, or are they an impediment to the sales and integration process? It’s not a new issue, but an increasingly important one as the industry changes. We asked this week’s Expert Panel...

An eruption of violence at a church in Charleston, S.C., this June has increased awareness of the potential for such incidents at our houses of worship. On June 17 at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in downtown Charleston, a 21-year-old attacker wielding a Glock 41 .45-caliber handgun took the lives of nine people. But it was far from the first security breach at a house of worship. In fact, since 1999, more than 500 people have died a violent death on church or faith-based prop...

Violence in our schools and colleges often makes headlines, suggesting a growing and scary trend. A consequence of high-profile school shootings and other reports of violence is to increase awareness of the need to ensure safety and security of students, faculty and staff. The events have prompted more than one educational institution to take a second look at their security policies and infrastructure, with an eye toward improvement. But to what effect? Has greater awareness of violence in educa...

Salesmen may face pressure to “seal the deal,” but might an overemphasis on the ABCs of selling (“always be closing”) actually work to the detriment of an unsuspecting customer coerced into buying too much (or the wrong) technology to meet his or her needs? Not likely, according to our Expert Panel, who this week address the topic of salesmanship in the security market. We asked: Can an end user trust a security salesman’s advice? Our responses are overwhelmingly in...

TDSi believes the increase in visitors reflects continued and rapid expansion of the globalized security market With a 25% increase in export market visitors to its stand at IFSEC 2015, integrated security manufacturer TDSi believes this reflects the continued and rapid expansion of the globalized security market. Interest at the show also indicates continued customer demands for fully integrated solutions, rather than just security components. TDSi's Managing Director John D...

When asking exhibitors at IFSEC International 2015 about what drives their markets, many cite system integration as a key factor. And they want more of it. Integration As Business “Driving Force” For example, John Davies of TDSI says customers are now seeking out system integration. “They want a solution rather than components, such as linking access control with building management systems or with an organization’s IT network to control access to its computers,”...

The event is the opportunity to learn more about how products can be integrated with a broad range of complementary systems Integrated security manufacturer TDSi will be demonstrating the considerable benefits of full integration of its solutions with other specialist manufacturers, including Texecom, Milestone, ASSA ABLOY and SimonsVoss, on stand F1100, at IFSEC International 2015 this month. John Davies, Managing Director of TDSi commented, "IFSEC International is the p...

Rapid technology innovation in the physical security market comes with it a commensurate need to dispose of older systems as they are replaced. Some technologies can help minimize the waste, providing, for example, the ability to use existing coaxial cable with newer IP video systems. However, absent the ability to reuse equipment, how should integrators manage disposal of systems at end-of-life? Here are some responses from our Expert Panel.