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Soft targets are civilian-centric places suchas churches and retail centres, where securityis not as fortified The terror attack on Paris on Nov. 13 lasted just 23 minutes. The bombers and gunmen split up and attacked seven sites: the soccer stadium where it all began, four restaurants, a bar and a concert venue. All told, they killed 130 people and injured 368 in the time it takes for a coffee break. This situation has raised questions about the security management for conce...

Technology can safeguard other motorists, and help highway authorities to communicate with wayward drivers to avoid accidents There has been a spate of accidents worldwide in which cars have been driven either knowingly or unwittingly against the flow of traffic and into oncoming vehicles. Existing and imminent technology from the security sector can prevent such occurrences, alerting responsive drivers to their error and safeguarding other motorists. I write this shortly af...

Speaking at ATM Security 2015 in London, Pat Telford, principal consultant at Microsoft Canada, summarized the software threats to ATMs and the features to combat them when migrating to Windows 10. ATM security is compromized by physical attacks on the cash, physical attacks on the card, replacement of the ATM computer (black box), and malware attack (where normally a person visits the ATM and adds malware). According To Telford, There Are Certain Immutable Laws Of ATM Sec...

IHS expects third party storage of data from body-worn cameras to become the majority portion of this market The world market for body-worn video surveillance within law enforcement is growing. In 2014 IHS estimated the total world market for body-worn video surveillance equipment and service in law enforcement was worth $60 million. However, interestingly the service portion of the market will grow to become a larger proportion than the hardware market by 2019; this is accord...

Risk, in a security context, is the product of threat, vulnerability, and consequence Security as a discipline has been an important feature of society since cavemen started using the environment around them to protect themselves and their families.  As a discipline, security has developed exponentially and that trend is continuing; however, somewhere along the way key elements of physical security design have been forgotten. All too often solutions are deployed in a pre...

Hackers probably take more interest in your home computer and information about your identity stored there As the Internet of Things (IoT) grows, so does the hackable universe. Equipment designers need to start thinking about security in the first steps of manufacturing products, and companies and individuals need to start implementing secure coding practices to avoid hacking incidents. Last July, for instance, two security researchers hacked the computer in a Chrysler Jeep a...

A lower bitrate reduces bandwidth andstorage requirements High definition and megapixel cameras provide more detailed images with more useful information, but this can come at a cost. The volume of data being transported and stored rises significantly. The bandwidth demand that this places on the network and the increase in required storage capacity adds significantly to the total IP system costs. The best place to reduce these costs is at the source – in the camera &nda...

In the American market, Automatic Systems increased its market share by over 4%, taking the top spot Automatic Systems, a world leader in the automation of secure entrance control, is North American speed gate market leader. This, according to the most recent IHS technology report 2015. In the American market, Automatic Systems increased its market share by over 4%, taking the top spot. In addition, with a 4% increase, taking a 22.5% market share, Automatic Systems is the lea...

Video cameras are smarter than ever. Video analytics functionality is available inside most cameras now on the market. Smarter cameras enable a system with distributed intelligence and also help to manage bandwidth and storage – on-camera intelligence can determine what video is important enough to tie up network resources and to eventually be retained or viewed. But on-camera video analytics have their limitations, and additional video intelligence at the server can add a new range of fun...

Modern home security systems have come of age with innovative technologies that enable homeowners to have complete control over every aspect of the system. MOBOTIX’s Keith Jernigan Sr. and Hunter Fort explore the immense capabilities smart video surveillance technology to make a huge impact on the home automation systems by driving down energy costs as well as storing massive amounts of data. Home automation is not as new as most people would imagine. It has been around for several decade...

With every technological advance that canbenefit museum management comes anotherthat may assist thieves  When protecting art treasures, the first instinct for many security professionals may well be to look at recent advances in technology. Hasn’t the advent of IP-addressable devices provided sufficient tools to protect art exhibits from theft in a discreet manner? Apparently not, and entrenched attitudes abound among curators. Consultants who so much as m...

  Williams Meredith recently stepped out of his Kentucky home to see a drone hovering over his porch, videotaping his young daughters by the family pool. It wasn’t the first time one of these small flying devices had wandered over to take a look, but it had never gotten so close. So he did what any red-blooded American would do when confronted with a home invader – he blew it from the sky with a single shotgun blast. The confrontation is another example o...

Qognify’s mobile solutions integrate directly with the Situator command and control environment Qognify, formerly NICE Security, recently announced that one of the world’s largest transit agencies is now more secure than ever after expanding its investment in Qognify security solutions. With that investment, the agency adds Suspect Search and mobility solutions to better detect, manage, and analyse incidents, amplifying its use of Situator, NiceVision, and Qognify...

The 180-degree view was suitable for monitoring 4180 microsoftcounters, customer engagement, and acquisition Microsoft recently expanded in the retail market by deploying kiosks in over 30 locations throughout the United States and Canada. The success of that campaign has since sent Microsoft’s attention to physical retail stores into overdrive. Microsoft chose Sentry360’s 180-degree panoramic mini-dome camera for this deployment in 2013, and has successfully deplo...

Are smart phones poised to replace all biometrics hardware in the next several years? That’s the bold prediction of Hector Hoyos, CEO of Hoyos Labs, one of the pioneers of biometrics technology who owns 59 patents (pending and issued) related to the field. The advent of the smart phone, which amounts to everyone carrying a computer in the palm of their hand, provides all the ability anyone needs to capture biometric information to use for verification, he says. Breakthrough In Technolo...

Ethernet switches are often overlooked andsometimes deemed a cheap connectivity pointwith little to no importance The Ethernet switch is a critical link between cameras, network video recorders (NVRs) and computers that need access to video feeds. The Ethernet switch not only provides the data connectivity but often the power to the IP cameras via Power over Ethernet (PoE). Ethernet switches are the fundamental backbone of a Local Area Network (LAN) and the critical connectivi...

The IoT threat is magnified asuncontrolled devices are introduced into thenetwork through people ‘bringing their owndevices to work’ Intelligent building management, combined with the dramatic increase in IP connected devices brought about by the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), provides a vast opportunity for large organizations to work smarter, faster and more efficiently than ever before. Intelligent building management systems have the potentia...

Recycling ATMs, which can reuse deposited cash to supply withdrawals, are another way in which ATM-associated crime can be reduced With some 3 million automated teller machines (ATMs) around the world, they are bound to be seen as attractive targets by some criminals. Banks need to ensure customers do not fall prey to skimming and other malicious attacks from criminals, by having an effective ATM security in place. The advent of contactless technology has eliminated the need...

Thermal imaging cameras capture an object’s emitted heat to provide a high-contrast image Millions of tons of cargo. Billions of dollars in goods. The activity of a small city with miles of perimeter fencing, uneven infrastructure, blind spots, and ever-changing weather conditions. Port security is no small task, yet increasingly, security operators are asked to assume more responsibilities with static, if not shrinking, budgets. As drivers of a global economy, the deman...

BrandDog Media specializes in B2Bmarketing & global sales management After 18 years as VP of Marketing & Sales with Network Video Technologies (NVT), Guy Apple is now working as an independent consultant and owner of BrandDog Media. BrandDog Media will supply exemplary marketing services to business-to-business organizations with a focus on electronic security and surveillance. Proven ability In Globalization BrandDog specializes in B2B marketing and g...

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?

The city of the future needs smart, secure and resilient infrastructure solutions According to the United Nations, the world population will reach almost 8.5 billion by 2030. As populations grow, so do cities. Even now more than half of the world’s inhabitants live in urban areas, and more than one million move from the country to the city every week. This trend places enormous demands on people and infrastructures. Because only when communication, energy, safety, s...

Milestone software integrated with Open Options Access Control products and Axis cameras provides full scale security solutions Milestone Systems, Axis Communications, Open Options and Signature Systems are providing the Orlando Eye complex, a high profile venue that has been recently opened in Florida, with an integrated access control hardware and software solution.  Milestone's XProtect Enterprise video management software (VMS) and 250 IP video surveillance cameras fr...

Security cameras provide live, real-time video to assist security personnel in spotting potential or real problems Efficient security systems for parking structures deter criminal activities and anti-social elements from destroying property. Over the years, security companies have responded to this need and developed a range of security systems for parking facilities, such as audio intercoms, access cards and video analytic solutions. Systems integrators who want to add new s...

There's nothing like a visit to the China Public Security Expo (CPSE) in Shenzhen to open your eyes to a new world of security market manufacturers and customers in the Asia-Pacific market. The show is huge by Western standards – someone told me it's five times the size of ISC West in Las Vegas. But even more than the size of the show, it was the crowd that made an impression on this first-time visitor. Huge numbers of attendees and exhibitors Think of the mass of humanity you might exp...

(Click to see larger image) The ASIS Foundation & the University of Phoenix College of Security and Justice's Enterprise Security Competency model Are you competent in your security job or profession? How do you know? According to research carried out by the ASIS Foundation, security has begun to evolve beyond guarding doors, checking IDs and screening briefcases and purses. Today, something called Enterprise Security Risk Management (ESRM) is subsuming the tra...

Major art heists often feature audacity that defeats even the most thorough security protocols   Museum security, like art, is ever-changing. Traditional security practices like manned guarding alone are not sufficient to keep thieves at bay. Modern security technologies such as video surveillance, motions detectors, intruder alarms and other physical security devices also play an equally important role in securing museums and its art work. Regrettably, having a...

Conley’s security officers must study for and acquire a Certified Protection Officer (CPO) certification After nearly 40 years of a sustained and concentrated effort to transition the security industry to the security profession, Tom Conley is still beating his “security profession drum” at full volume. He still hopes that the security industry-to-profession movement will one day be a reality. He sees himself as an eternal optimist embarking on a feat of...

The IP surveillance market is taking anunusually long time to reach maturity, partiallydue to lack of industry standards  Video surveillance has been a growth industry ever since the release of the first IP security camera in the mid-1990s. Generally, high-growth industries are immature, meaning they have not yet reached a state of equilibrium. This is particularly true in the IP video surveillance market where many new companies enter the market takin...

Historically, biometrics applications have often been thought of as specialized, high-tech and used predominantly in governmental markets. Everyday systems have tended toward card readers and keypads, while biometrics have been associated with high-security applications. Today, however, biometrics are much more mainstream. Fingerprint readers, in particular, are as near as our smart phones. Many other biometric applications are also becoming more common in a wide variety of markets. We asked thi...