Canon Europe Ltd - Experts & Thought Leaders

Canon partners and customers will benefit from Axis’s marketing, sales, and technical expertise Canon and Axis Communications AB announced an agreement under which the two companies would change their sales and marketing efforts in major regional markets worldwide. In Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and North America, Axis will assume responsibility for the marketing and sales of Canon’s entire portfolio of network video products and solutions, starting in EMEA from September 1, and in North America from October 1. In the Japanese market, Canon Marketing Japan will continue to sell Canon’s network video product portfolio and, in addition, will partner with Axis, leveraging its robust sales network and client assets to expand sales of Axis products to customers in Japan.Biulding Global PresenceCapitalizing on Axis’s marketing strengths to develop Canon-branded sales in Europe and North America, Canon Europe and Canon U.S.A. will become the sole providers of Canon network video products and solutions to Axis throughout the EMEA and North American markets. As for the rest of the Asia-Pacific region, Canon continues to explore options for the handling of its network video product and solution portfolio. Canon U.S.A. will become the sole providers of Canon network video products and solutions to Axis throughout the EMEA and North American markets With the network camera market continuing to show enormous potential, Canon has made a strong commitment to build a long-term presence as a leader within this industry. Since Canon welcomed Axis into the Canon Group in April 2015, both companies have discussed various options for leveraging their innovative network video product and solution offerings. This new sales and marketing framework, which makes use of both companies’ established strengths in major regional markets, provides an effective means of maximizing the synergies of the Canon-Axis combination.Vast Opportunities Within Network Camera MarketCanon’s commitment and support of partners and customers remains unchanged. Under the new framework, Canon partners and customers will benefit from Axis’s marketing, sales, and technical expertise and will have access to a wider range of products and solutions from the leading company in the network video camera market.Canon is confident that this new framework will enable both companies to make the most of the vast opportunities within the network camera market, demonstrating their commitment to partners and customers while contributing to the Canon Group’s long-term presence as a leader within this industry. Save

IFSEC 2016 attracted 27,052 attendees, in line with the 2015 attendance IFSEC International 2016, organized by UBM EMEA, has announced another hugely successful year for Europe’s largest security event, hosted from the 21st – 23rd June at ExCeL London.Volume Of Visitors IFSEC once again delivered an exceptional industry experience, attracting 27,052 attendees, in line with the 2015 attendance. The event saw a huge day one and two at IFSEC, with exhibitors overwhelmed with the sheer volume of quality visitors. Battling nature and politics on the third day, with the UK’s EU Referendum and severe flooding in London, the South West and Essex severing transport links to the venue, IFSEC still managed to deliver over 7,000 visitors to exhibitor stands on day three alone.Key audiences on the IFSEC show floor saw growth this year, with an increase of the installer and integrator professions by 7% and significant international visitor participation at 34%, cementing IFSEC as the industry’s chosen global security exhibition. IFSEC also grew this year through crossovers from the co-located events, FIREX, Facilities Show, Safety & Health Expo, Service Management Expo and Professional Clothing Show, with a higher interest in security this year leading to an increase of show-floor visits.Gerry Dunphy, Event Director for IFSEC & FIREX International, said: "IFSEC 2016 was another seismic experience for all concerned, a fantastic display of the very best in world class security products and solutions. The new areas this year such as Home Automation successfully showcased a whole new range of technologies available to security professionals and the Drone Zone was an absolute floor filler proving that IFSEC can always provide exciting spectacles for the visiting audience. We have already planned the main themes for 2017, so the security world should look out for further developments in home automation, smart commercial buildings, Borders & Infrastructure for senior specifiers of strategic security management and Installer World - a definitive destination for engineers and installers." "IFSEC 2016 was another seismic experience for all concerned, a fantastic display of the very best in world class security" IFSEC International was very pleased to again welcome BSIA (British Security Industry Association) as a supporter of the event. James Kelly (Chief Executive), speaking on the event, stated “BSIA is proud to promote the importance of quality as a key consideration within the security industry. IFSEC provides both security buyers and industry colleagues with access to education and thought leadership.”With security technology at the heart of the IFSEC community, this year saw the audience of more than 27,000 security buyers with over 20,000 different security solutions on offer at this year’s event. Key to the product offering were new launches across video surveillance, cyber, access control and integrated solutions, with new products revealed from Suprema, Canon, Avigilon and IDIS to name a few.New Areas Of Interest For the first time a complete home environment was created within IFSEC in the form of a purpose-built, smart house, sponsored by Yale. This setting, delivered by the Control4 platform, demonstrated the very latest tech for fully automating the home for safety and security measures. There were examples on show from Merit Lilin, Nest, Invixium, 2N Communications and many others, all of which integrated with Control4’s network to demonstrate the fully automated functionality of Home Automation. With an enhanced focus on this year’s Physical & Perimeter Protection area, IFSEC saw a growth to 22% of the audience attending to view products across perimeter protection, locking systems, safes and more. With increased security threats from terrorism, the need to protect businesses from external threats has never been greater, therefore this year’s success will develop into a fuller offering on the show floor as the event moves into 2017, with a new launch, IFSEC Borders & Infrastructure.A further launch for 2016, the ARC Village, comprised of 13 exhibiting ARCs to meet the visiting installer needs. Within this first year, the attendance surpassed expectations, with over 2000 installers and integrators attending this area, designed to showcase the best in Alarm Receiving Centres, hosted in partnership with connectivity partner, CSL Dualcom. The new Drone Zone created a buzz throughout the ExCeL as people visited to see how the security world can benefit from this innovative new offering The new Drone Zone created a buzz throughout the ExCeL as people visited to see how the security world can benefit from this innovative new offering, with demonstrations expertly piloted to showcase the opportunities of this new technology to the crowds. With new legislation still being drafted and research indicating the drone market will be worth $80 billion by 2025, this new tech area showcased a unique and exciting alternative to the security industry in the future.Inspirational Speaker SeriesThe Inspirational Speaker Series continued to attract large crowds this year from across the security, safety, fire, facilities management and service management industries to the 400 capacity theater each day. Speakers were again of a very high calibre with Colonel Tim Collins OBE, Kate Adie OBE and James Cracknell OBE, sharing key insights on how they have overcome adversity and challenges in their extraordinary careers in order to achieve their goals, from everyday tasks of getting children to school before work, to overcoming traumatic events to ensure a continual strive for progress. A further hugely successful security-centric seminar program saw over 11,000 security professionals attend sessions from tactical training through to security leadership techniques, including the popular Tavcom Training Theatre.IFSEC also continued to benefit from the co-located fire, facilities, security, service management and workwear and uniform events, which as a total saw over 45,000 visitors at the ExCeL over the three days, a 4% increase on 2015. Across the series, visitors were able to benefit from meeting their needs for fleet management, fire integration, health & safety legislation, uniforms and more.IFSEC International 2017 takes place from 20th – 22nd June at ExCeL London.

High-sensitivity 2MP CMOS sensor allows the cameras to capture Full HD images, even in low light conditions Canon Europe announces the launch of eight new 2MP network cameras, unveiled at IFSEC 2016. The new range includes an outdoor 360º endless panning model with 30x optical zoom and fast autofocus, and two new fixed box “bullet” models with 20x optical zoom, a first for Canon. All eight new models will be on display alongside the recently announced VB-H651V and Canon’s flagship low light network camera, the VB-M50B, capable of recording bright, clear images in low light conditions, particularly at the telephoto end. Julian Rutland, EMEA Marketing Director, NVS, Canon Europe, says, “The security market is always diversifying and evolving, yet achieving high image quality, particularly in low light conditions, remains a key priority in the industry. Our new cameras are a potent addition to our existing range, with all of the new devices benefiting from updated technology and high quality lenses. They demonstrate the range and imaging excellence typical of Canon technology and offer integrators and installers the ability to provide bespoke solutions for their customers across a range of vertical industries.”   Outstanding Image Quality The new high-sensitivity 2MP CMOS sensor allows the cameras to capture Full HD images, even in increasingly challenging low light conditions. This is essential for a range of security applications, from city surveillance to critical infrastructure, where accurately identifying the faces of individuals or details on a vehicle number plate can provide invaluable evidence. The VB-R13VE, an outdoor vandal resistant 360? PTZ camera, also incorporates a 30x optical zoom lens with a fast autofocus to keep images in pristine clarity. Coupled with an Ultra-low Dispersion lens, which prevents image distortion from aberrations in the glass, the camera is capable of providing crisp, clear images. This allows for precision imaging and remarkable color accuracy that results in clear video ideal for critical infrastructure applications. New Technology And Features All the new cameras are compatible with ONVIF Profiles S and G allowing for simple integration with the majority of VMS platforms, and the recording, searching and play-back of footage from the edge recording device All of the cameras feature Motion-Adaptive Noise Reduction, a new Canon technology that automatically adjusts noise reduction upon detecting motion within the scene.  By dynamically adjusting noise reduction in real time, depending on the scenario and requirements, Motion-Adaptive Noise Reduction reduces noise levels and respective video data size without a loss of quality. A new graphical user interface (GUI) and dedicated embedded Mobile Viewer have been added to support multiple compatible browsers and mobile devices, designed to offer installers and end-users easy, wireless access to the cameras’ features and functionality, making setup easier.   Unique Features By Model Include: Continuous 360º Panning Cameras: VB-R13VE & VB-R12VE (outdoor with high-end vandal and weather resistance), VB-R13 (indoor): PTZ speed dome network cameras featuring 30x optical zoom, 360º endless panning capabilities, fast autofocus and 450º per second high-speed precision PT control to provide maximum visual coverage and ensure effective monitoring of a wide variety of challenging environments. Thanks to Canon’s Enhanced Digital Zoom technology, the cameras can also offer an equivalent 120x zoom when streaming at low resolutions Bullet Cameras: VB-H761LVE & VB-H760VE: Outdoor fixed box cameras (IK09 rated) featuring a 20x optical zoom lens, as well as low light performance down to 0.06lx (color). The VB-761LVE provides lowlight performance in mono down to 0.04lx while the VB-H760VE produces crisp mono images down to 0.003lx without the aid of IR. The VB-761LVE also features Clear IR Mode, which reduces haze and heat shimmering effects to produce clean, clear monochrome images of distant scenery VB-H751LE: Outdoor fixed box camera with an ultra-wide 124.3º angle of view, 2.4x zoom lens and low light performance to 0.035lx (color) and 0.002x (mono), with built-in IR capabilities to allow round-the-clock high quality surveillance Fixed Dome Cameras: VB-H652LVE: Outdoor vandal resistant dome camera (Ik10 rated) with IR LED illumination, featuring a wide 122? angle of view, IP66 rated water-tight housing, tamper-proof screws, an anti-fog airflow design and an optional heater unit VB-H651VE: Outdoor vandal resistant dome camera (IK10 rated) featuring 2.4x optical zoom, wide 122.5º angle of view, and low light performance down to 0.035lx (color) and 0.002lx (mono) Both outdoor bullet and fixed dome cameras are designed to work in a range of challenging weather environments, including near salt water or in colder areas that may be prone to frost. All the new cameras are compatible with ONVIF Profiles S and G allowing for simple integration with the majority of VMS platforms, and the recording, searching and play-back of footage from the edge recording device. Customers, VMS partners and system integrators can find out more information about Canon’s network camera product range at Canon’s IFSEC stand, F500.

A bright, high quality lens, a responsive high sensitivity sensor and great imageprocessing produce a good low light performance  If you’ve been to any surveillance trade show, or picked up an industry magazine in the past few years, you will have noticed that almost every camera manufacturer seems to be talking about low light. Some have specific, dedicated low light products with named technologies, while others claim low light capabilities across their whole product range. Either way, camera performance in low light is a focus for all manufacturers, including Canon. The Challenges With Low Light Technology In the days of analog cameras, there was a clear and understood method for judging low light performance but in the move to IP, something appears to have got lost in translation. Now, two cameras may be specified to offer color images at 0.5 lux at 50 IRE, but the images produced may be very different. As a result, there is confusion amongst installers and end users who are directly comparing camera performance on specification alone. At the same time, customers seem to be expecting a camera that can deliver exceptional low light performance and high resolution. It’s only when it comes to trying out their preferred solution in situ that they realize that it’s not possible to maximize these two capabilities in one camera. Because of this confusion customers are losing trust in the market. But there is a simple fix. Installers and customers need to test products in their actual installation environment to find the best fit. Many manufacturers offer loan schemes where customers can test a camera before making a final decision to check that it is the best possible solution for them. We believe this is an absolute must. Uses For Low Light Cameras One example of a low light installation is the British Library. Due to the building’s architecture, the museum needed an effective monitoring system that would work in a low light environment. By selecting the Canon VB-H610D, the security team is able to capture an image and zoom in up to four times whilst still maintaining image detail. The Smart Shade Control (SSC) function helps to optimize exposure, improving highlights and correcting dark areas in backlit scenes. It also converts hard-to-see silhouettes into clearly identifiable objects. The Library’s Magna Carta exhibition in particular benefits from Canon’s low light performance. As one of the most famous documents in the world, it has to be kept in an environment with carefully controlled lighting due to its age and fragility. This is a common problem with older texts and artefacts, making low light capabilities essential in museum and library environments for protecting valuable assets. Due to the carefully controlled lighting of the Magna Carta exhibition in theBritish Library, low light performance cameras were a must The Technology Behind Great Low Light Performance Great low light performance comes from a combination of using a bright, high quality lens, a responsive high sensitivity sensor and great image processing. Nevertheless whilst many companies may promote their image processing it really is almost impossible to have good low light performance without first having a good lens. A lens with a wide aperture lets more light into the camera and on to the sensor. Cameras also need to use high quality lenses that use ultra-low dispersion (UD) glass. UD marks a huge step forward in lens technology, as it reduces color flaws, minimizes blurring at the edge of images and compensates for any astigmatism in the lens. The sensors used are also important. Each sensor is made up of individual pixels, and for the best response or sensitivity, as much light as possible is needed to hit each pixel. Clearly the bigger the pixel the better the low-light performance of the sensor and hence the camera. However, the physical size of the sensor needs to be considered in the design and cost of the product, so in general a sensor with bigger pixels is a sensor with lower resolution. The Future Of Low And Difficult Light Imaging High quality lenses and developments in UD technology are already pushing low light development forward, but there’s still room for improvement. Sensor sensitivities will increase which will take low light performance to new levels – and we will see the high-resolution products of tomorrow delivering the low light performance we see from lower resolution cameras today. At Canon we’re also working on delivering low light performance which is more “useable”. In zoom lenses, low light performance changes as the lens zooms in on an object, moving from its wide-angle to its telephoto position. Canon has recently announced that it is developing a high-sensitivity network camera equipped with a fast high-magnification lens, capable of long-range image capture in ultra-low light conditions. While on paper the specifications will remain very similar to other models, the performance will be 8x as bright at distance. The most important thing for installers and customers to remember is always to test to find the best solution. Specifications alone will not define the best network camera when it comes to low light performance. Technology in this area will continue to progress in leaps and bounds and I’m excited to see how low light performance will develop across the industry.

For the second year in a row, Canon made the biggest M&A move in the security marketplace in 2015. How could Canon top the industry shockwaves it created in 2014 when the Japanese giant acquired VMS company Milestone Systems? That’s easy: They bought Axis Communications for $2.8 billion in 2015.   Although the Canon-Axis deal grabbed the most headlines and was easily the most shocking M&A announcement of 2015, it was certainly not the only big news on the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) front. Consolidation seemed to be breaking out all over, although the announcements were generally positioned as “strategic” rather than in response to market forces. Here’s a look at the Top 10 M&A stories in 2015, as covered by SourceSecurity.com: 1. Canon Buys Axis Canon Inc. made a public offer to the shareholders of Axis Communications to transfer all of their shares in Axis to Canon. The total value of the offer was approximately $2.8 billion – Canon’s biggest acquisition to date. The move was further evidence of Canon’s confidence in the video surveillance market – and its intent to be a big player in the market. 2. Phybridge Buys NVT Phybridge made its mark in the communications industry as a manufacturer of long-reach transmission technology. Looking to target the security industry as a lucrative new market for that technology, Phybridge agreed to purchase NVT, a well-known supplier of IP and PoE transmission. Phybridge is looking to leverage NVT’s position and reputation in the security market to boost its sales of long-reach PoE and Ethernet over new or legacy coax and UTP cable. 3. 3xLOGIC Buys infinias Cloud-based integrated security solutions provider 3xLOGIC saw how well its products fit with those of infinias and announced acquisition of the cloud access control company. Adding access control is a natural extension of 3xLOGIC’s video products, including the VIGIL VMS and business intelligence, data management and cloud-based services. Access control was the “missing piece” in their overall product offering. FLIR Systems and DVTEL were late additions to our Top 10 M&As, with a $92 million acquisition in late November 2015  4. ASSA ABLOY Acquires Quantum Secure ASSA ABLOY has made hundreds of acquisitions since 1994, and continued the pattern this year. Given ASSA ABLOY business unit HID Global’s focus on identity, it makes perfect sense they would acquire Quantum Secure, whose SAFE software suite is a robust, policy-driven application to will help enterprise customers achieve their identity management goals. The SAFE software suite allows organizations to manage identities across multiple sites for employees, visitors, vendors, and contractors. 5. OnSSI Acquires SeeTec AG Video management software (VMS) company On-Net Surveillance Systems, Inc. (OnSSI) announced a definitive agreement to acquire SeeTec AG, a privately held German-based company providing VMS solutions to European markets. As one of the first providers of network-based video management applications, SeeTec provides offers targeted solutions aligned with customer requirements and industry-specific processes. Among other factors, the acquisition supplies OnSSI a new software recorder and ended their longtime OEM agreement with Milestone. 6. NICE Systems Sells Physical Security Unit (Now Qognify) NICE Systems entered into an agreement to sell its Physical Security business unit to Battery Ventures, a technology investment firm. NICE’s Physical Security business unit provides video surveillance technologies and capabilities to help organizations be more security-aware. The NICE security business later announced its new name – Qognify. 7. Entrepreneur Dean Drako Acquires Brivo Brivo announced that the cloud-based access control company had been wholly acquired by Dean Drako, entrepreneur, president and CEO of Eagle Eye Networks. With this acquisition, Drako pledged to apply the strategy and execution processes he used at his other successful companies, including Barracuda Networks, to leverage Brivo’s technology lead and growth trajectory. Combining Brivo’s cloud access control with Drako’s cloud video surveillance company Eagle Eye Networks seems to make a lot of sense. 8. Panasonic Buys Video Insight Panasonic Corporation of North America entered into an agreement to acquire all shares of Houston, Texas-based Video Insight, Inc., a developer of video management software, as part of its strategy to expand business opportunities for both companies in the education market in North America. Founded in 2002, Video Insight provides enterprise-class video management solutions for security systems to over 25,000 customers in the financial, government, retail and transportation sectors as well as 6,500 K-12 school and college customers. 9. Securitas Buys Diebold Security Business Consolidation extended to the integrator market, too, as evidenced by this large deal. Securitas agreed to acquire the commercial contracts and operational assets of Diebold Incorporated’s Electronic Security business in North America, and will operate as Securitas Electronic Security Inc. Diebold´s North American Electronic Security business, based in Green, Ohio, USA, is the third largest commercial electronic security provider in North America. 10. FLIR Acquires DVTEL Late in 2015, FLIR Systems, Inc., announced that it had acquired DVTEL, Inc., specializing in software and hardware technologies for advanced video surveillance, for approximately $92 million in cash. DVTEL develops and distributes integrated video management system (VMS) software, advanced video analytics software, visible and thermal security cameras, and related servers and encoders. The combination enables FLIR to be a full-spectrum end-to-end security system provider, serving the consumer, small and medium business, enterprise, and infrastructure-level markets.   See the full coverage of 2015/2016 Review and Forecast articles here

Physical and cyber security convergence, perimeter intrusion detection systems and fiber optic-based sensors were some of the security trends that picked up pace in 2015 and will continue to grow in the coming year as well. The beginning of 2015 started out slowly as the implementation of security projects by a number of organizations was postponed for various reasons. Mid-year picked up momentum, and the year is ending on a strong note. A significant trend was the gradual progression of convergence of physical and cyber security. I believe this is an area where technology is ahead of the market. No doubt it is only a matter of time before holistic security strategies will be more fully embraced, as the risk and actual incidents of cyber attacks increase. The market is now starting to require that penetration tests be conducted on perimeter intrusion detection systems. The video market continued on solid growth, while M&A activities such as Canon’s acquisition of Axis and Milestone and the formation of Qognify, formerly NICE Systems, signify continuing consolidation in this space. Drone Detection Systems – A Rising Need Drones continue to be an emerging security risk. Fortune magazine recently stated that as many as one million drones will be sold this holiday season in the USA. This presents a new form of security threat that organizations are challenged to mitigate, as most traditional security systems do not provide an adequate defense. Forward-Looking Trends Looking forward to 2016, many trends from 2015 will continue; namely the convergence of physical and cyber security as well as the growth and consolidation of the video/intelligent video analytics (IVA) market. The rising drone threat will bolster development of low-cost radar and other solutions. However, the industry will still need to resolve the issue of safe and effective interception. Specific to perimeter intrusion detection, the demand for fiber optic-based sensors will increase as a growing number of specifiers perceive them as the preferred method for securing long perimeters. The oil and gas industry will be using more fiber optic technology for pipeline security and leak detection.  Perimeter Security Sensors Senstar is well-positioned to address the paradigm of precise location of intrusions and events, not only in perimeter protection, but also life safety applications and illicit use of mobile devices, such as in correctional facilities. I’m optimistic about 2016 as we continue to lead the market in introducing new security innovations. See the full coverage of 2015/2016 Review and Forecast articles here