Quantum Secure, Inc - Experts & Thought Leaders

Quantum Corporation today announced new product lines and capabilities which significantly expand its video surveillance and physical security product portfolio. The expanded portfolio includes:   A new line of network video recording servers A new line of servers for building management systems and GPU-based video analytics New capabilities for the VS-HCI Series, which the company launched in 2019 to provide hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) for surveillance recording, video management, and building operations. These expanded product offerings add to Quantum’s existing solutions for shared archive storage for surveillance, based on its StorNext® file system and the recently announced acquisition of the ActiveScale™ object storage solutions. The result is one of the broadest security infrastructure solution portfolios available from any single vendor. With new NVR servers, building management and video analytics QuantumCorp offers the broadest security infrastructure portfolio available. New Network Video Recording Server Line These expanded product offerings add to Quantum’s existing solutions for shared archive storage for surveillanceQuantum’s new line of Network Video Recording (NVR) servers complement the company’s VS-HCI Series and are offered in both mini-tower and rack-mounted form factors to provide customers with a range of affordable, reliable, and high-performance options for surveillance recording and video management. Quantum’s VST mini-tower NVRs are designed to support the surveillance of retail stores, gas stations, small buildings and campuses, and other small implementations, while Quantum’s VS4160 NVR is one of the most dense and highest capacity NVRs available for environments with large retention requirements.   New Analytics and Application Servers To support the extreme graphics processing and parallel workload demands of video analytics, Quantum has introduced the VS2108-A analytics server. The VS2108-A can be configured with up to six GPUs in a compact 2U chassis and will accelerate results with leading video analytics software platforms. For access control and building management applications that require a highly available architecture, Quantum is introducing a new highly available application server, the VS1110-A.  Quantum’s new VS1110-A Enterprise application server utilizes the same virtual machine (VM) failover capability found in Quantum’s VS-HCI series. Like the VS-HCI series, the VS1110-A server can be monitored remotely via a secure web-based portal, enabling facilities managers, integrators and Quantum support to proactively monitor this system anytime, anywhere. Monitor VS-HCI Series Health Remotely via Secure Web-Based Portal To support the extreme graphics processing and parallel workload demands of video analytics, Quantum has introduced the VS2108-A analytics serverQuantum has enhanced the capabilities of the VS-HCI series with secure, remote monitoring via a web-based portal. The Quantum VS-HCI series provides hyperconverged infrastructure for surveillance recording, video management, and building operations. The highly available architecture scales out as video camera counts increase and makes it easy to manage operations by running multiple physical security workloads on a single platform.  Quantum StorNext and ActiveScale Storage for Large Surveillance Archives On March 16, 2020, Quantum announced that it had completed the acquisition of the ActiveScale object storage business from Western Digital. Object storage can be used as a tier for multi-petabyte surveillance infrastructure. Video is typically captured and recorded on higher-performance servers, then archived on object storage-based systems. The combination of Quantum’s StorNext file system and ActiveScale object storage can be a valuable solution for shared archive storage in many surveillance environments. Supporting Quotes “The most important message from Quantum to all of our customers and partners during this unprecedented time is that our top priority is the health and safety of our society, our employees, our communities and all of you. Our next priority is to ensure business continuity and site security,” said Jamie Lerner, President and CEO, Quantum. “Video surveillance plays a vital role in securing infrastructure and critical assets, and in protecting citizens. We’ve applied our years of expertise to build a comprehensive portfolio for surveillance, and we are responding quickly to the needs of our customers.” “Kepler Networks customers are on the front line of change in the surveillance industry, and as video surveillance technology has evolved it has placed unprecedented strain on storage,” said Gavin Bortles, President, Kepler Networks. “Customers who adopt intelligent, scalable storage as the foundation of their new surveillance and security system leave more budget for cameras, analytics, and other tools dedicated to protecting people and property.  

HID Global, a provider of trusted identity solutions, introduces Quantum Secure SAFE Enterprise, an off-the-shelf addition to its SAFE Physical Identity and Access Management (PIAM) offering that brings together everything organizations need to streamline and centralize management of the entire lifecycle for employee, contractor and visitor identities. “SAFE Enterprise transforms the security function, enabling collaboration across different departments and teams to address identity management and compliance challenges through a single, centralized platform,” said Julian Lovelock, Vice President of Quantum Secure - Identity & Access Management Solutions (IAMS) with HID Global. “It bundles our core products into the industry’s most comprehensive PIAM solution, while also giving organizations the flexibility to meet identity management needs today and in the future.” Consistent Identity Management SAFE Enterprise enables organizations to manage all of their identity types at a lower cost and without having to purchase separate, stand-alone products. As a centralized platform, it facilitates identity management across the entire lifecycle through on-boarding, badging, access rights management and off-boarding, while also providing compliance and actionable intelligence. The policy-driven software ensures that consistent identity management processes are applied throughout the enterprise regardless of existing infrastructure and new acquisitions. All identities can be properly vetted and authorized based on role, location and other organizational policies so people have the right access to the right areas and for the right length of time to reduce risks. Special Configuration Packages The new solution consists of four modules and add-ins. Each delivers compliance reporting and auditing functionality and is available in special configuration packages for applications in healthcare, aviation, finance, government, and sports and events. The modules include: Badge Manager: Provides a platform to use external identity sources to pre-load identity information, capture badging prerequisites and print badges for employees and contractors. Advanced Access Manager: Streamlines central management of the physical access lifecycle for an organization’s employees and contractors. Visitor Manager: Securely and quickly manages the entire visitor lifecycle from easy pre-registration to welcoming visitor invitations through rapid check-in and check-out. Security Reporter and Operations Analytics: Enables organizations to understand and coordinate all on-boarding, badging, and access and visitor management activities. The first of many planned add-ins to be offered for SAFE Enterprise is predictive analytics, which transforms security data into critical knowledge and actionable insights called Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) that help organizations take preventive actions against possible threats.

Amid rising concerns about security threats at stadiums and arenas where sports and entertainment events take place, HID Global, a global provider of trusted identity solutions, announced that its Quantum Secure SAFE Sports and Events Access Manager has earned the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) ‘Lab Tested’ designation, awarded to products that undergo the rigors of operational testing in a sports environment.   Reducing Risks By Tracking Visitors And Contractors The NCS4 designation gives event security managers greater confidence that the product has been validated as effective, helping to increase safety and security at events with large crowds. The SAFE Sports and Events Access Manager solution from HID Global tracks visitors and contractors to reduce risk, accelerate investigations and give better transparency of who is coming and going from a venue. The SAFE Sports and Events Access Manager solution tracks visitors and contractors to reduce risk, accelerate investigations and give better transparency of who is coming and going from a venue “The National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security assembled a team of subject matter experts from the sports security domain to evaluate the SAFE Sports and Events Access Manager,” said Daniel Ward, Director of Training and Integrated Systems, National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) at the University of Southern Mississippi. “The team evaluated the technology based on stated capabilities, as well as the its ability to integrate and operate in sporting venues. The SAFE Sports and Events Access Manager solution performed at or above the levels considered by the evaluators to fully meet each requirement.” Addressing Threats And Safety Risks Established in 2006, the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security has become a recognized academic leader in addressing potential threats and risks to the safety and security at sporting events. NCS4 works with recognized and respected safety and security experts from professional sports leagues, marathons, high schools and universities. “Event venues are increasingly looking for solutions to their physical access management challenges,” said Julian Lovelock, Vice President of the Quantum Secure segment within HID Global’s IAM Solutions business. “By meeting industry standards for securing stadiums and arenas with trusted identity solutions such as SAFE Software, we are expanding the options for protecting people at events.”

High definition has become the camera technology of choice for new installations Video storage is the foundation for new video surveillance infrastructures. Depending on your platform, storage can enhance your surveillance system’s capabilities, or it can limit them. But one thing is certain: your storage decision can no longer be an afterthought. Tremendous Growth In Data Storage Digital technology is transforming the surveillance industry. In fact, it’s estimated that 66 million network cameras and 28 million high-definition CCTV cameras will ship by the end of 2016. High definition has become the camera technology of choice for new installations, and that’s resulting in tremendous growth in the amount of data to be stored. Measuring in exabytes (one exabyte (EB) is approximately equal to one billion gigabytes (GB)), some estimates predict the amount of surveillance video stored over the next two years will nearly double, growing from 3.96 EB this year to 7.89 EB in 2018. And by 2019, projections estimate 2.5 EB of video will be produced every day. That’s a lot of data to store. Combine the growth estimates with the fact that retention times are getting longer due to changing regulations and legal requirements, and you have an industry desperately in need of more storage capacity. Hence, it’s no surprise that the enterprise storage market for video surveillance will surpass $1 billion by the end of the year. Security Project Budgets Video surveillance projects consist of many parts. Typically, project budgets are split between cameras, infrastructure, analytics solutions, video management system (VMS) software, and storage. But storage is often the largest single line-item expense with traditional implementations comprising 55-60% of the total budget dollars. Data management is an ongoing challenge for every organization In fact, the total spending for storage compared to other components in a video surveillance solution can be dramatically different. For example, the San Diego Police Department’s body-worn camera project in 2015 estimated spending $267,000 to purchase 1,000 cameras and $3.6 million (over a five-year period) on data storage and other storage-related expenses. In another instance, the Duluth Police Department project called for $5,000 to be spent on cameras compared to $78,000 (over a three-year period) on data storage. And in another case, the Los Angeles Police Department is expecting to spend $7 million to outfit 7,000 officers with body cameras while paying a five-year cost of approximately $50 million on data storage, maintenance, and program expenses. Data Management Challenge Data management is an ongoing challenge for every organization. Factoring in the growth of surveillance video and the influx of unstructured data from the Internet of Things (IoT), which is expected to surpass 100 billion devices by 2020, the effort becomes even more difficult. As a result, storage decisions have become much more strategic. Both technology decision makers and systems integrators working on behalf of customers need to evaluate the storage component of any video surveillance solution design carefully to ensure it meets their needs for today and tomorrow. Here are some questions to consider:1. Does the storage solution you are considering strike the right balance of performance and retention time required while meeting the project budget? Storing data on high performance disk when it is really suited for long-term retention is expensive. Make sure your design enables you to prioritise the right storage technology and take advantage of less expensive formats such as tape and cloud whenever performance is not the main requirement.2. Is the solution optimized for your expanding performance needs? Adding more high-definition cameras and performing real-time analytics requires high-performance storage to ingest parallel streams of high-resolution video without dropping frames or impeding processing. Make sure the storage platform you select can handle the demands of advanced video applications. Smarter storage options, such as a multi-tier solution, can save you money and free up dollars in your budget to spend on additional cameras or analytics software 3. Will the storage platform make it easy to access the data you need, when you need it? Visibility and accessibility are important. Finding the files you need when you need them should not be a time-consuming, arduous task. Make sure your platform delivers a single view that simplifies search and retrieval of your files.4. How well will your storage solution integrate with your existing infrastructure? Interoperability is imperative. Being locked in with one vendor or platform doesn’t provide the flexibility you need for today’s heterogeneous environments. Make sure your storage solution integrates with all major platforms, operating systems, networks, and video management solutions.5. Will the storage platform scale to accommodate adding more devices and new technologies? Camera counts are going up. High-definition, multi-sensor units are replacing analog And the IoT continues to evolve, adding new devices and sensors to the mix and creating untold numbers of opportunities for data analysis. Make sure your storage platform will integrate with complex data from disparate sources and will scale accordingly to accommodate the need for more capacity.6. Does the storage solution comply with your existing security requirements? Legal and institutional requirements for data vary, depending on the type of information stored and industry regulations. Make sure your storage solution satisfies all requirements for retention, access, and security.7. Will the storage platform easily build onto your current infrastructure without overhauling the whole system? Adding capacity onto an existing infrastructure may be the most cost-effective way to address storage challenges. Make sure your storage solution is flexible and capable of building onto your existing infrastructure in a non-disruptive fashion. Smarter storage options can save you money and free up dollars in your budget to spend on additional cameras or analytics software   Multi-Tier Storage Options Smarter storage options, such as a multi-tier solution, can save you money and free up dollars in your budget to spend on additional cameras or analytics software. Unlike solutions confined to primary storage, multi-tier options deliver high performance and give you more control over where your files are stored. Through user-defined policies, higher priority files can be stored on high-performance disk while lower priority files can be moved off to less expensive storage alternatives, such as tape or cloud. More control saves money on storage costs. Consider this relative comparison: If high-performance primary disk costs $1, object storage costs $.35, file-based tape costs about $.18, and the cloud costs somewhere between $.08-.16. By managing data across the available tiers, you can reduce storage costs by up to 33% and still deliver the total storage capacity required. Today, storage is a strategic decision, and is increasingly the foundation new video surveillance infrastructures are built upon. Using a multi-tier solution is the most high-performing, cost-effective approach to meeting today’s and tomorrow’s demanding capacity needs.

At the end of last year, we anticipated that data gathering and analysis would continue to be a strong trend, and that certainly proved to be the case in 2016.   More and more organizations are seeing the value of the intelligence provided by diverse systems’ data. The number and variety of networked systems and devices – both security and non-security – continued to grow steadily in the last year, and the data these disparate sources create has proven highly useful in identifying statistical patterns and trends that may indicate the likelihood of incidents occurring. More data leads to more complete intelligence, allowing organizations to more easily identify threats or business opportunities, make more informed decisions and create better outcomes in general. Another key trend we anticipated in 2016 was the growth of security as a critical component in an organization. This also proved to be the case in the last year, as the role of security teams continued to take on more relevance related to overall operations. This has largely been possible thanks to the ready availability of strong tools and solutions that allow security departments to lower costs, increase compliance and reduce the risk of insider threat.  Identifying Insider Threats Increased adoption of predictive analysis to identify potential threats and opportunities will continue to be a strong trend in 2017, as will the transformation of security from reactive cost center to proactive business partner. Additionally, the coming year will see even greater emphasis on the convergence of physical and cyber security, which should come as no surprise given the ever-increasing number and sophistication of cyberattacks we have seen in recent months. Nearly every organization’s business strategy includes the critical need to secure networks and digital assets with technologies that apply intelligence to their infrastructures to detect vulnerabilities and improve network security. While these are vital measures, they overlook the role of physical security in protecting digital assets. Consider that many data breaches are actually perpetrated by individuals from within an organization who are authorized to access sensitive areas of networks or facilities. Many other data breaches are the result of physical break-ins to steal a laptop or backup server. Organizations are beginning to understand the need for strong physical security and identity management to complement cybersecurity programs. In considering solutions to bridge the gap between the two, many find that the most effective practices are those that include physical and logical security working in tandem to thwart data breaches from inside and outside of an organization. There is still a long way to go in making organizations aware of this reality, but we anticipate that education will expand awareness in the coming year. Mobile PIAM solutions offer the ability to connect systems that use mobile devices, access control and offline locks Increasing Mobile Capability Another key trend in the security industry for the last several years is mobile capability, which will see even broader and deeper adoption and integration in 2017. A main area of growth will be mobile PIAM (physical identity and access management), which allows organizations to extend their infrastructure to areas that may otherwise be difficult or time-consuming to secure. These include locations such as outdoor or temporary venues, where deploying a traditional solution would be cost-prohibitive and where identity is often verified by consulting physical lists and checking photo IDs. Mobile PIAM solutions offer the ability to connect systems that use mobile devices, access control and offline locks to deliver strong identity authentication, allowing organizations to more easily control access and extend control wherever there is a need. Given the flexibility, ease of use, effectiveness and cost savings these mobile PIAM solutions, will likely see steady growth in terms of both maturity and adoption in the coming year.  Closing Out Another Strong Year Following up on a strong 2015, Quantum Secure experienced another high-growth year in 2016. Since becoming part of HID Global in 2015, we have seen a rise in the volume and range of opportunities to deploy SAFE software solutions. Most notable was Quantum Secure’s involvement in the recent International Sporting Event held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where SAFE Sports and Events Manager was deployed to manage and track the identities of approximately 500,000 credentialed individuals to reduce the risk of unauthorized intrusions and prevent potential threats. Using a mobile app, security staff were able to quickly and effectively validate individuals by simply swiping their credentials on handheld peripherals, while also performing an on-site visual verification via a workstation and/or mobile device. Quantum Secure has led the way in software for identity management, compliance and access provisioning within physical security infrastructures, and we will continue our tradition of innovation in 2017 and beyond. We are continually looking to expand our SAFE portfolio to deliver solutions that simply physical identity and access management and generate actionable intelligence that can identify and eliminate potential risk for growing number of vertical markets and applications. See the full coverage of 2016/2017 Review and Forecast articles here Save Save

Access levels of individuals based on their roles can be cross compared with their normal access patterns, it is also useful to look for anomalies in device behavior Threats to an organization’s physical and logical security are increasing in number and financial impact, according to several recent surveys. To combat this problem, security and IT professionals are fighting back with system upgrades and software solutions including advanced analytics. Using the analytics software, management is better able to answer the “what” questions related to their security infrastructure. Unfortunately, without also answering the “why” question, the analysis can result in an outcome where operations are managed by assumptions rather than measurable facts. Contextual Analytics Contextual analytics can help answer the why questions – and provide a deeper understanding of threat and operational efficiencies -- by making sense out of the “what”, derived from mountains of data generated by multiple authoritative and security systems and devices. It does so by examining the three key indicators that define context for security decisions: access, process and behavioral changes. Within each of these factors are a number of red flags that contextual analysis can use to detect potential risks to an organization. Predictive analysis solutions gather and correlate data from multiple sources, which is then analyzed using a predictive engine to apply statistical algorithms and machine learning Understanding Access Patterns When we take a look at access, there are many areas within the spectrum that may give us a deeper understanding of what is happening at the site. For example, access levels of individuals based on their roles can be cross compared with their normal access patterns. It is also useful to look for anomalies in device behavior. Additional sources of data to pull from for access may incorporate audits, including any indicators that may present a red flag. These include the same person requesting and approving an access request, delays in conducting an audit, expiration of training, failed or missing background checks or other data missing from prerequisites for access privileges. Any of these factors when looked at alone may not seem like a red flag, but once you begin to look at the data across multiple systems, you are able to get a better contextual landscape of typical and atypical access patterns. Automated Tracking Process This is an area that may seem difficult to accurately track and monitor and apply to this contextual based analysis. Here the key is to leverage technologies that help automate and track processes in a meaningful way across a global organization. For example, contractors are a way of life for many organizations. While they may act like employees while on the premises, there are some clearly differentiated processes that must be followed before provisioning access for them. Contract companies must have the proper documentation on file, along with insurance requirements, training pre-requisites, and complete background checks. Depending on the industry, any violation in these policies and processes leads to costly fines and delays in work. Without an automated system tracking the efficiency of an organization’s policies and processes, it would be extremely difficult to detect anomalous behaviours. Observing Behavioral Changes These indicators are equally challenging to properly track. Using security systems alone may not be enough to get a full view into behavioral changes. This is where organizations need to start looking at other key indicators of compromise with the ability to make note of changes of behavior in a meaningful way. Perhaps the organization’s policy is for security to alert HR of an employee’s unusual patterns of behavior, thereby elevating the risk profile of individuals and monitoring their activity across an additional set of data points. To take it one step further, if individuals with an elevated risk score continue to access areas outside of their usual patterns, or if they begin accessing shared directories, printing more than normal or other anomalous behavior, any one of these indicators can lead to an automated response from security with immediate action. This could include disabling their badge and/or access to IT infrastructure, dispatching security, or any other number of actions deemed appropriate given the severity of the situation. The key is to put actions into context so that it is possible to pull insights from the data. Organizations need to start looking at other key indicators of compromise with the ability to make note of changes of behavior in a meaningful way Key To Transforming Security With Predictive Analysis  Contextual analytics allows organizations to make more informed decisions based on facts and patterns rather than instinct, but it’s only half the solution. Predictive analytics solutions are the important other half and the key to transforming security into a context-based process. Predictive analysis solutions gather and correlate data from multiple sources, which is then analyzed using a predictive engine to apply statistical algorithms and machine learning to make sense of the vast amount of data and generate reports and/or automated actions. This analysis looks for anomalies and potential areas of improvement (including operational efficiencies) to provide a baseline that is used to identify the likelihood of future outcomes based on historical observation. Identifying Unexpected Patterns And Insider Threat These patterns provide valuable contextual history, indicators of compromise and risk analysis to increase the accuracy of the statistical findings many organizations already employ. As an added benefit, predictive analysis solutions are capable of learning and improving over time, meaning they are often capable of identifying patterns that may never have been expected and most likely wouldn’t have been uncovered without that level of contextual analysis. Contextual and predictive analytics are proving to be vital in the fight against insider threat, which is an increasingly prevalent security concern for organizations Contextual and predictive analytics are proving to be vital in the fight against insider threat, which is an increasingly prevalent security concern for organizations. Given the complex psychology behind it, insider threat can be incredibly difficult to understand and predict. An event such as a bad performance review, a missed promotion or something similar may be the trigger that precedes an insider breach, and therefore can serve as an indicator. Tracking Effective Policies And Safeguarding Organization These solutions can also identify and forecast which policies are effectively enforced and which are ineffective within the current systems. For instance, the number of visitors who enter a facility during specific time periods, the time it takes to process those visitors and how that affects wait-time can be combined to measure the effectiveness of lobby staffing levels. Whether the organization is a large multi-national enterprise with a complex business structure or an SMB, contextual and predictive analysis of logical and physical data can help identify red flags and potentially save the organization from financial and reputation losses.