Zenitel - Experts & Thought Leaders

Zenitel, a pioneer in Unified Critical Communication solutions, announces the launch of the Indoor IP Speaker Kit (ZIPS-K) and Outdoor IP Speaker Kit (ZIPS-KOE), giving partners greater flexibility to develop customized IP speaker solutions for specific applications and project requirements. Zenitel was an early pioneer of IP speaker technology, introducing its first IP speaker solution in 2010. Since then, the company has continuously expanded its IP speaker portfolio to address a growing range of public address, security, and operational communication requirements. Operational communication requirements With the introduction of the Zenitel IP Speaker Kits, Zenitel takes the next step by making its IP speaker technology available as a flexible building block for customized speaker designs. IP speakers can be integrated part of Zenitel Unified Critical Communication solutions such as Zenitel Connect. The Zenitel IP Speaker Kits enables partners to build and customize IP speakers around specific form factors, acoustic requirements, and project needs, while leveraging the proven audio, networking, and management capabilities behind Zenitel's own IP speaker portfolio. This allows Zenitel’s technology to be incorporated into applications where a standard speaker enclosure may not be the ideal fit, while maintaining the communication capabilities expected from a Zenitel IP audio solution. IP communication technology At the heart of the new kits is the same focus on audio performance that has characterized Zenitel's communication solutions for decades. By combining the speaker kits with an appropriate loudspeaker and enclosure, partners can develop solutions tailored to their application while benefiting from Zenitel's proven audio processing and IP communication technology. The result is greater freedom in speaker design without compromising the quality and reliability required for critical communications. IP speaker portfolio The new IP Speaker Kits are not only intended for customized partner solutions. They will also become the technology foundation for Zenitel's own IP speaker portfolio, replacing the existing IP module and further expanding the capabilities of Zenitel’s IP speakers. This common technology foundation enables Zenitel to continue developing its IP speaker portfolio while giving partners access to the same underlying technology for their individual and specialized applications. Operational requirements change Together, the new IP Speaker Kits and Zenitel’s IP speaker portfolio further strengthen the company’s Unified Critical Communication (UCC) offering, enabling organizations to bring public address and communication capabilities into a broader, unified communication environment. Combined with platforms such as Zenitel Connect and services such as Zenitel Cloud RMM, customers can deploy, manage, and evolve their critical communication solutions as operational requirements change. “With the Zenitel IP Speaker Kits, we are taking the technology behind our IP speakers and making it available in a much more flexible form,” says Mikkjell Rommetveit, Senior R&D Project Manager at Zenitel. Customized speaker built “Our partners increasingly need solutions adapted to specific environments and applications. Rather than limiting to a specific speaker design, the new kits give them the freedom to build any type of speakers while keeping Zenitel technology at the core.” “For us, this is also about extending the Zenitel ecosystem,” Rommetveit adds. “Whether customers choose a complete Zenitel IP speaker or a customized speaker built with Zenitel Inside, they can benefit from the same trusted foundation for critical communication.”

Zenitel, a pioneer in Unified Critical Communication solutions, announces the launch of the Indoor IP Speaker Kit (ZIPS-K) and Outdoor IP Speaker Kit (ZIPS-KOE), giving partners greater flexibility to develop customized IP speaker solutions for specific applications and project requirements. Zenitel was an early pioneer of IP speaker technology, introducing its first IP speaker solution in 2010. Since then, the company has continuously expanded its IP speaker portfolio to address a growing range of public address, security, and operational communication requirements. With the introduction of the Zenitel IP Speaker Kits, Zenitel takes the next step by making its IP speaker technology available as a flexible building block for customized speaker designs. IP speakers can be integrated part of Zenitel Unified Critical Communication solutions such as Zenitel Connect. Customize IP speakers The Zenitel IP Speaker Kits enable partners to build and customize IP speakers around specific form factors, acoustic requirements, and project needs, while leveraging the proven audio, networking, and management capabilities behind Zenitel's own IP speaker portfolio. This allows Zenitel’s technology to be incorporated into applications where a standard speaker enclosure may not be the ideal fit, while maintaining the communication capabilities expected from a Zenitel IP audio solution. IP communication technology At the heart of the new kits is the same focus on audio performance that has characterized Zenitel's communication solutions for decades. By combining the speaker kits with an appropriate loudspeaker and enclosure, partners can develop solutions tailored to their application while benefiting from Zenitel's proven audio processing and IP communication technology. The result is greater freedom in speaker design without compromising the quality and reliability required for critical communications. The new IP Speaker Kits are not only intended for customized partner solutions. They will also become the technology foundation for Zenitel's own IP speaker portfolio, replacing the existing IP module and further expanding the capabilities of Zenitel’s IP speakers. Common technology foundation This common technology foundation enables Zenitel to continue developing its IP speaker portfolio while giving partners access to the same underlying technology for their individual and specialized applications. Together, the new IP Speaker Kits and Zenitel’s IP speaker portfolio further strengthen the company’s Unified Critical Communication (UCC) offering, enabling organizations to bring public address and communication capabilities into a broader, unified communication environment. Combined with platforms such as Zenitel Connect and services such as Zenitel Cloud RMM, customers can deploy, manage, and evolve their critical communication solutions as operational requirements change. Operational requirements change “With the Zenitel IP Speaker Kits, we are taking the technology behind our IP speakers and making it available in a much more flexible form,” says Mikkjell Rommetveit, Senior R&D Project Manager at Zenitel. “Our partners increasingly need solutions adapted to specific environments and applications. Rather than limiting to a specific speaker design, the new kits give them the freedom to build any type of speakers while keeping Zenitel technology at the core.”  “For us, this is also about extending the Zenitel ecosystem,” Rommetveit adds. “Whether customers choose a complete Zenitel IP speaker or a customized speaker built with Zenitel inside, they can benefit from the same trusted foundation for critical communication.”

InnoTrans, taking place at Messe Berlin from the 22nd–25th of September, is the world's pioneer trade fair for transport technology, bringing together the key players shaping railway technology, infrastructure, public transport, and tunnel construction. At this year’s show, Zenitel will showcase its latest Unified Critical Communication solutions for increasingly connected transport networks. 2026 is particularly significant for Zenitel, marking 125 years since the company's founding in 1901. Over more than a century, Zenitel has evolved into a trusted provider of wayside and rolling stock audio solutions, with its wide range of intercoms and its flexible PAVA systems supporting thousands of stations and billions of passengers worldwide. InnoTrans provides a fitting platform to celebrate that milestone alongside its partners and customers, while looking ahead to the future of transportation communication. Critical communication systems “Transport networks are becoming increasingly connected, and that brings both opportunities and new responsibilities for those designing and operating critical communication systems,” says Henry Rawlins, Vice President Product Management at Zenitel. “At InnoTrans, we’re looking forward to showing how our latest solutions combine reliable communication with the flexibility, scalability and cybersecurity needed for modern transportation infrastructure.” Cybersecurity is becoming a vital consideration for systems responsible for safety-critical communication. Zenitel's team will deep dive into the evolving challenges around cybersecurity and how its audio and voice alarm systems are engineered to withstand modern cyber threats, while simplifying deployment and helping operators protect essential infrastructure as networks become more interconnected. Visitors can explore how security can be incorporated into the design of communication systems rather than treated as an afterthought. Future of critical communications At the heart of the Zenitel stand will be VAIA, the all-in-one Public Address and Voice Alarm amplifier built specifically for the demands of the transportation industry. Drawing on years of engineering expertise and feedback from integrators and operators worldwide, VAIA brings compact, cost-effective PAVA audio, without compromising the reliability and quality, transport networks depend on. Attendees can expect live demonstrations, technical deep-dives, and the opportunity to speak directly with Zenitel’s specialists about the topics presented, general best practices, and the challenges they face. Just as importantly, visitors are invited to share their own experiences, challenges and perspectives, creating an open discussion around the future of critical communications. On the stand: Koen Claerbout (Chief Executive Officer & President), Matt Maher (Executive Vice President), Henry Rawlins (Vice President Product Management), Hanne Eriksen (Senior Vice President), Paul Langridge (Business Development Manager), and Nik Manson (Technical Account Manager).

Here’s a news flash: 2022 will be a pivotal year for the security industry. As we enter the new year, continuing change is a safe prediction for any fast-moving, technology-driven marketplace. Recent history confirms the ability of the security industry to shift and adapt to changing conditions and to provide an ever-expanding menu of technology solutions to make the world a safer place. Given that the new year will bring change, what will that change encompass? More to the point, what should it encompass? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What is the biggest change you would like to see within the security industry in 2022?

Every building starts with the entrance. A solid enterprise risk mitigation and security strategy include protecting that entrance. Often, risk mitigation strategies protecting the entrance have included high-resolution video surveillance cameras, video management systems, and access control solutions. But that strategy and set of security solutions only tells part of the story. Imagine a security guard who is protecting a facility after hours, when an individual approaches the entrance and seeks to gain access. The security guard can pull up the video surveillance feed and see the individual and his movements, which appear to be suspicious. But he also needs to hear him in order to decide the next decisions and actions. Does he escalate the situation, calling for backup and for first responders’ response, or does he allow the individual access to the building because he works there and is authorized to enter?   Meet high-definition voice What the security guard needs is to be able to hear and to communicate with that individual. All enterprise security systems need three primary components in order to successfully protect the entrance and to mitigate risk – access control, video surveillance, and the ability to hear and communicate. Each component plays an integral role in supporting a unified security system, and without all three, the security system is not complete. Access control can be thought of as the brains of a security system by holding data and permissions. It serves as the arms and hands of the system; it can either keep someone out or invite them in. IP video allows a security team to remotely position a set of eyes anywhere an IP camera can be placed on a network. With a video management system, security teams can see what is happening and decide how to respond. However, with remote viewing, the event may be over by the time security physically responds.  Audio adds interactivity That three-component enterprise security system – comprising IP video, access control, and high-definition voice working together mitigates risks and provides value. It also means that security is interactive. Security teams talk and listen to the person that’s seen on a video surveillance system, no matter where the location or how remote. If the person is lost or simply needs assistance, security personnel can talk to them and provide direction and reassurance. Even more, in an emergency, an interactive solution becomes a critical life-saving tool, as it provides data that can be shared between security, police, emergency services, and more. Audio can also detect voices, noises, breaking glass, or other sounds that are not within direct view of a video camera. An interactive security system creates an informed response, by providing real-time situation awareness management. Post-event, it supports forensics and investigations to mitigate future security incidents.  Audio and COVID-19 We are living in extraordinary times. As businesses begin to reopen and stay open, they are looking for any tools that can help them overcome the enormous challenges they face. In buildings and facilities, the COVID-19 pandemic has created a new security perimeter, one that demands contactless access with entry and exit, and that has also created a new duty of care for security professionals. Now more than ever is the need to interact and communicate with individuals moving in and out of doors and spaces without physical intervention. Intelligent communications, integrated with contactless access control, can help a business to comply with pandemic safety guidelines and ultimately, reopen for business and stay open.  COVID-19 has also increased the need for clean-room isolation and quarantine spaces, sometimes in areas not originally intended for that use, where risk of infection is high, and equipment must be easily disinfected between patients. Here, purpose-built cleanroom intercoms, providing clear touchless communications despite the noisy environment, have emerged as critical tools for enabling patient care while reducing the need to enter the contaminated space. For example, voice communication can enable hospital staff to verify identity and to communicate with patients without entering the isolated and infectious environment, which can save on personal protective equipment (PPE) and reduce the amount of exposure to the virus. In non-emergency healthcare facilities, such as medical centers, voice can effectively relay information to building occupants and visitors for screening purposes. Visitors can be seen and heard. For example, a patient who seeks access to a medical center for an appointment can hear important instructions from a nurse via the intercom solution. Seeing the person that you talk to is one thing but hearing them conveys a much better sense of closeness, making it possible to maintain a high level of security and customer service.  The whole story Today’s security systems should no longer simply involve video surveillance cameras generating feedback and images to a security guard. Instead, a new ecosystem for enterprise security and risk mitigation has emerged, and it’s one that involves video surveillance, access control, and high-definition voice. That ecosystem can ensure well-rounded and responsive information management and security platform, all communicating with each other and offering actionable insight into risks and potential physical breaches. Audio is the new value hub of the connected and intelligent school, campus, building, correctional facility, and more. Simply put, a silent security system cannot be an effective security system. In every situation, it is crucial for all security professionals to mitigate risk, no matter what they are protecting. This emphasizes the need to hear, be heard, and be understood in virtually any environment.  

During 2017, we witnessed as the end-user came to realize that an intercom can be a silo if not properly integrated in with access control, video management, and their existing VoIP-based systems as well as designing intelligibility into every device. We believe the next generation of communication in the Age of Voice has accelerated beyond anyone’s expectations, and we will begin to see more and more attention on highly intelligible, interoperable and scalable intelligent communications solutions protected by robust cyber-defensible shields. Clear And Measurable Tools Intelligent communications solutions will define a new standard for IP-based systems that are able to interoperate with existing and emerging systems Intelligent communications solutions will define a new standard for IP-based systems that are able to interoperate with existing and emerging systems such as access control, video, VoIP and messaging platforms. The winners in the commercial marketplace will design intelligibility into every device and provide clear and measurable tools for managing the performance of that device on IT’s network. We call these the “ilities”: Cyber Defensibility, High Availability, Maintainability, Reliability and Scalability. Zenitel continues to be seen by leading access control and video management companies as the preferred intelligent communications solutions provider that can interoperate within a 360-degree all-hazards risk and actionable response platform. Educating The End User When the end user or integrator is educated on how to evaluate communications solutions, or experienced the painful lessons around deploying less intelligible solutions, Zenitel becomes their solution of choice. In 2018, we hope to do the same for the VoIP channel, showing them not only how we interoperate with their current telephony solutions, but also how they can augment those solutions in new and compelling ways.