Kevin Wine

For many years, cybersecurity was the unmentioned elephant in the room. Possible vulnerability of IP-connected devices to a cyber-attack was seldom, if ever, mentioned, and even the most basic measures to prevent such an attack were not implemented. For the last couple of years, however, the physical security industry has begun talking more about cybersecurity, in some cases with an abounding enthusiasm typical of the newly-converted. Have our discussions sufficiently addressed the long-standing lack of awareness? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Are we talking enough about cybersecurity? Or too much? (And why?)

Hospitals and healthcare facilities are an important vertical sector in the physical security market. Protecting healthcare facilities is a rich opportunity to leverage the value of physical security systems that range from video to access control to newer location and asset protection systems. But understanding how technology can excel in the healthcare vertical requires that we first identify and understand what these institutions need. Therefore, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the physical security challenges of hospitals and healthcare?

Technology is changing at a break-neck pace, and the security marketplace is currently being bombarded by a wealth of new capabilities and innovations. But what will be the impact? Which of the currently-hyped new innovations will have a major impact, and which will fade over time? And even acknowledging the long-term significance of various technologies, what can we expect to be the more immediate effect? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What new security technology is poised to have the greatest impact in the second half of 2017?

As security industry buzzwords go, “convergence” is perhaps the best known and most pervasive. We have been hearing about convergence in our market for almost 20 years. We have heard it’s happening soon. We have heard it’s inevitable. And yet, for all the talk of convergence, it has sometimes seemed there has been more talk than action. We wanted to check in with our Expert Panel Roundtable and get their latest takes on this most enduring of industry buzzwords. We asked this week’s panel: Has convergence happened yet in the physical security market? And what exactly does it mean?

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

A clear image is the desired end-result of video systems – or is it? In a growing number of applications, it’s not the image itself, but rather what information can be gained from the image, that is most important. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable to comment on some of the ways information from video is valuable to end users. Specifically, we asked: In what applications does information derived from video images provide more value than the images themselves?

Software drives video solutions in the IP environment, but often that software is a pre-installed component of a purpose-built network video recorder (NVR). In other cases, software solutions are sold separately and then installed (usually by the integrator) on a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) server. But how can an integrator or end user decide which approach is best for them? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a pre-configured video appliance (such as a purpose-built NVR with preinstalled software) versus software running on an off-the-shelf server?

Here we are already at mid-year, and 2016 has been an eventful one for the security marketplace, dominated by mergers and acquisitions and lots of new products coming to the market. But what’s the outlook for technology in the second half of the year? What technologies will draw the most attention and drive the market into 2017? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What technology buzz will dominate the security industry in the second half of 2016?

Does seeing video cameras at a location make you feel safer or less safe? Do you feel better to know that video surveillance is capturing everything that happens, thus discouraging crime? Or do you think: What kind of neighborhood (or store) is this that needs a CCTV camera watching everything? Do you feel more secure when the security guard at the hotel elevator asks to see your room key? Do airport screenings ease your mind about getting on an airplane with 100 strangers? The “perception of safety” is a tricky thing, and presence (or absence) of security systems can play a role. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What is the impact of promoting a "perception of safety" when choosing and/or installing physical security systems? How might perception influence the choice of systems (e.g., more overt)?

The security market in the United States has been in a collective state of exhilaration since ISC West. The (possibly) unprecedented success of the big trade show has left us all feeling optimistic about the year ahead. Members of our Expert Panel Roundtable are joining the chorus of compliments for the show as they answer this week’s question: How successful was ISC West 2016? Did it meet your expectations?

A major benefit of technology innovation is more application opportunities. As video cameras become better and more versatile, new uses are emerging that extend the benefits of video surveillance, often outside tried-and-true parameters. Sometimes security camera manufacturers are on the front lines to see new ways video is contributing value to integrators and end user customers. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable participants: What is the most unusual application of surveillance cameras you have seen recently?

One of the benefits of newer IP systems is the ability to store video inside the camera or in a nearby digital video recorder (DVR) at the edge of the network. Edge-based storage is unlikely to take the place of centralized storage, but it is complementary and provides some interesting new options related to system design. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What is the value of edge-based storage and in what specific applications?

Will 2016 see faster adoption of video analytics? Will cyber-security have more impact on physical security? Is the market likely to see greater use of cloud-based products and services? Will technology help to drive greater involvement by everyday citizens in public safety initiatives? Could the market focus shift from selling products to selling solutions?  We asked this week’s SourceSecurity.com Expert Panel to look ahead to 2016, and these were some of the surprises they see in our industry’s near future. Specifically, we asked this week’s panel: What will be the biggest surprise in 2016 for the security market?

The connected workplace, increase in “bring you own device” environments and even the rise in telecommuting have served to blur the lines between an employee’s private life and his employment. The idea of an executive’s obsessive need to check his Blackberry while on vacation has crept into the popular culture and is now a familiar cliché that is as old as, well, Blackberries. The blurring of lines has also created a blurring of expectations. Now employees expect their systems at work to be as responsive and user-oriented as their new iPad. The result has been to raise the game of many manufacturers in the physical security marketplace. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How does the consumer market affect end users' expectations related to image quality, mobile access, or other security system features?

In the past year, we have continued to see that the global security market is both dynamic and evolving. The term “security” no longer means simply protecting the perimeter of a building; it also involves securing corporate networks and sensitive data. In 2016, this trend was driven by a change in organizational threats. Businesses as a whole are much more focused on cyber-threats, a growing paradigm that challenges business and security leaders to stay one step ahead of crime and fraud trends. A string of recent high-profile breaches, including several involving government agencies, exposes the vulnerabilities faced by organizations across the globe. Cyber-attackers are holding data for ransom, stealing personally identifiable information, selling sensitive data and destroying critical networks. These threats, which encompass cyber, IT, and physical security, force leadership to recognize the potentially damaging disruptions if risk is not controlled. Internet Of Things In 2016, we continued to see significant discussion centred on the promise of the Internet of Things (IoT). At the same time, demand for more mobile capabilities has altered the way people and businesses connect and collaborate. As the demand for network connectivity increases, so too does the need for increased security for physical assets, networks, and valuable corporate data. As a result, we experienced a growing dialogue between IT, cyber security, and physical security teams to help gain a greater knowledge of how to best collaborate. In the coming year, stakeholders must continue to communicate closely to assist in determining vulnerabilities in a more proactive manner. In 2017, we will continue to see Big Data analysis and IoT-powered devices allow for the collection of myriad data points across systems, services, and devices. This process will allow businesses to investigate threats in a more intelligent manner. It will be the organizations that generate actionable intelligence from collected data points that will be firmly positioned to achieve their strategic intelligence and business objectives in the coming years. In 2017, we will continue to see Big Data analysis and IoT-powered devices allowfor the collection of myriad data points across systems, services, and devices Comprehensive Security Strategies Overall, the alignment of risk management, IT, and business continuity will allow leaders to realize a comprehensive security strategy that takes into account cyber and physical security, and helps leaders proactively recognize threats. Today’s leading global enterprises focus on preventing risk to ensure long-term business continuity. We at Verint practice the same concept, combining physical security, IT functionality, and cybersecurity efforts to help enable our organization to realize comprehensive intelligence. It has worked well for our business over the past year, and we aim to help our customers achieve the same level of efficiency and knowledge as we reach 2017. Actionable Intelligence is the core of what we do at Verint. We believe that the collaboration of various stakeholders, business functions, and strategies allows organizations to be more focused, effectively identify threats, develop trends, and quickly access relevant data to meet evolving business requirements. See the full coverage of 2016/2017 Review and Forecast articles here Save

Web and social media platforms offer vast array of information for enhancing security, investigating breaches, and streamlining operations Over the course of the last decade, we’ve seen a blurring of lines between cyber and physical security concerns. Whether it’s the hacking of corporate information or the use of social media for nefarious activities, it’s clear that these once-separate security disciplines are often tied together. As a result, various organizations seek ways in which they can collaborate and share information to gain greater situational awareness to react faster, smarter and more efficiently. The overall goal is to see the process of security from a single lens to achieve comprehensive risk mitigation efforts. Stakeholders must detect and neutralize potential threats quickly, as well as seek out new forms of intelligence to be one step ahead of the curve. The growing acceptance of Big Data analysis and the Internet of Things (IoT) enables the collection of relevant data across systems, services, and devices, driving alliances to deter, prevent, and investigate threats and improve safety. Role Of Data Analysis Data analysis is the process of examining large data sets to uncover hidden patterns, unknown correlations, market trends, customer preferences, and other useful business information to anticipate, respond and take action. The amount and types of structured and unstructured data are growing rapidly, and present new and increasing challenges. Organizations that generate actionable intelligence from collected data points, such as financial organizations, corporate enterprises and government agencies, are better positioned to create value and achieve their strategic objectives. Organizations that generate actionable intelligence from collected data points are better positioned to create value and achieve their strategic objectives Stakeholders are driven by an alignment with risk management, IT and business continuity to provide a comprehensive security strategy that takes into account cyber and physical security and recognises the potentially damaging disruptions if not threats are not controlled. New services, tools, and methods are valuable to help users mitigate risks more effectively. Here is a look at two processes gaining significant interest: Web And Social Media Intelligence The Web and social media are of critical importance to security leaders, as these platforms are the gateway to a vast array of information that can help enhance security, investigate breaches, and streamline operations. The process of tapping into Web and social media sources to locate data streams offers beneficial results including the ability to identify trends and expedite investigations. This process helps transform raw information into valuable data by capturing valuable evidence that can be used to mitigate risks, build critical insights, and identify targets. Everyone is online and therefore, we all leave digital breadcrumbs that can be used to determine our activities online and help determine offline activity as well. In criminal cases, the Web is a valuable tool to collect information about potential criminals from their conversations on social networks and blogs, engagement with news sites, and entrance into the Dark Web. Data derived from these sources allows investigators to pinpoint targets more efficiently. Web intelligence is realized through a combination of broad searches across the Internet, and locating and opening up hidden sites. Using managed crawlers and socially-engineered avatars, open source intelligence solutions find data that cannot be found in any other way. Investigators can reconstruct social circles, interpret emerging events, and discover persons of interest through customized alerts, behavioral profiles, and geospatial identification that all work cohesively to help achieve actionable intelligence. By detecting high-risk posts, and identifying potential threats and targets, organizations can help prevent crime and terrorism before it happens By detecting high-risk posts, and identifying potential threats and targets, organizations can help prevent crime and terrorism before it happens — resulting in more proactive security planning. Collected data from the Web allows users to gain forensic insight into what occurred during an incident, rebuild the sequence of events, understand the big picture of what caused the event, and how the response was carried out for a better chain of evidence and accountability. Social media is not only valuable in identifying potential security events or suspects, it is now being used to facilitate greater citizen engagement, empowering the general public to participate in the safety of their communities. This facet of social media intelligence gives authorities the ability to collaborate with the public when situations occur, which can help achieve a greater level of situational awareness through an “eyes on the street” approach. By providing critical information and input, citizens help safety officials carry out evidence-based, targeted public safety interventions in a proactive manner. Transforming Security And Safety Planning Linking Web and social media intelligence, cyber security, and physical security together helps transform security and safety planning, and helps create the intersections and correlations of details surrounding a situation to present a unified scenario to the appropriate analysts and operators. By capturing and analyzing this data in real-time, leaders gain a visual representation of risks while accessing information related to the most critical events happening at any given time. Not only does this unified process help enable a higher and more proactive level of protection, but it also facilitates a plan of action based on a centralized security operations center. There is no doubt that the nature of what threatens the world will continue to change and evolve. It is important that we continue to innovate and enhance countermeasures, expand the ability to share information across channels and find new ways to leverage tools that help drive greater situational awareness. With robust intelligence, stakeholders can respond faster, smarter, and more efficiently to address, or even prevent, future security challenges.

The nature of risk has changed, and there is a blurring of lines between cyber, physical and online security. These changes are spurring organizational changes as well. Most recently, the unexpected attacks against Paris have escalated the importance of security worldwide – and there’s an even greater focus on leveraging even more sources of information in an effort to gain greater situational awareness to react faster, more efficiently and effectively.   Changing Face Of Traditional Security With this desire for greater situational awareness, we are also seeing more focus on citizen engagement and the use of social media to empower average citizens to participate in the security of their communities. This trend is changing the face of traditional security, giving authorities the ability to collaborate with officials when situations occur and allowing officials to gain a greater level of situational awareness by taking an “eyes on the street” tactic. 2016 Outlook When looking ahead into 2016, we will continue to see more emphasis on collaboration between entities, public and private, as well as increased citizen engagement. We will also see movement from forensic investigation (although this will still remain important) to proactive monitoring and alerts. There will be continued emphasis around big data and analytics, which will allow for the intersection and correlation of data to enhance the responsiveness to situations as they occur. The “winners” will be those who are flexible and able to adjust as this dynamic industry continues to change, and will maintain a constant ear to the ground, working with end users and engaging with them to identify where they perceive gaps to exist and then working to fill those gaps and meet their needs. Social media is allowing citizens to engage more with the security of their communities 2015 Year In Review When looking back over 2015, there are a few things that stand out. This is a truly great time to be in the industry. The security industry is dynamic, exciting, there’s innovation happening all over and it’s great to be a part of it. Verint has been successful because we’ve moved from delivering individual products and capabilities to working with clients to help solve large, strategic challenges with comprehensive solutions. The challenges that lie ahead involve keeping up with the threats that our clients face so that we can be prepared to help them solve those issues should an incident occur. Business Innovation Today, and well into the future, there is a need for innovative products and services that have a positive impact on organizations, government agencies and municipalities. It’s truly an exciting time to be a part of the security market that has moved from offering siloed products to full end-to-end solutions. The security market today is striving to meet the demands of the end users and is working hard to ensure the solutions are able to keep people and assets safe and secured around the world. See the full coverage of 2015/2016 Review and Forecast articles here

We can now leverage technology to monitor activity across the public domain, searching Google, Facebook, and Twitter, for example, for specific keywords For more than a decade, Verint Systems, Melville, New York, has been developing and redefining the phrase the company pioneered: actionable intelligence. Today, its real-world specifications provide an in-depth analysis of video and integrated physical security data, deepening the gathering of intelligence and lessening risk at the protected premises. The entire realm of situational awareness continues to transition as intelligence is gleaned from new points, with this trend only magnifying with the internet of Things (loT) and billions of connected devices predicted by 2020. SourceSecurity.com interviewed Verint’s Kevin Wine, Vice President of Marketing, Video and Situation Intelligence Solutions, for his take on how situational awareness and video technology are evolving. SourceSecurity.com: What’s the current state of ‘actionable intelligence’ in the video surveillance industry? How is it being leveraged in new platforms such as social media? Kevin Wine: In today’s data-rich environment, organizations seek out methods to help transform raw data into valuable insight that propels more informed, efficient and intelligent decision-making. By finding ways to process and analyze data, security leaders can make sense of a variety of intelligence to help detect risks early and to respond to situations quickly. This actionable intelligence empowers decision-makers to take action in real-time, which helps increase efficiency and enhance safety. Actionable Intelligence enables users to understand what has happened while identifying trends that drive  proactive strategies and processes It is important to note that the concept of Actionable Intelligence reaches far beyond the world of video surveillance. The process involves capturing, processing, analyzing and visualising data from various sources — this can include surveillance cameras, risk management software, geo-spatial analysis, social media channels and connected devices — to deliver correlated, centralized data that can be used in a meaningful way. Applications vary widely — information can be used to help facilitate informed response to a security incident, maintain traffic flows during a high-profile event in a metropolitan area or even help a manufacturer determine how to best market a product to its target customer. Overall, Actionable Intelligence enables users to understand what has happened while identifying trends that drive more proactive strategies and processes. It is interesting to note that social media, cyber security and crowdsourcing have become critical parts of building Actionable Intelligence. We can now leverage technology to monitor activity across the public domain, searching Google, Facebook, and Twitter, for example, for specific keywords and geographic activity. If someone is talking about committing a crime in any public medium, the activity can potentially be detected before an incident takes place. This kind of proactive intelligence is incredibly valuable for law enforcement teams, first responders and security leaders. We can now leverage technology to monitor activity across the public domain, searching Google, Facebook, and Twitter, for example, for specific keywords and geographic activity SourceSecurity.com: What’s the background on how Verint first coined the phrase ‘Actionable Intelligence?’ Wine: The idea of Actionable Intelligence is what Verint is built on. Our Founder and CEO Dan Bodner believes that Actionable Intelligence enables organizations to recognize crucial insights that empower decision makers to anticipate, respond and take action, and this concept is necessary to realising successful operations in today’s data-driven business environment. Today more than ever, organizations of all types and sizes are aware of the value they can create by using insights gleaned from large data sets. The amount and types of structured and unstructured data is growing rapidly, and presents new and increasing challenges and complexities. Organizations that generate actionable intelligence from big data are better positioned to create value and achieve their strategic objectives. SourceSecurity.com: What can we expect to see in the future in the video intelligence category and with outside influences such as loT, social media and continued integration of technologies? Wine: The dramatic increase in consumer and business use of social networks, mobile devices and new digital technologies drives the demand for intelligence that helps enable the development of safer environments, more advanced risk mitigation strategies and stronger collaboration. Citizens help aid in investigations by providing digital evidence to authorities in the way of smartphone video capture and social media  Today, citizens play a vital role in the safety of their own communities. Citizens have the ability to act as intelligence gatherers by being “the eyes on the street,” and help alert authorities of daily hazards, crime, vandalism and other significant risks or events that may take place. Private citizens help aid in investigations by providing digital evidence to authorities in the way of smartphone video capture and social media engagement to name a few. By enabling the public to easily report on situations, cities, campuses and public transportation realize improved safety levels through the correlation and sharing of information. This same information sharing helps law enforcement officials gain valuable information to create a comprehensive representation of an incident. As we look at the video surveillance and security intelligence market, video analytics are becoming more advanced and more reliable. Historically, video analytics systems have been difficult to deploy, operate and manage, often delivering a high rate of false positives. Platforms that streamline proactive video monitoring and allow users to realize increased efficiencies by making it easier and faster to monitor, identify and take action on suspicious activities are going to be of significant value in the near term. We continue to see technology evolve and a trend toward more sophisticated Big Data analytics, smart devices and the Internet of Things. These drivers, along with an increased focus on business processes, allow today’s leaders to achieve higher levels of situational awareness while removing the complication and complexity of data mining. The result is a framework for operational transformation to help improve resilience, address risk and ensure business continuity.

 Part 10 of our Security in Healthcare series Ensuring the safety of patients, staff and visitors is no easy task Security integration is more than a buzzword in the hospital and healthcare vertical. Increasingly, it’s a necessity. When creating a safe and secure healthcare environment, end users should look for solutions that not only drive new levels of security and business intelligence but can provide long-term value in the future. Specifically, Kevin Wine, Vice President of Marketing, Verint, says healthcare users are looking for systems that are: Open and scalable, and can easily integrate with other systems and sensors; Intuitive to use and manage to help keep the focus on better situation management; Comprehensive and automated to help operators align with standard operating procedures and reporting structures; Intelligence-driven to correlate data with other sources of security and operational data for more accurate and comprehensive risk profile. Enhancing Security Efforts By The Right Means Ensuring the safety of patients, staff and visitors is no easy task, and while it is challenging for security officials to predict, prepare for or prevent every incident from occurring on the premises, robust strategies and programs help these facilities achieve a higher level of situational awareness, says Wine. By improving security efforts with the right technology, protocols and procedures, hospitals are better equipped to ensure safety and security while driving new levels of business intelligence to ensure long-term viability in today’s market. By improving security effortswith the right technology,protocols and procedures,hospitals are better equippedto ensure security Healthcare facilities today seek holistic solutions that address a wide variety of security and business needs, says Wine. Video surveillance is a force multiplier, helping mitigate risks. Video and other security sensors and communication systems (i.e., access control, video analytics, dispatch, nurse call, alarms, RFID, et.al.) also help enable users to realize new levels of prevention – earlier detection is vital to prevent incidents. Situational Awareness Solutions But all of these valuable data points cannot be fully realized without correlating information from various solutions together, says Wine. Situational awareness solutions help hospitals gain a full picture of a security situation, improve communication among stakeholders, and streamline reporting to allow officials to effectively manage a situation on a more proactive basis. All of these needs are driving healthcare organizations to seek out solutions and programs that can provide value beyond feature sets, and can help drive new levels of security and business intelligence. Wine contends that, by integrating data from various sources into a single command-and-control platform, true situational awareness can be achieved. This comprehensive approach helps enable faster and more effective response to support a high level of safety to employees, patients, visitors and the overall community. “Situational awareness solutions automatically combine critical data points from multiple systems and sensors, allowing operators to understand what is happening in real-time through one intuitive interface,” says Wine. “We like to think of this approach as a single pane of glass – helping enable officials to quickly and effectively identify risks, manage situations and thoroughly investigate. Bringing all data points into one platform helps allow for early detection of threats, which can also be used to initiate better planning, timely response and better decision-making.“ The healthcare vertical is moving toward a complete solution that integrates nearly any system using a facility’s network Integration: Access Control And Beyond Access control is an important aspect of integration in healthcare settings. Hospitals must support affiliated doctors who need to carry multiple badges for all the locations they visit, for example. Over time, administrators may want to integrate access control with visitor management, or add video surveillance and other technologies. This can be difficult to accomplish with legacy systems, which are vulnerable to security threats and can’t easily be upgraded to new features and capabilities. In contrast, the latest physical access control system (PACS) system architectures are based on dynamic technologies, making it significantly easier and less expensive to upgrade them. “Today’s solutions enable healthcare organizations to achieve a versatile PACS that protects everything from hospital doors and storage areas to the cloud and desktops,” says Sheila Loy, Director Healthcare Strategies, North America, HID Global. “With proper planning, healthcare institutions will be able to preserve investments in today’s physical access control credential solution as they seamlessly add new capabilities in the future,” she says. The result is a fully interoperable, multi-layered and highly adaptable security solution that spans the organization’s networks, systems and facilities, and has room to grow, evolve and improve over time. Healthcare institutions will be able to preserve investments in today’s physical access control credential solution as they add new capabilities in the future The latest PACS architectures support new applications such as infant protection systems, and biometrics in sensitive areas such as laboratories and research centers. There are also opportunities to “do more with the card,” says Loy. Hospitals can offer physicians, nurses and staff one card for accessing the emergency room and pharmacy, and for visual ID verification, time-and-attendance logging, payroll transactions, and cafeteria purchases. This simplifies life for cardholders while centralizing and streamlining management. To protect information, access control systems now also deliver the ability to “tap” in and out of computer applications, eliminating complex passwords and password fatigue where it can require 20 or more logins each day in order to access the hospital’s enterprise data and services. Instead, the user simply taps his or her ID card to a laptop, tablet, phone or other NFC-enabled devices to access network resources, cloud apps and web-based services. It’s easier and more secure than passwords, and faster and more seamless and convenient than dedicated hardware one-time passwords and display cards or other physical devices. Plus, there is the added benefit of using the same card that opens doors to also access data and cloud-based applications. Integration With Other Systems A complete solution that integrates nearly any system that lives on or uses a facility’s network is ultimately what the healthcare vertical is moving toward, says Jason Ouellette, Product Line Director – Access Control, Tyco Security Products. “At Tyco Security Products, we are offering this kind of holistic approach by integrating our C-CURE 9000 access control platform with video, intrusion, duress notification and infant abduction technologies together and adding license plate recognition, biometric identity management, NFC and BLE, visitor management and home automation interfaces and capabilities,” he says. “All of these systems coming through a single pane-of-glass view give operators more to see and react to. “We are hearing more and more from customers across industries that they want to be able to use their security systems and devices for more than just security: they want added value,” says Ouellette. Many want to use access control, video surveillance and other data sources to assess their business operations and/or workflows with the goal of improving efficiency. “I think we’ll also see more edge controllers and further development of mobile technology capabilities,” he adds. We are going to see wider adoption of electronic access control onto almost every door in healthcare facilities Complete Security Integration Infant abduction systems like Elpas and Hugs can now be connected to access control systems, says Jim Stankevich, Global Manager – Healthcare Security, Tyco Security Products. This is significant, and the integration among these systems will no doubt grow, as this makes infant abduction very difficult. A real world example is if an infant is taken without authorization onto an elevator. If this occurs, an alarm can be sounded, and a hospital-wide alert can be dispatched over radios and over the facility’s public address (PA) system in seconds. “This growing level of automation is one of the things I expect will continue to develop in the future,” says Stankevich. “These systems integrated into the Lynx duress/notification system allow for a wide range of notification options.” "These end users need a way to grant permissions in a way that saves time and energy on manual input, and makes changing permissions easy and efficient" Also, facilities require increased integration with today’s video surveillance and video management systems from their access control solutions, and there’s an additional push toward integrating human resources and other event management and directory software tools as well, adds Stankevich. “These end users need a way to grant permissions in a way that not only saves time and energy on manual input, but also makes changing permissions easy and efficient,” he says. “This is especially paramount for large-scale enterprise organizations, such as a hospital campus, that can span multiple geographic locations.” Access control can be integrated with other systems, too. “The continuing evolution of network technologies and our interconnected world has transformed access control systems from standalone solutions into a vital part of a more robust, highly integrated system that allows users to utilize a single control platform to monitor the status of a facility,” says Robert Laughlin, President, Galaxy Control Systems. “We expect that advanced access control solutions will be integrated with patient information, identity management, video surveillance, medicine storage and distribution, parking and other systems, all of which provide information and intelligence in the form of data that contributes to the emerging model of predictive analytics. The actionable intelligence that will result from this analysis will help move security from a reactive to a more proactive function.” Wider Adoption Of Electronic Access Control Tighter integration between physical access control systems with specific hospital-based systems such as mother and baby alarms, asset location technologies and robotic vehicle systems are likely advances that we will see adopted more often, agrees Dave Ella, Vice President of Product Marketing, AMAG Technology.  “We are going to see wider adoption of electronic access control onto almost every door in healthcare facilities through the adoption of a new generation of locks that are wire-free and Wi-Fi-based, but that form part of the overall access control system,” says Ella of AMAG. AMAG also sees that frictionless access – in which no physical contact needs to be made with a card or card reader – will assist in the control of healthcare-associated infections. Read Part 11 of our Security in Healthcare series here Save Save Save

Aventura continues to expands expand its feature set of products beyond PSIM As the 61st annual ASIS 2015 kicked off in Anaheim, Calif., it became increasingly clear that physical security continues to move from the realm of traditional intrusion detection, video surveillance and alarms into value-added applications that extend into new markets, uses and purposes – many of them centred on business and operational processes. While video surveillance, intrusion detection, security and safety of course were an overriding emphasis, there was an underlying one as well: that connectivity, integration and the Internet of Things (loT) will continue to move the industry into new specifications that focus on situational awareness and extend the everyday practicality of systems solutions into new, valuable applications. With the need to ensure security and safety of citizens at large, organizations are developing real-time information and analytics tools meeting the needs of first responder and users. More Integration Visit after visit confirmed that it’s a new era for all – and one that increasingly benefits the end user. Jack Cabasso, Managing Director of Aventura, Commack, N.Y., spoke of total situational awareness and how the company continues to expand its feature set of products beyond Physical Security Information Management (PSIM) and into totally integrated solutions meeting needs of users, installers and even first responders. “We continue to build more functionality into our solutions. Today, you need total situational awareness – security, life safety, safety and more, with everything integrated enterprise-wide.” Cabasso says it’s important for video management software to have open architecture and the ability to support many different interfaces and products, whether CCTV, access control or other solution categories. “With an open system, the evolution of everything working on the network continues,” he says. Quicker Incident Response Verint Systems Inc., Melville, N.Y., also announced enhancements to its Situational Awareness Platform, including solutions that help enterprise end users drive rapid incident response reporting and enhanced field communications. “We’re engaging with the public and responding authorities in more meaningful ways with new capabilities designed to move the needle forward in actionable intelligence,” says Kevin Wine, Vice President of Marketing, Video and Situation Intelligence Solutions, Columbia, Md.  The company recently unveiled new situation management in its Verint Situational Awareness Platform that’s designed to transform the way users engage with responders, field resources, other public safety stakeholders as well as the general public. The platform uses situational awareness with built-in dispatch and bi-directional information flow for continuous communication between citizens, intake operators, field resources and command center personnel and allows responders to provide mobile reporting through streaming video and live images. Stanley Security is focused on vertical market solutions that extend beyond traditional safety and security “Simply providing security is not enough,” he says. “Citizens expect immediate interaction, and now platforms combine PSIM, Computer-Aided Dispatch and more to bring it all together and provide actionable intelligence,” he says. Jeremy Morton, Vice President and General Manager of Software & Controls for Stanley Security, Indianapolis, reiterated that the company is focused on vertical market solutions that extend beyond traditional safety and security and focus on compliance, regulations and business operations processes. “With retail, we integrate video with point of sale and in this way can repurpose end-user assets (security) to become proactive business tools. Our partners can become more efficient with software driven tools to meet the needs of different vertical markets,” he says. Real-Time Information and Analytics At the show, Stanley unveiled its new Stanley Insights™ Professional Services and Analytics Solutions Software, a solution and consultancy program with the ability to correlate data streams, analyze trends and measure business activities and operations, using analytics to help optimize business performance. Morton says businesses are asking for real-time information and analytics to help draw meaningful information they can put to use. Stanley Insights Analytics Software is designed to compile data from multiple, disparate systems – including video analytics, intrusion, point of sale, electronic article surveillance, weather platforms and more into any easy to use dashboard to report on key metrics for a business, creating actionable business intelligence across their locations. ASIS, one of the leading international security shows, provided evidence that while physical security remains important, continued integration of devices, solutions and services is ultimately the direction of the industry, and one that will add paramount value to end users at all their facilities.