Mike Barrett

H.265 compression, apps and the inherent security of security systems were some of the themes to be gleaned on the first day of IFSEC International. Almost every video exhibitor I saw on day one of the show mentioned that many of their products use H.265 compression in these days of high definition, bandwidth-hungry cameras. Over at Vivotek’s stand, for example, Emilio Sanchez, project consultant, spoke of the company’s H.265 Smart Stream compression algorithm. He said this saves anything between 70 and 90 percent bandwidth, depending on the amount of movement in the images, compared to H.264. People are asking for higher resolution video, which requires greater recording capacity to accommodate, hence the need for H.265. 360-Degree Surveillance Vivotek also displayed its 360-degree fisheye camera with built-in infra-red illumination, and a 180-degree camera fitted with four image sensors designed to provide a single, seamless image on the monitor. The company also emphasised its products being tailored to various vertical markets, such as a people-counting camera for retail applications (which also measured the heights of people in a scene) and city surveillance products. Another exhibitor with a focus on vertical markets is manufacturer and distributor Genie CCTV. John Boorman, sales director, explains that various verticals have different requirements, as examples, fingerprint recognition, gait recognition or face recognition. The company believes in communicating with end-users as well as installers and integrators, and this approach is helped by having a full-scale demonstration facility at their headquarters. When I asked him about cutting the number of cameras or decommissioning entire public space CCTV networks by various UK local councils because of squeezed budgets, he said he is not surprised as no thought was given to maintenance budgets when the schemes were first set up. At the Y3K stand, all of its Smart-I range can be accessed through apps to control products such as PIRs, contacts and the wireless power control socket and repeater Apps Are A Major Theme At IFSEC Apps are all over the place at the show this year. One instance is the Y3K stand where all of its Smart-I range can be accessed through apps to control products such as PIRs, contacts and the wireless power control socket and repeater. Using the app, the user can control cause and effect settings and can be emailed or can receive a text alert when certain events occur. Mike Barrett, national sales manager, explains that other consumer markets drive the development of the home security market, such as camera modules used in mobile phones. “The theme is that everything is app-driven. It has existed for a long time but was expensive – now it’s much less expensive and more readily available.” Other features of Smart-I cameras include easy setup – such as using a QR code instead of having to enter a load of IP information – and easy pairing to Wi-Fi. And over at key management specialists Morse Watchmans, mobile apps as well as ease of use, integration and better technology are said to improve systems. Cyber And Physical Security What secures the security systems is another theme at the show. Bosch Security Systems, for example, has a mission to encrypt its range of cameras and recording platforms. The idea is to safely store all certificates and keys for authentication and encryption – which is part of ensuring secure communications in a network – to avoid "flashing" of firmware by hackers. Meanwhile at video management system company Genetec, Andrew Elvish, vice president of marketing and product management, was almost evangelical about the need for good cybersecurity on physical security products, especially where cybersecurity and physical security meet. “Cybersecurity has to be approached at a very fundamental level of the network. We have very unique cybersecurity features that are demanded by our enterprise customers.” After a quiet start on the first day, the aisles at the Excel exhibition centre in London became busy and the noise level rose by quite a few decibels. Tomorrow I’ll be reporting on day 2 of IFSEC, and I expect it will be busier still!

Barrett aims to achieve significant growth and market share for Y3K’s group subsidiaries, IQCCTV and Smart-i, within the UK Y3K, the UK's leading manufacturer and distributor of HD CCTV, Smart Home Security and Access Control solutions, has appointed Mike Barrett as National Sales Manager. Barrett’s remit will be to achieve significant growth and gain market share for Y3K’s group subsidiaries, IQCCTV and Smart-i, within the UK region. Specialist Electronic Security Knowledge Barrett has been involved in the security industry for the past 30 years, spending over 16 years at CBC Europe. Most recently he was Regional Sales Manager at transmission specialists, Comnet Communication Networks. His specialist electronic security knowledge covers all aspects of CCTV and video transmission solutions, including fiber optic, Ethernet and wireless. “Over the past year our IQCCTV division has grown significantly, added to this the quick success of the Smart-i division has created a need for an experienced pair of hands to take them to the next stage of their growth,” said Y3K’s Group CEO, Paul Singh. “We’re very fortunate to have hired Mike, who is very well known in the industry. Mike’s years of experience and knowledge will prove vital in growing both parts of the business. The Plug and Play 1080p CCTV and the Smart Home Security sectors will present the greatest market opportunities for us over the next few years, so Mike joining us is perfect timing. And Mike won’t be the last of the appointments we have planned for this year, as we have a few more announcements to make shortly.” Barrett’s position is the first of more than 5 new appointments Y3K will be announcing this month as the company prepares for continued rapid growth during 2016.