Application security

ReconaSense, a provider of innovative physical security intelligence and next-gen access control, announced the debut of its ReconMobile command-and-control center that lets users lock down facilities, tap into video surveillance systems, and/or report and respond to an emergency from a mobile device. Managing a large campus or facility means being in charge of a myriad of systems, dynamic populations, and countless points of entry. Lack of reliable data about any of those can lead to expensive, time-consuming problems, if not life-threatening situations. The ReconMobile app suite enables security teams to ‘see’ and take action across multiple facilities without having to be stationed at a security desk behind a monitor. This ensures better decision-making, shorter response times, and improved outcomes – whether in an active shooter situation, an urgent life safety matter, or another critical security condition. Empowering security teams to respond faster Situational awareness is a critical success factor in any large, complex security operation"ReconMobile works on iOS and Android tablets, smartphones, and smart watches, empowering teams on the ground to respond and react faster, and engage their community and the people they protect more easily. The solution also allows employees and students to notify staff and security when they need help or an emergency situation arises. “Situational awareness is a critical success factor in any large, complex security operation,” said Clayton Brown, executive vice president, ReconaSense. “That success depends on systems that speak a common language, and people to feed those systems with data that sensors can’t capture. The ReconMobile app suite offers command-and-control capabilities and crowdsourced inputs that are the force-multiplier and glue between security operators and data.” Features of ReconMobile WatchCommander: Use the wearable iWatch application to initiate lockdown or respond to a threat as quickly as it is observed. EmergenSEE: Share surveillance data with first responders to hasten and improve response times while protecting individual privacy during standard operations. See Something, Say Something: Empower staff to centrally manage incoming reports of suspicious activities or situations as well as initiate emergency responses, so no early warnings are ignored. MobileMuster: Send security response requests to employees, students, and staff so they can provide safe/not safe updates and GPS locations in real time during an incident. MobileSOS: Enable employees and students to report a safety issue or emergency to security teams or 911 with the touch of a button. Operational Response and Command Applications (ORCA): Provide teams on the ground with on-the-go situational awareness and control. Demos of ReconMobile app suite at GSX ReconaSense will feature demos of its ReconMobile app suite at the Global Security Exchange (GSX) conference in Chicago, Sept. 8-12, in Booth 2024. In addition, executive vice president Clayton Brown will participate in two panel discussions at the show: Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 12:30 pm: Is Intelligence a Human Function? Synthetic Intelligence at Scale, exploring the role of AI in security, and the challenges and opportunities created in synthesizing intelligent operations into comprehensive security operations. Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 11:30 am: Change Driver: Artificial Intelligence (AI), examining how AI has the ability to look at thousands of data points simultaneously and process data in ways humans would never be able to.

Ping Identity, a provider of Identity Defined Security, announced that Kevin Sellers has joined the company's leadership team as the global chief marketing officer. Sellers leads all aspects of the company's marketing function, with a focus on accelerating expansion in the enterprise market and growing Ping's brand globally. An accomplished business leader with a strong track record of scaling global brands, Sellers brings more than 20 years of global marketing leadership experience in the technology sector, including 10 years of living and operating overseas. His strategic knowledge of the marketing functions, spans brand leadership, demand generation, digital marketing and transformation, and corporate communication. B2B industry recognition Before joining Ping Identity, Sellers served as the chief marketing officer at Avnet, where he oversaw the company's business-to-business strategies. He also held multiple leadership positions at Intel. During his tenure with the company, he led the historic re-branding that took Intel beyond its core personal computer market and launched the award-winning 'Look Inside' campaign—which received exceptional attention from the market, analysts, customers and more. Kevin Sellers is a highly experienced, accomplished marketing leader with a proven record of building global brands" Sellers has garnered significant industry recognition over the years including B2B Magazine's Top Digital Marketers Award and multiple Cannes Lions, EFFY and ADDY awards for creative excellence. Keen Focus On Customers “Kevin Sellers is a highly experienced, accomplished marketing leader with a proven record of building global brands in the technology sector, making him a natural addition to our leadership team," said Kris Nagel, COO, Ping Identity. "We're pushing the boundaries to ensure that identity sits at the foundation of every enterprise, and with Kevin's background we're well-positioned to propel Ping Identity to the next level." "Joining Ping Identity is a tremendous honor and privilege. The company is growing rapidly and plays a pivotal role in the ongoing digital transformation of our economy," said Sellers. "What really stands out to me is the organization's keen focus on the customer and its truly collaborative culture. The future is bright for Ping, and I'm looking forward to contributing to the next chapter of our growth."

Ring, whose mission is to make neighborhoods safer, announced Ring for Business to provide business owners with the ability to protect their companies with Ring Alarm and Ring Video Doorbells and Security Cams the same way that homeowners have been doing for years. Small businesses are an integral part of our communities and, thanks to Ring, they now have access to smart, DIY security that’s free from long-term commitments, hidden fees and professional installation. With Ring for Business, businesses across the U.S. and Canada can enhance their security while helping make neighbourhoods safer. Affordable security option for companies Traditional commercial security options are often rigid, expensive and difficult to install"Jamie Siminoff, founder and Chief Inventor of Ring, said: “One in 4 small businesses are impacted by burglary or theft. As an entrepreneur, I know firsthand that business owners put everything they have into their work, and it’s important to protect that. Traditional commercial security options are often rigid, expensive and difficult to install." “Because of this, we noticed some businesses using our devices to monitor and protect their properties. Developing Ring for Business, a more affordable and straightforward security option for companies, was a natural next step in our mission to make neighbourhoods safer – both at home and at work.” Remote monitoring and protection of property Ring for Business empowers customers to monitor and protect their property, across multiple locations, remotely from a single app. A professionally monitored security system that includes Ring’s wired and battery powered indoor and outdoor security cameras, Ring for Business offers affordable, commitment-free, 24/7 monitoring, and 60-day video event recording for unlimited cameras for just $10 per month per location. Battery and LTE cellular backup enable professional monitoring even if the power goes out or broadband is unavailable. With Ring for Business, we spend less time worrying about our building and our security""Ring for Business is super useful because it frees us from being at our business 24/7, and allows us to actually have a life of our own. We're able to travel and go out of town and know that our business is still running perfectly,” said Caroline Winata, Ring for Business customer and Chief Creativity Officer of Giggle & Riot. "With Ring for Business, we spend less time worrying about our building and our security, and more time on our company and our work." Alerts about potential trespassers Every Ring for Business kit is built around Ring Alarm, a smart security system that monitors one’s business and alerts them to potential trespassers or other unwanted activity. Accessories like door and window sensors, motion detectors and sirens can be added to the system and customized based on each business’ specific needs. Layer Ring Security Cams and Video Doorbells to further monitor the property and record important motion events in real-time. Add Key by Amazon to easily lock and unlock smart locks directly from the Live View of any Ring Doorbell or Cam, and eero for faster and more secure Wi-Fi throughout every inch of the business. And, with the launch of the Audio Toggle for all Doorbells and Cams, disable audio recording at home or the office to protect the privacy of family, friends, employees, and customers.

Digital Defense, Inc. and The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Department of Computer Science jointly announced a partnership that will provide students and faculty with access to an award-winning cloud-based information security platform to further enrich the students’ cybersecurity education. UTSA students and faculty will be able to utilize Digital Defense’s flagship Frontline.Cloud platform to evaluate the security posture of applications, systems and networks in classroom and lab environments both on and off campus. With Frontline.Cloud, students will not only be able to assess the security posture of software applications and systems they build and run on lab networks, but when coupled with the supervision and course curriculum provided by UTSA faculty, they will also learn how to use industry recognized tools to establish and execute an effective vulnerability lifecycle management program. Testing for hidden threats on target networks These systems will provide students with vulnerability and web application scanning capabilitiesUTSA will have access to three different systems available on the Frontline.Cloud platform. These systems will provide students with vulnerability and web application scanning capabilities, and Digital Defense’s new threat scanning solution (Frontline Active Threat Sweep), which allows testing for hidden threats on target networks. Mark Robinson, assistant professor in practice in the UTSA College of Sciences, will use the Frontline.Cloud platform in the classroom with his students this fall. “As the home of the nation’s top program in cybersecurity, UTSA is committed to developing partnerships that provide our students with unparalleled learning experiences so they can become the most competitive candidates in the marketplace,” said Robinson. “Frontline.Cloud is an incredibly powerful platform with a host of capabilities that will allow UTSA students and researchers to test their systems, applications and networks before they move into a production-style environment. We are also excited to evaluate integration possibilities for Frontline.Cloud into our security research and competitive events.” Enhanced classroom cybersecurity learning As a Security SaaS platform technology firm, Digital Defense is pleased to provide Frontline.Cloud's access to UTSA"“The alliance of our two San Antonio-based organizations is a natural fit,” states Larry Hurtado, president & CEO at Digital Defense. “We are excited to extend our existing relationship with UTSA, primarily focused on making paid internships available to UTSA students, to one that includes assisting UTSA faculty and students with more enhanced classroom cybersecurity learning. “As a global Security SaaS platform technology firm, Digital Defense is pleased to provide access to Frontline.Cloud to UTSA, one of the world’s leading cybersecurity education institutions. Working together with UTSA, we are able to provide a hands-on experience to students, enabling them to solve real-world information security challenges in a classroom setting. These types of skills are in high demand and the future will now be even brighter for these individuals as they enter the workforce.” Security research units of UTSA The UTSA Department of Computer Science offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees supporting a dynamic and growing program with over 1,300 undergraduates, 74 master’s students and 67 doctoral students. The department’s research and experimental facilities are supported by federal research and infrastructure grantsIts major research units include the Institute for Cyber Security, which operates the FlexCloud and FlexFarm laboratories dedicated to both basic and applied cybersecurity research, and the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security (CIAS), which focuses on the cybersecurity maturity of cities and communities while also conducting national cyber security defense competitions for college and high school students. The department’s research and experimental facilities are supported by federal research and infrastructure grants. San Antonio is home to one of the largest concentrations of cybersecurity experts and industry leaders outside Washington, D.C., which uniquely positions the city and UTSA to lead the nation in cybersecurity research and workforce development.

Most enterprises today deploy a multitude of touchpoints where consumers can interact and access the information they require. For many organizations, APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are the bread-and-butter for enabling inter-enterprise process automation, IoT devices and mobile applications. Even though they are working behind the scenes, APIs are ubiquitous. They help to deliver sports updates, post online messages, order food – enabling everything online. To stay competitive, businesses need to publicly expose and rely on API calls to applications that serve business-enabling data to consumers. Performance with uptime guarantees of 99.99% Red Hat 3scale API Management delivers on performance with uptime guarantees of 99.99%Imperva API Security is a new capability within Imperva’s Application Security suite. As a key part of our defense-in-depth stack, API Security allows users to see security events per API endpoint. API Security also automatically creates and enforces a positive security model layer from the customer’s Open API specification document. Scalability and flexibility are essential to API delivery. Red Hat 3scale API Management delivers on performance with uptime guarantees of 99.99%. For those of you already pushing your API calls through Red Hat, you know just how important it is to push hundreds or thousands of calls back and forth with no latency or round trips between your infrastructure. Customers of both Imperva and Red Hat can benefit from a more cohesive solution toward managing, publishing and securing their APIs. And customers of Imperva’s FlexProtect licensing plan can quickly and flexibly add API Security or any of the other capabilities in their comprehensive application security suite so they never have to choose between innovation and protection. Automatically updates positive security model Imperva API Security accomplishes this because of its simple integration with Red Hat 3scale API ManagementImperva is a Red Hat Ready Partner and Red Hat is an Imperva Technology Alliance partner. Red Hat 3scale API Management customers can now layer up to the next level of security features for their APIs without compromising on business agility. Imperva API Security accomplishes this because of its simple integration with Red Hat 3scale API Management. Every addition or change to the APIs on 3scale will immediately and automatically update the positive security model for said APIs. Additionally, security teams gain visibility to all APIs that are externally exposed, as well as to specific threats per API endpoint.   To integrate Red Hat 3scale API Management easily with Imperva API Security, Imperva provides an open source tool which is hosted in GitHub and managed by the open source community.

Cobalt Iron Inc., a provider of cloud-based data protection, is simplifying the task of managing multiple storage and data protection technologies with the company's Adaptive Data Protection™ platform. Through automation, continual analytics-based optimization, and orchestration of technologies and operations, the Cobalt Iron Adaptive Data Protection platform delivers a unified enterprise data protection experience. Cost-Effectively leverage Vendors in the competitive storage and data protection market continue to deliver new features "Instead of dealing separately with the thousands of features, knobs, and levers of multiple storage and backup technologies, data administrators working with Cobalt Iron Adaptive Data Protection can efficiently and cost-effectively leverage those technologies through a unified experience," said Greg Tevis, vice president of strategy at Cobalt Iron. "No longer distracted by the ongoing demands of different technologies, Adaptive Data Protection users can maintain their focus on business service levels." Vendors in the highly competitive storage and data protection market continue to deliver new features, simpler product interfaces, and other technology options, but each of these technologies has its own interfaces — graphical user interfaces (GUIs), application programming interfaces (APIs), command line interfaces (CLIs), industry standard protocols and interfaces, and more. Complex backup infrastructure Server, storage, networking, converged hardware, and backup products all come with their own associated capabilities, software, and tools; the business applications that need their data protected have their own capabilities, interfaces, and tools for management; and cloud services add further capabilities and management tools to the mix. Adaptive Data Protection allows effective leveraging and optimization of technologies" As a result, data administrators face a morass of operational complexities, underutilized and unoptimized infrastructure, silos of management, and soaring costs for data management and backup that collide with limited IT budgets. "Adaptive Data Protection allows effective leveraging and optimization of technologies while saving companies money," added Tevis. "It transforms complex backup infrastructure and operations into a first-class IT service." Data protection technologies In addition to automating most of the maintenance and operational tasks associated with storage and data protection technologies, Adaptive Data Protection continually analyses and optimizes both infrastructure technologies as well as operations, resulting in improved utilization of resources and reduced costs. The platform orchestrates myriad technologies and presents the administrator with a single unified data protection experience for workloads and technologies wherever they may be. The Adaptive Data Protection platform is unique in enabling orchestration across data protection systems, and Cobalt Iron continues to expand its automation and orchestration of various data protection technologies, including on-premises and cloud snapshotting techniques.

Global and domestic threats have highlighted the need for tighter security across all verticals. One of the technologies that has redefined situational awareness and intrusion detection is thermal imaging. Once a technology exclusively manufactured for the military operations, thermal cameras today are deployed across hundreds of security applications and continue to see strong demand in existing and emerging commercial markets. With thermal technology, security personnel can see in complete darkness as well as in light fog, smoke and rain Technology Overview And Early Adoption What distinguishes thermal cameras from optical sensors is their ability to produce images based on infrared energy, or heat, rather than light. By measuring the heat signatures of all objects and capturing minute differences between them, thermal cameras produce clear, sharp video despite unfavorable environmental conditions. With thermal technology, security personnel can see in complete darkness as well as in light fog, smoke and rain. Originally a military developed, commercially qualified technology, the first thermal cameras for military and aircraft use appeared in the 1950s. By the 1960s, the technology had been declassified and the first thermal camera for commercial use was introduced. However, it wasn’t until the late 1990s - when FLIR Systems introduced a camera with an uncooled thermal detector - when the technology began to see substantial adoption beyond government defense deployments. Installations At Critical Infrastructure Sites In the 2000s, industrial companies were some of the first adopters of thermal, using the technology for predictive maintenance to monitor overheating and machine malfunctions. In the years following the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, there was an increase in thermal camera installations across critical infrastructure sites. Stricter security requirements drove the deployment of thermal cameras for perimeter protection, especially in the nuclear power sector. Thermal cameras produce clear video in daylight, low light or no light scenarios and their sharp images result in higher performing analytics In 2010, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Committee released its 73.55 policy, which states nuclear facilities must “provide continuous surveillance, observation and monitoring” as a means to enhance threat detection and deterrence efforts onsite. Because thermal cameras produce clear video in daylight, low light or no light scenarios and because their sharp images result in higher performing analytics, thermal cameras quickly became the preferred option for nuclear facilities. Likewise, following the 2013 sniper attack on PG&E Corporation’s Metcalf transmission substation, the Federal Energy Regulation Commission introduced the Critical Infrastructure Protection Standard 014 (CIP-014). The policy requires utilities to identify threats to mission critical assets and implement a security system to mitigate those risks. This statute also led to more thermal installations in the utility sector as thermal cameras’ long-range capabilities are ideal for detection of approaching targets beyond the fence line. The demand from both industrial and critical infrastructure entities, as well as other factors, helped drive volume production and price reduction for thermal, making the technology more accessible to the commercial security marketplace. Commercial Applications In recent years, the increasing affordability of thermal cameras along with the introduction of new thermal offerings has opened the door to new commercial applications for the technology. In the past, thermal cameras were designed for applications with enormous perimeters, where the camera needed to detect a human from 700 meters away. Locations like car dealerships, marinas and construction supply facilities can be protected by precise target detection, thermal analytic cameras providing an early warning to security personnel Today, there are thermal cameras specifically designed for short- to mid-range applications. Developed for small to medium enterprises, these thermal cameras ensure property size and security funds are no longer barriers to adoption. Lumber yards, recreation fields and sports arenas are some of the commercial applications now able to implement thermal cameras for 24-hour monitoring and intrusion detection. Affordable thermal cameras with onboard analytics have become attractive options for commercial businesses Innovation And Advancements Innovation and advancements in the core technology have also spurred growth in thermal camera deployment, providing faster image processing, higher resolution, greater video analytic capabilities and better camera performance. In particular, affordable thermal cameras with onboard analytics have become attractive options for commercial businesses that need outdoor, wide area protection. Car dealerships, marinas and construction supply locations all store valuable merchandise and materials outside. Without protection, these assets are vulnerable to vandalism and theft. However, by providing precise target detection, thermal analytic cameras provide an early warning to security personnel so that they can intervene before a crime is committed. By helping to deter just one incident, the thermal solution delivers a clear ROI. New Market Opportunities Not only are there more thermal cameras in use today than ever before, but there are also more thermal sensors being integrated with other multi-sensor systems, driving the adoption of thermal in new markets. For large perimeter surveillance applications, thermal is repeatedly being integrated with radar and drones to expand situational awareness beyond the point of fixed cameras. Users get immediate, accurate alerts of approaching targets and evidentiary class video for target assessment In the commercial market, thermal imagers are combined with optical sensors, analytics and LED illuminators into one solution that integrates with central monitoring station platforms. By bringing these technologies together, users get immediate, accurate alerts of approaching targets and evidentiary class video for target assessment. The result is a lower number of false positives, reducing the total cost of ownership for the solution. These multi-sensor solutions also feature two-way audio capabilities, which enable remote security officers to act as “virtual guards” and speak to intruders in real-time to dissuade them from illegal activity. The introduction of solutions that integrate all these state-of-the-art technologies under one unit reduces the amount of capital and infrastructure needed for deployment. Consequently, more small businesses and alarm monitoring companies can implement advanced perimeter security technologies like thermal sensors, some for the very first time. Thermal cameras have gone from military defense devices to widespread commercial security cameras Multi-Sensor Thermal Solutions Multi-sensor solutions featuring thermal are quickly gaining traction and opening the door to new business opportunities for the security channel. One of the primary reasons for the strong market interest in these systems is they enable integrators to increase their recurring monthly revenue (RMR). With intense price competition and eroding margins on CCTV equipment, integrators have to rely on RMR to grow their businesses. Offering remote video monitoring services and virtual guarding technologies is one of the best ways to do so.  Additionally, there is a clear demand for it. Central stations are continually looking for new technologies to offer their customers and businesses are interested in economical alternatives to physical guards. In conclusion, thermal cameras have gone from military defense devices to widespread commercial security cameras that are a substantial segment of the outdoor security protection market. From nuclear power plants to construction locations, thermal technology is being implemented to secure sites around the globe.

In the next three years, software as a service ‘SaaS’ is likely to grow by around 23%. That’s according to reports by Cognizance. It’s growth rests on the adoption of cloud public, private and hybrid. Without the cloud applications can’t truly pervade an organization, nor can operational or customer benefits be derived. But there’s no point in adopting the cloud if it’s not secure - the proliferation of SaaS demands security, none more so in a GDPR world. Large cloud environment But modern applications are difficult to secure. SaaS based, web, mobile, or custom made all work on different platforms and frameworks. It’s a headache managing all the APIs needed to automate and sync tools. This introduces risk. The greater the number of apps the broader the attack surface and therefore the greater the chance there will be blind posts. Keeping up to date with updates and new security policies is never easy There are also added hazards. Applications are always changing. Keeping up to date with updates and new security policies is never easy, but especially hard in a large cloud environment. Failure to adopt changes puts the organization and customers at further risk. But the biggest obstacle is keeping applications and APIs out of harm’s way. It’s a near on impossible task when attack methods and sources are constantly changing. More advanced threats To be specific there are four emerging challenges when it comes to protecting apps. Firstly, managing the good and the bad bots and spotting which is which, secondly securing APIs as IoT adoption intensifies, thirdly the relationship between securing apps and DevOps and ensuring ownership of security, and finally denial of service attacks that use newer tactics such as brute force. Basic security hygiene dictates that security teams refer to the OWASP Top 10. It’s considered the ‘ten commandments’ in security circles, providing a starting point for ensuring the most common threats and vulnerabilities are managed, detected and mitigated. Web Application Firewalls also come into the fray with guidance on testing for the ways hackers exploit vulnerabilities. However, though the basics are good to have in place, there are always more advanced threats to take care of. Bots being a big one. Bot management The more sophisticated bots will go as far as to mimic human behaviorAstonishingly about half of internet traffic is bot generated. Half of it is from bad bots. Discerning the good from the bad isn’t easy though and explains why around 80% of organizations can’t make a clear distinction between the two. Bad bots can do a lot of damage like take over user accounts and payment information, scrape confidential data, or hold up inventory and skew marketing metrics. The more sophisticated bots will go as far as to mimic human behavior and bypass tools like CAPTCHA and even device fingerprinting based protection ineffective. Securing APIs Then there’s the complications derived from machine-to-machine and internet of things (IoT) communications. The more integrated ‘things’, the more data there is, the more events there are report on, and the more activity there is reliant on APIs to make the ‘things’ useful and agile. That’s what makes them a target and the threats to API vulnerabilities include injections, protocol attacks, parameter manipulations, invalidated redirects and bot attacks. There’s the risk that business will grant access to sensitive data, without inspecting nor protecting APIs to detect cyberattacks.   There’s the risk that business will grant access to sensitive data, without inspecting nor protecting APIs to detect cyberattacks Denial of service (DoS) You might think there’s little to add to the swathes of denial of service warnings. Yet when businesses are still being targeted and feeling the ill effects it’s worth mentioning again that different forms of application-layer DoS attacks are still very effective at bringing application services down. Even the greatest application protection is worthless if the service itself can be knocked down This includes HTTP/S floods, low and slow attacks (famous examples being Slowloris, LOIC, Torshammer), dynamic IP attacks, buffer overflow, Brute Force attacks and more. The IoT botnets are the culprits and have made application-layer attacks so popular that they have become the preferred DDoS attack vector. Even the greatest application protection is worthless if the service itself can be knocked down. Continuous security It may seem easy to say but for modern DevOps, agility is valued at the expense of security. We see time and again examples of where development and roll-out methodologies, such as continuous delivery, mean applications are exposed to threats each time they are modified. There’s no doubt it is extremely difficult to maintain a valid security policy and protect sensitive data in dynamic conditions without creating a high number of false positives. But we now find that this task has gone way beyond the capability of humans. Organizations now need machine-learning based solutions that map application resources, analyse possible threats, and create and optimise security policies in real time. Reaching this level in security planning should be a big wake-up call that security automation is an essential not a nice to have. Running security plans The board needs to know that investment is critical to protect their profits It’s critical that the security solution your company adopts protects applications on all platforms, against all attacks, through all the channels and at all times. The board needs to know that investment is critical to protect their profits. As such there are six things they need to know: Application security solutions must encompass web and mobile apps, as well as APIs. Bot management solutions need to overcome the most sophisticated bot attacks. DDoS mitigation must be an essential and integrated part of application security solutions. A future-proof solution must protect containerized applications, severless functions, and integrate with automation, provisioning and orchestration tools. To keep up with continuous application delivery, security protections must adapt in real time. A fully managed service should be considered to remove complexity and minimise resources. No amount of human power will beat the bots. That last point is the most critical. Skill is essential in designing and running security plans and policies that work. But the plans can’t be executed without automated tools. There are just too many decisions to make in a split second. Combining both is the path to an effective app protection strategy and a stronger brand to boot.

The past decade has seen unprecedented growth in data creation and management. The products and services that consumers use every day – and the systems businesses, large and small, rely on – all revolve around data. The increasing frequency of high-profile data breaches and hacks should be alarming to anyone, and there’s a danger data security could worsen in the coming years. According to DataAge 2025, a report by IDC and Seagate, by 2025, almost 90% of all data created in the global datasphere will require some level of security, but less than half of it will actually be secured. Nuanced Approach To Data Security Security is a circle, not a line. Every actor involved in the handling and processing of data has responsibility for ensuring its securityThe rapid proliferation of embedded systems, IoT, real-time data and AI-powered cognitive systems – as well as new legislation like the European Union’s GDPR – means that data security has to be a priority for businesses like never before. With data used, stored and analyzed at both the hardware and software level, we need a new and more nuanced approach to data security. Security is a circle, not a line. Every actor involved in the handling and processing of data has responsibility for ensuring its security. What this means in practice is renewed focus on areas of hardware and software protection that have previously not been top of mind or received large amounts of investment from businesses, with security at the drive level being a prime example. The Importance Of Data-At-Rest Encryption In a world where data is everywhere, businesses need always-on protection. Data-at-rest encryption helps to ensure that data is secure right down to the storage medium in which it is held in a number of ways. Hardware-level encryption, firmware protection for the hard drive, and instant, secure erasing technology allow devices to be retired with minimal risk of data misuse. Data-at-rest encryption helps to ensure that data is secure right down to the storage medium in which it is held in a number of ways A recent report from Thales Data Threat found that data-at-rest security tools can be a great way to help protect your data. However, it’s important to note that this must be used in conjunction with other security measures to ensure that those that fraudulently gain access to your key management system can’t access your data. Ensuring Drives To Be Common Criteria Compliant One straightforward test any business can do to ensure its storage is as secure as possible is to check whether the drives are Common Criteria compliantDespite the clear benefits, this kind of encryption lags behind other areas, such as network and endpoint security, in terms of the investment it currently receives. The same Thales Data Threat report found that data-at-rest security was receiving some of the lowest levels of spending increases in 2016 (44%), versus a 62% increase for network and a 56% increase for endpoint security. One straightforward test any business can do to ensure its storage is as secure as possible is to check whether the drives are Common Criteria compliant. Common Criteria is an international standard for computer security certification, and drives that meet this standard have a foundational level of protection which users can build on. Providing An Additional Layer Of Security The retail industry has seen a spate of security breaches recently, with several major US brands suffering attacks over the busy Easter weekend this year. As frequent handlers of consumer card information, retailers are particularly vulnerable to attack. Data-at-rest encryption could enhance security in these instances, providing an additional layer of security between customer records and the attacker The advanced threats retailers face can often evade security defences without detection. Such a breach could grant attackers unrestricted access to sensitive information for possibly months – some breaches are known to have been detected only after consumer payment details appeared on the dark web. These types of undetected attacks are highly dangerous for retailers, which are relatively helpless to protect consumer information once their defences have been compromised. Data-at-rest encryption could significantly enhance security in these instances, providing an additional layer of security between customer records and the attacker which has the potential to make the stolen data valueless to cyber criminals. Industries In Need Of Data-At-Rest Encryption Healthcare organizations, which hold highly sensitive customer and patient information, have a strong use case for data-at-rest encryption. With the widespread adoption of electronic patient health records, that data is increasingly more vulnerable to attack. Recent research from the American Medical Association and Accenture revealed that 74% of physicians are concerned over future attacks that may compromise patient records. With the widespread adoption of electronic patient health records, that data is increasingly more vulnerable to attack The financial sector would also benefit from further investment in data-at-rest encryption, given 78% of financial services firms globally are planning on increasing their spending on critical data, according to Thales’ Data Threat Report. It’s helpful to view security as a circle in which every piece of hardware and software handling the data plays its partSMEs and enterprises are not immune to security threats either – with growing numbers of people traveling for work or working remotely, the risk of sensitive business data becoming exposed via device theft is heightened. Usernames and passwords have little use if thieves can simply remove unencrypted hard drives and copy data across. Securing Every Hardware And Software Technology vendors often focus on aspects of hardware and application security that are within their control. This is understandable, but it risks proliferating a siloed approach to data security. There is no single line for data security -- rather, it’s helpful to view it as a circle in which every piece of hardware and software handling the data plays its part. There’s a clear need for more industry dialog and collaboration to ensure data security is effectively deployed and connected throughout the security circle and across the value chain.

A video analytics system that provides ‘behavioral understanding’ can yield more meaningful and actionable data for a range of applications. In public safety and security, such a system can alert on violent or suspicious behaviors, such as people fighting, vandalism, people with weapons, etc. In advanced traffic surveillance and monitoring, it can provide alerts to vehicle collisions (accidents), traffic hazards or vehicle that aren’t using the road properly, such as a car that stops in the middle of the junction. For enterprise and campus security, it can provide advanced anti-tailgating and detect unauthorized activity. Video surveillance infrastructure viisights was founded by a group of entrepreneurs with track records in developing technology businesses These uses are among the benefits of viisights’ video analytics technology based on behavioral understanding of video content. “It means we can extract more meaningful data from the huge amount of video content that is captured, and we can transform that data to actionable insights that eventually justify the massive investment in video surveillance infrastructure,” says Asaf Birenzvieg, CEO of viisights. Their behavioral understanding systems for real-time video intelligence leverage artificial intelligence technology. viisights was founded by a group of serial entrepreneurs with track records in developing technology businesses. The Israeli company’s founders recognized a growing global need for intelligence to make physical and virtual public areas safer – and realized the role that smart video understanding technology can play. Developing artificial intelligence technologies viisights is committed to developing artificial intelligence technologies that facilitate human-like video understanding, which in turn serves as the basis for fully autonomous video intelligence systems powered by pattern prediction technology. “Behavioral recognition is the future of video analytics and the next generation of the object classification analytics systems that hold the majority of the market today,” says Birenzvieg. viisights has developed a video understanding technology for real-time video processing “To date most video analytics systems still base their product features on static analysis of objects from images using image recognition, even the ones that use ‘AI analytics.’ Products built using such object classification technology are extremely limited.” For example, object classification analytics cannot recognize behavioral events in a video such as people fighting or a car collision because such behaviors can’t accurately be concluded in large scale from analyzing a single static image/frame. Video understanding technology viisights has developed a video understanding technology for real-time video processing. The technology can process live video feeds. In addition to recognizing a particular object (e.g., person) and its attributes (e.g., red shirt), the system can understand an object’s actions, interactions with other objects (events), the scene being viewed (i.e., crowd is gathering, riots) and the context (a car is driving on the road or on the sidewalk). The main verticals are smart cities, enterprises and campuses, banks and ATM security“Basically, we are able to extract more meaningful data from a live video feed and therefore create actionable insights and greater ROI,” says Birenzvieg. The company focuses mostly on security and safety use-cases. The main verticals are smart cities, enterprises and campuses, banks and ATM security, security guard companies and transportation hubs. The company is working on a new product for in-vehicle monitoring mostly for security, safety, vehicle protection and proper vehicle use; it monitors passengers’ behavior inside a bus, train, or taxi. The product will come to market next year. Video management system viisights’ video analytics offering is currently optimized for server-side deployment, and the integration architecture is similar to most video analytics systems. From one side it is integrated with the video management system (VMS). They are a Milestone verified partner and soon will be part of Milestone's marketplace. From the other end, it is connected to a command-and-control system for processing the data and presenting the alerts to the end-user. The analytics company makes most sales through system integrators. They have partnerships with big system integrators like Motorola Solutions and NEC and are also working with smaller ones. They are looking to expand their system integrator network, mostly in the USA and Europe. Behaviors can have many variations and they can be very diverse Cloud video surveillance “We will continue to invest in performance and accuracy, meaning higher recall and lower false positive rate,” says Birenzvieg. “Since our major value proposition is in behavior recognition, behavior events many times are not clearly defined, which is very different from object classification. Behaviors can have many variations and they can be very diverse.” An example is a simple behavior like a person falling on the floor. A person can fall on the floor in many ways, but the challenge is to ignore similar behaviors that are not a person falling and that confuse the system, such as a person bending over to tie his shoelaces. With cloud video surveillance becoming a trend, viisights is also looking into offering some of their advanced functionalities in a video-analytics-as-a-service-model.

As a security service provider with a rich history in manguarding, Allied Universal is launching a new technology platform to increase productivity and accountability of security officers and to transform guard service operations from an ‘observe and report’ mission to a ‘detect and respond’ function. Mark Mullison, Allied Universal’s Chief Information Officer (CIO), says the new Heliaus platform also uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze data, predict outcomes, and prescribe optimum responses. The platform includes a smart phone app that guides security officers to ensure post orders are followed and provides a ‘virtual’ coach or supervisor to guide security officers throughout the day. “The walls between technology and people need to come down in the future,” says Mullison. “We need an ecosystem in which people and technology can cooperate well and respond to threats and drive outcomes.” Real-Time situational awareness Technology plays an increasing role in security and safety, but it will never replace humans"Heliaus is a step in that direction. It has two components – the mobile app used by security officers; and a cloud-based portal, like a command and control center that compiles information from the app and other inputs and performs AI analysis of data. Heliaus is an add-on for Allied Universal customers and is offered for a per-device subscription fee of $199 per month. A customer company’s managers can also access the portal for data visualization tools and real-time situational awareness, or to input data such as ‘approving’ an incident report or action. “Technology plays an increasing role in security and safety, but it will never replace humans,” says Mullison. “It will augment and enhance the workflow and make people more effective.” “We are focusing on delivering better outcomes for safety and security,” he adds. “The impacts are as broad and diverse as the clients we serve.” Customization of forms enables the system to collect and use any information that was previously collected on paper. Monitoring and Response Center (MaRC) A system is effective only to the extent that it is used, and Allied Universal has engineered the user experience to make the mobile app easy – almost fun – to use, says Mullison. Elements of ‘gamification’ drive greater user adoption. “It is designed to support the work [security officers] do and make information collection a by-product of people doing their jobs.” The system brings together rich data, AI, location-aware workflow automation, and friendly user experience design Effective AI depends on data, and Heliaus pulls data from Allied Universal’s Monitoring and Response Center (MaRC), where a cloud server integrates the company’s managed security services, including access control, video surveillance and video analytics. It also incorporates current weather information and forecasts, and information specific to the industry segment. Additional data is generated as officers enter data through the mobile app. The system brings together rich data, AI, location-aware workflow automation, and friendly user experience design. It provides insight into the drivers of risk, makes recommendations about how to reduce incidents, and, through dynamic workflow automation, ensures that those recommendations are implemented. Location awareness is a combination of the global positioning system (GPS), Bluetooth beacons, and near-field communication (NFC) tags. Improves the accuracy of responses AI understands the data and applies reasoning capabilities to predict an outcome and prescribe a response“Information is organized to facilitate AI analysis. If you have the right knowledge representation then problem-solving is easy,” says Mullison, echoing a common principle of artificial intelligence. AI works to analyze data and make predictions and recommendations to guide responses by security personnel. AI understands the data and applies reasoning capabilities to predict an outcome and prescribe a response. The AI system also learns and improves the accuracy of responses with more data and over time. Responses come much faster than older ‘trial and error’ models of analysis. Another element of Heliaus is a ‘robust workflow engine’ that ensures recommendations are carried out, either by a security professional on site or by the client. Mullison says implementation of the system can result in a 20% reduction of security and safety incidents. Multiple applications of Heliaus Heliaus is already being used by some Allied Universal customers. For example, a major Hollywood production studio is using it to identify and address workplace hazards such as stray electrical cords, dripping water hoses, etc., across a 50-acre area. In the logistics sector, Heliaus is being used to facilitate checking delivery vehicles in and out of a truckyard A manufacturer created a custom compliance application using the platform to track more than 140 unique incident types, such as monitoring elevated temperature in a truck trailer or drivers without proper identification. In the logistics sector, Heliaus is being used to facilitate checking delivery vehicles in and out of a truckyard. The flexibility of the platform can enable expansion to incorporate other technologies in the future, too. For example, sources of data for the system could include robots, drones or various Internet of Things (IoT) sensors; or workflow engines could be used to dispatch a robot or drone to handle a situation (rather than a human).

Nexkey says its mission is to disrupt the access control market and ‘change the way people experience access to physical places’. The startup is embracing the latest buzzword for access control – frictionless – while also enabling electronic access control for doors currently protected by mechanical locks. The system is simple with only three components – a controller, an electronic replacement lock core, and a smart phone app. The ‘controller’, a combined reader and access control panel, is used to connect to existing electric strikes, mag locks, electronic push bars and other hardware components at the door. It also communicates via Bluetooth with a smart phone credential. Users approach a door, choose the door they want to open in the app, and wait for the app to say ‘unlocked’. Replacing Key Cards And Fobs With App Access rights are customized for each user, and doors can be unlocked remotely to allow a delivery guy or guest to enterThe electronic ‘core’ device can be switched out with existing mechanical lock cores to provide electronic access control in locks such as deadbolts, mortise locks, Euro-cylinders, levers and camlocks. It is compatible with 95 percent of mechanical locks, using a changeable tail piece to adapt to various configurations. The core communicates via Bluetooth with a smart phone credential that links to a cloud system. Users approaching a door open the app, tap the core, and wait for the app to say ‘unlocked’. A Nexkey goal is to ‘replace all keys, key cards and fobs with one app’. The Nexkey app recognizes which ‘key’ goes to which door and reveals the right key as you approach. ‘Keys’ are created and access rights are assigned from a smart phone, using email addresses and phone numbers to verify identity. Temporary codes can be texted for one-time entrance for cleaning crews or contractors. Access rights are customized for each user, and doors can be unlocked remotely to allow a delivery guy or guest to enter the building. The Nexkey Portal provides a snapshot of system operation, who enters which door at what time, and logs that can be reviewed and downloaded for audit reports. Affordable Access Control Systems For SMBs Nexkey is targeting the small- and medium-sized business (SMB) market, basically companies with 20 to 500 employees, which are looking for access control systems that are affordable and easier to manage. The Nexkey controller costs $999, and the core is $499. Monthly fees start at $15 to $29 per month per door, but the prices go down as additional doors are added. Nexkey is targeting the SMB market, which are looking for access control systems that are affordable and easier to manage Larger enterprises tend to want out-of-the-box integration with alarm systems and video, which Nexkey does not offer, so SMB is their “sweet spot,” says Eric Trabold, CEO. There is an API (application programming interface) that integrates with third-party applications. According to Nexkey’s customer surveys, 30 percent of customers say they bought Nexkey to have a simpler access control credential (a smart phone instead of a key, card or fob). Another 30 percent favor simplified management and quick access through the app. Some 17 percent like the ‘unified’ experience to manage shared, single and multiple workspaces using smartphone credentialing and a cloud-based system. Involving Security Dealers And Integrators Nexkey announced a ‘dealer program’ at the recent ISC West trade show in Las Vegas, and interest was highIn the early days, Nexkey looked to work directly with businesses to foster communication and to gain understanding of how the product can best be deployed. Having gained that insight, the ‘next level’ is to engage security dealers and systems integrators to install the system, says Trabold. Nexkey announced a ‘dealer program’ at the recent ISC West trade show in Las Vegas, and interest was high. Trabold says 134 integrators/dealers sought to engage. In coming weeks, the company will be finalizing that program, enhancing the dashboard to enable dealers to manage the system on behalf of their customers, for example. “We will be looking at how we can go from that amazing level of interest to being actively engaged with partners in the channel,” says Trabold. Using NPS To Measure Product Quality Nexkey uses the Net Promoter Score (NPS) as a benchmark for how well the product is accepted in the marketplace. NPS measures the quality of a product by analyzing how likely customers are to recommend it to a friend or colleague. As an example, Apple currently has an NPS of 65%. In comparison, Nexkey has achieved a score of 60 percent, and is looking to improve it even more. “A year from now, we want to get the same positive feedback from our dealer/integrator community,” says Trabold. “That’s the challenge, engaging with partners and scaling the business forward. We still have work to do.”

ANSecurity, a specialist in advanced network and data security, announces the successful delivery of a project with New College Oxford to streamline its network architecture and strengthen its security by moving to a Zero Trust model. Founded in 1379, New College is one of the largest Oxford colleges, with some 430 undergraduates and 360 graduates. The college, together with 37 other academic institutions across Oxford, uses the University’s switched Gigabit backbone along with some centralized services, such as e-mail for students, backup, remote access, VPN systems and more while the individual colleges runs their own core servers and applications. Good technical knowledge The project aim was to join two separate networks that had multiple subnets in the same native VLAN The college decided it needed to upgrade its aging 3COM networking kit and after an evaluation process selected ANSecurity to help it specify, design and upgrade to new switches and a firewall from Juniper. James Dore, IT officer of New College at Oxford University, commented: “ANSecurity was a great company to deal with. It had good technical knowledge around the Juniper products and managed the project efficiently from start to end.” The project aim was to join two separate networks that had multiple subnets in the same native VLAN. This was overcomplicating the network because of how the VLANs had to be tagged and untagged when traversing the networks. As part of the move to a Zero Trust model, all users and server VLANs would be routed through the firewall. In addition, the project would also free up IP addresses from one of the subnets in order to re-allocate them to other colleges. High availability solution ANSecurity implemented a high availability solution using technology from Fortinet and designed and implemented a VLAN migration processes that by leaving the hosts in their original VLAN, allowed them to pick up IP addresses from a different subnet freeing up addresses to be re-allocated. The team from ANSecurity was easy to work with and had a deep knowledge of the network" “The design allows us to set up VLANs in a much simpler fashion, and is easier to manage while allowing us to better share resources across multiple colleges,” said Dore. “The team from ANSecurity was easy to work with and had a deep knowledge of the network and all the technologies we used. They have fielded questions from us at odd hours of the day and have kept us updated about new technologies on a regular basis.” Reducing annual charges It is estimated that the project will reduce annual charges related to client licenses, hardware and maintenance fees by several thousand pounds annually. The project would also offer the benefit of allowing three of the colleges to share access to core security platforms to better utilize the technology and reduce upfront and ongoing maintenance contract costs. The successful project, delivered on time and within budget, allowed the college to refresh its infrastructure and start a relationship with ANSecurity that resulted in it becoming the trusted provider for the college’s networking and security needs. “It is fair to say that they have never let us down and we value the relationship which is now into its 7th year and look forward to working with them on future projects,” concluded Dore.

Ping Identity, the provider of Identity Defined Security, announces its successful completion of the Financial-grade API (FAPI) conformance testing, as part of the process defined by Open Banking Ltd. This builds on Ping Identity’s previous success as the first identity platform to pass all 70 technical security tests, as set by Open Banking Ltd., with zero warnings. The most recent set of FAPI conformance testing evaluated the latest versions of the Ping Intelligent Identity platform, including PingFederate, PingAccess and PingDirectory, within a mock banking environment. Additional technical requirements It switches to an API model with structured data that utilizes a token model such as Open Authorization The inclusion of FAPI within the Ping Identity solution for Open Banking helps allow banks to overcome insecure practices such as screen scraping by using stored user credentials. Instead, it switches to an API model with structured data that utilizes a token model such as Open Authorization. FAPI is a technical specification developed as a multi-industry standard by the FAPI Working Group of OpenID Foundation (OIDF). It leverages OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect (OIDC) to define additional technical requirements for the financial industry and other sectors requiring higher security. For banks specifically, FAPI provides various advantages. This includes enabling applications to securely interact with financial accounts, while also enhancing the user’s ability to control security and privacy settings. Secure identity requirements In concurrence with the specification, OpenID Foundation maintains a cloud-based testing suite for conformance testing by banks, certified third-party security providers and platform vendors—such as Ping Identity. The Ping Intelligent Identity platform is used by hundreds of financial services enterprises, including many of the CMA 9 and Open Banking Ltd. itself. Additionally, FAPI is of increasing relevance to the growing number of new fintech start-ups in areas such as investment, wealth management, insurance, payments and even real estate. “This is significant beyond the Open Banking and financial services sector,” explains Rob Otto, EMEA Field CTO, Ping Identity. “Other digitally-focused sectors, with similar secure identity requirements, now have a proven template that can allow them to quickly deploy their own security controls, which have been stringently tested by the largest financial institutions in the UK.”

Everbridge, Inc., the global pioneer in critical event management, announced that it has been awarded a multi-year contract to support the deployment of Australia’s next-generation national early warning system. In combination with Australia’s major telecommunications companies, the Everbridge Public Warning solution will be used to power Emergency Alert in Australia, providing population-wide alerting to help reach the country’s over 25 million residents and approximately 9 million annual visitors. If residing within an area where a sudden, critical event occurs such as fire, extreme weather or a terror attack, residents and visitors to Australia will receive location-based SMS notifications on their mobile phones, in addition to smart phone mobile app notifications and fixed line voice alerts, among other modalities.  Supports first responder communications Everbridge Public Warning leverages telecom infrastructure to reach everyone within a geographic areaEverbridge Public Warning leverages existing telecom infrastructure, with no opt-in required, to reach everyone within a geographic area to reduce disaster risk, support first responder communications, and analyze disaster communication effectiveness for subsequent mitigation activities. “Our Public Warning solution enables government organizations and public safety agencies to immediately connect with every person in an affected area during a critical event regardless of nationality, residency or mobile telephone handset type,” said Jaime Ellertson, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Everbridge. “Australia has served as a model example for population-wide alerting and emergency preparedness over the past decade, and we are honored to support them on the evolution of their national system.” The next-generation system is scheduled to become operational in 2020.  

Everbridge, Inc., the global pioneer in critical event management software that helps keep people safe and businesses running, announced that its mass notification solution will be used to power alerts for Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee in times of emergency. The Metro Emergency Alert & Notification System (MEANS) will deliver safety instructions via cell phone, landline, and SMS for localized emergencies such as flooding, public health emergencies or active shooter situations. “This is an important way for us to keep the community updated on incidents happening in Nashville and Davidson County,” said Chief William Swann, Director, Nashville Fire Department. “The Everbridge system will be leveraged by Metro Government to communicate directly to the public. Residents and visitors can feel confident that when they receive alerts, they are getting accurate information straight from a Metro public safety agency.” Everbridge Mobile App delivers alerts to cell phones based on a user’s physical location during emergency Receiving alerts on cell phones Metro officials also urge residents to download the Everbridge Mobile App, which brings the added security of delivering alerts to cell phones based on a user’s physical location at the time of an emergency. “The Everbridge app provides Metro with a key alerting capability because it enables us to send safety instructions to residents who happen to be in the vicinity of an emergency in real time,” said Department of Emergency Communication’s Director Michele Donegan. Nashville joins a growing list of America’s largest cities, counties, and entire states that have rolled out the Everbridge platform including the cities of New York, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Atlanta, Houston, Phoenix, San Francisco, Tampa, and Washington, DC; hundreds of counties including Napa, Sonoma, Ventura, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Cook, Harris, and Maricopa; and the states of Florida, Connecticut, Vermont, and New York.

Mobile-device and application-security technology company Trustonic announces that Hyundai Motor America will demonstrate its new Digital Key app, secured by Trustonic Application Protection, at the New York International Auto Show 2019. The Digital Key will launch with the all-new 2020 Hyundai Sonata in the fall. Hyundai’s Digital Key is a downloadable smartphone app that can replace a traditional car key by leveraging Near Field Communication (NFC) to detect an authorized smartphone. An NFC antenna is located in the driver’s door handle for locking and unlocking while a second antenna for starting the engine is located in the wireless charging pad in the center console. Seamless Vehicle Sharing The Digital Key allows a smartphone to control select vehicle systems remotely using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication Once authorized, the Digital Key allows a smartphone to control select vehicle systems remotely using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication. A user can lock and unlock the vehicle, activate panic alert and start the engine within a range of about 30 feet of the car. The new Digital Key can be utilised by up to four authorized users, facilitating seamless vehicle sharing. Users’ preferred settings are also stored in the car, meaning that when a user is recognized, the vehicle automatically adjusts settings for side mirrors, radio presets, sound settings, and seat positioning. Hyundai is using Trustonic Application Protection (TAP) to secure the Digital Key. TAP ensures that Digital Key transfer requests are securely displayed to and approved by a real, authenticated user on a trusted device. Cybersecurity Approach TAP utilizes a multilayered industry-recognized security approach for communication to and from the customer’s phone. “Hyundai has been a leader in connected car technology for a long time now, with new features like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Smartwatch and Smart-speaker integration into our vehicles,” said Manish Mehrotra, director of digital business planning and connected operations, Hyundai Motor America. “Digital Key adds convenience for 2020 Sonata owners and allows us to be ready for future shifts in the mobility space, such as car sharing. We chose Trustonic because of their multilayered, industry recognized cybersecurity approach.” Vehicle-Function Permissions Hyundai’s Digital Key will enable easy car sharing and improved user experiences" Car owners have a deeper level of access than other authenticated users, enabling them to set vehicle-function permissions and the duration of access for each shared user. This enables uses beyond car sharing, such as enabling couriers to access the trunk within a pre-agreed window of time to deliver a package. Future uses that the app could enable include car rentals, triggering an alarm when a vehicle travels outside a designated area and remote control of features, such as autonomous parking. Ben Cade, CEO, Trustonic, adds, “Consumers expect to be able to manage their lives on their smartphones, and this includes their vehicles. Hyundai’s Digital Key will enable easy car sharing and improved user experiences for drivers—and as international leaders in app security, it’s up to us to ensure this can happen in a scalable and secure way.”

Boon Edam Inc., a provider of security entrances and architectural revolving doors, announces that RagingWire Data Centers has installed Boon Edam’s Tourlock 180+90 security revolving doors as part of its integrated access systems that protect their data centers in Ashburn, Va. and Sacramento, Calif. Founded in 2000, RagingWire was one of the first companies that helped to build the multi-billion dollar global data center colocation industry. Now, RagingWire is the North American data center platform within the portfolio of NTT Communications, which operates 140 data centers in 20 countries worldwide, making RagingWire one of the largest and most financially solid data center companies in the world. Demanding Hyperscale Cloud RagingWire is recognized as an industry leader in data center security and overall customer experience"RagingWire uses Tourlock security revolving doors at its Ashburn VA3 Data Center, which features 245,000 square feet of space and 16 megawatts of critical power, and its Sacramento CA3 Data Center, which is a 180,000 square foot facility with 14 megawatts of critical power. VA3 and CA3 are part of RagingWire’s portfolio of data centers in Ashburn, Northern California and Dallas, Texas. “As the colocation data center of choice for some of the most demanding hyperscale cloud and enterprise companies, RagingWire is recognized as an industry leader in data center security and overall customer experience,” said Mark Borto, CEO of Boon Edam Inc. “We are proud to provide an important part of RagingWire’s sophisticated, multi-layer, integrated security system.”  Provide Efficient Passage Boon Edam’s security revolving doors provide efficient passage for hundreds of people daily at RagingWire’s data centers. The doors prevent piggybacking and tailgating during both entry and exit by using a combination of sensors to recognize shapes, size and volume in three dimensions, and then stopping the door when a violation occurs. Our customers expect our security entrances and anti-tailgating technologies to be extremely fast and accurate" The state-of-the-art system also generates an accurate picture of exactly who is in the building at all times. “Our customers expect our security entrances and anti-tailgating technologies to be extremely fast and accurate,” said Eddie Ankers, Director of Corporate Security at RagingWire. Analyze Suspicious Behavior “By adding these doors to our defense-in-depth security strategy, we are providing the best possible protection system for our customers’ mission critical equipment.” In addition to Boon Edam’s Tourlock security revolving doors, RagingWire’s layered security approach features highly trained, 24x7 security staff, biometric scanners, badge readers, intelligent high-definition video cameras that analyze suspicious behavior, anti-tailgate mantraps, a building-within-a-building design, anti-climb perimeter fencing, concrete bollards in front of building entryways, and an anti-ram security gate.

Ethical hackers are familiar to the world of cybersecurity. As cybersecurity awareness increases in physical security, they are also playing a larger role to ensure the safety of networked and information technologies used in our market. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What is the role of ‘ethical hackers’ to ensure cybersecurity of networked products in the physical security market?

The new year 2019 is brimming with possibilities for the physical security industry, but will those possibilities prove to be good news or bad news for our market? Inevitably, it will be a combination of good and bad, but how much good and how bad? We wanted to check the temperature of the industry as it relates to expectations for the new year, so we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How optimistic is your outlook for the physical security industry in 2019? Why?

The concept of how security systems can contribute to the broader business goals of a company is not new. It seems we have been talking about benefits of security systems beyond “just” security for more than a decade. Given the expanding role of technologies in the market, including video and access control, at what point is the term “security” too restrictive to accurately describe what our industry does? We asked the Expert Panel Roundtable for their responses to this premise: Is the description “security technology” too narrow given the broader application possibilities of today’s systems? Why?