Cyber security

Aqua Security announced that its Aqua Container Security Platform (CSP) has been certified by CIS Benchmarks to compare the configuration status of Kubernetes clusters against the consensus-based best practice standards contained in the CIS Kubernetes Benchmark. Organizations that leverage Aqua CSP can now ensure that the configurations of their critical assets align with the CIS Benchmarks consensus-based practice standards. “We are thrilled to have our platform certified by the CIS for the Kubernetes Benchmark,” said Amir Jerbi, CTO and co-founder at Aqua. “This certification is a testament to the rigorous security testing performed by our platform, and our commitment to providing enterprise customers with solutions that enable them to meet CIS best practice standards and maximize the security posture of their Kubernetes clusters.” Aqua Container Security Platform (CSP) Aqua’s platform is used by more than 100 of Global 1000 companies, securing their container-based and cloud native applications, on-prem and in the cloud, supporting both Linux and Windows runtime environments, across Kubnernetes as well as other orchestrators. The Aqua platform drives DevSecOps automation and provides visibility and runtime protection for cloud native workloads, including both host-level and network-level controls. The CIS Benchmarks program is a trusted, independent authority that facilitates the collaboration of public and private industry experts This certification is issued by CIS (Center for Internet Security, Inc.) and reflects proven guidelines that are continuously refined and verified by a volunteer, global community of experienced IT professionals. “Cybersecurity challenges are mounting daily, which makes the need for standard configurations imperative. By certifying its product with CIS, Aqua Security has demonstrated its commitment to actively solve the foundational problem of ensuring standard configurations are used throughout a given enterprise,” said Curtis Dukes, CIS Executive Vice President of Security Best Practices & Automation Group. CIS Certified Security Software Products In order for a product to receive the CIS Benchmarks Certification, a vendor must adapt its product to accurately report to the security recommendations in the associated CIS Benchmarks profile. CIS Certified Security Software Products demonstrate a strong commitment by the vendors to provide their customers with the ability to ensure their assets are secured according to consensus-based best practice standards. The CIS Benchmarks program is a trusted, independent authority that facilitates the collaboration of public and private industry experts to achieve consensus on practical and actionable solutions. CIS Benchmarks are recommended as industry-accepted system hardening standards and are used by organizations in meeting compliance requirements for Federal Information Security Management Act, PCI, Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act and other security requirements.

Genetec Inc. (“Genetec”), a technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations, and business intelligence solutions announced that Security Center Omnicast, its video management system (VMS), received the UL 2900-2-3 Level 3 cybersecurity certification. A long-standing advocate for cybersecurity and the ‘Security of Security’, Genetec participated in the UL evaluation process, which today validates its resilience against cyber-attack with the highest Level 3 (L3) assessment certification. UL’s Cybersecurity Assurance Program (CAP) tests network-connectable products and systems against established criteria from the UL 2900 series of cybersecurity standards. Following a standardized methodology, the UL 2900-2-3 standard applies a three-tiered evaluation model, ranking with an increasing level of security for each tier. Three Levels Of Certification The Level 3, which has been achieved by Security Center Omnicast, includes a series of checks including fuzz testing, code and binary analysis, penetration testing, risk assessment methodology, and vulnerability testing. Genetec ranks at the top in its industry for cybersecurity resilience and trust""UL is a globally recognized safety and security solutions company dedicated to promoting safe environments. The UL 2900-2-3 certification was created with three possible levels of certifications to test physical security systems for cybersecurity integrity,” said Chris Hasbrook, UL’s Vice President & General Manager, Building & Life Safety Technologies Division. “After passing our most challenging testing processes, Genetec ranks at the top in its industry for cybersecurity resilience and trust,” added Hasbrook. Validating The ‘Security Of Security’ Initiative “Many security companies claim to follow cybersecurity best practices, noting that their software and systems are ‘hardened’ against cyber-attacks. By participating in this certification process, our Level 3 ranking proves and validates the Genetec ‘Security of Security’ initiative—which we have been sharing with our channel partners, integrators, press, and end-users for many years now,” said Mathieu Chevalier, Lead Security Architect, Genetec Inc. “We’ve always taken an active approach to architecting our unified security solutions with intelligent and fastidious attention to cybersecurity,” added Chevalier.

Created more than 20 years ago, the French firm COSSILYS21 offers intelligent video-protection solutions. It equips major national banks, numerous regional banks, as well as shops. The COSSILYS21 firm is nowadays a reference in the banking sector. COSSILYS21 and FOXSTREAM have established a strong partnership for several years. When Mister Alain Ghaye, CEO and main shareholder of COSSILYS21, decided to hand over its firm to retire, the idea of bringing closer the two firms naturally made its way. This project was carried out in cooperation with the Managing Director of COSSILYS21, Mister François Bureau, entirely associated in this take-over project. Dealing With Technological Challenges The skills of these two teams represent a powerful asset to deal with tomorrow’s technological challenges, the Cloud, deep learning, cybersecurity"“COSSILYS21 offers a know-how in video manipulation and in the management of server farms. Their offer is strongly complementary to FOXSTREAM’s offer, as our know-how is oriented towards video analysis,” states Jean-Baptiste Ducatez, FOXSTREAM’s CEO. “The skills of these two teams represent a powerful asset to deal with tomorrow’s technological challenges in our market, the Cloud, deep learning, cybersecurity... It is a beautiful human adventure that begins.” “It is a strategic and industrial alliance of two growing companies, both recognized in their sectors,” adds François Bureau, Managing Director of COSSILYS21. “The synergy of both our technologies and our skills will allow our two firms to enhance our clients’ satisfaction. Starting 2019, an ambitious investment plan will reinforce our innovation capacities.” After the purchase of the firm BLUE EYE VIDEO at the end of 2014, FOXSTREAM now acquires COSSILYS21 and confirms its ambition to be a leading actor, strongly present in cutting-edge technologies, on the French and international security and flow management markets.

Global cybersecurity firm, GRA Quantum announces the launch of its Security Operations Center and Managed Security Services offering. Over the last 24 months, GRA Quantum has successfully partnered with clients in special requests to support managed security services functions. Offering these stand-alone services through an onsite Security Operations Center is new to the organization. 24/7 Cybersecurity Monitoring Earlier this year we built a state-of-the-art Security Operations Center" According to GRA Quantum’s President Tom Boyden, “Earlier this year we built a state-of-the-art Security Operations Center in response to growing requests from our clients to provide day-to-day 24/7 cybersecurity monitoring, alerting, and incident handling. Our clients want to strengthen their security stance while transferring the daily burden of security functions to a team of experts. And our tailored Managed Security Services offering is designed to do just that.” Jennifer Greulich joined the team to lead the Security Operations Center as the Director of Managed Security Services. She brings a passion for keeping high-risk organizations secure, with over 13 years of experience in IT and cybersecurity. Greulich shares, “I’m excited to be part of the GRA Quantum team. We’re offering a unique program with a technology-agnostic approach that will allow us to adopt the best-in-class-technology for our Security Operations Center and our clients, including Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and Managed Detection Response and Remediation (MDR) capabilities.” In conjunction with the launch of the Managed Security Services Offering, GRA Quantum experts will be conducting complimentary security assessments for interested parties.

Today, more and more video security cameras are increasingly connected to the internet and transitioning into intelligent sensors that collect significantly more data than video security images alone. However, as this level of connectivity and collection of business-sensitive data becomes more widespread, the threat from cybercrime also rises. This is clearly an issue that affects everyone. After all, nobody is immune from cybercrime, not even the experts, which raises the question: What is the viewpoint of the experts when it comes to data security? Geoff Kohl, Senior Director of Marketing for the Security Industry Association, was keen to get the opinions of those who are experiencing the current situation with regard to data protection, and its impact on video security, first-hand. What follows is an outline of the discussion with Gregor Schlechtriem, Senior Vice President business unit Security of Bosch Building Technologies, a global player in video surveillance, and Pierre Racz, CEO of Genetec, who are world-renowned for their software in the safety and security domain. End-To-End Security System According to the experts, data security starts with an end-to-end solution The introduction of a key statistic started the conversation: by 2025, it is expected that 75 billion devices will be connected to the Internet. Clearly, this also impacts video security as it is no longer isolated and part of a ‘closed’ system; it has become part of the IoT. Therefore, the focus cannot remain solely on image quality and the reduction of bitrates; equal prominence must be given to data security. According to the experts, data security starts with an end-to-end solution. For example, the consequences of having an unprotected computer inside your firewall are immeasurable; it’s like an open door to cyber criminals. To successfully minimize the risks the complete video security infrastructure needs to be considered, rather than single components. This is a key advantage of an end-to-end security system that eliminates potential weak links. Secure Communication Between Trusted Devices So, end-to-end data security solutions have their advocates, but what makes them so persuasive, and effective? Well, solutions such as those developed by Bosch and Genetec are designed to safeguard communication between trusted devices, ensure that video in transit (streamed) or in storage remains encrypted and any commands and configurations to control cameras and other devices are transmitted via a secure channel (HTTPS). When one side questions the design of the other we accept that the observation is accurate" To achieve this effectively requires collaboration, which is why, according to Geoff Kohl, an ecosystem of trusted partners is invaluable, “Risk is not the responsibility of one company. Everyone has to be working together. Bosch and Genetec are obviously doing this.” To support Geoff’s opinion, Pierre Racz believes that trust is a quality to be earned, not bought. A case in point is the 15-year working relationship between Bosch and Genetec, “The engineers know each other. We have a trusted relationship, so when one side questions the design of the other we accept that the observation is accurate.” Management Of Massive Data In what ways can more focus be applied to data security? Although the basic task of video security systems remains unchanged, new technologies are consistently being introduced that offer new possibilities. An example of this is IP technology which, when combined with the increasing computation power, enables video security cameras to capture images of a quality that was previously unimaginable. GDPR instills an obligation to guarantee privacy by design According to Gregor Schlechtriem, “As the industry moves to delivering great image quality it creates new challenges, like how to intelligently manage the massive influx of data. On the other hand, video security devices connected to the internet and the wealth of their collective data is a fantastic enabler for new opportunities.”Video security has undergone substantial changes and offer limitless possibilities He is also of the opinion that video security data should be viewed as business tool that provides insights to improve efficiency, increase security or create new business opportunities. It is clear that, compared to the earlier days, other departments, like marketing, are getting more interested in video security data. Meanwhile, as CEO of Genetec, Pierre Racz confirms that video security has undergone substantial changes and offer limitless possibilities. The change to a digital (IP) infrastructure enables the use of video analytics that deliver metadata. This metadata adds sense and structure to video data and provides metrics such as speed, direction, color, size, object class and trajectory. The result of this enriched, more business-focused video data collection is a deeper level of business intelligence. Minimizing Risks Gregor Schlechtriem is only too aware that this level of connectivity also brings a higher level of risk, “Because there is valuable information included in videos we have to focus more on data security, and think beyond the basic tasks of a security system.” Pierre Racz agrees.A digital infrastructure and connectivity opens up countless opportunities The consequences of being hacked are clearly front of mind for him, “If we turn on the news today we can see the circus that has resulted from the global chaos caused by a recent cyber-breach.” By focusing on minimizing these risks, Pierre Racz believes that IoT and the technology enabling us to collect and interpret video data will outweigh the risks and provide improvements in health, and wealth. The key learning here is that a digital infrastructure and connectivity opens up countless opportunities, as expressed by Gregor Schlechtriem, “It is the enabler to generate valuable data for your business, to understand what’s going on with video analytics at the edge and derive invaluable data for situational awareness to improve your business. If you don’t use IP, you miss out.” The change to a digital (IP) infrastructure enables the use of video analytics that deliver metadata Operational Efficiency Pierre Racz agrees, “Compared to video cassettes we can provide so much more value with the kind of technology that can be initially utilized for security, but then leveraged for operational efficiency and even shared with other departments, such as marketing.” He also believes that, although the economic lifetime of analog equipment is almost double that of digital equipment, analog is a low pass filter, so image quality is limited to standards established in 1937. As Geoff concludes the interview and the various opinions are assessed, it’s clear that the end-to-end data security solutions such as those employed by Bosch and Genetec are the way forward for video data security. GDPR Influence Considering the recent changes in European regulations, Geoff Kohl of the Security Industry Association now invites invited Gregor Schlechtriem and Pierre Racz to briefly share their thoughts regarding GDPR – one of the first official data protection acts – and its impact on solutions and business models. If these regulations are applied to Facebook, the resultant penalty will be $1.6b"Pierre Racz highlights the recent Facebook case, “If these regulations are applied to Facebook, a technologically savvy company with $40b of revenue, the resultant penalty will be $1.6b. There is no better example of why data negligence and fiduciary irresponsibility is simply unacceptable.” Gregor Schlechtriem’s point of view is that GDPR instills an obligation to guarantee privacy by design, therefore it should influence any business model from the moment of conception. “You have to bring the right ingredients to the table to guarantee privacy, it’s the responsibility of the system owner. That’s why we analyzed our systems to ensure our technology was capable of meeting the requirements.” And, of course, trust. But the significance of this to people's everyday lives must also be considered; a sentiment which Pierre Racz captures perfectly, “Privacy is our democratic right.”

Today’s security leaders encounter many challenges. They have to operate with reduced budgets and face challenging and evolving risks on a daily basis. Security leaders are often ignored and only called upon when needed or in disaster situations. Many don’t have an ongoing relationship with the C-suite because the C-suite doesn’t understand the value they bring to the whole business. In order to resolve these challenges, a security leader can apply a risk-based approach to their security program. According to  dictionary.com, risk is “exposure to the chance of injury or loss; a hazard or dangerous chance”. Risk is broader than a security concern and involves the entire business.  Through utilizing a 3R model - considering resources, risks and resolutions - a security leader can evaluate the output from the model to build the foundation of a strong plan. This allows the leader to make security decisions based on a quantified risk measure. A business determines what resources it wants to protect, what risks it needs to protect the resources from and what resolutions it can put in place to mitigate the risk. Decisions are based on measurable evidence. Free online risk assessment tools are available to provide a fast, easy way to determine an organisation's basic security risks through an investigative approach The 3 Rs The first step in the 3R model is to figure out what resources need protection. This could be physical - such as buildings, critical infrastructure or valuable equipment, knowledge-based - such as intellectual property, or organizational - such as people or governance structure. Understanding the business will help the security leader develop a list of critical elements. Look for tangible resources such as buildings and machinery, and intangible resources like reputation, knowledge and processes. Second, determine what the resources need to be protected from. Anything that threatens harm to the organization, its mission, its employees, customers, partners, its operations or its reputation could be at risk. These can include contextual risks (workplace safety or natural disasters), criminal risks (theft or cybercrime) or business risks (compliance or legal issues).  Anything that threatens harm to the organisation, its mission, its employees, customers, partners, its operations or its reputation could be at riskFree online risk assessment tools are available to provide a fast, easy way to determine an organization's basic security risks through an investigative approach. The tools ask several questions and determine risk based on an organization’s location and the answers provided. Security leaders can also work with security companies and consultants that offer risk assessments to determine their company’s needs, and then offer solutions based on that assessment. The third objective is to determine how businesses can best protect the identified resource. The last of the 3 Rs - resolutions - are those security activities that enable the business to mitigate the impact of security risks. Resolutions can potentially prevent a security incident from occurring, contain the impact to resources if an event does occur and also assist the organization in recovering from an impact more quickly or easily.   The first step in the 3R model is to figure out what resources need protection, this could physical such as buildings or critical infrastructure   The Path Forward Understanding what risks a business faces in totality provides an opportunity for the security leader to collaborate with other department heads. This gives security leaders an opportunity to engage with functions outside their norm as well as a chance to demonstrate their subject matter expertise. A risk-based approach also helps security leaders fully understand an organization’s needs and concerns, which they can communicate to the C-suite to help them make better business decisions. Metrics can also help business leaders understand the cost/benefit of resolutions C-suite and executives help define an acceptable level of security risk tolerance to resources and make quality, educated decisions about mitigating security risks. Through collaborating with security leaders using a risk-based approach and the 3R model, metrics and reports show the impact of security expenses, and there is a transparent view of security risk. The final decision about how to mitigate and resolve risks is up to the business owner of the resource and the risk stakeholders. To obtain funding, show the risk and value of resources exposed to potential impact. Then present the recommended resolution that reduces the potential level of impact and the associated cost benefit savings. By providing this information, security leaders can ensure that the business owners can make an educated decision. Measuring Success A risk-based approach aligns the security mission with the organization’s mission. Security leaders should have these conversations with their business leaders on a regular basis. Understanding the thresholds of risk tolerance and showing when incidents or activities are trending outside of acceptable boundaries will help business leaders make educated decisions.  The 3R model also helps a business to track occurrences, quantify the direct and ancillary impact and make continuous adjustments to the security program Determining a baseline of acceptance gives a foundation for security leaders to point out when the organization is not meeting its own requirements. Metrics can also help business leaders understand the cost/benefit of resolutions and demonstrate when costs may be trending outside of acceptable boundaries. The 3R model also helps a business to track occurrences, quantify the direct and ancillary impact and make continuous adjustments to the security program. It is important to note that this process is not stagnant, and needs to be constantly revisited. Examining risks, resources and resolutions in a systematic way will help security leaders understand what they are protecting Defining Risks And Vulnerabilities Continuous conversations using the 3R model also help business leaders understand what security risks could interfere with meeting business objectives. It also aligns the total cost of ownership for the security program with the business value of the resources at risk. The approach puts the security risk decisions in the hands of the ones impacted by those risksAnd it defines the security role as risk management, not just task management. The approach puts the security risk decisions in the hands of the ones impacted by those risks…the “owners” of the resources. Examining risks, resources and resolutions in a systematic way will help security leaders understand what they are protecting, what they are protecting it from, and how they can help prevent, contain or recover against a specific risk. Followers of this approach are in a better position to ask for funding because they can clearly define and quantify risks and vulnerabilities. Applying these principles will equip security leaders with the knowledge needed to have better dialogue with colleagues in other departments, encouraging more proactive discussions about security.

From satellite imagery to street views to indoor mapping, technology has disrupted our past world. This has left us dependent upon new ways to visualise large spaces. This new world has brought many benefits and risks. But what does that mean for the security professional or facility manager today and what technologies can be used to secure buildings and improve facility operations? A Brief History Of 3D Technology Starting May 5, 2007 (inception 2001), Google rolled out Google Street View to augment Google Maps and Google Earth; documenting some of the most remote places on earth using a mix of sensors (Lidar/GSP/Radar/Imagery). The mission to map the world moved indoors May 2011 with Google Business Photos mapping indoor spaces with low cost 360° cameras under the Trusted Photographer program. In the earlier days, 3D scanning required a high level of specialization, expensive hardware and unavailable computing power With the growth of 3D laser scanning from 2007 onwards, the professional world embraced scanning as effective method to create digitised building information modeling (BIM), growing fast since 2007. BIM from scanning brought tremendous control, time and cost savings through the design and construction process, where As-Built documentation offered an incredible way to manage large existing facilities while reducing costly site visits. In the earlier days, 3D scanning required a high level of specialization, expensive hardware, unavailable computing power and knowledge of architectural software. Innovation during the past 8 year, have driven ease of use and lower pricing to encourage market adoption. Major investments in UAVs in 2014 and the commercial emergence of 360° photography began a new wave of adoption. While 3D scanners still range from $20K – $100K USD, UAVs can be purchased for under $1K USD and 360° cameras for as low as $100. UAVs and 360° cameras also offer a way to document large spaces in a fraction of the time of terrestrial laser scanners with very little technical knowledge.  Access to building plans, satellite imagery, Google Street View, indoor virtual tours and aerial drone reconnaissance prove effective tools to bad actors The result over the past 10+ years of technology advancement has been a faster, lower cost, more accessible way to create virtual spaces. However, the technology advances carry a major risk of misuse by bad actors at the same time. What was once reserved to military personal is now available publicly. Access to building plans, satellite imagery, Google Street View, indoor virtual tours and aerial drone reconnaissance prove effective tools to bad actors. Al Qaeda terror threats using Google Maps, 2007 UK troops hit by terrorists in Basra, 2008 Mumbai India attacks, 2016 Pakistan Pathankot airbase attacks, ISIS attacks in Syria using UAVs, well-planned US school shootings and high casualty attacks show evidence that bad actors frequently leverage these mapping technologies to plan their attacks. The weaponization of UAVs is of particular concern to the Department of Homeland Security: "We continue to face one of the most challenging threat environments since 9/11, as foreign terrorist organizations exploit the internet to inspire, enable or direct individuals already here in the homeland to commit terrorist acts."   Example comparison of reality capture on the left of BIM on the right. A $250 USD 360° camera was used for the capture in VisualPlan.net software What Does This Mean For The Security Or Facility Manager Today? An often overlooked, but critical vulnerability to security and facility managers is relying on inaccurate drawing. Most facilities managers today work with outdated 2D plan diagrams or old blueprints which are difficult to update and share.Critical vulnerability to security and facility managers is relying on inaccurate drawing Renovations, design changes and office layout changes leave facility managers with the wrong information, and even worse is that the wrong information is shared with outside consultants who plan major projects around outdated or wrong plans. This leads to costly mistakes and increased timelines on facility projects.  Example Benefits Of BIM There could be evidence of a suspect water value leak which using BIM could be located and then identified in the model without physical inspection; listing a part number, model, size and manufacture. Identification of vulnerabilities can dramatically help during a building emergency. First Responders rely on facilities managers to keep them updated on building plans and they must have immediate access to important building information in the event of a critical incident. Exits and entrances, suppression equipment, access control, ventilation systems, gas and explosives, hazmat, water systems, survival equipment and many other details must be at their fingertips. In an emergency situation this can be a matter of life or death. Example Benefit Of Reality Capture First Responders rely on facilities managers to keep them updated on building plans A simple 360° walk-through can help first responders with incident preparedness if shared by the facility manager. Police, fire and EMS can visually walk the building, locating all critical features they will need knowledge of in an emergency without ever visiting the building. You don’t require construction accuracy for this type of visual sharing. This is a solution and service we offer as a company today. Reality capture is rapidly becoming the benchmark for facility documentation and the basis from which a security plan can be built. Given the appropriate software, plans can be easily updated and shared.  They can be used for design and implementation of equipment, training of personnel and virtual audits of systems or security assessments by outside professionals. Our brains process visual information thousands of times faster than text. Not only that, we are much more likely to remember it once we do see it. Reality capture can help reduce the need for physical inspections, walk-throughs and vendor site-visits but more importantly, it provides a way to visually communicate far more effectively and accurately than before. But be careful with this information. You must prevent critical information falling into the hands of bad actors. You must watch out for bad actors attempting to use reality capture as a threat, especially photo/video/drones or digital information and plans that are posted publicly. Have a security protocol to prevent and confront individuals taking photos or video on property or flying suspect drones near your facility and report to the authorities. Require authorization before capturing building information and understand what the information will be used for and by who.There are a number of technologies to combat nefarious use of UAVs today Nefarious Use Of UAVs There are a number of technologies to combat nefarious use of UAVs today, such as radio frequency blockers and jammers, drone guns to down UAVs, detection or monitoring systems. Other biometrics technologies like facial recognition are being employed to counter the risk from UAVs by targeting the potential operators. UAVs are being used to spy and monitor for corporate espionage and stealing intellectual property. They are also used for monitoring security patrols for the purpose of burglary. UAVs have been used for transport and delivery of dangerous goods, delivering weapons and contraband and have the ability to be weaponised to carry a payload.Investigating reality capture to help with accurate planning and visualization of facilities is well worth the time The Federal Aviation Administration has prevented UAV flights over large event stadiums, prisons and coast guard bases based on the risks they could potentially pose, but waivers do exist. Be aware that it is illegal today to use most of these technologies and downing a UAV, if you are not Department of Justice or Homeland Security, could carry hefty penalties. Facility managers must have a way to survey and monitor their buildings for threats and report suspicious UAV behaviours immediately to authorities. At the same time, it’s critical to identify various potential risks to your wider team to ensure awareness and reporting is handled effectively. Having a procedure on how identify and report is important. Investigating reality capture to help with accurate planning and visualization of facilities is well worth the time. It can help better secure your facilities while increasing efficiencies of building operations. Reality capture can also help collaboration with first responders and outside professionals without ever having to step a foot in the door. But secure your data and have a plan for bad actors who will try to use the same technologies for nefarious goals.

ADT Inc.’s acquisition of Red Hawk Fire & Security, Boca Raton, Fla., is the latest move in ADT Commercial’s strategy to buy up security integrator firms around the country and grow their footprint. In addition to the Red Hawk acquisition, announced in mid-October, ADT has acquired more than a half-dozen security system integration firms in the last year or so.  Here’s a quick rundown of integrator companies acquired by ADT: Protec, a Pacific Northwest commercial integrator (Aug. 2017); MSE Security, the USA’s 27th largest commercial integrator (Sept 2017); Gaston Security, founded in 1994 as a video surveillance integration company and whose services have since expanded to include intrusion, access control, and perimeter protection (Oct. 2017); Aronson Security Group (ASG), which delivers risk and security program consultants and offers advanced integration services, consulting and design engineers and a National Program Management team (March 2018);  Acme Security Systems, among the largest privately held security systems integrators in the Bay Area, focusing on electronic security systems, access control, video networks and more (March 2018); Access Security Integration, a regional systems integrator specializing in design, delivery, installation and servicing of electronic security systems including enterprise-level access control, video and visitor management solutions, perimeter security and security operation command centers (Aug. 2018); In addition to their moves in the commercial integrator space, ADT has also sought to expand their presence in cybersecurity with the following two acquisitions: Datashield, specializing in Managed Detection and Response Services (Nov 2017); Secure Designs, Inc., specializing in design, implementation, monitoring, and managing network defense systems, including firewall services and intrusion prevention, to protect small business networks from a diverse and challenging set of global cyber threats (Aug. 2018). ADT has acquired more than a half-dozen security system integration firms in the last year or so For additional insights into ADT’s game plan and the strategy behind these acquisitions, we presented the following questions to Chris BenVau, ADT’s Senior Vice President of Enterprise Solutions. Q: ADT has been actively acquiring regional integrators this year – more than a half a dozen to date. Please describe the history of how ADT came to embrace a strategy of acquiring regional integrators as a route to growth? ADT's acquisition of Red Hawk is set to close in December, and brings premiere fire and life/safety solutions BenVau: Our acquisition strategy started at Protection 1 when we embarked on our journey to build out our commercial and national account business and add enhanced integration capabilities to our portfolio. The merger of Protection 1 and ADT brought that foundation to ADT which up to that point was primarily a residentially and SMB-focused company. After the merger, we set out to identify and acquire additional regional integrators that would continue to build on that foundation and deliver enhanced technical solutions, advanced technologies and an expanded service, install and support footprint. Through our acquisitions we now operate two Network Operations Centers and three Centers of Excellence. We are also unique in the industry with the number and variety of certifications, like Cisco and Meraki, our engineers hold which ultimately allows us to offer Managed Security as a Service. They have also enhanced our operational capabilities. Q: What criteria do you use to evaluate whether an integrator is a good “fit” for ADT? BenVau: First and foremost, we look at the culture of the companies. The companies that we target for acquisition must be metrics- and customer service-driven. Secondly, we look at the leadership teams. ADT view their acquisitions more like mergers and take a patient approach to integrating them into their business We have been fortunate in the fact the leadership of the companies we acquired remain with us today in key management and executive positions helping to drive continued growth within their organizations. We also evaluate their current customer base, unique solutions and their ability to complement and enhance our portfolio with the goal of becoming a leading full-service, enterprise commercial provider. Our acquisitions have bolstered our network capabilities, brought enterprise risk management services, and a broader solution set in high-end video and access control solutions. Our most recent acquisition – Red Hawk, set to close in December – brings us premiere fire and life/safety solutions. Q: What changes are typically needed after an integrator is acquired in order to adapt it to the ADT corporate model? BenVau: We view our acquisitions more like mergers and take a patient approach to integrating them into ADT while taking into account their culture. We want to ensure that we find the right positions for their people, embrace the right messaging and put the right processes in place. We acquire these companies because they are the best in their respective businesses and geographies and bring their knowledge and experience in markets or with solutions that we may not have had previous access to. ADT can support clients with their own in-house technicians which helps to ensure a consistent security program Q: How can regional integrators benefit from the ADT brand? Have your newly acquired integrators realised additional growth? BenVau: The companies we have acquired, generally, have exceeded expectations and surpassed initial goals. ADT brings expanded opportunities for these companies as well with our national footprint. Our National Account Sales Team has seen impressive growth over the years and are only limited by our ability to deliver. These integrators help to deliver on that. In the past, the regional players may have had to rely on sub-contractors to service their larger clients. With ADT, we can now support those clients with our own in-house technicians which helps to ensure a consistent security program across multiple locations.Our National Account Sales Team has seen impressive growth over the years and are only limited by our ability to deliver" Q: Are additional integrator acquisitions planned this year and into 2019? How much is enough and when will it end (or slow down significantly)? BenVau: We expect to close on our latest acquisition, Red Hawk, before the end of 2018. Red Hawk brings a national footprint focused on fire/life safety and security to ADT. While ADT already had a robust security offering, Red Hawk will contribute significantly to the fire side of the business. In addition, we will continue to evaluate the companies in the industry to determine if additional acquisitions make sense. Q: Do you expect greater consolidation of the integrator channel in the industry as a whole? Why is this a good time for consolidation? Is it a good M&A market for buyers like ADT? BenVau: We will continue to evaluate companies in the industry to determine if further acquisitions make sense. As for the industry, we can only speak for ourselves. Q: What other trend(s) do you see in the industry that will impact ADT (on the commercial side) in the next year or so, and how?Our focus is on investing in our field organization, in particular our service technicians, engineers and project management teams" BenVau: Networking is a big one. As we continue to drive integration of devices and services, from AI, “the cloud,” machine learning and even analytics, there will be more focus on the network they ride on. A deeper knowledge of network design, bandwidth impact, and system integration will be critical. As part of our acquisition strategy, we focused on talent to add to the team and have been able to add to our bench strength in this area. Q: Any other comments/insights you wish to share about ADT’s strategy, future, and role in the larger physical security marketplace? BenVau: Our focus is on investing in our field organization, in particular our service technicians, engineers and project management teams. The cornerstone of our success lies in our ability to deliver outstanding customer support and service. It starts with sales and the ability to deliver security and life safety technologies, but it ends with a delighted customer who partners with us to help secure the things that matter most to them. Our recent acquisitions have more than doubled our commercial field operations teams and are key to establishing the ADT Commercial brand as a leading full-service provider of enterprise solutions to the marketplace.

Security and Safety Things GmbH (SAST) is a new company that has announced its vision for an Internet of Things (IoT) platform for the next generation of security cameras. The Bosch startup plans to build a global ecosystem for the development of innovative security camera applications. Based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), SAST provides libraries, an API framework, and codecs for developers to work with. The SAST App Store will allow developers to build and market new applications, similar to today’s app stores for smartphone applications. We presented some questions to Nikolas Mangold-Takao, VP Product Management and Marketing, about the new venture, and here are his responses: Q: Why a new company now? What technology innovations have made this a good time to launch this company? The time is right to bring market needs and technological innovations together on one platform"Mangold-Takao: From a technical perspective we see two main drivers: increasing computing power at the edge and increasing internet connectivity, which will enable devices to directly communicate with each other and bring new technologies such as artificial intelligence also to the security and safety industry. At the same time, we see that this industry and its users are hungry for more innovative solutions – addressing new security needs while at the same leveraging the possibility to improve business operations for specific verticals, e.g. retail and transportation. The time is right to bring market needs and technological innovations together on one platform for this industry. Q: Why does SAST need to be a separate entity from Bosch? Mangold-Takao: SAST is setup as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bosch Group. We wanted to make sure that SAST is able to underline its role as an industry standard platform across multiple players. SAST is open to get additional investors and is being setup as a startup in its own offices in Munich to foster the environment where speed and innovation can more easily take place. Having said that, several entities of the Bosch Group are very interesting partners for SAST.  The SAST App Store will allow developers to build and market new applications, similar to today’s app stores for smartphone applications Q: Please explain your "value proposition" to the industry. Mangold-Takao: We will bring new innovations and possibilities to the security and safety industry by providing an open, secure and standardized Operating System for video security cameras, to also address pressing issues such as cyber security and data privacy concerns. Devices that run then with the SAST operating system will work with an application marketplace provided and operated by SAST. Integrators and users can then use these apps from this marketplace to deploy additional functionality on these devices. With our platform we will be able to build up a community of app developers, including the ones not yet developing for this industry who have expertise in computer vision and artificial intelligence. Q: It seems what you are doing has parallels with the Apple and Android "app" stores. How is your approach the same (and how is it different) than those approaches? We are setting up SAST as a user-centric company and involve selected users very early on in the process"Mangold-Takao: The approach is similar in the way that we plan to generate revenue by operating the application marketplace and thus participate in the app revenue. The difference is that there is much more needed than apps and cameras to create a complete working solution addressing a user problem in this industry – we need to make sure that our own platform as well as the new applications being created will work as a part of an end-to-end solution. Q: "Critical mass" and wide industry participation seem to be requirements for your success. How will you achieve those goals? Will you involve integrators, consultants, or other parties in addition to manufacturers (to drive awareness)? How? Mangold-Takao: SAST is in close exchange with device manufacturers, integrators and consultants, as well as application developers and large end-users at the moment to ensure that we are building the right platform and ecosystem for this industry. We are setting up SAST as a user-centric company and involve selected users very early on in the process. We will run dedicated programs and hackathons to attract app developers, already active and new to our industry. We will also run selected pilots with end-users throughout 2019 to ensure we have all partners involved early on. SAST sees the industry is hungry for more innovative solutions – with the retail vertical market a target for these solutions Q: What timeline do you foresee in terms of implementing these initiatives? Mangold-Takao: While we start with first app development programs and plan our first pilots already for this year, we are planning our commercial launch for end of 2019. Q: How does your new company relate to the new Open Security & Safety Alliance (OSSA)? Mangold-Takao: The Open Security and Safety Alliance has been working very closely with SAST over the past year, defining some important concepts and elements required. One of the most important elements is an open and standardized Operating System, specific to this industry, which will then bring forward new innovative technologies and solutions. SAST is actively working on this Operating System, based on Android Open Source Project (ASOP), but is evolved and hardened with industry-specific features. Q: What's the biggest thing you want the security industry to understand about SAST? What is your "message" to the industry? Mangold-Takao: Our message is simple: let’s build better security and safety systems – together! But for real, innovating an industry is a joint effort, we can only bring new innovation to this industry with partners who share our vision and are excited about new technology. At the same time, we strongly believe that our platform allows every partner to bring forward what they do best but also invite new partners to our industry.

I have been thinking a lot about the U.S. government’s ban on video surveillance technologies by Hikvision and Dahua. In general, I question the wisdom and logic of the ban and am frankly puzzled as to how it came to be. Allow me to elaborate. Chinese Camera Manufacturers Reality check: The government ban is based on concerns about the potential misuse of cameras, not actual misuse. Before the government ban, you occasionally heard about some government entities deciding not to use cameras manufactured by Chinese companies, although the reasons were mostly “in an abundance of caution.”  Even so, I find the targeting of two Chinese companies – three if you count Hytera Communications, a mobile radio manufacturer – in a huge government military spending bill to be a little puzzling. I can’t quite picture how these specific companies got on Congress’s radar. The government ban is based on concerns about the potential misuse of cameras, not actual misuse What level of lobbying or backroom dealing was involved in getting the ban introduced (by a Missouri congresswoman) into the House version of the bill? And after the ban was left out of the Senate version, was there a new wave of discussions to ensure it was included in the joint House-Senate version (with some minor changes, and who negotiated those?). It all seems a little random. Concerns For The U.S. Furthermore, the U.S. ban solves neither of the two main concerns that are generally used as its justification: Concern: Cybersecurity. The U.S. ban “solves” the issue of cybersecurity only if both of the following statements are true. No security system that uses a Hikvision or Dahua camera or other component is cybersecure. Any system that does not use a Hikvision or Dahua camera or other component is cybersecure. What level of lobbying or backroom dealing was involved in getting the ban introduced into the House version of the bill? The ban ignores the breadth and complexity of cybersecurity and instead offers up two companies as scapegoats. Our industry has sought to address cybersecurity, and the one principle that has guided that effort is that cybersecurity is an issue that must be addressed by manufacturers, consultants, integrators and end users – in effect, everyone in the industry. Cybersecurity does not begin and end with the manufacturer and banning any manufacturers from the market does not ensure better cybersecurity. Concern: “Untrustworthy” Chinese companies. Hikvision and Dahua are only two Chinese companies. Any response to concerns about whether Chinese companies are trustworthy would need to cover many more companies that manufacture their products in China. Australian TV recently claimed that “All Chinese companies pose a risk. Because of Chinese laws, there is a requirement for companies to be engaged in espionage on behalf of the state.” Even if one embraces that extreme view, the logic fails when only two companies are targeted. One source told me that 60 to 65 percent of the global supply of commercial video cameras are manufactured in China, so it’s a much bigger issue than two companies.The Chinese government has much more effective ways of conducting espionage than exploiting security cameras And is U.S. security at risk unless or until it is cut off from more than half of the world’s supply of video cameras? Even Western camera companies manufacture some of their cameras and/or components in China. Why name only two (or three) companies, only one of which has ties to the Chinese government? If the goal of the U.S. ban was to address the possibility of cybersecurity and/or espionage by the Chinese government, shouldn’t there be other companies and product categories included? Clearly, video surveillance is not the only category that has the potential for abuse. The Chinese government has much more effective ways of conducting espionage than exploiting security cameras. Global Response To U.S. Ban And now that the U.S. ban has been passed, how is the ban being misused to justify a new level of alarm about Chinese companies? Australian television effortlessly made the leap from “software backdoors” to a concerted and organized effort by the Chinese government to use cameras to be the “number one country for espionage.” And it’s not just about government facilities: “Even on the street, [cameras] have the potential to inadvertently contribute toward Chinese espionage activity by providing real-time information about the situation on the ground,” says the Australian TV report. If all Chinese companies pose a risk, why is the U.S. government targeting specific companies rather than all Chinese companies? If all Chinese companies pose a risk, why is the U.S. government targeting specific companies rather than all Chinese companies, or at least those with electronics or computer products that could be used for espionage? What about the espionage potential of the 70% of mobile phones that are made in China? What about other consumer electronics such as PCs or smart TVs? How many government facilities that are eliminating Dahua and Hikvision cameras have employees who use iPhones or use other electronic equipment from China? Artificial Intelligence & IP-Over-Coax Also, consider the impact of the ban on business. Hikvision and Dahua have had many successes in the video surveillance market, including in the U.S. market. They have added value to many integrators and end user customers. They have been on the forefront of important trends such as artificial intelligence and IP-over-coax. And, yes, they have made technologies available at lower prices.Cybersecurity issues have plagued several companies in the industry, not just Hikvision and Dahua Cybersecurity issues have plagued several companies in the industry, not just these two, and both Hikvision and Dahua have worked to fix past problems, and to raise awareness of cybersecurity concerns in general. Is a U.S. ban on two companies an appropriate response to a series of geo-political concerns that are much bigger than those two companies (and bigger than our entire market)? Should two companies take the brunt of the anti-Chinese backlash? Video Surveillance Cameras Is the video surveillance market as a whole better or worse for the presence of Hikvision and Dahua? Is it up to the U.S. government to make that call? In some ways, thoughts of Chinese espionage are a sign of these uncertain political times. Fear of video surveillance is perfectly congruent with long-standing anxieties about “Big Brother;” suspicion about China taking over our video cameras just rings true at a time when Russia is (supposedly) controlling our elections. But should two companies be targeted while broader concerns are shrugged off?

Ping Identity, the pioneer in Identity Defined Security, announced that its Ping Intelligent Identity Platform powers the engine behind HP Identity (HP ID), an enterprise-wide unified identity management ecosystem. The HP ID initiative is designed to up level customer and partner experiences by providing them with a single identity across all of their HP applications, whether in the cloud or on-premises.  With a focus on driving customer experiences, HP selected the Ping Identity platform deployed in Amazon Web Services (AWS). This achieved its goal of instituting a single and highly secure identity and access management (IAM) platform across its entire global customer and partner-facing platform. Single Sign-on For 150 Million Customers Ping’s customer IAM platform provides performance and scalability that can keep pace with HP’s continued innovation and growth"The HP ID platform is used by more than 100 business applications and enables single sign-on for over 150 million customer and partner identities across the world, plus thousands more being added each day. Before HP ID, the company was managing more than a dozen separate legacy IAM and authentication systems. User identities were previously housed across disparate data silos, creating a disjointed customer experience. Reinventing Customer Experiences HP Product Manager Jared Meier sums up the success of HP ID, “Ping’s customer IAM platform provides performance and scalability that can keep pace with HP’s continued innovation and growth. Now, customers have a seamless experience when they authenticate across our digital properties.” “Ping and HP share a common vision of innovation, great customer experiences and technology that makes life better for everyone, everywhere,” added Andre Durand, CEO, Ping Identity. “We’re proud to support HP in reinventing customer experiences through identity.”

Premier League football club Everton FC has deployed SureCloud’s GDPR suite to manage and monitor its data and GDPR compliance, enabling the club to work towards GDPR compliance, optimize internal processes and position it strategically for the future. The solution replaced Everton FC’s manual data mapping and processing methods. Manual Data Mapping And Processing Everton FC’s databases are extensive, containing details on over 32,000 season ticket holders and over 600,000 registered fans, with details on around 360 employees, players, agents, suppliers, and individuals associated with the club’s community charity and partner school. Much of this information is sensitive. This data and all of the processes associated with it were being manually managed and tracked in a series of Excel spreadsheets. With multiple requests and queries to respond to every day, the club’s Data Protection Officer was struggling to record and manage smaller ad hoc queries, incidents, and tasks. With GDPR due to place much tighter restrictions on how the club processed, managed and shared its data – as well as on the reporting of any incidents that did occur – the club needed a more comprehensive and reliable tool in place before 25th May 2018. SureCloud Platform The club approached its long-standing IT support provider NCC to find a solution. NCC recommended the SureCloud GDPR Suite, delivered on the SureCloud platform. After SureCloud had successfully demonstrated the ability to provide full visibility for management and automation of GDPR processes across the organization, Everton FC selected its cloud-based suite of solutions. Two dashboards were created according to Everton FC’s specific needs Two dashboards were created according to Everton FC’s specific needs: one to show all data mapping and transfers, including where data is being held and who it is being shared with; and one showing incidents and requests, including a subject request register and incident tracker path. This gives an immediate overview of which requests are still outstanding, such as a request for an individual’s personal information to be erased from the database. SureCloud GDPR Suite The five applications Everton FC chose to deploy from the SureCloud GDPR Suite were: GDPR Program Tracker - to enable the club to map all its disparate data and workflows using intelligent risk-based questions GDPR Management – to provide all mandatory GDPR business-as-usual processes Information Asset Management - to record and maintain the club’s entire data inventory Compliance Management for GDPR - to help Everton FC speed up their process of attaining compliance and on-going real-time risk remediation Incident Management for GDPR – to meet the GDPR requirement to log, track and notify the ICO of any data breaches, should an incident arise Ian Garratt, Data Protection Officer at Everton FC said: “The penalties for not achieving GDPR compliance are severe – up to 4% of our revenues, or €20 million. It was imperative that we got a solution in place that could not only help us achieve GDPR compliance but would also make it quick and easy for us to demonstrate that compliance at any point, on request. SureCloud’s GDPR Suite fit the bill.” Centralized Data Management Now, all of Everton FC’s disparate data are mapped, risk-assessed and tracked in a single centralized system “We are now tracking and recording every single data request in a centralized way. With NCC’s support, SureCloud’s solution has brought a comprehensive clarity to our data processing that was impossible to achieve with manual spreadsheets. The system is so intuitive; it has helped us streamline multiple processes and undertake impact assessments that we couldn’t handle before.” Now, all of Everton FC’s disparate data are mapped, risk-assessed and tracked in a single centralized system. All changes and requests are automatically tracked so that activity records and data audits can be produced at the click of a button. Should an incident like a suspected data breach occur, it is identified and reported immediately and automatically. The club’s data protection team can select which asset has been affected and immediately determine the severity of the incident and whether it needs to be reported to the ICO. Should it need to be escalated, the report is available instantly. Data Processing, Documentation And Risk Management Ian Garratt added: “The SureCloud GDPR Suite isn’t just a compliance tool; it’s a comprehensive management tool. We now have a continuous, real-time status of where we are and what we need to be doing in terms of data processing, documentation and risk management. It would have simply been impossible to achieve this manually. SureCloud has not only helped us to work towards GDPR compliance they have optimized our internal processes and positioned us strategically for the future.” In addition to deploying five applications within the GDPR suite, SureCloud is currently adapting its Incident Assessment tool to meet Everton FC’s specific requirements.

Living in the era of global village, everything is rapid change. To keep up with the pace, the large-scale enterprises need to take every movement of branches in control, ensuring every policy has delivered well. HQ-Branch management, including central control, alarm synchronization, data retention and protection is becoming a great important challenge to enterprises nowadays. Without integrating lots of systems and management tools, Surveon HQ-Branch security solutions provide VMS with easy remote deployment, advanced VA for alerts and post events search, storage with large capacities for 365-day recording, and local /remote replication through NAS or ISCSI, supporting headquarters (HQ) to easily manage all branches. Surveon Control Center And Enterprise NVRs Surveon Control Center provides enterprises with an easy remote deploymentUnlimited number of cameras, users, NVRs, and monitors are supported in one domain architecture, Surveon Control Center (SCC), which provides enterprises with an easy remote deployment. Its monitor wall can be set up with any combination of camera views, making HQ can be easier awarded every branch's movements. Surveon NVR embedded 12 Video Analytics which can identify and initiate alerts for various user-defined events, offering effective monitoring, detections, alerts, and responses to events for enterprises. For example, intrusion detection can prevent uninvited people from entering the sensitive areas. Moreover, the advanced Post VA Search provides enterprises an efficient tool to quickly identify useful information and relative footage from hundreds of hours of video recording, reducing the time and efforts of HQ security manager, making HQ-branch surveillance system more efficient. Data Retention And Storage Surveon Enterprise NVRs provide large capacities for 365-day non-stopping recordingThe data retention of recorded videos and the system which can support hundreds of camera records are of great importance to the planning of enterprise surveillance. Surveon Enterprise NVRs provide large capacities for 365-day non-stopping recording, fulfilling the long-time storage requirements from enterprises. Surveon NVR supports remote replication through NAS or ISCSI. Enterprise can keep 1st copy in local branch and 2nd copy in remote HQ. If the source data fails due to system malfunctions or disasters, enterprise can leverage the remote copy to restart services in a few minutes. Software Integration Agribank, the largest commercial bank in Vietnam, and House Green, a home improvement retail chain in Taiwan, has adopted Surveon HQ-branch solutions. “Different from PC-based NVR solutions, Surveon adopts a system design fully customized for surveillance applications. This offers higher value for SIs, including advanced levels of integration and stability.” said the Sales Director of Surveon partner in Vietnam.

Hoverfly Technologies Inc., global supplier of tether-powered aerial drone systems, is pleased to announce it has engaged retired Deputy Chief of Los Angeles Police Department Mike Hillmann to consult and provide expertise to Hoverfly and public safety officials of cities, counties and special law enforcement agencies who are considering the use of Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) to assist in keeping their cities safe. Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) When incidents and/or events happen, having ‘real-time, situational awareness’ from above the scene is critical to managing risk and upholding public safety “With 24-hour news cycles, a never-ending stream of social media posts, mid-term elections and potential threats to the public at large, getting fast, accurate situational awareness from the air during an incident has never been more important when it comes to keeping the public safe. We are thrilled to have Chief Hillmann advising on use cases and how best to implement and integrate this new technology,” says Hoverfly SVP of Systems, Lew Pincus.  When incidents and/or events happen, having ‘real-time, situational awareness’ from above the scene is critical to managing risk and upholding public safety and the safety of those who serve our communities. Aerial/Drone Surveillance He adds, “We typically have relied on manned aircraft to provide aerial coverage over a variety of incidents. On occasion, those assets have not always been available, deemed too disruptive or too expensive to deploy in certain situations where an aerial view clearly could have helped an incident commander better understand the situation. Deploying small tether-powered, highly portable, unobtrusive persistent cameras positioned high above the scene can now be used as either a standalone capability or integrated system with existing networks, security infrastructure and even manned aircraft.” Hoverfly tether-powered sUAV (Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) systems solve short battery-life problems associated with free-flying dronesToday, Mr. Hillmann is helping chiefs of police, local city and county officials and other public safety personnel understand how Hoverfly’s tether-powered LiveSky systems can be deployed from police or EMS vehicles providing incident commanders with actionable intelligence from high above the scene within minutes of arrival. “Tactically, having the ability to stay in the air monitoring the situation from above for hours, days, even weeks at a time represents an amazing capability we never had before. During my career, I can think of hundreds of situations where having a drone in the air to provide real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance would have helped keep my officers and the community much safer. It’s a force multiplier that should be exploited by public safety,” says Hillmann. Hoverfly’s LiveSky Systems Hoverfly tether-powered sUAV (Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) systems solve short battery-life problems associated with free-flying drones because they operate using a standard 120VAC power source or vehicle inverter. The power, command and control information and video are transmitted over the tether making the entire system completely secure from jamming, hacking or spoofing, ensuring the privacy of the data and improving safety. Perhaps the biggest benefit of Hoverfly systems is they are autonomous and require no piloting skills. The CEO of Hoverfly likes to say, “if you can operate an elevator, you can operate our LiveSky system.” 

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?

In today’s global economy, goods are manufactured all over the world and shipped to customers thousands of miles away. Where goods are manufactured thus becomes a mere detail. However, in the case of “Made in China”, the location of a manufacturer has become more high-profile and possibly more urgent. The U.S. government recently banned the use in government installations of video system components from two Chinese manufacturers, presumably because of cybersecurity concerns. A simmering trade war between China and the United States also emphasizes other concerns related to Chinese manufacturing. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Should "Made in China" be seen as a negative in the video surveillance marketplace? Why or why not?

Hospitality businesses work to provide a safe and pleasant customer experience for their guests. Hotels offer a “home away from home” for millions of guests every day around the world. These are businesses of many sizes and types, providing services ranging from luxury accommodations to simple lodging for business travelers to family vacation experiences. Hospitality businesses also include restaurants, bars, movie theaters and other venues. Security needs are varied and require technologies that span a wide spectrum. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the security challenges of the hospitality market?