IP transmission - Expert commentary
The average business owner or investor has some kind of security precaution in place, especially in the after-hours when there are fewer deterrents to inhibit criminal activity. Security guards, video surveillance systems, motion sensor lights, or even just fake cameras placed around the property are some of the common options people choose. Future of overnight security Smart business owners are starting to realize, however, that some of these traditional security measures are becoming...
The autumn equinox, which marks the start of autumn, occurs this weekend on Saturday, September 23. With darker evenings ahead, the experts at ADT have shared five ways to maximize your home's security. Author's quote Michele Bennett, General Manager at ADT UK&I comments: “Opportunistic thieves use darkness to their advantage, so it’s no surprise that the number of burglaries committed increases when the darker nights draw in." He adds, "Our 2022 burglary report found that bu...
Daniel May of Consort reviews the integration of access control systems in healthcare settings, outlining the benefits and key considerations decision-makers must make throughout product specifications. From patient safety and traversal to the protection of sensitive data and pharmaceuticals, healthcare environments are faced with several operational challenges. And where security remains at the forefront of decision-making, modern access control systems may often hold the answers. Physi...
Security systems represent a significant investment, yet many organizations still only use a small percentage of their physical security systems’ capabilities. That’s before we even begin to consider the different ways that the likes of video, access control, and ANPR can add additional value beyond security by serving the needs of other business functions. Whether that be to obtain additional insight, streamline compliance, or drive operational efficiencies. Consumption ga...
Global transportation networks are becoming increasingly interconnected, with digital systems playing a crucial role in ensuring the smooth operation of ports and supply chains. However, this reliance on technology can also create vulnerabilities, as demonstrated by the recent ransomware attack on Nagoya Port. As Japan's busiest shipping hub, the port's operations were brought to a standstill for two days, highlighting the potential for significant disruption to national economies and supply cha...
Physical security is essential for a modern production facility, users don’t want just anyone entering the building or accessing secure areas. But what about production machinery? Machine authentication is often a missing link in the security plan for manufacturers. Why machine authentication? Most manufacturers have made significant investments in physical access control (PAC) for production facilities. Few shops currently hand out physical keys to employees or leave the building...
Mass attacks continue to lead the news far too often. All are horrific and disturbing, but the heartbreaking tragedies that have unfolded on school campuses touch us the deepest and have the most profound effects on our communities. NTAC statistics According to a January 2023 report from the United States Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC), K-12 events accounted for 6% of all mass attacks in public and semi-public spaces between 2016 and 2020. 6% may strike some as being...
There are about 3,500 cybersecurity companies across 17 categories operating throughout the United States right now, according to both IT-Harvest and Cyber DB. So, on any given day, an IT security firm must beat back competitors in the market before it can even begin to battle the bots, phishing scams and ransomware attacks that are a part of your trade. And, you won’t be able to do that with marketing and advertising alone. Most, if not all, of your competitors are probably using a sim...
What would it take to make an office building perfectly secure, with 100% impregnability? Would you put padlocks on every door and window, and security gates in every corridor? Certainly, this would be very secure, but it doesn’t take a security expert to see how such a setup would be a huge waste of resources, nor would it be convenient for the people who need to work in the building. Cybersecurity challenges But while most busine...
Two trends in recent years are combining to exacerbate insider threat risks at companies. First, companies continue to foster cultures of openness and collaboration that often run contrary to the needs of a security-oriented mindset. Second, the mainstreaming of hybrid work has made companies’ control over data and device usage during work more tenuous. Addressing insider threats We’ve seen repeatedly that companies have the tools, structural choices, and decision-making power acro...
In the past five years, the retail landscape and the relationship between consumers and businesses has shifted drastically. It wasn’t too long ago when shopping at malls was considered a family activity and consumers shopped at local stores where they knew and interacted with sales personnel. Today, however, malls and interactions with employees are relics that accurately portray the way retail used to work. Retail companies have shifted their consumer model to focus on the online market...
Though many office workers across the globe have found themselves working remotely for the past year, we are seeing a bit of a silver lining, as vaccine rollouts hint at a return to some pre-pandemic sense of normalcy. However, while some of us might opt for a fully-remote work life, others are anticipating a hybrid solution. Even before the pandemic, offices were taking a new, more open layout approach—moving past the days of cubicles and small office configurations. Going forward, offi...
It’s not surprising that people are nervous about the security of newer technologies, many of which are part of the Internet of Things (IoT). While they offer greater efficiency and connectivity, some people still hesitate. After all, there seems to be a constant stream of news stories about multinational corporations being breached or hackers taking control of smart home devices. Both of these scenarios can feel personal. No one likes the idea of their data falling into criminal hands. A...
For the past several years, there has been a focus by integrators and customers to assure that their card-based access control systems are secure. To give businesses an extra incentive to meet their cybersecurity threats, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has decided to hold the business community responsible for failing to implement good cybersecurity practices and is now filing lawsuits against those that don't. For instance, the FTC filed a lawsuit against D-Link and its U.S. subsidiary, al...
In the state of the residential security market today, we see many who are offering home security packages that rely on numerous sensors and multiple devices to provide a comprehensive coverage of the home and provide peace of mind. Each individual sensor or device within the package provides a specific functionality, and the user finds himself burdened by an overwhelming amount of sensors and devices. This overload is intensified by the penetration of additional IoT and smart devices into the...
Audio is often overlooked in the security and video surveillance industry. There are some intercom installations where audio plays a key role, but it’s not typically thought about when it comes to security and event management. Audio takes a back seat in many security systems because audio captured from a surveillance camera can have a different impact on the privacy of those being monitored. Audio surveillance is therefore subject to strict laws that vary from state to state. Many state...
Video surveillance as a service (VSaaS) is not just for commercial organisations. Federal, state and local governments can also realize benefits from the technology—and use it to deliver an integrated video surveillance system that addresses some of their unique security needs. Video Surveillance as a Service (VSaaS) What is VSaaS? Simply stated, it’s a cloud-based video surveillance solution that is packaged and delivered as a service over the internet. The price varies depending...
Recent developments in physical security systems have enabled us to expand access control using IT infrastructure. By eliminating the need for hard wiring to a central panel or controller, IP-based systems enable installations that are non-proprietary, flexible and scalable. This means not only a more versatile solution, but also a more cost-efficient one. A network-based system can be enlarged by one door, and one reader, at a time, unlike some traditional systems where controllers or panels o...
Drastic increase in cybersecurity discussions is one thing that many of us in the security industry didn’t predict for 2016. Cybersecurity has obviously always been an important issue in general, but the discussion has gained a lot of momentum in the past year. As I said, this wasn’t predicted by most of us in the industry. The intensity of the focus on and discussion around cybersecurity in 2016 was a response to some of the high-profile denial of service (DoS)...
The security market in 2016 saw an uptick in the economy, the introduction of new technologies, increased compliance requirements in key verticals, and rising concerns over the need for greater security. Users interested in upgrading or deploying new systems consistently chose networked system platforms. This trend further drove the demand for adaptive transmission solutions as a means of repurposing existing analog infrastructure to accommodate IP devices on a networked platform. As this migr...
Vulnerability scans rely on mostly automated tools to find potential vulnerabilities at either the network or application level Security vulnerability in any network can be found and exploited by hackers and others in no time. The only questions are when this will happen and how much damage an individual could do once they’ve gained access to the network. Recognizing this reality, most organizations test their own networks for security weaknesses, whether to meet compli...
Currently some retailers operate two separate speaker systems in their stores: one for broadcasting background music and one for announcements Twenty years ago, IP network cameras launched a revolution in video surveillance. Today, network audio systems are about to do the same for the speaker market. Back in 1996, the predominant video cameras were analog. They weren’t intelligent. They required an expensive and complex head-end of recording and monitoring systems. An...
Too often we attribute failure of connected devices to the devices themselves when the problem is actually an infrastructure failure Network infrastructures for security devices are complex. It may seem simple to connect an Ethernet cable to a cable modem, but the connection of IP cameras, access control devices and other IP/Power Over Ethernet (PoE) devices is not nearly so simple. Infrastructure is the heart of any system; and too often we attribute failure of connected devi...
The rate of adoption of mobile credentials will progress quickly, because of its exciting value proposition Cloud computing has been around for some time now, starting with the formal public Internet in 1990. But the nature of it has changed and evolved quickly and dramatically. Now, the cloud is becoming foundational to many emerging security applications, including mobile credentialing involving Near Field and Bluetooth communications, with the Internet of Things (loT) poise...
Cloud connectivity can provide a linkage between the mobile users and the facilities and systems they want to interact with From enterprise applications to small businesses, schools, health care facilities and beyond, investments in physical security systems provide valuable resources to help protect people, property and assets – and ultimately the financial security and well-being of the organization. As need and demand for better security has dramatically increased ove...
Wireless surveillance systems are attractive to customersas they are cost-effective and easy to install Various studies, market statistics and forecasts project growth for the surveillance market from 2016 to 2020. Besides needs ranging from traditional analog cameras to IP network cameras, more and more consumers also have a high interest in intelligent surveillance systems. Along with safety, these systems provide additional details for users in applications such as peo...
The IoT threat is magnified asuncontrolled devices are introduced into thenetwork through people ‘bringing their owndevices to work’ Intelligent building management, combined with the dramatic increase in IP connected devices brought about by the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), provides a vast opportunity for large organizations to work smarter, faster and more efficiently than ever before. Intelligent building management systems have the potentia...
The security industry’s continued migration to networked IP-based systems ensures that PoE will be integral in their design and installation Power over Ethernet (PoE) has without question become the de facto choice of security installers for delivering power to security and access control devices. This should come as no surprise given PoE’s ability to reduce labor and installation costs by delivering power and data over a single cable, thereby increasing overall to...
Just as with network switches, there are no real standards for midspans In general terms, a midspan is a power over Ethernet (PoE) power source that is placed between a network switch and the device being powered, hence the term midspan. The real question is, with almost all network switches providing PoE power, why do we need a midspan? The answer is, in some cases we don’t, but in others we do. As with any other product we have discussed, we need to first consider that...
