Mobile access - Security beat

One of the common characteristics of trade shows is booths with walls and walls of new products. Sometimes exhibitors seem intent on displaying everything in their portfolio, even though the displays appear cluttered and may not be welcoming. In an age of system sales, in particular, the emphasis on products can seem off kilter. Discussions with exhibitors at this year’s GSX show reveal a new awareness of the need for less cluttered booths, but the equipment walls persist. Here’s a...

Ethics is a particularly important subject in an industry such as fire and security because the result of unethical actions might make the difference in life and death. For example, if an employee acts unethically when servicing a fire extinguisher, the result could be to burn down the building. Although ethics is not a common topic of discussion in the fire and security industry, perhaps it should be. Chubb Fire and Security is a company that provides an example of how an emphasis on ethics ca...

As police use of live facial recognition (LFR) is called into question in the United Kingdom, the concerns can overshadow another use of facial recognition by police officers. Facial recognition is incorporated into day-to-day police operations to identify an individual standing in front of them. This more common usage should not be called into question, says Simon Hall, CEO of Coeus Software, which developed PoliceBox, a software that enables police officers to complete the majority of their...

Gunshot detection today is part of more physical security systems than ever before, and many manufacturers are developing interfaces to the latest gunshot detection technologies. Genetec has integrated ShotSpotter gunshot detection technology into its unified IP security platform, Security Center. Thanks to this integration, police departments and security professionals will be able to receive more actionable information, gain rapid access and detailed location insights when a gunshot situatio...

Some of the electronic features we all love in our new cars depend on a connection to the Internet. But what are the cybersecurity risks involved in that connection? Could a widespread cyberattack turn our cars into deathtraps and create a traffic catastrophe on the scale of 9/11? That’s the scenario described in a report from the nonprofit group Consumer Watchdog, which warns that a fleet-wide cyberattack at rush hour could result in a 9/11-style catastrophe with approximately 3,000 dea...

An area of technology that is shifting how we interact with our cities is the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT already accounts for swathes of technology and devices operating in the background. However, we’re increasingly seeing these come to the forefront of everyday life, as data becomes critical. The decisions that this critical data is attached to must be made quickly. A living, breathing city must constantly be monitoring, assessing and utilizing data in order to ensure it keeps pe...

All schools and colleges need to address three different levels of security when considering access control. The first level is the least vulnerable of the three and concerns the perimeter entry and exit points. Here, incorporating some level of electronic access control should be a consideration, whether that is a combination of electronic and mechanical door hardware, or a complete electronic solution. An electromechanical solution, such as electric strikes, can be beneficial in the effective...

Krowd is an app that connects people together based on geography; that is, if they are at the same place at the same time. Users sign into the app using the local WiFi, identify themselves by username, and are placed immediately in a group chat comprising anyone else at the location who has signed into the app. An enhancement of the Krowd app, known as Krowdsafe, leverages the technology to achieve and promote security and safety. Specifically, Krowdsafe enables users to interact directly with...

Among the cloud’s many impacts on the physical security market is a democratization of access control. Less expensive cloud systems are making electronic access control affordable even to smaller companies. cloud-based access control  With the growing cloud-based access control market, integrators can find more opportunities in small businesses and vertical markets that typically wouldn’t be on the radar of their sales team. Large upfront costs for a server, software and annua...

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 combi...

The Emerging Technology Zone (ETZ) at ISC West welcomes new startups to the security industry; a requirement for exhibitors is that they have been in business for five years or less. This year, the ETZ will be in the Venetian Ballroom, a new section at ISC West 2019, incorporating companies that were previously featured in the “Global Expo” area along with mid-sized domestic companies and the return of the successful Emerging Technology Zone section. Now located in the Venetian Bal...

Recent technology advances – from the cloud to artificial intelligence, from mobile credentials to robotics – will have a high profile at the upcoming ISC West exhibition hall. Several of these technologies were recently designated by the Security Industry Association as the Top 8 Security Technologies for Security and Public Safety. Some of them will also be a focus at the ISC West conference program, SIA Education@ISC, April 9-11 at the Sands Expo Center. This article will highligh...

How’s this for a simple access control scenario? You walk up to a door, wave your hand in front of a button, the button lights up, and the door opens. That’s the simplified user experience that startup Openpath is promoting as it enters the crowded and mature market for physical access control. Openpath says a simple user experience provides the extra boost needed for mobile credentialing to gain momentum. In this case, it’s even simpler than using a card credential (no s...

More good news for exhibitors on the second day of the Global Security Exchange (GSX) in Las Vegas. Brisk attendance continued early in the day, and then slowed somewhat in the afternoon, but most comments from exhibitors were positive. Exhibitors such as Lenel were “thrilled” with the show, and noticed the steady, good traffic and lots of sales leads. Lenel’s position at the front of the hall probably helped. New developments in mobile credentialing are a big trend at GSX, an...

The concept of door locks means something totally different in our current age of smarter buildings that house data-driven businesses. Hardware locks and keys are still around, but they co-exist with a brave new world of electronic locks, wireless locks, networked systems, and smarter access control. Locks can also increasingly be a part of a smart building’s flow of data. The opportunities of these new technologies and approaches are significant, but there are also pitfalls. I heard an in...