Security cameras - Security beat

It has been interesting to read all the Review and Forecast articles we published over the last month. The holiday season was a perfect time to reflect on the previous year, and it is interesting to read about all the companies, their visions for 2015 and their accomplishments. It reminds me how lucky I am to be a part of an industry dedicated to protecting assets, people and facilities. The opportunity to report on a constantly changing business climate and a wealth of interesting technology is...

When is an acquisition not really an acquisition but rather the “sale of shares by one corporate conglomerate to another?” Such is the core question in the aftermath of Samsung’s sale of its interest in Samsung Techwin to fellow Korean conglomerate Hanwha Holdings. Samsung announced sale in late November of its 32.4 percentage ownership in the video surveillance company (as part of a larger sale of its defense and chemical affiliates). The 32.4 percent of stock represents the...

Sometimes companies want to buy their physical security software separate from the servers it runs on. Other times, companies prefer to buy an “appliance” – a purpose-built machine that is perfectly matched with the software it is running. The latter category is especially popular among small- and medium-sized business customers. For example, preconfigured video management appliances contribute an element of simplicity. That’s why you see video software companies –...

Demand for covert cameras in the home has doubled in the last two years, according to one camera supplier. These additional “hidden” cameras are also increasingly being networked into home security systems, and installation of the newest covert IP cameras is do-it-yourself easy. Covert cameras appeal to consumers who don’t want the industrial look of video cameras disrupting their décor. They are also the latest variation on “nanny-cams” that keep watch...

Abraham Maslow's "law of the instrument" says: If the tool you have is a hammer, then everything looks like a nail. To avoid the pitfall Maslow describes, let’s remember that the nature of a threat profile should decide the choice of security equipment, not the availability of that equipment. When we hear about a school shooting, for example, some of us immediately think “they should have had a camera system?” The ones thinking that probably sell camera systems. Although we...

If a video surveillance system is installed using public funds, should the resulting video therefore be accessible to the public? A poll in the United Kingdom suggests the majority of Britons think it should. 64 percent of 1,345 people surveyed believe that British taxpayers, who pay for cameras placed in public places, should have access to the video feeds through live web streaming. The survey was conducted by installer CCTV.co.uk. There could be advantages to providing public access to vide...

A pessimist might see the coming “Internet of Things” as the “Internet of Things that Could Go Wrong.” Clearly the networking of more machines in the home, including video and security systems, suggests that somebody (or something) needs to be available to make sure that the resulting home automation system is working as intended. If you need technical support for home automation, who do you call? It’s not just a theoretical question, given the accelerating trend...

Recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, have drawn huge national attention, and the news story has the potential to dominate headlines and stir controversy nationwide as it plays out over the next few years. Some elements here are similar to the Trayvon Martin case in Florida, a national story that grabbed headlines for years, climaxing in a televised trial and a troubling (for some) verdict that people are still talking about. The Michael Brown shooting case in Ferguson has similarities, but also...

Highlighting China’s Video Surveillance Giants, this is the third in a series of articles on the growing international presence of China’s top three video surveillance/CCTV companies. See the other articles on Hikvsion and Dahua. Zheijiang Uniview Technologies Co., headquartered in Hangzhou, has 29 offices all over China and holds a third-place market share in the Chinese domestic market. In the security market since 2005, the company has roots in IT and telecom and h...

Highlighting China’s Video Surveillance Giants, this is the second in a series of articles on the growing international presence of China’s top three video surveillance/CCTV companies. Check out articles on Hikvision and Uniview, which are also part of the series. Dahua Technology Co., Ltd. is a Chinese video company with roughly 75 percent of its revenue coming from the huge domestic Chinese market. The rest reflects Dahua’s growing international presence in the video survei...

I took an extra camera with me on vacation this year. It was a tiny thermal camera that FLIR gave out at a press event earlier in the year. It’s about 2 by 3 inches or so and contains their new micro-camera thermal core. Obviously the little camera is just a way for them to demonstrate how small (and inexpensive) the new technology is. I figured a trip to the beach was a good time to try it out. The sensor in my little toy camera is the same small, inexpensive thermal camera core that ena...

The third day of a trade show is when you start feeling like Bill Murray in that movie "Ground Hog Day." It's like you're living the same day over and over -- the same waiter at breakfast, the same (or at least interchangeable) crowds on the London Underground, the same frowning man waiting to scan your badge, the same frantic search to find your badge among multiple pockets (coinciding with the same brief moment of panic). Another day, another group of suppliers to visit, and some of the theme...

I am visiting IFSEC for the first time in several years, and one revelation is how well the event reflects the increasingly global -- and diverse -- nature of the security market. On the second day of the show, I was struck by the diversity of attendees, apparent in the many languages you hear spoken in the exhibit hall. I also kept coming upon confirmation of the variety of global security companies from around the world who are exhibiting at the event -- another reflection of a thriving worldw...

Ever wish your smart phone could see in the dark? Sure you have, and FLIR Systems has just the gadget to make it possible. It’s the FLIR One, the “first personal thermal imaging device for consumers,” introduced earlier this year. Now available for the iPhone, with a version for select Android models coming soon, the product sells for less than $350. It allows its users to “see what the naked eye can’t.” According to the manufacturer, FLIR One “provides...

Frank De Fina put Samsung on the map related to video surveillance in the United States market. Five years ago, before the longtime Panasonic executive signed on, the Samsung brand had little traction in the U.S. surveillance market, although the Korean giant was already well known in the broader electronics market. Back then Samsung surveillance cameras were thought of as inferior to Panasonic, Sony or the other brands – if they were thought of at all. Five years later, Samsung is climbi...

I shot these photos of a room full of video surveillance cameras during my recent tour of Genetec's facilities in Montreal. And the photos don't even show them all. Definitely a lot of cameras, and they're just some of the ones Genetec uses to test and ensure integration with the company's software. How does a company like Genetec, and all the other video management system companies for that matter, integrate all these security cameras into their systems? My visit to Genetec reinforced the ongo...