Security management - Expert commentary

In the past year, we have continued to see that the global security market is both dynamic and evolving. The term “security” no longer means simply protecting the perimeter of a building; it also involves securing corporate networks and sensitive data. In 2016, this trend was driven by a change in organizational threats. Businesses as a whole are much more focused on cyber-threats, a growing paradigm that challenges business and security leaders to stay one step ahead of crime and fr...

SourceSecurity.com’s Expert Panel covered a lot of ground in 2016 about a variety of topics in our Roundtable discussions.   The very most-clicked-on Roundtable discussion in 2016 was about how to choose between a cloud-based system and a server-based system. Other hot topics that made the Top-10 list of Roundtable discussions included edge-based video storage, the challenges of commoditization, and mistakes customers make when buying and installing security systems. He...

Merger and acquisition activity has become a familiar topic in the physical security market. In 2016, SourceSecurity.com covered M&A news involving some of the industry’s largest companies, including high-profile names such as Tyco, Honeywell, Hikvision, ADT, and Ingram Micro. Here’s a look at the top 10 M&A stories in 2016, as covered by SourceSecurity.com:   1. Johnson Control And Tyco merge Johnson Controls and Tyco announced their merger into one comp...

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...

Access control and video management systems provide much more data than originally intended An organization is a complex environment that is ever changing and continuously growing to include more servers, more buildings, more systems and as a result -- includes more risk, costs and threats. As a Chief Operations Officer looks at the many objectives across an organization, he needs to evaluate how to increase profits, manage risk, and provide a cost-effective route for improvin...

Three key trends will continue dominating the security industry looking ahead to 2017 – cloud video, predictive maintenance and emergency preparedness.   Cloud Video The continued integration of cloud and hosted video into security programs offers a lot of benefits for customers. The convenience of remotely viewing video footage in real-time or historic footage has been a great benefit to our customers and provides significant business intelligence. It helps with everyt...

There will likely continue to be high numbers of lone wolf and soft target attacks in the year ahead. The drivers behind these tragedies are a confluence of self-radicalization, social media, violent extremism, and mental illness. They will require our skills as security professionals — observation, investigation, interviewing, due diligence — like never before.Looming in the background of these physical attacks is the prospect of combined physical and cyberattacks that could disable...

Merging objectives into a business relationship requires ongoing communication along with a shared vision and values A myriad of books has been written on business relationships. From establishing and maintaining business relationships to compensation issues and contract terminations, there’s a how-to book out there on most every aspect of business. While I have never published a business “how-to” book, I do have the benefit of experience in successfully navi...

This executive brief explores the security risks associated with using CSN instead of reading the data protected by security mechanisms. When contactless smart cards are implemented and deployed properly, they represent one of the most secure identification technologies available. However, some manufacturers, in an attempt to sell a ‘universal’ reader capable of reading almost any contactless smart card technology, actually disable the built-in security...

All access information can be stored and managed by highly trained professionals operating from a remote operations center The security and safety industry has seen tremendous advances in cloud-based access control recently as cloud computing has opened up a world of possibilities for security and access control. Whether controlling access for a single door or for an entire enterprise spread out over multiple locations, cloud-based hosted or managed solutions allow security de...

Visitor management refers to the methods organizations use to admit and track visitors to their facilities. The concept is not new. Many facilities use some form of visitor management, ranging from simple sign-in sheets to high-tech approaches that scan government IDs to capture relevant data. But visitor management is more than a sheet of paper or a technology. It is also a policy that governs the how, why, and who of visitors. Increased Security Driving VMS Upgra...

Access levels of individuals based on their roles can be cross compared with their normal access patterns, it is also useful to look for anomalies in device behavior Threats to an organization’s physical and logical security are increasing in number and financial impact, according to several recent surveys. To combat this problem, security and IT professionals are fighting back with system upgrades and software solutions including advanced analytics. Using the analytics...

A perceived benefit of buying direct is to save money as opposed to paying a middleman Security companies have multiple options to purchase security products today – online, manufacturer direct, or from the vast array of security products and electrical supply networks dotting the landscape. Because there are numerous options, and costs may not vary drastically, the final decision on where to purchase ultimately boils down to service and additional support these channels...

Part 8 of our healthcare series Hospitals are challenging environments. A hospital requires oversight 24 hours a day, seven days a week Access control in particular has advanced significantly to offer healthcare facilities the ability to control access remotely, through mobile applications, confirm identity quickly and easily and program varying levels of access for visitors, patients, doctors and staff. Hospitals are challenging environments. A hospital requires ov...

Workplace mobility is on the rise, which means organizations have an increasing number of employees who travel or work from home. In fact, there were 96.2 million mobile workers in 2015 and IDC predicts that mobile workers will account for nearly three quarters (72.3 percent) of the total U.S. workforce by 2020. While the growth of mobile workers is a boon to productivity both inside and outside the workplace, it also creates unique communication challenges – especially in emergency situat...

Web and social media platforms offer vast array of information for enhancing security, investigating breaches, and streamlining operations Over the course of the last decade, we’ve seen a blurring of lines between cyber and physical security concerns. Whether it’s the hacking of corporate information or the use of social media for nefarious activities, it’s clear that these once-separate security disciplines are often tied together. As a result, various orga...

Hospital security always counts. Patients may arrive from a crime scene and someone has to make sure they weren’t followed by trouble. Doctors, nurses and other medical personnel may come under blame for the death of a loved one and need protection. Heightened Security Needs Think for a minute, though, about the elevated need for security when the victims of a massacre — such as the Orlando massacre — arrive at the hospital. On the heels of the shooting at the Pulse Nightclu...

Part 5 of our Security in Healthcare series It’s difficult for hospital security directors to provide a quantified ROI in an updated security system Several forces are working in favour of greater adoption of hospital security and video surveillance technologies in the healthcare market. “Healthcare facilities and campuses are growing at a rapid rate to accommodate an aging population and the research and development of pharmacology and many different type...

Strong passwords are the most basic security measure, but unfortunately ignored by many users Keeping surveillance networks secure can be a daunting task but there are several methods that can greatly reduce risk, especially when used in conjunction with each other. Below are 13 tips security and IT professionals can follow in order to keep an IP video surveillance network secure. 1. The Stronger The Password The Better Strong passwords are the most basic security measure...

As a society, we have been studying crime for years, with an eye to prevention. Now that mass shootings have seized our attention, experts have begun studying this particularly violent crime, again with an eye to prevention.   “Our view is that inside a large enterprise — a corporation or government agency — anyone can be the risk you may face someday,” says Bryan Ware, CEO of McLean, Virginia-based Haystax Technology, a business that identifies risks b...

What factors should an end user consider when looking for a professional systems solution provider? Andrew Schonzeit, President of IDESCO Corp., New York, knows what it takes to have an award-winning, top-in-its class systems integration company. For more than seven decades, the company has grown, morphed and continued to move into the world of value-add integrated solutions contracting. They’ve received numerous industry and business accolades and increased their statur...

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...

It is more complicated to search through video compared to text-based data Since the launch of Google’s search engine in 1998, Internet search has grown and expanded from desktops to mobile devices, generating over 3.5 billion searches of text, images and videos per day. One likely reason for this popularity is the search engine’s ability to immediately produce relevant results based on search criteria. The security industry, in contrast, has not always taken adv...

IPVideo Corporation, Bay Shore, New York, recently announced a new OEM agreement with Milestone Systems Inc., Beaverton, Oregon, in an effort to provide deeper and wider options in its portfolio of video management solutions. According to Steve Rice, Director of Business Development, the partnership will allow the company to reach a broader number of enterprise customers and provide them with distinct choices – and two completely different video management system (VMS) offerings. On the t...

Porter will tell IFSEC attendees about an upcoming National Surveillance Camera Strategy The Surveillance Camera Commissioner for England and Wales, Tony Porter, will be speaking at IFSEC International 2016 on how compliance with the U.K. Surveillance Camera Code of Practice can ensure that CCTV systems are operated proportionately, transparently and effectively. Porter has certainly been busy in the two years since his appointment by the Home Secretary. He has the difficult...

Hikvision website’s “Security Center” provides cybersecurity informationand tools for integrators and end users The time is now to address the impact of cybersecurity threats on the IP video market. In the case of video surveillance systems, the main motives of cyber-attackers are usually to either cover up video evidence of crimes or to gain access to video that should be private. “The use of video surveillance is growing across North America, not j...

There are resources to help guide an organization’s management of cybersecurity risks, most prominently from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. NIST defines cybersecurity as "the activity or process, ability or capability, or state whereby information and communications systems and the information contained therein are protected from and/or defended against damage, unauthorized use or modification, or exploitation.&rdquo...

Systems may be reliable and performing as originally intended, but can also beoutdated in comparison to current technology offerings Let’s start by defining what a legacy system is in the context of a security control system. Legacy refers to an installed and operating security control system made up of numerous components, both hardware and software, that have been eclipsed by newer technologies. A shortage of parts and pieces may be creeping in, and it’s also li...

 PSIM systems extend their value beyond emergencies by including routinemanagement tools, that provide value during daily operations, such as automatingmaintenance activities Physical Security Information Management (PSIM), an acronym termed to describe a family of software platforms that claim to replace traditional command and control (C&C) systems, primarily used to provide situation awareness in control and monitoring centers of Critical Facilities. Traditional C...

Joining Pelco in late 2015, Sharad Shekhar is responsible for the entire global video business and is leading the charge to reinvigorate the Pelco brand with system integrators Back in the day, you literally couldn’t speak with a security company about a video surveillance project without the Pelco name coming up. It had a loyal following and an extremely large installation base. Over the years, that changed and the fervour with which integrators referred to the brand se...