Security software - Security beat
Several of the hot trends in the physical security industry – robots, drones, video analytics – have one thing in common: The need for greater intelligence. More complex physical security systems that incorporate artificial intelligence, deep learning, speech recognition and other sophisticated functions depend on a higher-than-ever level of computing power inside embedded devices at the edge. Graphics Processing Unit Graphics processing unit (GPU) manufacturer NVIDIA is empowering...
Veracity, the Scottish company specializing in IP video transmission, storage and display, has made a small but significant acquisition that has the potential to impact its business profoundly, according to the company. Known for its COLDSTORE surveillance storage system and other video products, Veracity is expanding its scope with the acquisition of I-Comply Ltd. (icomply), a provider of command-and-control software whose UK customer base includes universities, hospitals, cities and power and...
The ASIS show has not traditionally been a big forum for new product introductions -- those happen mostly at ISC West in the spring. Even so, there is plenty of technology to see at this year's show, and many exhibitors now say the products they were talking about last spring are now ready to ship. On Day Two of the show, it seems a lot of the attendees are ready, too. Video Camera Technology The technologies of video cameras march on, and Hanwha Techwin America has embraced the new H.265 cod...
Foot traffic remained at respectable levels during Day Two of IFSEC International 2016 at ExCeL London. Attendees are bombarded with sensory overload as manufacturers look for new ways to stand out from the crowd. The result sometimes seems more like a lot of noise. Everyone is looking for ways to stand out from the noise of competing product features and claims at the show. One exhibitor, Tyco Security Products, is taking a different approach at this year's show, abandoning traditional emphasi...
There are many challenges currently facing the security marketplace, and I asked several industry players recently to reflect on those challenges. Their comments highlight familiar subjects to us all: The need for education. The challenge to meet customer expectations. The dilemma of combining old technologies with new ones. Security Education And Training Education is a big issue, especially as it relates to the transition to IP systems. “I think there are a number of integrators who...
The largest global event of 2016 – and the year’s biggest security challenge – will no doubt be the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Around 15,000 athletes from 206 countries are expected to compete at the Olympic games, August 5-21, 2016, and about 7.5 million tickets will be issued. In our age of terrorism, organizers of any event on the scale of the Rio Olympics must consider the possibility of an attack or other security breach during the more than two...
No doubt about it: ISC West 2016 was a hit. Every comment I heard during the show (and since) has highlighted how busy the show was. There was plenty of booth traffic, even on the (traditionally slow) final day of the show. Some say it was the best ISC West in the last several years. Others say it was the best show ever. Quite a contrast to some other recent industry shows, plagued by meager traffic and complaining exhibitors. Instead, there were people everywhere at ISC West, asking questio...
It seems every company is seeking to re-invent itself in our changing market. A case in point is AMAG, which has long been associated with access control. Today, AMAG’s proposition to the market is much broader than that, now also encompassing Symmetry CONNECT, a policy-based platform providing safety, security and risk management capabilities enabling organizations to manage their enterprise security functions. This spring, AMAG is introducing Symmetry GUEST, a new identity management sys...
Lower-cost thermal cameras are becoming attractive for more applications every day. Thermal cameras have long been known for their ability to “see in the dark” by sensing temperatures of objects and displaying a video image of temperature variations, but previously their high costs limited their appeal to mostly high-end or military applications. Now lower costs are expanding the possibilities. In particular, combining thermal cameras with video analytics drastically lowers the num...
Access control and video systems have always yielded a lot of data, although historically much of it has been stored on hard disk drives and later overwritten and/or dumped. A new trend is to compile that data over time, organize it, analyze it and then use it to provide insights into how the enterprise operates. Analyzing Data From Different Sources And Departments It’s part of a trend called Big Data, but so far its use in the physical security market has been limited. One company tha...
There's nothing like a visit to the China Public Security Expo (CPSE) in Shenzhen to open your eyes to a new world of security market manufacturers and customers in the Asia-Pacific market. The show is huge by Western standards – someone told me it's five times the size of ISC West in Las Vegas. But even more than the size of the show, it was the crowd that made an impression on this first-time visitor. Huge numbers of attendees and exhibitors Think of the mass of humanity you might exp...
We all know that security video cameras are becoming smarter. The IP cameras at the edge of today’s video surveillance systems contain computer chips that can potentially change how cameras are used. However, despite the changing technology and greater intelligence at the edge, today’s systems mostly use video cameras for one thing – to provide video. In some cases, the cameras provide hours and hours of video that no one will ever watch. Re-Examining The Role Of Video...
Product innovation may have slowed in the security market in the second half of the year. On the first day of the ASIS International Show in Anaheim, California, new product introductions seemed few and far between. In fact, most manufacturers were touting small improvements to the products they announced in the spring. Some emphasized that the products unveiled (or “previewed”) in the spring are now fully ready to be shipped. ASIS has historically been more an end user show than an...
Frank De Fina’s death this week came as a shock to everyone in the security industry. The industry has lost both a giant presence and a good friend. He made his mark as a talented executive at some of the biggest companies in the security industry. The “Dark Restaurant Society” I saw Frank De Fina a lot in dark restaurants. I was honored to be among the security industry journalists invited to his twice-yearly press dinners, held at nicely accoutred (if dimly lit) restaurants...
You couldn’t miss IDIS America at ISC West this year – they had a 2,800-square-foot booth. But who are they? That was a question many attendees asked. The big booth presence, and flood of industry advertising before the show, both reflect that IDIS is not an upstart. The name may be unfamiliar to some in the U.S. market, but IDIS has been making a similar splash all over the world. The high profile reflects the global player’s commitment to being a “game-changer” i...
Time flies, and I’m sure it’s been 10 or 15 years since the term PSIM (meaning physical security information management) came into favour in our market. It was a variation on the term SIM (security information management), which in the realm of information security refers to a collection of data into a central repository for trend analysis. The idea was to apply the same concept to physical security equipment in the form of an over-arching software system that takes information from...
When you need to view video of an incident or information about an access point, you expect your security system will provide that information. But what happens if a camera or card reader isn’t working for some reason? It’s the security director’s worst nightmare. Sadly, the moment when a system fails is often the first indication an end user has that there is a problem. A useful trend I saw at ISC West this year is growth in various types of diagnostic, monitoring and control...
Since acquiring SeeTec AG, On-Net Surveillance Systems, Inc. (OnSSI) is bringing production of its entire software platform in house. The SeeTec recorder will replace OnSSI’s legacy recorder, previously OEM’d by Milestone, beginning with the introduction of Ocularis 5.x. Familiar in Europe, SeeTec is a privately held German-based company providing VMS solutions and was among the first providers of network-based video management applications. With SeeTec now part of OnSSI, the combin...
Cybersecurity has been getting much more attention lately in the physical security market. One company ready to address cybersecurity of IP video products is DVTEL. The Israeli company’s roots in IT and networking make it a logical choice to take a lead in cyber-defense of IP video systems. DVTEL’s core research and development (R&D) in Israel includes cyber-defense expertise. DVTEL’s Cyber-Defense Plan In fact, DVTEL is moving fast to implement its cyber-defense plan &nd...
Milestone Systems is closing in on a year since their acquisition by Canon’s European subsidiary in June 2014. Throughout the ownership transition, Milestone has reiterated its commitment to open systems and continued to flourish, building its “ecosystem” alongside other industry partners. At the recent Milestone Integration Platform Symposium (MIPS 2015), I had a chance to chat with Lars Thinggaard, Milestone’s president and CEO, about industry trends and what’s ah...
Traffic is a big challenge in most urban environments, and I had a chance recently to visit with the agency in Montreal, Quebec, that monitors traffic throughout the island, reacting to traffic conditions and daily situations such as road congestion and managing specific events and incidents. A network of traffic light controllers and video cameras provides data that is tied into Montreal’s Urban Mobility Management Center (UMMC), which is the “brains” of the city’s Inte...
The spirit of collaboration was alive and well at AMAG Technology’s Security Engineering Symposium 2015 in Carlsbad, Calif. Targeting consultants, architects and engineers (A&E), and integrators, the weekend conference was built around AMAG’s Symmetry access control products, especially their role in a unified system that incorporates a variety of other technologies, too. Also participating in the event (and emphasizing the value of long-term partnering) were several other techn...
Klass Software’s acquisition of incident management software company PPM 2000 is the first step in an evolution to build a broad, unified software solution to manage multiple aspects of the security function. In buying PPM, Klass sought to obtain “a very good platform business and grow it with the existing team,” says Will Anderson, CEO of Klass Software (and now CEO of PPM). He sees expansion and enhancement of PPM as a “long-term project,” maybe 10 years. Klass S...
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) has a lot of resources to protect. A network of video cameras view MARTA’s 38 stations, three rail yards, five bus garages and other infrastructure located within 30 or so different law enforcement agencies in and around Atlanta. The large number of existing fixed cameras will be augmented with about 1,000 additional cameras for a total of 2,200 or 2,300 cameras in the system in coming years. Cameras are connected using an Omnicast v...
Cybersecurity is an ongoing concern in the realm of home automation and security systems. Joe Albaugh brought a unique perspective to the subject in July when he became Chief Security Officer (CSO) of Vivint, the second largest residential security and home automation provider in the United States. Albaugh’s approach to the cybersecurity aspects of home automation is based on his 20 years of experience including past positions as chief information security officer for three large, critical...
The incident in Ferguson, Mo. has highlighted the value of body-worn cameras for police officers. However, the largest manufacturer of body-worn cameras is also actively promoting their use by others outside law enforcement, including security officers, human resource (HR) professionals and even CEOs. Body-worn camera manufacturer VIEVU, Seattle, Wash., sees a growing market among “prosumers” (i.e., professional consumers). A “prosumer” might be anyone who needs to docum...
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 –...
Especially for younger individuals, sharing on social media is almost an automatic reflex. Bystanders at any event are likely to constantly be tweeting and/or posting real-time words, pictures and video using their smart phones. Accessing a culmination of that data can provide real-time intelligence of what’s happening on the ground at any event or location before emergency responders or police even get on the scene. There are multiple ways security can benefit from an affordable so...
Are attendees at the ASIS trade show becoming more business-savvy? Have they mastered the technology basics and moved on to more complex issues of how various products can be used to help their businesses? One exhibitor at ASIS 2014 in Atlanta says they have, and the change is impacting how the company displays its products. “Boon Edam has been exhibiting at ASIS for 15 years, and we have observed a new trend in how our customers approach us today versus just a few years ago,” says...
Just days before the ASIS International conference and exhibits in Atlanta, the global security market's attention last week has been focused on the big Security Essen 2014 trade show in Germany. With more floor space, exhibitors and attendees than ASIS, Security Essen highlights a wealth of technology resources to an eager international audience every two years. Several SourceSecurity.com staff members attended Security Essen last week, and my colleagues reported that the well-attended show ref...
