Video analytics - Round table discussions
Direct costs such as purchase price and maintenance are important elements in the total cost of ownership (TCO). However, there are others. Elements such as opportunity costs of lost revenue or hidden costs of energy consumption and environmental consequences can also impact the measure of TCO. Costs of training, integration, support, and scalability can also be examined. Considering the security industry impact of TCO, we asked this week's Expert Panel Roundtable: How does/should total cos...
By linking human resource (HR) systems to physical security, access control systems can automatically update permissions based on employee changes, such as promotions, terminations, or department transfers. In fact, connecting HR and information technology (IT) systems to physical security can provide many significant benefits in terms of access control, incident response, compliance, cost savings, and employee experience. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How can organizations...
The most common wearable device deployed by security professionals is the body-worn camera. Traditionally used by law enforcement professionals, these devices are finding more and more uses in the corporate security world, and even impacting issues such as customer service. However, the term “wearables” also encompasses a range of other devices, including many worn by consumers. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How are wearable technologies impacting the security m...
Transportation enables the movement of goods and people, facilitates trade and commerce, and is crucial for businesses to operate and expand. Security technology plays a major role both in protecting today's various transportation systems and increasingly to make them more efficient. We asked this week's Expert Panel Roundtable: What’s new in technology serving the transportation market?
Factors such as stable demand and large contracts make the government market particularly enticing for security companies and professionals. However, entering and thriving in the government market presents a number of challenges. We asked this week's Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the unique aspects of the government market, and how should the industry adapt?
Suddenly, artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere. The smart technology brings a range of benefits to our lives, from streamlining everyday tasks to making scientific breakthroughs. The advantages of AI and machine learning (ML) also include automating repetitive tasks, analyzing vast amounts of data, and minimizing human error. But how do these benefits apply to the physical security industry, and is there a downside? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the benefits,...
Technology can be a powerful tool, but it can also be misused. Ethical principles help ensure that technology is used in a way that minimizes risks and avoids causing harm to people or society. Issues could include factors such as data privacy and algorithmic bias of certain technologies. As the security industry embraces advanced and evolving technologies, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the biggest ethical considerations of using emerging technologies in physical s...
Technological leaps in the last several decades have revolutionised biometrics. The technologies are constantly evolving, spanning facial recognition to iris scanning to fingerprints, to provide new levels of security and convenience. Biometrics are everywhere, from smartphones to border control, constantly evolving to meet the needs of our increasingly digital world. They are also more accurate and easier to use than ever. We asked this week's Expert Panel Roundtable: What’s new with biom...
In today's interconnected world, the lines between physical and digital security are blurring. This means that threats can easily exploit vulnerabilities in both realms, potentially causing significant damage. That's why the convergence of cyber- and physical security systems is becoming increasingly important. It has already been a topic of discussion in the security market for more than a decade. To get a reality check, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Has convergence been a...
Edge devices play an important role in the Internet of Things (IoT) by enabling real-time data analysis, faster decision-making, and improved operational efficiency across various industries. In the physical security industry, applying artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to edge devices expands the possibilities, and edge devices offer complementary functionality to support movement to the cloud. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the latest developments for edge...
Video surveillance has been a dominant factor in the casino market since the 1950s when video replaced the use of elevated walkways that allowed casino security personnel to monitor the gaming floor from above. As technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see more innovative uses of video in the casino market. Beyond video, other technologies are also transforming the casino experience. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How are new technologies impacting the casino surve...
For many years, security systems produced their share of "data exhaust." Every access control action and each video image became a data point to be stored in perpetuity, with no practical way to use the data. More recently, systems have been developed to enable organizations to analyze data from sensors and other connected devices to gain valuable insights into how their systems are being used, to identify potential vulnerabilities; and even to provide insights into broader enterprise operations...
Cloud implementations enable organizations to slash IT costs, boost performance, increase efficiency, and provide flexibility in a variety of applications. Cloud computing is a great way to store and access data from anywhere in the world, as long as you have an internet connection. In the case of video management, Video Surveillance as a Service (VSaaS) systems are becoming more popular, both as a means of managing costs and to deliver expectations of accessing video from any device anywhere in...
There is safety in numbers, or so the expression goes. Generally speaking, several employees working together tend to be safer than a single employee working alone. Even so, some environments require that workers complete their jobs alone, thus presenting a unique combination of security vulnerabilities. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines a lone worker as “an employee working alone, such as in a confined space or isolated location.” We asked this we...
In the United States, they are called license plate recognition (LPR) systems. In Europe, the more common term is automated license number-plate recognition (ANPR). In either case, the systems provide capabilities that can benefit a range of applications from schools to municipalities to parking lots. Newer technologies can even identify vehicle color, type, make, and model. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What's new with license plate recognition (LPR) and/or automated numbe...
Video storage has come a long way since rooms full of VCRs stored video from an entire system of cameras. Video storage equates to data storage, and there are multiple options ranging from hard disk storage to the cloud to storage on each individual camera using SD cards. Increasingly, cloud-based storage is an attractive option to store video footage conveniently and safely. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How is expansion of video storage capabilities impacting the security...
Headlines of violence in our schools are a reminder of the need to keep educational institutions safe. In fact, if there is a positive aspect to the constant bombardment of headlines, it is that it keeps our attention perpetually focused on how to improve school security. But what is the role of physical security systems? As the new school year begins, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Are schools safer because of physical security systems? Why or why not?
As physical security technologies become more complex, it is incumbent on the dealer/integrator to have the skills and expertise needed to ensure that a system operates smoothly. The value of integrators increasingly rests on the skill sets they bring to bear when installing a system. If the skills are missing, there is a problem. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What missing skills among security integrators can cause problems for customers?
Driving the smart homes market is the convenience of simple technology solutions. Almost every home now has a “smart speaker” that makes it easier than ever for homeowners to interface and control their technology. But where does security fit into the new landscape of smart home systems? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What’s new in smart homes and residential security systems?
Historically, the emphasis of security systems has been on reactivity, whether it’s providing video evidence of an incident or data to support a resulting investigation. Reactivity is core to impactful security, but increasingly, systems are also seeking to be more proactive. A proactive system seeks to prevent events from happening in the first place, thus mitigating the harm to an organization, and making the need for a reactive response moot. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roun...
The role of the integrator/installer in the physical security marketplace is shifting as technologies evolve and applications expand. Integrators are being faced with a need to augment their expertise both in a wider range of systems and deeper into the specifics of each increasingly complex technology. At the end of the day, it falls to the integrator/installer to ensure a system performs as promised, however much a consultant or even a manufacturer might be involved in the process. We asked th...
Deployed across a wide range of devices, the Internet of Things (IoT) collects data to help business owners make decisions on a macro scale as well as at a granular level. The IoT is a network of physical devices embedded with sensors, software, and network connectivity that allows them to collect and share data. We called on this week's Expert Panel Roundtable to comment on the intersection of the IoT and physical security. We asked: How is the Internet of Things (IoT) increasing the effectiven...
Analog video cameras are still used in a variety of applications, primarily because yesterday’s robust and flexible technology is still functioning today, although it has been years, or even decades, since the initial installation. In many cases, this past generation of security cameras is still reliable and effective. Embracing an installed base of analog cameras is often the most cost-effective approach when updating or expanding a surveillance system. But what about the future? W...
Sharing data between security and building management devices can provide a route to maximize building usage and minimize costs. In today's Internet of Things (IoT) environment, tying together a variety of systems is easier than ever. For an update, we asked this week's Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the benefits of integrating security technology with building management systems (BMS)?
Time flies in the busy world of security, so it’s no surprise that the midpoint of 2023 comes before know it. Let’s pause after the first half of the year to look ahead at what can expect during the second half (Hint: It’s all about AI). We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What will likely be the most important technology development in the security marketplace in the second half of 2023?
According to a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to transform all sectors of society, including national security. The physical security marketplace is certainly feeling the impact of the new technology, which has quickly gained prominence as one of the industry’s most popular buzzwords. To assess the more practical aspects of the situation, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How is artificial intelligence (...
Risk is a core concept in the practice of physical security. However, the risk is not always assessed effectively. Ideally, an organization's appetite for risk guides its security strategy and action planning to the minutest detail, including buying decisions for security equipment and systems. We asked this week's Expert Panel Roundtable: How does the concept of risk influence buying decisions in the security market?
A sad irony in the physical security industry has been the lax attention paid historically to the cybersecurity elements of our industry’s systems. However, the picture has improved starkly in recent years as manufacturers have stepped up to meet the cybersecurity challenges and awareness of the issue has become much higher. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What's new in cybersecurity for physical security systems?
Protecting video involves many of the same strategies and protocols as those used to protect any other type of data. In the world of IP cameras and systems, video can be transmitted anywhere in the world to anyone who needs to see it. But what about access by outsiders who are not authorized to view the video? Or what if heaven forbid, the video is accessed by an unauthorized user who later posts it to YouTube? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What safeguards are in place...
Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) standards in the broader marketplace reflect a growing recognition that business needs to lead the way in addressing a range of environmental and social issues. Environmental concerns, especially as they impact climate change, are a familiar facet of business life. In addition, social concerns include human rights and equity; basically, an organization's relationships with people. Governance refers to the structure of rules, practices, and pr...