REDWALL Video Motion Detectors  (13)

The global pandemic has triggered considerable innovation and change in the video surveillance sector. Last year, organizations around the globe embraced video surveillance technologies to manage social distancing, monitor occupancy levels in internal and external settings, and enhance their return-to-work processes. Forced to reimagine nearly every facet of their operations for a new post-COVID reality, companies were quick to seize on the possibilities offered by today’s next-generation video surveillance systems. Whether that was utilizing motion sensing technologies to automatically close doors or switch on lighting in near-deserted office facilities. Or checking if people were wearing masks and adhering to distancing rules. Or keeping a watchful eye on streets and public spaces during mandated curfew hours. Beyond surveillance and monitoring use cases, organizations also took advantage of a raft of new Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications to undertake a range of tasks. Everything from automating their building management and optimizing warehouse operations, to increasing manufacturing output and undertaking predictive maintenance. Behind the scenes, three key trends all contributed to the growing ubiquity of video surveillance observed in a variety of government, healthcare, corporate, retail, and industry settings. Video surveillance takes to the Cloud Last year the shift to digital working led organizations to rapidly embrace cloud-enabled services, including cloud-hosted Video Surveillance As A Service (VSaaS) solutions that provide tremendous economies of scale and flexibility. Alongside significant cost savings, these solutions make it easier for organizations to enhance their disaster recovery and manage their video surveillance estate in new and highly effective ways. Surveillance cameras with audio recording were used more than 200% by customers between 2016 and 2020 For example, in addition to enabling remote access and maintenance, today’s cloud-powered systems eliminate any need to invest in local storage technologies that all too often fail to keep pace with an organization’s growing data storage requirements. Indeed, data from our worldwide customer base survey reveals how in 2020 an impressive 63% of organizations had abandoned using any on-premises storage option and were instead only storing all their video surveillance recordings and data in the Cloud. A deeper review of the global stats shows that the average cloud recording retention period for this stored data was 28.2 days, with organizations in Asia topping the global average at 38 days – 33% higher than was observed in any other region. Improvements in bandwidth and scalability engendered by the Cloud have also helped boost the growing utilization of audio recordings in addition to visual image capture. Indeed, our research found the number of surveillance cameras with an audio recording facility used by customers jumped more than 200% between 2016 and 2020. Making sense of Big Data The enhanced ease of connectivity and scalable bandwidth made possible by the Cloud is stimulating more companies to connect a lot more video surveillance cameras to their networks. The top motivation for doing so is to generate live metrics and data that can be utilized to deliver enhanced business insights and operational intelligence. In recent years, a rich choice of video analytics solutions have been developed for a variety of industry verticals. The range of functionalities on offer is impressive and covers a variety of applications. Everything from making it easy to classify and track objects and behavior patterns in real-time, to undertaking anomaly detection, or generating predictions based on past and present events/activities. Data collected via today’s cloud connected cameras can now also be used to feed deep learning training and AI analytics, utilizing the unparalleled virtualized processing capacity of the Cloud to convert Big Data into usable information quickly. By integrating this information with data from other enterprise data capture systems, organizations are now able to gain a 360-degree view of their operations – in almost real-time. IT is now in the driving seat No longer the sole preserve of on-site security staff, the wider application and business use of video surveillance means that IT is increasingly taking the lead role where the management and control of these systems are concerned. IT is asked to integrate video surveillance into key enterprise platforms to generate the data that business leaders need Aside from the fact that IT has a vested interest in addressing the cybersecurity implications that come with attaching a growing range of IoT devices to the enterprise network, they’re also increasingly being asked to integrate video surveillance into key enterprise platforms to generate the data that business leaders need. As organizations expand their integration of video with other business applications, such as point of sale, access control, process control, and manufacturing systems, this trend is only set to accelerate. Looking to the future Right now, the video surveillance industry is at a key tipping point, as video systems become increasingly strategic for enabling the enterprise to boost productivity, stay compliant, and fulfill its obligations to protect employees and customers. As the technology’s contribution to enhanced data-driven decision-making and problem solving continues to increase, expect the adoption of IP connected video cameras to burgeon as organizations look to capture more data from their day-to-day business operations.

While COVID-19 caused widespread disruption and many challenges for businesses, its sudden arrival prompted some very quick decision-making around how to maintain operations. For some businesses, cloud-based video conferencing solutions provided a welcome alternative to meeting face-to-face. A year on and it seems that this sudden and mass adoption of cloud has accelerated a digital transformation process in other departments. Physical security too is increasingly moving to the cloud in the form of hosted solutions, where Video Surveillance as-a-Service (VSaaS) is providing comprehensive protection across a range of industries and sectors. To better understand the impact of this migration to the cloud, hosted security provider Morphean commissioned a survey of 1000 senior decision-makers across the UK, Germany, and Sweden, working in HR, facilities management, IT, and security. As well as ascertaining purchasing intent around hosted security applications among a broad spectrum of buyers, the results would provide key indications around the abilities of cloud to benefit organizations in regard to both security and business operations. An increasing urgency around VSaaS and ACaaS adoption Low costs, flexible scalability, demand for real-time and remote access to security data are key to the adoption of hosted solutions Survey results revealed that 51% of senior decision-makers are currently using cloud-based video surveillance (VSaaS) and/or a door entry/access control system (ACaaS). This represents a 3% increase in comparison to responses from a 2019 survey (48%), and broadly reflects projected growth in the physical security market from USD $93.5b in 2020 to USD $120.3b by 2025 at a CAGR of 5.2%. Low costs, flexible scalability, and demand for real-time and remote access to security data are key to the accelerated adoption of hosted solutions in the current climate. A significant 70% of respondents agreed that the pandemic had actually increased the necessity/urgency for businesses to adopt VSaaS and ACaaS, with IT Services revealed as the sector with most respondents strongly or somewhat agreeing (82%), followed by Security (73%). Results highlight a hosted physical security market which is in a strong position for 2021. Physical security utilizing the cloud can unlock many security and business benefits for the modern organization as it faces many new challenges. Business optimization and operational insights The benefits of VSaaS and ACaaS prompted Morphean to examine what areas of the business were optimized, or in need of improvement. 43% of those surveyed stated that data/information security was the most optimized aspect of their company. The total number of respondents who indicated that physical security was already optimized had risen by 4% since our 2019 survey, to 27%. It was those working in IT who saw the greatest disparity in security-related optimization, with far fewer recognizing that physical security was optimized (28%) compared with data/IT security (55%). This may point to an opportunity to increase physical security optimization to be on par with data/IT security. 95% of those surveyed agreed that if an existing security system could deliver insights beyond security to assist decision making it would influence adoption. It is clear that the growth in connected digital devices through the IoT is resulting in a growing appetite for physical security, such as network cameras, to enhance existing IT systems and assist business intelligence gathering. As an example, consider an office environment where access control and video data can be used to determine an employee’s movements in the event of a positive COVID-19 result and alert others who may have made physical contact with that individual. A future proof business model Decision-makers surveyed that use of cloud technologies to increase in the future as a result of COVID-19 78% of the 1000 senior decision-makers surveyed anticipate their organizations’ use of cloud technologies to increase in the future as a result of COVID-19. Rather than being tied to fixed IT infrastructure on-premises, businesses are able to customize and scale quickly to meet ongoing challenges without the need for large upfront capital investment. The convenience of as-a-service can be paid for out of operational expenditure as a monthly cost. This is the proven business model of the cloud. Yet the security industry has been slow to adopt it. One key challenge is the way in which the prevalent business models in the sector operate. Transitioning to sales cycles based on monthly licenses rather than up-front purchases won’t be easy, but the security channel must learn how if it is to remain competitive and drive new business opportunities. This recurring revenue model will be interesting for the physical security industry who will have witnessed uncertainty and, in some cases, a downturn in revenues as decisions around capital expenditure were put on hold during the crisis. Full support and extensive functionality From a customer perspective, 28% of respondents highlighted cost benefits as a key factor in the move towards VSaaS/ACaaS and 19% indicated that they would expect to see all-inclusive updates/upgrades and support. VSaaS and ACaaS are supported by the latest software updates and firmware upgrades, so are always up to date. Additionally, functionality such as remote management allows operations to be monitored offsite via mobile device. Access from any location (32%), remote maintenance (31%), and the ability to monitor empty sites (29%) were all identified as key benefits of introducing VSaaS and ACaaS, alongside better security (40%) and better functionality (33%). The revelation that such technology is employed by over half of organizations across a wide range of industries is a comforting validation of its benefits, and evidence that hosted physical security is in great demand. 30% of those surveyed indicated that they did not currently use such solutions, but were considering their implementation. Cloud’s resilience and ability to connect the world during the COVID-19 pandemic has clearly proved its worth, even to the uninitiated who have now witnessed first-hand the value of connected systems. VSaaS and ACaaS provide flexibility in a security and business solution that meets the demands of a rapidly evolving industry.

Enclosures containing electronics, communications or cabling infrastructure offer a simple attack point for cyber breaches and an opportunity for a physical attack on the hardware. Yet, many of these assets are housed within enclosures that provide minimal security features to offer a deterrent to any would-be attacker. This has always just been a pet hate. Walking down the high street of a town anywhere in the United Kingdom, you can often see open street communication cabinets. You can actually look directly inside at the equipment. And if I was a bad guy, I could quite easily just put my foot into their enclosure and quite quickly take out their infrastructure. Charged service for enclosures This seems crazy when a US$ 2 magnetic contact on a door can quickly tell you whether your enclosure is open or shut, and can be vital in keeping your network alive. Moreover, the operators of these systems, whether it is telecoms or internet providers, are providing a charged service to their customers, so they should really be protecting their enclosures. Why has that security level not been so readily taken into the outside world, into the unprotected environment? More sobering, if you contrast this security approach to the approach taken in the data center world, an environment that already has multiple stringent security protocols in place, you get a very different picture. For instance, security devices can capture snapshots of anyone who opens a cabinet door in a data room, so it is recorded who has opened that door. While that is just one simple example, it begs the question. Why has that security level not been so readily taken into the outside world, into the unprotected environment? In my mind, a lot of it boils down simply to education. Network connection, easy point of cyber attacks Our preconceived idea about cyber security is some big corporation being knocked out or held to ransom by, again in our mind, someone sitting at a laptop, probably with their hood up over their head, typing away in the darkness, attacking us through the internet. But how the would-be criminal is going to come at us is just like in sport. They attack at the weakest point. Networks can be deployed in the outside world in many ways, such as cameras monitoring the highways. That means those locations will have a network connection. And that can be a point of attack in a non-secure outside world. Enclosures can be broken into by attackers Many people think, ‘That is okay because I’m going to take that ethernet device that my cameras are connected to and I’m going to put it inside an enclosure.’ However, what people do not realize is that the only thing that the enclosure is doing is protecting the ethernet device from Mother Nature. Because, without proper security, those enclosures can be broken into pretty easily. Many of them are just a single key that is not in any way coded to the device. Twofold cyber security People need to realize that cyber security is twofold. It can be carried out by hacking the network or physically breaking Therein lays the problem. People need to realize that cyber security is twofold. It can be carried out by hacking the network or physically breaking into the weakest physical point. And so, a simple boot through the open door of an enclosure can vandalise the devices inside and take down a small or large part of a network. And by definition, this meets the criteria for a cyber-attack. So, how do we go about tackling this problem? Well, security is a reaction marketplace. And for enclosures, there’s not, at present, a plethora of solutions out there for to counter these types of attacks. It can be challenging to find what you’re looking for through a quick Google search compared to searching for more traditional security protection measures. Deploying smart sensors and detectors But, under Vanderbilt and ComNet, we are currently taking our knowledge and experience from system installation and compiling it together. We’re bringing different products from different parts of our business to make a true solution. For instance, we have sensors for enclosures that detect anything from gas or smoke to open doors, detectors that will tell you if someone is trying to smash open your enclosure with a sledgehammer, or that someone is trying to lift your enclosure off of its mount. More importantly, as is not really a one-size-fits-all solution, we have developed a menu structure available that allows customers to pick and choose the ones that will best fit their own requirements.

OPTEX is rolling out the launch of its new REDSCAN PRO laser detection sensor, featuring its longest range yet, making it the perfect solution for the highest security sites. The latest evolution in its award-winning REDSCAN LiDAR series, REDSCAN PRO can very accurately detect intruders to a range of 50mx100m, without any ‘gaps’ or the detection reliability ‘fading’ with range. By creating rectangular as opposed to circular (fan-shaped) detection patterns, there are no unnecessary overlaps, providing great coverage for virtual wall applications such as façade and fence protection, and for virtual planes to cover open areas, ceilings, and roofs. Features To meet the individual needs of every site, REDSCAN PRO features intelligent multiple zones logic. This means that for each detection zone, the sensitivity, target size, and output can be configured independently, allowing the zone’s risk and location to be adapted and provide maximum capture rate with minimum nuisance alarms. The sensor’s camera module brings visual assistance for configuration and post-alarm analysis. When an alarm is created, a file is saved with an alarm log and video image. It helps security teams reviewing the alarms and checks if any action needs to be taken or if the settings need to be adjusted. Ideal solution for high security sites With enhanced configuration flexibility and functionality, REDSCAN PRO allows you to do more with less Mac Kokobo, Officer & Senior General Manager at OPTEX, says the new REDSCAN PRO series provides the ultimate detection solution: “For a decade we’ve been gathering feedback from our customers on what applications they want to use our LiDAR for. Featuring our longest detection range yet without any deterioration on performance, in combination with the ability to operate in harsh outdoor environments and to customize precisely the detection area and target size, our new REDSCAN PRO series is the ideal solution for major infrastructure, critical facilities, high-end residential properties and other high security sites.” “With enhanced configuration flexibility and functionality, REDSCAN PRO allows you to do more with less, one device that can deliver and achieve what used to be done by multiple devices.” Design and models REDSCAN PRO features a sleek, new design, with a flexible mounting option (+5 to -95-degree tilt), simple set up, and easy-to-use web configuration. The sensors are also ONVIF (Open Network Video Interface Forum) Profile S compliant. ONVIF is a global standard for physical IP-based security products, which aims to standardize how IP products within the video surveillance industry communicate with each other. The REDSCAN Pro series includes two models – the RLS-3060V with a range up to 30x60m and the RLS-50100V up to 50x100m. Both models will become available from April 2021.

OPTEX, a global front-runner in sensing solutions, is expanding its Intelligent Visual Verification solution by introducing a 12 Channel Visual Verification Bridge (Model: CKB-312). This powerful gateway is the new hardware device that allows security professionals to connect ONVIF compatible cameras and alarm sensors to the cloud-based Visual Verification Portal powered by CHeKT. Features and functions Aimed primarily to monitored alarm systems, the solution provides central station operators the ability to visually verify alarm threats within seconds, and respond accordingly. When installed and maintained properly, this system can eliminate 100% of false dispatches and dramatically increase customer satisfaction and retention. The solution allows the operator to share video alarm events with the site emergency contacts to validate or dismiss the alarm. The CKB-312 allows the integrator to pair up to twelve cameras with twelve sensors for visual verification of events. It simplifies the installation for larger sites using a single device to transmit twelve event-driven camera feeds. Installing the CKB312 as an alarm panel module is a cost-effective way to add a video to existing intruder systems, using the legacy equipment and to build new visual verified security systems. Easy to use app and a cost-effective solution In addition, a smart-phone App is available, allowing end-users the option to have a professionally installed and self-monitored visual verification solution. “The 12 channel Bridge perfectly complements the existing 4 channel Bridge and gives more options to the installer. Offering a cost-effective solution to add a video to monitored alarm systems increases the benefits significantly to the end-users. Integrators can confidently bring the security solution outside by adding external intrusion sensors to deter any break-ins,” says Rob Blair, CEO of OPTEX Inc.

Fenix Monitoring, an approved NSI Gold Alarm Receiving Center (ARC), has entered into a new partnership with OPTEX to support its customers in providing state-of-the-art security response services. The business, founded in 2018 by Managing Director, Carl Meason, will harness the reliability and performance of OPTEX’s Intelligent Visual Monitoring solution to extend its services to provide visually verified alarms, enhancing security by capturing genuine alarms while filtering out nuisance alarms in a diverse range of environments. OPTEX – Fenix Monitoring partnership Fenix Monitoring, which provides CCTV, intruder and lone worker monitoring solutions, has built its reputation on the principles of digital innovation, data analysis and customer-driven experience. These principles provide cutting edge security products and services to the monitoring market, culminating with being recognized as British Security Industry Association (BSIA) SME business of the year 2020. Carl Meason believes the partnership with OPTEX will enable Fenix to significantly enhance their product offering to its customers. Carl Meason said “Fenix Monitoring continues its mission of partnering with the most innovative companies out there, and delivering products and services that are industry leading. In joining forces with OPTEX, we have added another technology partner that can help us build the very best monitoring solutions for our customers.” OPTEX Intelligent Visual Monitoring solution OPTEX’s Intelligent Visual Monitoring Solution offers a number of key benefits, including privacy mode" Carl adds, “OPTEX’s Intelligent Visual Monitoring Solution offers a number of key benefits, especially in relation to its privacy mode which means we will only see a silhouette when an alarm is activated. The homeowner or end-user can then lift this privacy feature, should the alarm be genuine and the person monitoring can see exactly what is going on.” Benjamin Linklater, Sales Director at OPTEX Europe, is looking forward to the new partnership with Fenix Monitoring. He said, “We are very pleased to welcome Fenix to the network of monitoring centers offering our cloud-based visual monitoring solution. Fenix is an agile, technology-focused security company constantly looking for new solutions to solve their customers’ issues.” Intruder and CCTV technologies installed on single site The OPTEX Intelligent Visual Monitoring solution enables separate intruder and CCTV technologies installed on the same site, but acting independently, to be connected using the OPTEX Bridge and create one, seamless, integrated and intelligent visual monitoring solution. Intruder alarms can now be visually verified within seconds, without impacting the integrity of the technology installed or its grade. When an alarm occurs, a signal is instantly sent to the ARC whose operator can view images pre and post the alarm event via a dedicated portal to determine whether the alarm is genuine.