New products and beyond at GSX 2023 in Dallas

GSX 2023 has its share of new product announcements, although many of the new products are enhancements to technologies shown at last spring’s ISC West show in Las Vegas.

Booth traffic on the first day seemed busy at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, although one exhibitor complained that it takes some time for the traffic to make its way to the farthest areas of the show floor.

Apparent throughout the GSX show is an expanding idea of what constitutes security. Increasingly, ‘security’ technologies offer benefits throughout other parts of a company or institution. Security is also being broadened to encompass ‘safety,’ including emergency response and wider issues of keeping a company safe.

Managing multiple systems

People look at the systems they have, and they are looking for more information"

Manufacturers at GSX are talking about more than new products. Rather, they are offering new approaches to turn products into ‘solutions’ for customers. Among the benefits of new systems is the availability of more data. 

“People look at the systems they have, and they are looking for more information and data and insights from their systems,” says Kyle Hurt, Genetec’s Area Vice-President of Sales for the US and Canada. “In the past, if I’m managing multiple systems and spending time and resources, I am making sure systems are operational. Today, it’s more like: How do I make my enterprise more efficient? I spend less time on making sure systems are working together but more time on how we can use the information.”

Manufacturers at GSX are talking about more than new products

Security control room

Genetec is enhancing its Security Center 5.11 version with a newly redesigned web client that provides new capabilities related to system audio, including the ability to trigger a public address from a mobile device in an emergency, two-way audio to and from the security operations centre, and the ability to record an incident. The new web client offers new levels of “Security on the go,” says Hurt. A mobile device becomes an extension of the security control room.

“Customers want to have more remote capabilities and have their security personnel out and about, not tied to a desk,” says Hurt. The new web client works to unify the four pillars of the Security Centre— video, access control, license plate recognition, and now audio. 

Single source manufacturer

Audio can now be used to broadcast a message, respond to an incident, and notify people"

“Audio has taken time to develop legs in our ecosystem,” says Hurt. “We have been developing partnerships and use cases beyond an intercom at the door. Audio can now be used to broadcast a message, respond to an incident, and notify people en mass of what’s going on.”

Manufacturers are also fine-tuning how they work to meet customers’ needs. “Customers want one point of contact, a single source manufacturer, and a solution that reflects the manufacturer is listening to the voice of the customer,” says Jerry Burhans, Managing Director of ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions - Critical Infrastructure, which seeks to be a global partner to critical infrastructure industries. The Critical Infrastructure business works across the various product groups of the notoriously siloed company to bring together solutions aimed at meeting each customer’s need.

Manufacturers are also fine-tuning how they work to meet customers’ needs

Best-in-class technology

“We try to have best-in-class technology and collaborate within ourselves to make sure we have what customers need,” says Burhans.

Critical infrastructure industries such as water, power and energy, oil and gas are developing standards to help support preparedness of the nation’s infrastructure, and ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions is helping operators secure access and provide audit trails on locking hardware and keys within their security perimeters.

Managing customer assets

Johnson Controls’ new OpenBlue Service for the security device market seeks to proactively manage customer assets (equipment) as a service. The company’s software platform of connected solutions monitors and manages security devices across vendors and provides remote support services including skilled engineers who can work to ensure that a company’s assets, including cameras and access control readers, operate dependably.

Working remotely, OpenBlue analyzes the performance of each system component 

Johnson Controls estimates that, unfortunately, up to 25% of a company’s security assets may not be working as intended, whether they lack the latest firmware update or are not connected. Working remotely, OpenBlue analyses the performance of each system component and responds to ensure equipment operates as intended. “We believe we can close that gap with our solutions,” says Greg Parker, Vice President, Innovation & Portfolio Management for Johnson Controls. 

Physical security equipment

A big advantage of OpenBlue for security customers is the ability to manage cybersecurity and threats at the edge, which may not currently be addressed by the IT department. The OpenBlue offering includes an embedded ‘air wall,’ which is a zero-trust architecture for physical security equipment.

OpenBlue also helps customers manage the ever-changing lifecycles of various assets. Another concept prompting discussion at GSX 2023 is the gap between what a customer expects from a product and what the product can realistically deliver. With endless promotion in the last several years centring on concepts such as artificial intelligence (AI), is it any wonder that customers may sometimes have unrealistic expectations about what a technology can accomplish?

The good news at GSX is that, as progress marches on, newer technologies are getting closer and closer to delivering on customers’ most ambitious expectations. The forward momentum of technology development is evident throughout the GSX 2023 show floor, reflecting the promise of even greater product capabilities in months and years to come.