Technology & Trends - CCTV software

Schools are unlike commercial buildings or other facilities in several ways, and the differences impact how they should be secured. For one thing, the inhabitants are mainly children and won’t carry card credentials. Also, schools have distinct traffic flows and are open all hours of the day for after-school activities and evening and weekend usage. “Security solutions must take into account this flexible and fluid schedule,” says Minu Youngkin, vertical marketing manager, Alle...

There’s more talk than ever in the security industry about cloud-based systems – where they are, where they’re going, the risks, the rewards. New opportunities for integrator companies, especially related to recurring monthly revenue (RMR), are among the benefits of new cloud-based systems. For insights into those opportunities, we spoke with Robert Hile, currently director of strategic accounts for SureView Systems and a strong proponent of cloud-based systems, whose backgroun...

It’s important for everyone in a high school to wear an ID Handwritten check in and check out books fail to alert the security risks posed by individuals on school campuses. Installing visitor management systems is imperative to screen and manage visitors and thereby enhance the level of safety in schools.  However, it takes training and practice to use school visitor management technologies effectively. Security technologies can go a long way toward making K-12 sc...

Milestone Interconnect provides a cost-efficient and flexible way to have central surveillance operation across geographically dispersed sites The transportation vertical is embracing the open platform for video systems. In the past, manufacturers required transportation end users to purchase the camera, the recorders and the software all from one manufacturer. Now, with IP, organisations in the transportation vertical can use off-the-shelf cameras, servers (recorders) and sof...

Analytics at the edge provide the ability to process what is happening in a field of view and discern if a relevant alert is triggered There are multiple benefits to using video analytics at the edge (i.e., near or inside the camera). For one thing, analytics at the edge provides the ability to process what is happening in a field of view and discern if a relevant alert is triggered. This can be faster and less expensive than the original video analytics model of using a separ...

Video analytics isn’t just for security. In general, the ability to leverage data from video provides a new wealth of information and “intelligence” about all aspects of the business. The retail vertical is leading the way in reaping the benefits of video analytics beyond the security function.   There are two reasons retailers have taken advantage of video analytics far more than other vertical markets. First, retailers generally face more theft than a...

Intelligent searches of video archives provide investigators faster access to any needed video clip That video analytics can be immensely useful in forensics is relatively less known. However, forensic search capabilities offered by some modern video analytics solutions can not only save investigators significant amounts of time but also help them find results more accurately. These solutions leverage facial recognition and advanced object tracking, demographic analytics, lice...

Various vertical markets such as retail, airports, and transportation have benefited from video analytics Video analytics systems have progressed far beyond the theoretical and are now being used effectively in a range of applications. Let’s look at some of the real-world scenarios that have taken advantage of the latest video analytics systems. Video analytics aren’t just for security. For a traffic application, Agent Vi provides business intelligence on the ave...

The better the sensors, the better the analytics Garbage in, garbage out. The familiar cliché is just as applicable to the area of video analytics as any other field of computing. You simply must have a high-quality image in order to achieve a high-functioning analytics system. The good news is that video cameras, which are the sensors in video analytics systems, are providing images that are better than ever, offering higher quality – and more data – for us...

Coming of age: storage devices have evolved to better record, manage and play back high-quality images Video surveillance and security technology continues to come of age. The sophistication of cameras that have moved to high-definition, high-resolution, megapixel imagery has transformed what users see on playback and greatly enhanced the usability of recorded video feeds. As the evolution continues, from the early days of grainy footage and barely recognisable images to HD, F...

The focus of Fusion Centre is all about video - surveillance, analytics, verification, license plate recognition, VMS, wearable cameras and more Growing demand for surveillance that offers better quality video continues to fuel growth in the IP camera market. According to Transparency Market Research, the video surveillance market will realise a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19 percent by 2019, surpassing $42 billion in sales. High-definition video and network-connect...

The aviation and transportation industries are using video analytics to provide operational cost savings and performance enhancement Video analytics are now increasingly being used for the critical infrastructure, airports, transportation and city surveillance sectors, among other high-value markets. These markets need robust video analytics solutions that can be integrated into an overall security solution to deliver totally reliable results without any significant level of n...

Video analytics allow users to automate the use of video and extract more value Almost anyone in the video analytics market will admit that the capabilities of the technology were initially oversold. The first generation of analytics simply didn’t work as promised, and an undercurrent of distrust of the technology in general still haunts the market. Ironically, video analytics capabilities have now matured into a robust and dependable option for a variety of applications...

Better, faster networking plays into the optimistic outlook for the transportation vertical Our market has plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future of security systems in the transportation vertical. “Given the advances in processing power and technology, we can only imagine what the capability of an IP camera will be in five years,” comments Anthony Incorvati, business development manager, critical infrastructure and transportation, Axis Communications....

In-vehicle technology allows security officials to view live footage from the bus’ cameras during an emergency One of the biggest security opportunities in transportation is onboard surveillance for buses and trains. While most transit organisations have invested heavily in video security for facilities such as terminals and stations, far fewer have taken the next step and installed IP cameras on board vehicles, says John Recesso, strategic business development manager,...

Overwhelmed by too many choices for an access control system? Where do you start? Always seeking to help, SourceSecurity.com asked access control suppliers to describe what differentiating characteristics set their systems apart from others in the market. AMAG: Easy migration, simple pricing model AMAG’s Symmetry platform includes access control, photo ID badging, visitor management and digital video server software, all standard in an integrated solution. The pricing model...

Security professionals and end users are eager to define video analytics In the era where “I” is king, video analytics have become a topic of excitement, confusion, and deliberation. All one needs to do is take a stroll through the latest security expo to recognise how popular the space is, and how difficult it is to find an adequate explanation of what they are and how they work. So what are video analytics? This is the question both end users and security profess...

The solutions offered today in the field of server virtualisation seem to be a natural fit for the evolution of security systems from analogue to IP The video surveillance industry has been transitioning from analogue to IP-based systems over the last several years, and it is clear that this trend will continue. In light of this, it is apparent that taking advantage of the advancements in the IT world for use in security system design is the next logical step. In this article,...

 The increased viability of surveillance video as data will be an opportunity for growth and development Pivot3 2014/2015 Review and Forecast: It was a solid year for the industry – not great, but not bad. The state of the economy and less U.S. government grant money for surveillance in the last year held the security industry back overall.  There were two interesting trends as it relates to server/storage infrastructure for video surveillance. First, the pr...

Organisations are looking to emerging technologies to enhance security and communications Verint 2014/2015 Review and Forecast: The overall economy was solid in 2014, with large regions and industries continuing to grow and emerging markets revealing even greater opportunity. We are seeing emerging signs of strength in industries like Higher Education that are expanding their security horizons, or taking note of global events. Additionally, security organisations continue to...

 “Winners” in 2015 will be multinational security solutions companies and recruiters for mid-to senior-level employment placement ASIS International 2014/2015 Review and Forecast: Spending on security systems was up in 2014: In general, it seems that there was an increase in capital projects for 2014. Two likely contributing factors are a slightly better economic outlook, and the previous capex holding patterns of many organisations wanting to move out of tha...

With the entry of more manufacturers and mergers and acquisitions in the security industry, the competition is undoubtedly getting fiercer VIVOTEK 2014/2015 Review and Forecast: Total solutions have become more important than individual products in the industry. Security brands are starting to turn themselves into solution providers instead of product manufacturers. Moreover, with technology advancement, the adoption of intelligent video content analysis is on the rise. I...

2015 will see Multifocal sensor cameras opening up new markets for Dallmeier Dallmeier 2014/2015 Review and Forecast:The resolution of megapixel cameras is always going to be higher. But people are starting to understand that resolution is not everything, nor does it solve the problem of the customer. In addition, many megapixels on a single chip have unpleasant side-effects related to things like light sensitivity, lens quality, image rate and bandwidth. What really interes...

Developers have made huge strides in the effectiveness, convenience, and reliability of the technologies used in video surveillance AxxonSoft 2014/2015 Review and Forecast:Video technology began with simple CCTV systems, but these systems have gradually become more sophisticated, offering both scene analytics and forensic post-analysis. The payoff is found in today's smart security systems. Video analytics are in use today in real-world conditions – on motorways, underg...

There is convergence of both the video and access control technologies, and of the companies themselves Milestone Systems 2014/2015 Review and Forecast: Milestone Systems is always in touch with our vast ecosystem of partners around the globe as we support them in their customer projects and needs. We partake in hundreds of industry events, road shows, and meetings, also holding our own partner conferences in every region to ensure face time with our stakeholders. We do...

Too often we make the assumption that networks designed for data communication are the same as those for IP video Networking Basics for Security Professionals: Bandwidth challenges can impact your video surveillance systemToo often as we continue on the transition from analogue to IP video surveillance, we make the assumption that networks designed for data communication are the same as those for IP video. In fact, they are very different. While we focus on camera, NVR an...

Think of crisis management and emergency planning as a  customer service Do you have a written emergency management plan? Where is it? When was the last time you updated it?Developing and writing a corporate or organisational emergency management plan can take a long time. Once completed, however, the plan is there for you to access when you need it. In fact, that’s wrong. According to crisis management authority Michael J. Fagel, emergency planning is suppos...

Access control systems that leverage proprietary technologies severely limit system flexibility Access control’s ongoing transition from closed systems to more open integration provides benefits for integrators, and especially for end users looking to maximise their system return on investment. End users want greater flexibility, specifically in terms of hardware choice. As a result, more non-proprietary solutions are coming to market. For the integrator, offering more o...

Event-driven video for surveillance and recording involves using a video recorder or video management software system that is triggered by movement in the areas where cameras are located. Event-driven video can be achieved by using intelligent motion detection or video contents analytics (VCA) on the camera, recorder or PC server. Recently, performance of VCA has improved; however, some conditions can still affect detection using the camera image. Tomo Ito, Business Development Man...

If a security or video surveillance / CCTV system isn’t working, who’s to blame? Or more to the point, what’s to blame? Is the problem the malfunction of a specific device on the edge of the IP network, or is it a network or other system failure? How can an end user or dealer / installer know what the problem is? How can a camera manufacturer know if a call to their overworked tech support department is really about the manufacturer’s camera or cau...