Larry Anderson's Security Beat
I have been unpacking from last week’s ASIS show in Orlando. It was a good show, except if you compare it to last spring’s ISC West in Las Vegas, which was especially well attended and generated a lot of excitement in the market. ASIS was definitely smaller, lower key and less crowded. And there were no big product announcements. But there was still plenty of technology on display. In particular, I saw the show reflecting several ongoing trends in the market. Impact of M&As Me...
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...
The amount of data generated by today’s video systems – whether resulting from increasing camera counts and/or higher resolutions such as 4K – is presenting new challenges when it comes to storing the data and making it instantly accessible to end users. The surge in data is opening the way in our market for new, more sophisticated IT systems to manage and store the data. In fact, the sheer volume of video data and increasing application demands make some legacy approaches obso...
No doubt about it, the ASIS International show is smaller than in years past. And there is (the usual) grumbling about slow attendee traffic (and the also predictable counter-arguments about “the quality of the leads.”) Some of the security and safety technology being featured was introduced earlier at ISC West, but there is still plenty to see in the exhibit hall. Growth of mobile credentials Mobile credentials are a hot topic again, and Lenel has joined the growing number of comp...
Audio has been slower to catch on in the security market because of lingering concerns about privacy laws related to audio surveillance. But audio analytics capabilities are increasing right alongside the more commonly used video analytics. Integrators who ignore audio are missing an opportunity to create better systems. Privacy is generally not a concern. U.S. law is clear that audio monitoring is legal as long as there is no expectation of privacy among those being monitored. Public si...
The security of courtrooms throughout Florida has gotten the attention of the chief justice of the state’s Supreme Court, who has appointed a “state-wide courthouse security workgroup” to seek solutions to the problem. It’s interesting that there are no security professionals appointed to the group – only lawyers, most of them other judges, and an administrative staff member. Hopefully the workgroup will leverage the expertise of security professionals in their deci...
Creating and accessing intelligence is increasingly part of the mission of corporate security departments, and of Safe Cities applications. Such capabilities were previously the domain of military and government applications, but the same approaches used to provide intelligence from military bases can also be applied to Safe Cities and corporate security projects. Edge360 is a six-year-old company with roots in the military and Department of Defence surveillance. Now, Edge360 is looking to app...
The power of video as evidence in a court of law is often seen as a function of specific variables: How clear is the video? What exactly does it show? Can it be authenticated? Possibly lost in the discussion is the fact that the value of video as evidence is decided almost completely by people, specifically by a small group of people; that is, the jury. Is there a gap between what the video “shows” and what people “see?” Are there psychological or even physiological vari...
The new Pokemon Go video game, which has taken the world by storm, combines real-world landmarks and locations with virtual creatures in a smart phone video game that requires players to walk around in the real world to “find” the imaginary creatures. It’s a little like what the security industry has been trying to do for years: To achieve convergence of physical and cyber worlds. Pokemon Go security risks To be sure, the new game has presented its own set of security chall...
I’ve been hearing a lot of talk lately about the “user experience” or UX. UX is a techy term that refers broadly to how a customer uses a product, including both how the product operates and hundreds of other factors that can enhance – or conversely, can detract from – how a customer perceives and experiences a product. In SourceSecurity.com’s world of digital publishing, an optimum user experience is the Holy Grail. How a user experiences digital media, h...
A long and hard-fought primary season in the United States will culminate this month when the major political parties nominate their candidates officially at their national conventions in Cleveland and Philadelphia. The rancorous campaign has raised concerns about possible civil unrest associated with both conventions, but security planners say they have considered every eventuality. Beyond possible civil disturbances, there have been no credible threats made against either convention, authoriti...
IFSEC International 2016 by all measures was a successful show. Two of the three days clearly met (or exceeded) exhibitors’ expectations. The third day was slower, but is it any wonder? Heavy rains and resulting commuter train complications would have discouraged all but the most determined. And there was another distraction, too: It was the day of the Brexit vote, when the United Kingdom made history. Results of that momentous vote underlined the sense of uncertainty I felt on the first...
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...
Amid all the discussion of security integration and end-to-end solutions on the first day of IFSEC 2016 was an undercurrent of uncertainty. The international trade show opened at ExCel London just days before the historic "Brexit" vote, when Britons will decide whether to remain a part of the European union or to exit the politico-economic fusion of 28 member states. With the Brexit referendum this week, the polls are neck-and-neck, so the vote could go either way, hence the uncertainty. If "le...
The reason for long lines at U.S. airports is that the airlines now charge fees for checked bags. It’s as good an explanation as any of why airport passenger screening lines suddenly and mysteriously grew out of control during May (and then became manageable again in June). It’s not the only explanation floating about – there’s plenty about high travel volumes, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel shortages, etc. etc. – but it’s the one tha...
A mass shooting tragedy over the weekend in a nightclub in Orlando, Florida. – 50 dead and 53 wounded –highlights the random nature of violence even as it points to a number of issues for discussion in the security community. Early Sunday morning, Omar Mateen entered the Pulse nightclub in Orlando and opened fire with an assault rifle and a pistol. Three hours later, during which the 29-year-old Mateen held hostages and called 911 to declare his allegiance to the Islamic State...
Numbers tell the story of security at the Euro 2016 football tournament which begins on 10th June in France. Here are some of the figures that reflect the robust level of protection and security in place across the country: 90,000 The total count of police, soldiers and private security agents who will be deployed throughout France to ensure the safety of the tournament. 77,000 How many police, gendarmes, and riot-control officers will be deployed. 13,000 The num...
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...
Might the future of video surveillance include the use of intelligent contact lenses that incorporate tiny built-in cameras that can record video at the blink of an eye? It seems a little far-fetched, but it’s definitely an idea that’s on the drawing board. Three tech giants – Google, Samsung and Sony – have all sought to patent designs for intelligent contact lenses that include built-in CMOS camera sensors that record video, follow a person’s gaze and are contro...
Today’s video cameras are better than ever, now able to capture images despite low light and other impediments. But do the images always provide enough clarity for security applications and/or for video analytics? The ability to capture an image in a variety of environments isn’t the same as capturing the best possible image, says Eddie Reynolds, President and CEO of Iluminar Inc., a provider of LED white light and infrared illuminators to the video surveillance market. Better came...
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, organisers 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...
Recently at a conference, one of my media colleagues asked an interesting, and basic, question: What exactly is an open system? Many of us think we know what an open system is, but the ensuing discussion provided several different answers, many of them centred on what an open system is NOT (rather than what it is). An open system does not limit a customer’s options. An open system provides maximum flexibility as a system evolves over time. In other words, an open system doesn’t lo...
End users are looking to expand access control beyond its traditional role securing perimeter doors. Innovations such as wireless locks, wi-fi, power-over Ethernet (PoE) and panel-less IP architectures are yielding more flexible solutions for a larger range of locking needs both inside and at the perimeter of an enterprise. Donna Chapman, an ASSA ABLOY Integrated Solutions Specialist, notes that new technologies are increasing how many openings are secured in a building from the current 5 to 15...
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 meagre 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 organisations to manage their enterprise security functions. This spring, AMAG is introducing Symmetry GUEST, a new identity management sys...
Coming into ISC West, many in the industry had expected a renewed push toward use of mobile credentials (contained on smartphones, for example) instead of cards for access control. HID Global didn’t disappoint. A highlight of the second day of the show was a press conference in which HID Global announced new elements of its initiative to lead the industry into use of mobile credentials. Uses of smart phone credentials for identity management HID already provides SEOS mobile credentials,...
ISC West was hopping on its first day, with crowded aisles, packed booths and plenty of news to share. Much of the news consists of product announcements resulting from the rapid pace of technology development in the physical security market. It was enough to cause sensory overload. Educating integrators and end users about security technology Technology is moving so fast that it’s understandable integrators, not to mention end users, might struggle to digest it all and apply it to their...
Cloud-based video systems have been slow to take off, but a new offering being introduced at ISC West seeks to give the concept new life. Unveiling the new system is Ivideon, a provider of hosted Cloud-based video, which is joining forces with Global Innovations, manufacturer of the Oco line of smart cameras. New Oco Pro cameras are pre-configured to interface easily with the Ivideon Cloud system, and distributors and integrators who sell the cameras make money both on the camera and installat...
ISC West is on the immediate horizon, and I asked several industry players what they expect new and different at the industry’s big show. The answers included buzz-worthy topics from Big Data to the Internet of Things, but also mention of a perennial industry theme – integration. Video embracing social media? Tom Chamard, Executive Vice President of Sales, Salient Systems, expects social media to emerge as a larger topic of interest at ISC West, especially considering how social...
Heightened security is the watchword throughout Europe and around the world after the recent dual terror attacks in Brussels. Two explosions at Brussels’ Zaventem airport were followed an hour later with a third bomb at the Maelbeek Metro station, just 100 metres (about 300 feet) from the headquarters of the European Union. In all, 35 people died (including three suicide bombers), and more than 300 others were injured, 62 critically. Raised security levels worldwide In Belgium, flights w...
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