Hotels, leisure & entertainment security applications - Expert commentary

The security officer is the first responderand therefore the backbone of anyorganization's security stature Customers should carefully consider multiple important factors beyond price when choosing a supplier of security guard services.  In this article, Drew Levine – President of G4S Secure Solutions USA, provides a checklist of points to consider when evaluating security manpower suppliers. From historical reputation and size of the workforce to the professional...

Security integrators prefer to standardizetheir choices of system components such as power supplies using security manufacturers they are familiar with Power supplies may be inconspicuous and literally out-of-sight; however, they play a critical role in the effective functioning of security solutions.  Selecting and using the right power supply is an important aspect of ensuring that the installed security system delivers the desired outcome and of course, a good ROI. In...

The choice of the right security technology is one of the primary considerations for implementation or upgrade of a video surveillance system or other security system. Industry professionals making this critical decision often have to choose between a ‘bleeding edge’ technology, i.e. one that is in its infancy but offers great potential, and a leading edge proven technology. In this article, Stephen Malia - Vice President of Engineering Services and Marketing at North A...

Ambient lighting in hospitality environments pose major challenges for video surveillance Variable lighting conditions pose a persistent challenge in video surveillance applications such as large retail locations, banks and financial institutions, and hospitality environments.Challenges to lighting quality Typically, retail locations, banks and hospitality venues include an abundance of windows. The resulting excessive light can damage video image quality, by flooding the ima...

The changes to the economic climate over the past few years have affected the construction industry as a whole, and the booming casino industry was naturally affected as well. While there are still new casinos being built, overall the scale of construction does not approach the mega-casinos that have dominated the industry for the previous twenty years. Many of the new builds today are smaller casinos with different budgets and requirements of past projects. In addition, existing c...

  Fibre optics enhances the operation and business bottom line of surveillance solutions Designers and end users of security systems, integrators and installers must consider and balance the functionality required of a video surveillance camera with its methods of transmission. This is the first of a 3-part examination by Mark Wilson, Marketing Vice President of Infinova, of how chief security officers (CSOs), directors and managers can understand the benefits of and...

  Acquiring a true open platform surveillance software requires an informed decision Research reports pertaining to the IP video surveillance market repeatedly talk up the trend of "Open Platform". Keeping with that trend, it seems that every manufacturer is claiming its offerings to be IP-based and Open Platform. In the security industry these days, it has become almost embarrassing for a company to admit having a proprietary (single vendor) solution - there seems to be a...

Hoteliers don't give security a high enough priority Security is not as high on the hotel agenda as it should be according to Michael Hartmann, Senior Vice President for Hospitality Solutions with Siemens Building Technologies.  Here he looks at the reluctance to invest in the latest security systems, the different levels of security typically employed and the benefits of an integrated approach. The contribution to profit, or the perceived lack of it, is one of the major...

SourceSecurity.com took the time to catch up with the CEO and President of the company that invented the network camera more than 10 years ago, Axis Communications, to ask him whether the era of IP-based surveillance had arrived and what obstacles remain in the way of more widespread adoption. SourceSecurity.com: Do you think IP-Surveillance has finally come of age? Ray Mauritsson: Yes and it is not just Axis saying this.  You only need to look at the growth of sales of the network...

In his previous article, Matt Gilmartin of Concept Smoke Screen introduced the... well... concept... of artificial smoke as a defence against burglars.  Here he explores the practicalities of the technology and introduces us to a few of its many applications. Originally, security fog systems were exclusively a means of preventing loss through burglary, and were utilised only in the manner described in my previous article.  But advancements in technology (partly fuelled by ever-growin...

In the first of two articles, Matt Gilmartin of Concept Smoke Screen introduces the idea of using artificial smoke as a final - and telling - barrier against burglary, and explains the basics behind this wildly under-reported technology. Around twenty years ago, a dramatic increase in the amount of smash-and-grab and "ram-raid" style burglaries made it apparent that for a lot of premises, the three layers of "conventional" security measures were no longer enough: Physical security...