Industrial & commercial security applications - Expert commentary

Central stations: The key to DIY security systems for small dealers

DIY—the fastest-growing segment of the residential alarm market—has evolved from a niche trend into a major event in which the big dealers are “in” but the small dealers are not. But the good news is that new partnership programmes emerging from central stations are levelling the field so that even the smallest dealers can get themselves an “in.” Why board the DIY train in the first place? It’s become clear the DIY craze is here to stay, with capital in...

Evolution of revolving door security: Teaching old doors new tricks

Revolving doors have been around for well over 100 years since their invention by Theophilus Van Kannel in 1888. As the story goes, Van Kannel, working in a lobby during a cold winter in Philadelphia, complained about the unpleasant effects of the swing door at the main entrance: “Every person passing through [the exterior door] first brings a chilling gust of wind with its snow or rain, and the noise of the street; then comes the unwelcome bang!” Van Kannel decided to do something...

IFSEC Day 2: HD analogue, video compression and drones

H.265 compression continued to be a popular topic from exhibitors on the second day of IFSEC Video beyond security, compression, HD over analogue and integration were on the lips of several exhibitors at IFSEC International 2016. Strangely for a security exhibition, there were plenty of exhibitors talking about non-security applications on the second day of IFSEC International in London. For Axis Communications, Atul Rajput, Regional Director for Northern Europe, said th...

IFSEC Day 1: H.265, apps and cybersecurity shine through other security innovations

H.265 compression, apps and the inherent security of security systems were some of the themes to be gleaned on the first day of IFSEC International. Almost every video exhibitor I saw on day one of the show mentioned that many of their products use H.265 compression in these days of high definition, bandwidth-hungry cameras. Over at Vivotek’s stand, for example, Emilio Sanchez, project consultant, spoke of the company’s H.265 Smart Stream compression algorithm. He said this saves an...

Gunfire detection technologies for hospitals, retail and office buildings

The unfortunate reality in today’s world is that everyday places in our communities that were once thought of as safe – hospitals, schools, shopping malls and office buildings – are now places where people are at an increased risk for being injured by gun violence. Increase in gun violence Shocking incidents of active shootings have become all too common where we work, learn, relax and recuperate.  In the wake of the Orlando Pulse shooting, it’s hard to forget that...

SourceSecurity.com Technology Report - HDCVI 3.0: Re-Empowering The Analogue Coax Infrastructure For Intelligent UHD Video

This SourceSecurity.com Technology Report will describe one of those analogue HD-over-coax technologies, HDCVI 3.0 by Dahua, which is poised to have a dramatic impact on the video market in the next several years. New capabilities of HDCVI 3.0 include broad compatibility with a range of other (even competing) technologies; higher resolutions including Ultra HD (UHD) or 4K; and intelligent functions comparable to those available in IP systems. What's inside? What is...

Frank Cannon to educate IFSEC attendees on employee security awareness programme

Organisations have a duty of care to protect their employees wherever they work. But in the increasingly complex world that we all live in, the ability to deliver a risk-commensurate and cost-efficient security programme that adds real value to a business is extremely challenging, according to IFSEC International 2016 speaker Frank Cannon. He will be speaking on developing an employee security awareness programme in the Security Management Theatre at IFSEC International in London o...

Impact of convergence of Internet of Things and physical security on VMS offerings

IPVideo Corporation, Bay Shore, New York, recently announced a new OEM agreement with Milestone Systems Inc., Beaverton, Oregon, in an effort to provide deeper and wider options in its portfolio of video management solutions. According to Steve Rice, Director of Business Development, the partnership will allow the company to reach a broader number of enterprise customers and provide them with distinct choices – and two completely different video management system (VMS) offerings. On the t...

New home automation zone at IFSEC 2016 to feature smart home replica

A “smart home” featuring networked security devices and other home automation products will be new to IFSEC International 2016 in June. This replica smart home will be at the heart of the new home automation zone at IFSEC International (London, 21-23 June). The smart home will feature CCTV, intruder alarms, biometric readers, door entry solutions and locks, as well as wireless blinds, lighting and heating control, and 4K video and audio distribution. “These features, along wi...

Nextchip disrupts analogue surveillance market with HD technology amidst growing IP trend

The growing sales of IP-based solutions in the surveillance market is a well-discussed topic. Security companies are rushing to grab a slice of this lucrative pie. However, at the same time, analogue surveillance systems have continued to retain their appeal for many end users. Aware of this demand, some companies have continued to develop technology for analogue solutions despite the IP trend. One company driving this force is Nextchip, the company behind AHD™. Up until rec...

Leading the way to a safer digital world - Hikvision presents cybersecurity best practices to curb online criminals

Hikvision website’s “Security Center” provides cybersecurity informationand tools for integrators and end users The time is now to address the impact of cybersecurity threats on the IP video market. In the case of video surveillance systems, the main motives of cyber-attackers are usually to either cover up video evidence of crimes or to gain access to video that should be private. “The use of video surveillance is growing across North America, not j...

A brief history of ONVIF: How the global industry standard has grown

ONVIF's 1.0 Core Specification debuted in 2008 at Security Essen The adoption of the ONVIF protocol by manufacturers continues to grow. Last year, the number of member companies in the ONVIF forum exceeded 500 and more than 5,000 products are currently certified on the ONVIF website. How did ONVIF achieve this amazing result and experience this wild adoption? More than a decade ago, every manufacturer was defining their own protocols and pushing for Video Management Software...

Positive signs point to new systems and applications for video analytics

Multiple trends point to a maturing video analytics market that is poised to meet or even exceed customer expectations Systems that use video analytics, also known as video content analysis, have a chequered history in the security market. Since the technology was introduced amid much fanfare a dozen or more years ago, opinions about video analytics have sometimes been undermined by systems that did not live up to the initial hype. In fact, early failures continue to taint per...

End-to-end solutions are a dead end: The road to the future is OPEN

The landscape for end-to-end solutions is not designed to address thelong-term evolving needs of customers The video surveillance industry has reached an important crossroads where manufacturers can choose to continue in one direction that solely focuses on their own products and profits, or to move forward in another direction that emphasises building partnerships for the greater good of the community. On one side lies the short road of end-to-end, proprietary solutions fro...

Resources for helping physical security professionals with cybersecurity

There are resources to help guide an organisation’s management of cybersecurity risks, most prominently from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. NIST defines cybersecurity as "the activity or process, ability or capability, or state whereby information and communications systems and the information contained therein are protected from and/or defended against damage, unauthorised use or modification, or exploitation.&rdquo...

Avoiding the cybersecurity risks of cloud-based security solutions

Cloud connectivity can provide a linkage between the mobile users and the facilities and systems they want to interact with From enterprise applications to small businesses, schools, health care facilities and beyond, investments in physical security systems provide valuable resources to help protect people, property and assets – and ultimately the financial security and well-being of the organisation. As need and demand for better security has dramatically increased ove...

Why surveillance professionals find H.265 video compression so appealing

Though primarily developed for consumer electronic devices, the advantages ofH.265 compression technology make it ideal for the world of physical security Ever since digital video systems were introduced the race was on to develop compression technologies to reduce runaway bandwidth and storage consumption. We’ve watched the industry roll out MJPEG, MPEG and H.264 advanced compression standards in direct response to each innovation. With adoption of HDTV and 4K solutions...

New capabilities to drone technology reflect expanding range of commercial security applications

Drones can satisfy five commercial needs, today: surveillance, patrolling,incident response, mapping and site assessment The military uses drones. So do the police. Drones serve as weapons and surveillance tools.Today, businesses and institutions are applying drone technology to a variety of private security surveillance challenges. Private uses include patrolling facilities and installations such as pipelines from the sky. To be sure, private contractors sometimes weaponise d...

Lost for words? Automated lip reading technology deciphers speech in silent CCTV images

Automated CCTV lip reading is challenging due to low frame rates and smallimages, but the University of East Anglia is pushing the next stage of this technology Scientists at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, are working on the next stage of automated lip reading technology that could be used for deciphering speech from video surveillance footage. The visual speech recognition technology, created by Dr. Helen Bear and Professor Richard Harvey of UEA’s S...

SourceSecurity.com Technology Report - Meeting the Cybersecurity Challenge of IP Video Systems

What's the Technology Report about? This SourceSecurity.com Technology Report will look at how cybersecurity risks of video surveillance systems can be minimised, and highlight the role manufacturers, installers/integrators and end users should play to make IP video systems as safe from cyber-attack as humanly possible. Manufacturers, in particular, are stepping up to drive the industry’s efforts, and Hikvision USA is a leader in educating the market to address...

Next generation PSIM solutions widen scope for traditional command and control systems

 PSIM systems extend their value beyond emergencies by including routinemanagement tools, that provide value during daily operations, such as automatingmaintenance activities Physical Security Information Management (PSIM), an acronym termed to describe a family of software platforms that claim to replace traditional command and control (C&C) systems, primarily used to provide situation awareness in control and monitoring centres of Critical Facilities. Traditional C...

Pelco by Schneider Electric CEO Sharad Shekhar to revive Pelco global video security business

Joining Pelco in late 2015, Sharad Shekhar is responsible for the entire global video business and is leading the charge to reinvigorate the Pelco brand with system integrators Back in the day, you literally couldn’t speak with a security company about a video surveillance project without the Pelco name coming up. It had a loyal following and an extremely large installation base. Over the years, that changed and the fervour with which integrators referred to the brand se...

Surveillance industry’s higher-megapixel migration impacts processing power, bandwidth consumption and storage

From a network performance perspective, adding higher megapixel camerasaffects bandwidth utilisation The quest for higher megapixel, high-definition and high-resolution video imaging continues, only now, it has become a marathon of sorts. That’s because the migration will progress decidedly – extending into the foreseeable future and beyond – as technology advances and becomes increasingly affordable. Ultra-high-resolution video is finding its niche, even am...

Manned guarding equipped with latest technology improves security and threat detection

Technology solutions enhance and make manned guarding moreeffective and efficient the quickest way Most companies believe manned guards can help mitigate disturbances and neutralise situations, while at the same time reducing the chance of criminal activities and/or accidents occurring. However, people cannot be omnipresent or always be in the right place at the right time. When combining manned guards with the power of today’s technology, the results are unmatched. Dev...

Importance of tender evaluation in getting high ROI and value from your security system

The right security system can add great value when used as anintegral part of business processes When buying a security system, primary consideration is often given to short-term issues such as technical capability and how current risks are covered. However, this approach doesn’t account for a security system being a longer-term investment, often spanning around ten years. During this time a lot can change, both in terms of technical development and an organisation&rsquo...

Modern mass notification systems adapt to evolving technological innovations

If anyone tells you that the use of Mass Notification Systems (MNS) is a new trend, it is likely that they do not fully understand it. You have been impacted by mass notification your whole life. Surprised? Every time there is a fire drill at an elementary school, or a bell chimes noon or a blinking light announces a snow-related parking ban, an MNS is being deployed. Ultimately, mass notification is just mass communications. What has changed is the distribution methodology, the granularity and...

Developing effective security applications for the operational technology environment

Many operators don’t know what’s actually transpiring on their OT networkand,even if hacked, have no knowledge of the assault Innovation in the oil and gas, utility, healthcare and transportation industries is heavily reliant on connectivity - between devices and systems, machines and data, people and processes. This connectivity is great for productivity upstream, mid-stream and downstream, but is also exposes these systems to greater cyber threat. Furthermore, as...

Remote power management of networked systems offers uninterrupted security services & new business opportunities

By adding remote monitoring to service contracts, dealers and end users bothbenefit from substantial cost savings while reducing potential downtime Whether upgrading an existing surveillance and/or access system from analogue to IP, or installing a completely new system using structured cable, the ability to communicate, monitor and control IP devices delivers significant operational and economic benefits. The vast amounts of data these systems generate are useful in many ways...

Benefits and challenges of omnidirectional cameras in video surveillance market

As the technology in omnidirectional cameras continues to improve, they are becoming increasingly more affordable to a wider segment of the video surveillance market Just a few years ago, omnidirectional cameras were a novelty. Today, however, this technology has taken the leap to the mainstream. Think about how ubiquitous Google’s Street View is, and you can gain a better idea of the power of omnidirectional cameras. Even consumers are starting to see many forms of omn...

Live finger detection technology reinforces future of advanced biometric authentication

Awareness against fake fingerprints prevent fingerprint from becomingthe choice of biometrics despite their benefits Apple’s refusal to the US government’s request to unlock Syed Rizwan Farook’s iPhone has triggered public interests in personal and information security. Ever since the introduction of Touch ID by Apple, fingerprint technology has been implemented into more and more mobile devices by different manufacturers. It is being adopted as the authentic...

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