Transportation security applications - Expert commentary

Cameras capable of recording video at 60 frames per second (fps) are becoming widely available in the security industry. It’s important to understand what 60-fps brings to the table for the security industry and how to leverage the technology for particular scenarios. Capturing video at 60-fps represents a unique application. System integrators typically use much lower frame rates, ranging from 7- to up to 30-fps. The potential for an incident might only represent 1%, or less, of the tim...

In recent news, trucks, lorries and vans have been the weapon used in terror attacks around the globe, and other sources suggest that autonomous vehicles, particularly self-driving trucks and lorries, could be a reality sooner than we think. It poses the question: How can we prevent autonomous vehicles from being used as weapons in terror attacks? Accessories for terror attacks We already have ‘self-driving’ technologies in the cars which are on our roads today, from lane-departur...

The optical speed lane and turnstile sector of the security market has had a very busy 2017. Growth in commercial construction has provided more opportunity.  Innovations in technology have given speed lane manufacturers an opportunity to deliver a better product. Orion sales increase and company growth Orion Entrance Control, Inc., had a great 2017 as sales increased and our company grew. We attribute our success to the unique approach we have taken since day one: providing customised pr...

  The record-breaking attendance at the 2017 industry trade shows was a clear indication of a growing need for and interest in security. While cybersecurity was a main theme, with encryption and automatic-updating technology taking centre stage, customised solutions and visible examples of increased manufacturer’s support were also highlighted. These latter two are interwoven through activities such as manufacturer’s training seminars that highlight the advanced f...

The most important trend that developed in 2017 was the increasing focus on cybersecurity. As more and more devices move to the Internet of Things (IoT) model to provide added convenience and intelligence, the ability of hackers to use those devices to infiltrate systems – and the need for oversight to protect organisations – has also increased. Another trend we saw was an increase in the number of compliance and audit requirements related to physical security. An example of this i...

The air travel industry has evolved from one commercial passenger on the first commercial flight in 1914 to an estimated 100,000 flights per day. According to The International Air Transport Association (IATA), the total number of passengers who flew in 2017 is expected to reach 3.7 billion.   But it’s not just people who fly. Each day, more than $18.6 billion of goods travel by air, which represents one-third of all world trade, by value. Meanwhile, the aviation industr...

In 2017, access control solutions evolved and expanded within physical security operations, aligning with the overall industry trend of moving security from a reactive to a more proactive model. Access control serving the industry From increased integration capabilities to mobile applications to predictive analytics, access control served as the platform that enabled this transition in physical and data security. Other steady growth areas included wireless readers, smartphone usage as a crede...

  What a year it’s been! 2017 has been a monumental period of product innovation and growth for Pivot3. The company experienced a more-than-50-percent increase in bookings from Q2 to Q3 this year, including a record number of million-dollar orders. We also saw deals supporting multiple use cases more than double, and experienced continued growth in the video surveillance market, driven by new product enhancements and contracts worth more than $1 million. We have also in...

  Demand for video surveillance equipment continued to grow rapidly in 2017 with price competition remaining intense. The important trends in 2017 were in three areas: Multi-sensor technology, artificial intelligence/deep learning, and stronger integration with VMS partners. Security professionals are turning to emerging technologies such as multi-sensor panoramic cameras, which can dramatically increase situational awareness, improve operator efficiency, and are more cost-eff...

The demand for security consultancy services has increased as recent terror events have highlighted the need for effective and proportionate mitigation measures. Security training has seen an increase in demand, especially for technical courses in the areas of access control and CCTV.   Security management training has also risen, except in the oil and gas sector where demand dropped significantly; this is attributed to the suppressed oil price. However, recently there are sig...

  2017 demonstrated the need for increased safety, security, and collaboration. We predicted that there would be an increase in the role of cybersecurity in 2017, and without a doubt there was great focus around the need for stronger network security protocols. Growing focus on cybersecurity Cybersecurity continues to be top of mind and organisations demand solutions that are cyber-secure. Manufacturers, integrators, and end-users must actively collaborate to develop policie...

  The past year has proved to be a year full of many changes both within our industry and for Robotic Assistance Devices (RAD). While we have experienced increased adoption of artificial intelligence-based solutions, the industry has been challenged with an ever-evolving technology landscape. Protecting enterprise organisations from both cyber and physical security threats will be an ongoing challenge the industry must grapple with. Greater adoption of robotic solutions To...

  Economic recovery has enabled companies to continue global expansion efforts. We’re seeing substantial growth with our enterprise clients – 45% year-over-year increase – and sound growth with our local markets – 14% year-over-year increase. Both existing and new clients are upgrading their current security infrastructure and investing in the development of long-term solutions. Convergence of physical security and IT security continues to trend. Threat...

  In January of 2017, ISONAS forecasted that the year would be a transformational year in access control with strong movement to IP access control, and that the adoption of IP access control hardware and software would significantly outpace the growth of the overall industry. In retrospect, our forecasts were on point and accurate. The industry has seen robust growth in the high single digits, while IP access control is seeing growth rates of up to 30-35%. The market drivers...

The overall economy and climate always has a bearing on growth from a macro standpoint and certainly the security market is impacted as well. US economic growth has been healthy at 3% through the first half of 2017. Combining that with jobs growth and we have a marketplace that is ripe for growth and expansion. Continued focus on cybersecurity One major trend that expanded in 2017 would be the continued focus and concerns on cybersecurity. There is stronger demand from customers and company ex...

For the security industry, 2017 was a good year, but not a great year. With political changes coming and greater interest in border control, perimeter security and analytic technologies, we have seen an increase in enquiries from both federal, and state law enforcement agencies and municipalities. The political security landscape The series of unexpected, natural and self-inflicted disasters that swept across the United States over the last few months have also created a greater interest...

This time last year, we predicted 2017 would be the year digital identities began transforming trusted access and other interactions in physical and online environments. Continuous authentication experience Demand grew for unified identity and access management systems supporting both cards and mobile devices. Trusted identities began bridging the gap between connected workers and smart buildings. We saw new IoT use cases that employ location services technologies to create a continuous authe...

We predicted last year that more vendors would introduce copies of Arecont Vision’s multi-sensor 180-360 degree panoramic and adjustable-view multi-sensor cameras in 2017, which came true. More vendors now offer their own 1st generation copies of the pioneering technology we introduced in 2006. We’ve continued to lead this market, introducing new 5th generation single-sensor and multi-sensor cameras that are used by customers worldwide. The SurroundVideo Omni G3 with Remote Setup c...

In the wake of Securing New Ground event in New York City in 2016, the Security Industry Association (SIA) published an inaugural “Security Megatrends” report that assessed for major “megatrends” for the security industry in 2017. 10 major megatrends Only days ago, SIA published “Security Megatrends: The 2018 Vision for the Security Industry,” again identifying 10 major megatrends to watch in the year ahead. SIA saw a great deal of activity unfold in 2017, a...

This year has unfolded generally as predicted. Complete solutions have enabled IP video to further penetrate the small to medium business markets. IP convergence opened up new fast-growing markets for IP intercoms and IP audio systems. The preponderance of IoT devices has driven cybersecurity efforts to new heights. In addition, lower prices, along with the increasing investment needed in R&D to keep pace with rapidly changing technology, have led to market consolidation. IoT creates oppor...

At ONVIF, we believe our perspective for 2017 turned out to be reasonably accurate. We did see an increasing interest for interoperability all the way to system-to-system level; not only within the security industry, but also in neighbouring industries where the prospects for IoT have drastically improved. I believe the industry as such has matured in its relation to IoT and today we can imagine how IoT will play a part of smarter and safer system deployments. Increased cybersecurity threat T...

The security market is very active right now. Business is strong, according to most of the people that I talk to in the industry. In 2017, we at The Protection Bureau had one of our best years ever revenue-wise. Because of a strong economy, businesses are spending money on security. 2017 growing trends The trends that happened in 2017 vary. One trend that is growing is the national account concept. This is because clients are deploying more and more enterprise-level systems and taking advanta...

Global economic expansion and technology improvements continued to drive demand this year for IP cameras, network video recorders (NVRs), access control and other security technologies.   A strong year for security Overall, 2017 represented another strong year for the security industry. A combination of falling prices and improved IP camera performance helped drive camera sales during the year as the migration from analogue to IP continued to pick up momentum. Advancements i...

The year 2017 has been a banner one for physical security with the advent of increasingly sophisticated technology to manage threats. As we approach 2018, the field widens with regard to solutions that will expand the capability of security teams seeking ways to shore up their risk exposure and expand situational intelligence. Here’s a recap of milestones and areas we see as important in the new year. Technology integration Technology integration played an even greater role in the market...

Throughout 2017, customers have been increasingly looking for technological answers to a plethora of their business needs, and the surveillance industry has seen a rapid boost because of this. In particular, we’ve seen more organisations harness video to fulfil much more than just their security requirements. Combining physical and cyber security Businesses are now using surveillance to address areas such as health and safety, sales and marketing as it fast becomes more of a business opp...

In 2017 we saw a lot of new construction projects, and many existing buildings upgraded their security systems to include high-resolution cameras and better-quality recording systems. Because the economy is stronger, many businesses and municipalities increased their security budgets for large-scale and public projects due to terrorism threats in public places.   Smart cities became more popular One of the bigger trends we saw in 2017 is the growing popularity of smart cities...

As we take a look back on 2017, there are a number of trends we need to highlight — all of which have redefined our industry. Cybersecurity played a huge role in physical security, driven by the increase in the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the overall interconnectivity between devices and expanding cloud technologies. Although exceptionally beneficial, the IoT also brings with it an increased amount of cyber vulnerabilities. As security systems are using the Internet more and m...

The security industry was strong and healthy in 2017. High-end security markets, such as the power distribution and critical infrastructure sectors, saw continued growth and opportunity for perimeter security technologies like thermal imaging, video analytics and radar. For the low-end security markets, there was significant competition from Chinese manufacturers. Despite this challenge, we saw continued growth from premium Western security manufacturers in 2017 in which many introduced cost-ef...

Video surveillance solutions have come a long way in recent years, including this past one, with IP-based imaging solutions delivering incredible resolution and detail to provide higher levels of situational awareness, information and overall security. In 2017, we also witnessed how video surveillance serves an emerging need and desire to acquire greater business intelligence. Today’s cameras and VMS are able to truly deliver on the promise of IP video without requiring end users to break...

2017 witnessed a continued decline in the cost of cameras. While this creates a challenge for camera companies, it creates two clear opportunities: (1) Product differentiation now relies more heavily on software rather than camera parameters, which drives more focus and rapid innovation on the software side, and (2) cameras have become more affordable which encourages an increase in the adoption rate and size of surveillance projects.   Artificial Intelligence surveillance applications Ad...