Belize News

In today’s technology-driven markets, a platform is a business model that connects producers and consumers in an interactive ecosystem. Some examples of platforms are Uber and Airbnb, which have disrupted and transformed traditional markets. Isn’t it time to deploy the platform model in the physical security industry? That’s the goal of the Open Security & Safety Alliance (OSSA), a non-profit organisation. Interactions and exchange The book ‘Platform Revolution&rsqu...

Cybersecurity involves a variety of risks and vulnerabilities to the enterprise, from distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks to phishing to USB drives. Companies may also be at risk from use of interactive kiosks, or even from cyberattacks against traveling executives. Preventing phishing and cyberattacks The 'Management Hack' service is designed for C-level executives, such as CEO, CFO or event CIO Phishing is a fraudulent attempt to gain sensitive information such as user names, passw...

There’s no question that the popularity of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) security and home automation products is on the rise. The reasons for the growth in DIY sales are numerous, including increased awareness of home automation products, fast set-up, limited (if any) installation costs, and interoperability with other smart security products. In fact, with the parallel rise of smart home hubs like Alexa and Google Home, many people are opting to attempt the set-up of smart home devices without an...

As physical security systems increasingly resemble the architecture of an IT (information technology) network, the cybersecurity risks are increasing. Sometimes hacks in physical security go unrecognised because of poor detection. Here's part two of our Cybersecurity series.  Going forward, the physical security industry should adopt the same principles as the information security market, embracing new elements such as risk assessment and certifications. A change in culture is needed to al...

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, present a range of threats, from the careless and clueless to the criminal. While many incidents may seem harmless, the threat to any location at any time depends on a range of factors. Drones are inexpensive for criminals to buy or make, and there are continuously improving battery, airspeed, and payload capabilities. UAVs can also fly without an RF signal to jam or hack. Fortunately, sensor technologies including radar are available for security ag...

Simultaneous suicide bombings at several churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on April 21 were of a scale, sophistication and level of coordination that hasn’t been seen since 9/11. Nine suicide bombers targeted three churches and three hotels on Easter morning, and the resulting casualties numbered 359 dead, including 45 children, and about 500 injured. The complexity of the attacks suggests the bombers received help from an outside organisation, likely the Islamic State (IS). Sadly, securit...

Brian Ishikawa has always kept tight control over his video surveillance system, allowing only authorised personnel within his corporate security division to access video footage. So it was a change for Ishikawa, Senior Vice President and Director of Corporate Security for the Bank of Hawaii, to get used to the idea of authorised staff from the bank’s branch division being able to review video for operational, compliance and marketing-related purposes. The insights collected from the vide...

Hikvision, the world’s provider of innovative security products and solutions, discloses its full-year 2018 financial results. The annual report shows a total operating income of RMB 49.84 billion, corresponding to year-over-year growth of 18.93%. Net profits attributable to shareholders of the company amounted to RMB 11.35 billion, corresponding to year-over-year growth of 20.64%. In 2018, the total operating income in domestic market was RMB 35.65 billion, with year-over-year growth of...

Cloud platforms and applications are becoming prevalent across security solutions. In the simplest terms, cloud systems store and access data and programs over the Internet instead of using an on-premises computer server. The cloud is a metaphor for the Internet. This technology helps security integrators provide managed services and the advantages of off-site systems and services to customers, which is why cloud computing is often mentioned among the 'megatrends' in the physical security indu...

Deliveroo, a tech businesses, has chosen AEOS access control by Nedap to protect its staff across the world. Nedap’s UK Expert channel partner, Hunter Group, completed the installation at the first site, in Dubai, and an ambitious rollout will see Hunter install AEOS at around 50 more Deliveroo sites, plus new locations, over the next 12-18 months. Deliveroo was founded in the UK and is proud to export British-born technology around the world. Its ‘Frank’ algorithm is based on...

Terrorism is amongst the more unyielding security threats worldwide, but a report on global terrorism from the Institute for Economics & Peace, Sydney, Australia, provides reason for optimism, especially outside the world’s terrorism hot spots such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Europe is the region with the biggest improvement from the impact of terrorism and has recorded a marked fall in terrorist activity. The number of deaths in Western Europe fell from 168 in 2016 to 81 in 2017. Turkey...

ISC West 2019 is in the industry’s rear-view mirror, and what a show it was! The busy three days in April offered a preview of exciting technologies and industry trends for the coming year. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What was the big news at ISC West 2019?

Cybersecurity has become a major element – and a major source of discussion – in the physical security marketplace as a result of the rise in networked systems. And we may still not be talking enough about cybersecurity. Here is part one of our Cybersecurity series. “Cybersecurity requires everyone in the security industry to be playing offense and defense at the same time, every single day,” says Bill Bozeman, President and CEO of PSA Security Network. “It needs t...

Access control has become a central component for the safety and security strategies of today's schools, and due to the complicated threats and challenges these facilities face, a school's access control technology must be innovative and intelligent enough to ensure comprehensive protection. The education sector is a gateway to the future for young people all over the world. But to assure this passage, schools must guarantee their students safety as well as their education. One such example of...

Counting people who enter the mall or store throughout the day can help one to improve the operations in a number of ways. It becomes possible, for example, to precisely increase the number of staff during busy times to improve service on the shop floor, and to reduce staff during quieter times to increase the operating efficiency. One can also more accurately predict demand over the coming days, weeks and months and accurately plan future activities based on right-sized staffing and inventory....

Nedap, a global provider of RFID-based retail solutions, teams up with MishiPay to present its mobile self-checkout integration solution at RetailEXPO, May 1-2 in London. The deep integration with !D Cloud, Nedap’s cloud-based RFID platform, enables a seamless shopping experience with state-of-the-art shrink reduction, and increased stock visibility. Mustafa Khanwala, Founder and CEO of MishiPay, “Merging RFID and our mobile self-checkout technology sets the pace for a new, friction...

Fans around the world are united by a love of football, and global audiences continue to expand rapidly. This is evidenced by the European football market, which grew from €24.5 billion in 2016 to €25.5 billion a year later. At the same time, matchday attendance reached its highest level for 60 years according to the Deloitte Annual Review of Football Finance for 2018. As clubs compete for major competition trophies, viewing figures, and worldwide merchandising revenues, the pressure...

Nedap is extending its Luxon IoT Node portfolio with a version developed for smart and wireless outdoor lighting control; The Luxon IoT Node Outdoor. The compact Luxon IoT Node Outdoor fits inside all LED fixtures using a standardised Zhaga connector. This makes it very simple to unlock the full savings potential of LED technology. With the introduction of the outdoor node, Nedap is taking the next step in connectivity for the lighting market. Jeroen Somsen, managing director at Nedap Light Con...

The excitement of ISC West 2019 continued until the very end – almost. Exhilarated by the first two busy days of the show, attendees and exhibitors seemed to welcome a slower third day. There were no complaints about booth traffic, and still plenty of thoughtful conversations taking place, everyone determined to maximise the value of face time with customers until the last second. Building an IoT ecosystem in SAST At a show lacking in high-profile new technology announcements, the bigges...

Artificial intelligence allows machines to do jobs previously done by people. When it comes to security and surveillance, this technology allows cameras and control room equipment to identify a wide range of threats automatically and in real time across hundreds or even thousands of cameras. What does this do? It allows security teams to take immediate action to protect people and assets.   AI technology and surveillance solutions Artificial Intelligence technology built into surveill...

Johnson Controls recently unveiled the findings of its 2018 Energy Efficiency Indicator (EEI) survey that examined the current and planned investments and key drivers to improve energy efficiency and building systems integration in facilities. Systems integration was identified as one of the top technologies expected to have the biggest impact on the implementation in smart buildings over the next five years, with respondents planning to invest in security, fire and life-safety integrations mo...

Yeastar, a provider of cloud-based and on-premises VoIP PBXs and VoIP Gateways for SMBs, and Voiceflex, one of the UK’s premier SIP Trunking providers jointly announced the technology partnership with each other. After the full interoperability testing between Yeastar award-winning S-Series VoIP PBX and Cloud PBX with Voiceflex superb SIP trunks, Yeastar has built a tight ITSP partnership with Voiceflex. This is not only a simple test and certification but a milestone of Yeastar...

Our Expert Panel is an opinionated group on a wide variety of topics, and we are dedicated to providing a useful and flexible forum to share those opinions. This week, our panelists address a range of opinions about several self-selected topics, culled from the large number of Expert Panelist responses we have collected in the last year. In this Expert Panel Roundtable article, we will share these varied and insightful responses to ensure they are not lost to posterity!

BCDVideo was recently named as one of the “Best Places to Work in Illinois” in 2019. The awards program began in 2006 and is promoted by The Daily Herald Business Ledger in partnership with the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, MRA – The Management Association, the Small Business Advocacy Council and Best Companies Group. This statewide survey and awards program was designed to identify, recognise, and honour the best places of employment in Illinois, benefitting the state’s...

There are many new technologies at ISC West this year. There are also some tried-and-true solutions on display. More mature products have the benefit of being fully vetted and battle-tested, which may make them a more comfortable choice for security customers. I had a couple of discussions on Day 2 of the show about the advantages, and possible drawbacks, of new products. “To a security director, when you say ‘new,’ he translates that into ‘risk,’” says Bill...

Delivering on high expectations, the first day of ISC West 2019 kicked off with a crowded Sands Expo Center and exhibitors putting forward their best new technologies. Developments seemed more evolutionary than revolutionary, but attendees quickly found plenty of interest. Thermal cameras Hanwha Techwin also showed off a new Android camera that can deploy new apps The largest booth at ISC West, Hanwha Techwin, remained crowded throughout the first day as attendees checked out the company&rsqu...

Thailand’s leading business hub for security solutions, Secutech Thailand, is set to return from 28 – 31 October 2019 alongside Thailand Lighting Fair, Thailand Building Fair, and Digital Thailand Big Bang. Under the banner of ‘Smart City Solution Week 2019’, the four fairs together will serve as a one stop shop for smart city professionals to source all of the latest security, building automation, lighting and digital infrastructure solutions. “The Thai govern...

Axis Communications has announced AXIS P3719-PLE, a new multidirectional, four channel camera with Quad HD resolution per channel and a frame rate of 30 fps. The easy-to-install outdoor camera can be recessed or corner-mounted and includes an integrated weathershield with IP66/IP67 rating. Outdoor security AXIS P3719-PLE has been designed to capture images with exceptional clarity and sharpness irrespective of lighting conditions, due to WDR and 360° IR illumination. The incorpo...

FaceLite is designed for both the enterprise access control systems and time attendance applications by featuring Suprema's technologies and innovative features. Loaded with powerful 1.2GHz CPU and massive 8GB memory, FaceLite achieves incredible matching speed of up to 30,000 matches per second and accommodates up to 30,000 users while providing intuitive face-enrolment GUI for faster user registration. On the optical side, the new face recognition technology overcomes possible interference fr...

Nedap announces that warranty on all new iSense-based EAS systems will be extended for up to five years. This applies to connected systems opted with a Fast Remote Service subscription, installed after March 31st. It is essential for retailers to make sure their EAS systems are well-ran, in order to prevent losses by e.g. theft. Nedap provides an online platform, allowing to solve 81% of the service calls remotely, without the need to dispatch a technician to the store. This keeps system downti...