Luxembourg News

We live in a global market, and goods can easily be manufactured anywhere in the world and then shipped anywhere else. For many years, companies have taken advantage of the consequent flexibility to save costs and increase profits by manufacturing products around the world, especially in low-cost areas such as China. Historically, goods made in China (and some other locales) have been characterised as somehow lower in quality, and yet many of the top companies (such as Apple, for example) have m...

Forty-one percent of cyber incidents involved the energy sector The Bipartisan Policy Center, the Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team, which is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, reports responding to 198 cyber incidents in fiscal year 2012 across all critical infrastructure sectors. Forty-one percent of these incidents involved the energy sector, particularly electricity, according to a February 2014 report. Considering the enormity of the...

The action of a voltage applied to a resistance element, draws power from the switch’s PoE port We often think about a power supply operating in a single format. A power source provides power to a device. You plug it into a wall outlet and that’s all that happens. PoE power is a far more complex. There is interaction between the source providing power and the device receiving power. This interaction is governed under the 802.3 AF and AT standards. These differences...

Given the current trend toward consolidation, the industry has seen more camera manufacturers and software suppliers aligning under the same owner. Bucking the trend is software company Genetec.  “Staying independent will help us innovate,” says Georges Karam, who recently joined Genetec as chief commercial officer. “What’s important for the customer is the end-to-end solution, and our integrators can provide that.” Genetec positions itself at the centre of a...

Recent news of Canon’s $2.83 billion cash bid for network surveillance leader Axis Communications came as a surprise to some, but many could easily digest the move as more consolidation of the marketplace, especially the crowded video surveillance space. Systems integrators weighed in on what they expect and the long-term outlook for IP camera leader Axis and Canon, a Japanese firm predominate in broadcast, optics and consumer electronics. Joe Liguori, a partner at Access Co...

Regular upgrading ensures all systems communicate correctly  In the IT world, innovation moves quickly. New versions of software are launched every day to keep business processes running smoothly. So frequent upgrading isn’t even a choice anymore – it’s a must to avoid losing valuable time and data. In this article, Dirk Kappert, IT specialist and CEO of the German company ACEA, explains about the relevance of upgrade assurance and how it applies to phys...

Many purpose-focused stand-alone systemsaddress business goals aside from security Transportation gets passengers and goods to their destination safely and in a timely manner. Making transportation possible are purpose-focused stand-alone systems – many that address business goals and others that achieve safety/security goals. Some systems can impact both business and security goals. For example, access control can eliminate the expense and maintenance of locks and keys...

A more than 20-year shared history between Canon and Axis Communications has been an underreported aspect of the recent announcement by the world’s largest camera company of plans to acquire the Swedish IP video camera company. The fact is, Canon and Axis have worked together for years, dating back to the time when Axis was focused on making printer servers (rather than IP cameras). In those days, Axis often worked with Canon to supply printer servers, which were bundled with Canon printe...

Coming of age: storage devices have evolved to better record, manage and play back high-quality images Video surveillance and security technology continues to come of age. The sophistication of cameras that have moved to high-definition, high-resolution, megapixel imagery has transformed what users see on playback and greatly enhanced the usability of recorded video feeds. As the evolution continues, from the early days of grainy footage and barely recognisable images to HD, F...

Transmission of video and PoE power for IP security cameras over infrastructures can be confusing. Network infrastructures are designed using twisted pair cabling that we refer to as CAT (short for Category) cable, also referred to as UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair). Security systems, coming from an analogue environment, have historically transmitted over coax cable, and with the use adaptors can transmit over CAT cabling, which can be further broken down into single pair twist...

CPTED focuses on designing crime prevention into buildings and campuses In recent years, jurisdictions across the United States have enacted ordinances or codes requiring the use of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). Enforcement of these measures arises through required jurisdictional review and approval of CPTED measures in the design drawings. CPTED has emerged in recent years as an effective crime prevention and security technique that focuses on design...

Whether you are a contractor, installer, dealer or systems integrator depends on where you live and how you are perceived by the real world Because I have been in the industry for a considerable amount of time, I have seen quite a few changes, albeit the bulk have come over the last five or so years. Before that, the advent of the digital dialer was our big innovation – that tells anyone with any history in the industry just how far back I go! But today, change is fast a...

The aviation and transportation industries are using video analytics to provide operational cost savings and performance enhancement Video analytics are now increasingly being used for the critical infrastructure, airports, transportation and city surveillance sectors, among other high-value markets. These markets need robust video analytics solutions that can be integrated into an overall security solution to deliver totally reliable results without any significant level of n...

Video analytics allow users to automate the use of video and extract more value Almost anyone in the video analytics market will admit that the capabilities of the technology were initially oversold. The first generation of analytics simply didn’t work as promised, and an undercurrent of distrust of the technology in general still haunts the market. Ironically, video analytics capabilities have now matured into a robust and dependable option for a variety of applications...

This week brought a big surprise to the security and video surveillance market; specifically, the announcement of Canon’s plans to acquire iconic IP camera manufacturer Axis. But surprises happen all the time, especially in a dynamic, technology-driven market like physical security. Those who have been involved in this market for many years have often been surprised, for better or worse, at the various twists and turns over time. It’s part of what keeps life interesting! This week, w...

Peter Poole and Tristan Norman has been appointed as Sales Director and Head of Business Development Security & Fire, respectively IFSEC Global Security & Fire Portfolio is pleased to announce expansion plans to continue to grow the worldwide show IFSEC International. Peter Poole has been appointed as Sales Director and will be responsible for all commercial activity across the portfolio whilst leading the sales team and the network of global agents to continue to...

BCDVideo’s enterprise-grade VRP solution has been designed for maximum performance on a Milestone XProtect platform Milestone Systems, the open platform company in IP video management software (VMS), has now tested and reported performance component certification of BCDVideo’s Nova Server and Storage Series. IT infrastructure, server, storage and client platforms are integral parts of networked video management deployments, so any miscalculations of the serve...

With elections due later this year in the UK, Spain and Switzerland, attitudes to the prevailing political landscape of austerity are changing rapidly. Are physical security budgets in the public sector ever protected from cuts, and what is the outlook for our industry? Consider the landscape: A left-leaning party has come to power in Greece on an anti-austerity platform and with the stated intention of halving the country’s €315bn debts. Angela Merkel, the German Chanc...

Drone is a toy with a bright future—until it causes a catastrophe Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, are today’s gizmo du jour. A recent Bloomberg article reported that Amazon alone is selling more than 10,000 a month, and with prices as low as $50, it’s a toy with a bright future—until it causes a catastrophe. Consider the January incident at the White House when a drunken National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency employee lost control of a quadcopter...

Surprise – shock, even – was the initial reaction of most in the industry to the announcement earlier this week of Canon’s intent to acquire Axis. Maybe it was the (apparent) suddenness of the move, or its scale ($2.8 billion!) that caught us off guard. Maybe it’s the continuing ripples the move is likely to cause through the industry that has us still talking about it. It’s clearly the biggest story in our market in years. But after you think about it a couple of...

Better, faster networking plays into the optimistic outlook for the transportation vertical Our market has plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future of security systems in the transportation vertical. “Given the advances in processing power and technology, we can only imagine what the capability of an IP camera will be in five years,” comments Anthony Incorvati, business development manager, critical infrastructure and transportation, Axis Communications....

Canon's purchase of Axis could be the start of a series of acquistions in 2015 This is a massive development in the video surveillance equipment market. Until last year, Canon was a small player in this market. However, back in August 2013, it revealed big ambitions when its CEO, Fujio Mitari, spoke about security cameras becoming an “important pillar” for the company and the market having “limitless possibilities for growth”. Then in June 2014, C...

Have we entered the age of the security company "open marriage?" I used that phrase just a few days ago in relation to the Panasonic-Video Insight acquisition. Now the phrase springs immediately back to mind related to the truly shocking news today about Canon buying Axis, which last year bought video management system supplier Milestone.Is it possible for a video management company and a camera company to be owned by the same company and yet remain "open?"That was the premise when Canon bought...

Is Axis Communications getting ready to expand its business beyond IP video cameras and even access control? A recent comment by Axis founder Martin Gren appears to suggest as much. In a Q&A sponsored by Memoori Research, Gren was asked about “adjacent markets that will merge with IP video” as they relate to the Internet of Things (IoT). Here is his answer: “If you’re talking about IoT, you’re talking about all types of intelligent sensors. Our DNA (at Axis) is...

Canon Inc. has made a public offer to the shareholders of Axis Communications to transfer all of their shares in Axis to Canon for a consideration of SEK 340 in cash per share in the Company. The total value of the offer is approximately $ 2.8 billion. If the offer is accepted this will be the Canon's biggest acquisition to date. Axis has released a statement of the Board of Directors in relation to the offer. Based on a financial short and mid-term perspective, the Board of Directors have conc...

In-vehicle technology allows security officials to view live footage from the bus’ cameras during an emergency One of the biggest security opportunities in transportation is onboard surveillance for buses and trains. While most transit organisations have invested heavily in video security for facilities such as terminals and stations, far fewer have taken the next step and installed IP cameras on board vehicles, says John Recesso, strategic business development manager,...

Given a readily available supply of investment money to the security industry, might we see even more mergers and acquisition (M&A) activity in the coming year? Such appeared to be one message as the Security Industry Association (SIA) Investment Trends Committee presented an update on security-related capital markets, M&A and investment information. In the “middle market loan market,” where all but the top several security industry companies might look for money, there are...

Boon Edam Inc. announces the launch of BoonAssist TQ, a new manual revolving door that provides an ease of use previously not available in manual revolving doors. BoonAssist TQ offers the unique combination of three features: “push and go” power assistance, speed control, and positioning, also known in the industry as quarter pointing. The new door was developed in response to customers asking for a revolving door that offers comfort, intuitive operation and safety, where an automat...

The sale of Siemens’ Security Products to Vanderbilt is expected to close by the end of March, and already the owner-to-be is making good progress to form a new stand-alone company. Notably, the pending transaction is not a sale of company shares but rather a sale of assets, in this case product lines in the access control, CCTV and intrusion categories. In effect, a company is being created to manage those assets, and Vanderbilt has been working for the last several months to create the...

Any part of a transmission infrastructure has a dramatic impact on system performance We often view network switches as transparent transmission products. What goes in comes out. In reality, nothing is further from the truth. In this article, Neil Heller - Vice President, Vigitron, Inc. highlights that any part of a transmission infrastructure has a dramatic impact on transmission and, therefore, on system performance. At the very least a network switch can be viewed as a piec...