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In its role to achieve “plug-and-play” interoperability for security system and device integration, the Physical Security Interoperability Alliance (PSIA) is looking ahead to some new possibilities in its long-term roadmap. David Bunzel, PSIA executive director, shared with me some of the active discussions among alliance members about where the next wave of interoperability initiatives may lead. Integration of wireless locks is at the top of the list, a response to the growing and...

Commoditisation is the biggest problem facing today’s security integrators, says Bill Bozeman, president and CEO of PSA Security Network, an electronic security cooperative encompassing some 250 electronic security systems integrators, and aligning them with over 150 vendor partners. Multi-million-dollar manufacturers are taking advantage of economies of scale to drive down pricing of many of the components our industry uses, and lower prices are poised to have a long-term detrimental imp...

Just days before the ASIS International conference and exhibits in Atlanta, the global security market's attention last week has been focused on the big Security Essen 2014 trade show in Germany. With more floor space, exhibitors and attendees than ASIS, Security Essen highlights a wealth of technology resources to an eager international audience every two years. Several SourceSecurity.com staff members attended Security Essen last week, and my colleagues reported that the well-attended show ref...

With the FO400A window handle lock, security specialist ABUS adds a VdS-approved lock with integrated alarm to its range. These products bridge the gap between purely mechanical locks and locks which can be integrated into alarm systems. This window lock has two functions: while the lock provides effective mechanical resistance against intruders, the 110 dBA signal from the integrated alarm function scares away potential intruders. Intruder-resistant locks form the basis for effective window lo...

Simple look, powerful performance: the new hemispheric IP dome from ABUS can swivel, incline and zoom without mechanical camera movements – at up to 6 MPx resolution. 360° and 180° panoramic views are also possible. Sometimes one eye sees more than two: if required, the new hemispheric IP dome from ABUS, available as an indoor and outdoor model, can permanently provide a 360° or 2 x 180° view of everything that moves in its vicinity. Thanks to the up to 6 MPx resolution @...

Bluetooth Smart creates new ways to open doors and gates The latest generation of access control systems offers more secure and sophisticated credentials, and new credential form factors including mobile devices that offer a more secure and convenient way to open doors and parking gates. Mobile access control also delivers a simple and user-friendly secure identity management process, and a platform for integrated, multi-layered physical access control (PACS) and IT security s...

I love Wikipedia, not just because I use it every day, but also because it reflects the value that can be created when a large community works together. When each member of a community contributes a small part, the result is monumental. I saw an estimate somewhere that it would take a million pages to print out Wikipedia. Is there an opportunity to leverage video in the same way; that is, to tie together the capabilities of millions to create a central repository that could be useful? Consider...

Surveillance cameras in public places and private properties are rather ubiquitous these days, but what is less obvious is whether a camera is a "dummy" camera or not. Installing fake surveillance cameras to use as a deterrent is a common tactic used when the price of a real security camera falls outside of one's budget. But when should dummy cameras be used? What are the implications this poses? Let's see what some of our panellists think.

The Silver Comet Trail is a 61-mile hiking and biking trail west of Atlanta that follows a route previously travelled by the Silver Comet passenger train from 1947 to 1969. I heard about the train when I was growing up but was never a passenger. As an adult, I have been on the Silver Comet Trail a couple of times; it’s mostly level and great for biking (or walking). The former route of the railroad tracks has been paved over, extending through a beautiful, natural environment that feels li...

When Apple makes a new product announcement, the whole technology world takes note. Such was the case last week when the tech giant introduced its sleek and shiny new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Almost as an encore, the company also unveiled the stylish and versatile Apple Watch, which will be available in early 2015. We have all seen the impact of mobile devices on systems and technologies used in physical security, so any new smart phone products have the potential to impact our market. In th...

You can expect to pass through tight security checks in environments, such as airports and government buildings, which are greater targets for terrorist attacks or other forms of violence. You don't expect to pass through the same level of security checks in neighbourhood shops and schools. It's a simple rule that there will be more security systems in places where there's a greater need for them. Generally speaking, there isn't such a high need for very high end securi...

SureView Systems announces they have successfully integrated the mobiDEOS UCNE range of cloud and network-enabled surveillance systems into Immix, the company’s video based automation software. Immix® delivers a single platform to manage video surveillance/CCTV, intrusion and fire alarms, access control, and VoIP audio. The mobiDEOS UCNE system enables legacy CCTV systems to be quickly and simply connected through the device and onto Immix for remote monitoring across many locations t...

In today's world of mobile devices, the number of apps available to the general public is increasing daily - apps that are designed to make our lives simpler and help us be more efficient. With about three-quarters of the world's population having access to a mobile device, it's no surprise that the range of different types of apps available today is so wide and varied. For the general public, there's an app for nearly everything. You can do your banking, order groceries, find th...

Law enforcement and pure problem-solvingskills will play less of a role for the futuresecurity director Much effort has been put down in the professionalisation of security work. Not only is it a recurring topic of conversation at events for security professionals, but also a formal topic of concern for ASIS – having active task forces devoted to the promotion of professionalisation and academisation of security practice as well as a recently updated standard (ANSI/ASIS...

If a video surveillance system is installed using public funds, should the resulting video therefore be accessible to the public? A poll in the United Kingdom suggests the majority of Britons think it should. 64 percent of 1,345 people surveyed believe that British taxpayers, who pay for cameras placed in public places, should have access to the video feeds through live web streaming. The survey was conducted by installer CCTV.co.uk. There could be advantages to providing public access to vide...

Maintaining a high level of customer service can be a challenging experience when an acquisition takes place.This issue is of particular relevance to the security industry, where merger and acquisition activity continues to rise. We asked some of our Expert Panellists to share their thoughts on how both the acquired company as well as the company making the acquisition can retain the focus on their customers throughout the integration process. Here’s what they had to say.

Many oil and gas companies utilise independent systems for incident management, crisis management and security It’s no secret that the security and fire industry is home to hundreds of suppliers, each competing for a slice of a global $100+ billion market. In niche industries such as oil and gas, where IHS sizes the market for security and fire equipment and services to be more than $1 billion, increased competition has prompted some suppliers to move beyond the integrat...

The ability to measure and analyse the effectiveness of security operations is extremely useful – not only for identifying and addressing an organisation’s vulnerabilities, but also for demonstrating security’s mitigating impact on overall risk levels along with the higher-level value security delivers to a business. Brian McIlravey, Co-CEO at PPM, explains how security metrics can provide a powerful toolset for accomplishing these objectives. By quantifyi...

Kantech, part of the Security Products business unit of Tyco, the world’s largest pure-play fire protection and security company, announces the release of the Intevo integrated security platform which now includes the latest version of the exacqVision video management system (VMS) software. Designed to unify access control, IP video and intrusion for small to medium size businesses, Intevo seamlessly integrates the Kantech EntraPass software with exacqVision VMS software into a single sol...

HID Global®, a worldwide leader in secure identity solutions, recently announced that its Identification Technologies division has added Near Field Communication (NFC)-readable tags to its rapidly expanding SlimFlex™ Tag portfolio of pliable, high- durability tags. The SlimFlex Tag family has gained wide acceptance in UHF RFID applications due to the tags’ flexible yet robust thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) housings. Today, high frequency (HF) systems can also take advantage of the...

How often have you been caught in the midst of animated chatter and swept up in the anticipation of "the next big thing in X", only to look back and think it was all overhyped? It happens everywhere and with everything, from pop culture films and new budding artists, to aspects in professional industries such as new consumer products and technology. The security industry certainly has its share of overhyped technology. We asked some of our Panellists on their thoug...

If you had a super power, would you use it for good or evil? The question might typically be the subject of vigorous debate among third graders, but it’s also a question that comes up when you consider technology. Sometimes the benefits of technology are almost like super powers. As much as we seek to apply the powers of technology to security, there is also a criminal element that stands ready to use them with evil intent. Such is the case with drones. We have previously mentioned the po...

Matrix SATATYA HVR1624P is a 24 channel enterprise-grade Hybrid Video Recorder which offers the benefits of a highly mature Analogue solution and security enhancements of IP solution. Organisations already using analogue video surveillance can protect their existing investment in cameras and wiring and add IP cameras at new or critical points. For new video surveillance projects, Matrix SATATYA HVR allows mixed use of analogue cameras and IP cameras depending on various factors like image qualit...

Similar to schools, airports and other semi-public facilities, hospitals and other healthcare facilities are grappling with the new reality that dictates stronger and more enforceable access restrictions. In these new circumstances, the need for security must be balanced with the individual’s need to easily move about the hospital by allowing medical staff, visitors or contract workers to go about their business with relative ease. In this article, Ajay Jain, President and CE...

Anixter International’s acquisition of Tri-Ed could help to accelerate implementation of IP video and access control by small and mid-sized dealer/integrators. In announcing the $420 million acquisition, Anixter emphasized the opportunity to expand its IP business through the new Tri-Ed customer base that has previously been more focused on analogue video as well as access control, intrusion detection and fire/life safety. It’s just one of the opportunities for Anixter to leverage t...

It used to be that the word “lockdown” was only ever used in reference to an emergency protocol to restrict movement in a prison environment. Today however, the term is in common usage in educational and other environments to describe measures taken under certain conditions of threat. In this article, Fernando Pires, VP of Sales and Marketing at Morse Watchmans, explains that lockdowns, along with building evacuation and sheltering procedures, are an integral part of a...

Editor's Note: HDcctv Alliance has announced that Dahua has opened its patented HDCVI technology to the global video surveillance industry as the basis for HDcctv's AT 2.0 standard. For additional elaboration on what the move means to the growing market for higher-resolution CCTV, we approached Todd Rockoff, chairman and executive director of HDcctv Alliance. SourceSecurity.com: How is HDcctv AT 2.0 superior to HD-SDI or other previous approaches? Todd Rockoff:  When i...

Seeing surveillance cameras everywhere is becoming more of a norm these days, especially for large cities such as London, New York and Beijing.  Many members of the public have their reservations about this for privacy reasons. Often, this can be solved through educating the greater public about security technologies. However, concerns still remain that such captured data can fall into the "wrong hands". Surveillance footage is meant to be used for security purposes only, bu...

How much is the security risk each time an employee leaves a company? Unfortunately, many enterprises don’t manage the risk very well. Often, processes for cancelling passwords or retrieving physical assets may be slipshod, or even non-existent. Research by IS Decisions highlights the problem: Over a third (36 percent) of desk-based workers in the United States and the United Kingdom are aware of having access to a former employer’s systems or data after leaving an organisation. The...

Allegion is changing the way commercial building owners and tenants think about interior building access Allegion plc is highlighting its innovation pipeline, advancements in technology development, and additions to the company's safety and security product portfolio. Electronic locks will be a major component in the evolution of connected and smart-building applications. One product leading the way in the residential sector is the Schlage®Touchscreen Deadbolt. In June, t...