Solomon Islands News

For those of you old enough to remember, video matrix switchers were once the heyday of surveillance camera control. These cumbersome antiques were at the heart of every major video surveillance system (CCTV at the time) in premier gaming properties, government installations and corporate industrial complexes. They required more physical labour to construct and configure than perhaps the pyramids – maybe not – but you get the picture. And then digital video made its way in to the ma...

It’s not surprising that people are nervous about the security of newer technologies, many of which are part of the Internet of Things (IoT). While they offer greater efficiency and connectivity, some people still hesitate. After all, there seems to be a constant stream of news stories about multinational corporations being breached or hackers taking control of smart home devices. Both of these scenarios can feel personal. No one likes the idea of their data falling into criminal hands. A...

Comtrol Corporation, a manufacturer of industrial device connectivity products, and a provider in industrial Ethernet communication and IO-Link gateway products known for its RocketPort® product family, among others. Comtrol announces as of February 1, 2019, it will join the Factory Automation Division of Pepperl+Fuchs, and will be known as Pepperl+Fuchs Comtrol, Inc. Pepperl+Fuchs Comtrol will continue its presence in Minneapolis and will begin to increase its headcount in 2019. Pepperl+F...

The retail sector has felt the disruptive impact of e-commerce more than most. The inevitable costs of staffing, rent, maintenance and daily operations has left traditional brick-and-mortar stores struggling to stay dynamic and compete effectively with their more agile online counterparts. Not only that, but the one competitive advantage of physical retail outlets - being able to provide a more personal customer experience - has also taken a hit in recent years, thanks to a lack of in-store and...

AI Is currently a buzzword in the physical security industry, and it is also a force that has the potential to transform the industry. Following are the basics of AI (and the related term “deep learning") in part one of our AI series. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the broad computing category referring to intelligence that is displayed by a machine, as opposed to a living creature. Informally, AI refers to machines that mimic the cognitive functions we associate with living creatures, s...

The oil and gas market is driven by a number of technology trends, political issues, waves of supply and demand, and regulations. At times, it seems like the market is in a constant state of ebb and flow, with business affected by traditional drivers, such as government mandates and operational efficiencies, and other non-traditional markers, like challenging weather conditions (consider the 2017 hurricane season as an example). Additionally, the global economy continues to grow, propelling incr...

The past decade has seen unprecedented growth in data creation and management. The products and services that consumers use every day – and the systems businesses, large and small, rely on – all revolve around data. The increasing frequency of high-profile data breaches and hacks should be alarming to anyone, and there’s a danger data security could worsen in the coming years. According to DataAge 2025, a report by IDC and Seagate, by 2025, almost 90% of all data created in t...

Three S5.2 robots equipped with an intelligent video surveillance system and supporting multi-mode robotic interaction began working in Chile. Since the end of 2018, deliveries of a new model of security robot S5.2 began. This model of robots is equipped with an intelligent video analysis system and able to work in a group as a single security team. When one of the robots leaves for charging, it takes a backup. If the robot detects a person and stops to observe him, other robots take over his p...

When dealing with a substantial, complex security system installation – often covering multiple sites and many hundreds of people – you clearly need a security vendor with the resources and experience to deliver. Smaller security companies may not have adequate means to support the longevity of these projects. This generally isn’t an issue for larger companies, but beware - not all such companies are well placed to deal with large projects; that’s because not all of the...

According to the reports of not-for-profit organisation Gun Violence Archive, the year 2018 has seen 323 mass shooting incidents as of November 28 in the United States. This number is 346 for the year 2017 and 382 for 2016 (more statistics are available here), with “mass shooting” defined as cases where four or more people are shot or killed in the same time period and location. While definitions of mass shooting vary with organisations in the US, the count of over 300 incidents per...

Cybersecurity continues to be a major theme in the physical security industry, but effective cybersecurity comes at a cost. Higher cost is contrary to another major trend in the market: lower product pricing, which some have characterised as a ‘race to the bottom’. Chinese manufacturers, whose products tend to have lower prices, have been the target of cybersecurity concerns and even a government ban. So what is the overall impact of cybersecurity on pricing trends in video products?...

Userful Corporation, a provider of AV-over-IP solutions for enhanced video communication since 2015, announces the launch of a new communications concept, the visual networking platform, an architecture that centrally manages all video and visual communication throughout an entire organisation. As part of this launch, Userful also announced the first three products that will comprise the platform: Userful Enterprise, Userful Cloud and the uClient. With this suite of products, integrated with sm...

Security is arguably at the heart of the United States partial government shutdown: President Trump’s demand for $5.6 billion to start building a wall along the southern border with Mexico is the major bone of contention as gridlock in Washington prevents passage of a spending bill to keep the government in full operation. The partial government shutdown has affected security in other ways, too, and some of the impact could continue long after the impasse is settled. Some 800,000 federal...

360 Advanced has announced its commitment to Data Privacy Day, an international effort held annually on Jan. 28 to create awareness about the importance of respecting privacy, safeguarding data, and enabling trust marking the organisation as a Data Privacy Day 2019 Champion. As a Champion, 360 Advanced recognises and supports the principle that all organisations share the responsibility of being conscientious stewards of personal information. Data Privacy Day All Data Privacy Day Champions a...

Panduit Corp., a global provider of innovative electrical and network infrastructure solutions, announced it has acquired global AV manufacturer Atlona. Atlona designs and develops innovative, award-winning products for a diverse range of commercial and residential AV and IT markets worldwide, including education, business, government, entertainment, and healthcare. AV system solutions Atlona’s product categories include networked AV, signal distribution, wireless collaboration, and AV s...

The new year 2019 is brimming with possibilities for the physical security industry, but will those possibilities prove to be good news or bad news for our market? Inevitably, it will be a combination of good and bad, but how much good and how bad? We wanted to check the temperature of the industry as it relates to expectations for the new year, so we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How optimistic is your outlook for the physical security industry in 2019? Why?

MOBOTIX has announced a raised focus on cyber security by implementing the “MOBOTIX Cactus Concept.” The concept aims to deliver a comprehensive approach to protecting MOBOTIX products against the threat of cyber-attacks along with education and tools to help customers and partners build and maintain secure video surveillance and access control environments. Multimedia cybersecurity campaign The objective of the Cactus Concept is to implement a multimedia cyber security campaign in...

Pluralsight, Inc., the enterprise technology learning platform announced it has been named one of the 2019 Best Workplaces in Technology by Great Place to Work and FORTUNE. Pluralsight ranked number 5 on the Small & Medium company list, following up the company’s recent number 9 ranking on the 2018 Best Small & Medium Workplaces and number 18 ranking on the 2018 Best Workplaces for Women lists by Great Place to Work and FORTUNE.  Democratising...

A rapid string of merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions as 2018 passed into 2019 suggests the physical security industry may be on the verge of a busy year of companies buying other companies. Observers have noted a large amount of investment capital currently available to be invested in security M&A, and plenty of entrepreneurial companies are looking to be acquired. Joe Grillo, CEO of ACRE, previously hinted at upcoming M&A activity for his company by the end of 2018, foreshad...

Altronix is showcasing the latest power and data transmission solutions designed for professional security applications at Intersec 2019 (stand #S1-K09). Featured products include an enhanced line of NetWay Midspan/Injectors, NetWay Spectrum Hardened Switches and its expanded Trove Access and Power Integration products available in wall mount, rackmount and outdoor configurations. Altronix access and surveillance solutions The new Altronix products displayed at Intersec 2019 address the need f...

Security integrators are often tasked with a multitude of responsibilities which could include a variety of installation, integration or design tasks made up of sprinkler systems, fire alarms, access control, HVAC, video surveillance systems and networks; and then pile on maintenance, training and analytics. Traditionally, most security integrators have installation backgrounds but are now expected to be IT savvy, too. Even the most proficient IT professionals may not fully grasp the complexit...

Johnson Controls announces the release of CEM Systems AC2000 v10.1, which contains a number of new features that improve functionality and the user experience and help to mitigate health and safety risks. Support for a range of new third-party products that increase the performance and scope of the CEM Systems AC2000 access control system has also been added. The Health and Safety (H&S) Induction Check application for CEM Systems emerald intelligent access terminals allows cardholders to se...

With the coming of a New Year, we know these things to be certain: death, taxes, and… security breaches. No doubt, some of you are making personal resolutions to improve your physical and financial health. But what about your organisation’s web and mobile application security? Any set of New Year’s resolutions is incomplete without plans for protecting some of the most important customer touch points you have — web and mobile apps. Every year, data breaches grow in scop...

In the age of massive data breaches, phishing attacks and password hacks, user credentials are increasingly unsafe. So how can organisations secure accounts without making life more difficult for users? Marc Vanmaele, CEO of TrustBuilder, explains. User credentials give us a sense of security. Users select their password, it's personal and memorable to them, and it's likely that it includes special characters and numbers for added security. Sadly, this sense is most likely false. If it's anythi...

In my coverage of China Tariffs impacting the security industry over four recent articles, products on the tariff schedules routinely integrated into security solutions included burglar and fire alarm control and transmission panels, video surveillance lenses, HDTV cameras used for broadcast use cases and fiber optic media converters. The general ‘callout’ of ADP (Automatic Data Processing) devices and peripherals technically includes servers, workstations and microcomputers, all o...

How’s this for a simple access control scenario? You walk up to a door, wave your hand in front of a button, the button lights up, and the door opens. That’s the simplified user experience that startup Openpath is promoting as it enters the crowded and mature market for physical access control. Openpath says a simple user experience provides the extra boost needed for mobile credentialing to gain momentum. In this case, it’s even simpler than using a card credential (no s...

Users of security systems have long been willing to sacrifice certain aspects of security in favour of convenience and ease of use. The tide seems to be turning, however, with the industry at large showing significant concerns over cyber security. End user sentiments also seem to be following that trend, becoming more cautious when it comes to having their security systems connected to the internet. While it has become the norm for security systems to be accessible online, still it presents sec...

Security is among the defining topics at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2019 this week in Las Vegas. More than 4,500 exhibiting companies are participating, including some 1,200 startups, highlighting the next wave of innovation in consumer electronics – and security. Twenty-four product categories at CES feature solutions to transform how consumers live, work and play. Technologies being highlighted include 5G connectivity, artificial intelligence (AI), augmented and virtual reality...

Flock Safety prides itself in the ability to help solve neighbourhood crime. In just the last few months, it has provided evidence in more than 10 investigations and has aided in the arrest of two criminals. While solving crime is the main objective, it ultimately wants the devices, the signature license plate reader, to prevent crime in the neighbourhoods they protect. Drop-in theft incidents Several months ago, the company installed Flock license plate reader cameras and signage in a s...

A crime occurred in one of Flock Safety’s neighbourhoods in Atlanta. One of the residents had her back door kicked in by two individuals. Her home security system was triggered but the culprits still had enough time to steal a drawer filled with jewellery. The resident filed a report with the police, then informed her neighbourhood’s Security Chair of the incident. Another neighbour’s doorbell camera provided a long-distance photo of the victim’s home in the correct time...