On-Net Surveillance Systems, Inc. - Experts & Thought Leaders

Manchester-Boston Regional Airport opened to serve the state of New Hampshire and the surrounding New England community in 1927, a little over two decades after the Wright brother’s first powered flight. Located three miles south of central Manchester, the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport is the fourth largest passenger and third largest cargo airport in New England. The airport is also the busiest in the state, qualifying under the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as a “small hub primary commercial service facility.” Airport redevelopment project The 1990’s brought a large redevelopment project to the airport, sparking more modern facilities, increased room for aircraft, and a range of new shops and restaurants. By 2012 it had become clear that the airport and its parking areas required enhanced surveillance. Increased foot traffic, manpower, and federal safety regulations resulted in the awarding of an FAA grant for a new surveillance system.Increased foot traffic, manpower, and federal safety regulations resulted in the awarding of an FAA grant for a new surveillance system The Manchester-Boston Regional Airport faced a lengthy decision-making process when it came to security camera manufacturers, requiring products able to support the unique applications and varied environment of the airport. The security team monitored a range of spaces both in and outdoors, and required products that excelled under all of these varying situations and lighting conditions. The selected cameras needed to provide full high-definition video across multiple open areas, while also delivering detailed, close-up images within busy, crowded spaces. The airport’s FAA grant included stipulations regarding the types of products that could be purchased with the supplied funds, specifying that the selected system must qualify under the “Buy American” standard. This provision meant that all potential selections not only meet the technical requirements, but also be Made in USA. AV Costar: foundation for security system After a year of exploring the market, the client determined that AV Costar was the only manufacturer that not only satisfied the “Buy American” stipulation, but did so without sacrificing the airport’s fundamental security requirements by providing a wide range of high resolution megapixel cameras.AV Costar was open in demonstrating its Made in USA product design, manufacturing, quality control, and support as part of the selection process AV Costar was open in demonstrating its Made in USA product design, manufacturing, quality control, and support as part of the selection process. Securadyne Systems was selected as the systems integrator. Extensive planning determined which AV Costar products to install, where to do so, and how the installation process would be accomplished. Once Manchester-Boston Regional Airport chose AV Costar cameras as the foundation for their security system, they began to collaborate with On-Net Surveillance Systems, Inc. (OnSSI) to supply the video management system (VMS). OnSSI is an AV Costar Technology Partner Program member, with many joint customers around the world, demonstrating proven integration between the two company’s products and support services. Arecont cameras chosen by airport security team The AV Costar SurroundVideo® multi-sensor camera series piqued the security team’s interest for its 180° panoramic capabilities. Passengers, staff, and aircraft crew move frequently and often swiftly from one location to another in varied lighting, yet all proved trackable with the SurroundVideo cameras and the OnSSI software. The placement of SurroundVideo cameras at the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport provides comprehensive coverage while reducing the number of cameras needed overall, a feat that was especially useful in large areas such as the airport’s apron. The security team chose cameras from the AV Costar MegaDome® series, which are equipped with a wide range of innovative features For locations that required a single coverage view, the security team chose cameras from the AV Costar MegaDome® series, which are equipped with a wide range of innovative features. Features such as low light capabilities and remote focus and zoom all proved crucial to the airport’s requirements. Casino Mode™ is available in the 1080p versions of the MegaDome series, a feature that proved to be as useful at the Manchester-Boston TSA checkpoints as it is in a Las Vegas casino. Casino Mode guarantees 30 frames per second to capture every detail on fast-action applications, an incredibly effective tool when investigating security situations involving many complex, small movements for both live and forensic viewing.Casino Mode guarantees 30 frames per second to capture every detail on fast-action applications for many complex, small movements in both live and forensic viewing Investigating criminal or worker concerns Manchester-Boston Regional Airport has installed over one hundred and fifty AV Costar cameras, and the video surveillance system is continuing to grow. The latest installation of AV Costar products included the lower level of a parking garage as well as a newly renovated passenger checkpoint area. When asked if there are any specific incidents in which AV Costar cameras proved useful, Mr. Mueller responded, “Every other day we use the cameras to investigate criminal or worker concerns. We go back and monitor them for possible safety issues on the ramps, for passenger interaction, and for worker interactions. Anytime someone expresses a concern to me, they can come in and we can watch the footage together. I try to make sure that the option to view footage is fairly transparent, which has proved very useful to everyone. "SurroundVideo 180° cameras were again utilised in the latter situation due to the client’s satisfaction with stitching together images from multiple 180°s." Paul Mueller, Manchester-Boston Regional Airport’s security manager, stated, “We were sure to go back to AV Costar during this process. We have had a good working relationship with them for the past five years, and they enable us to use less cameras while still maintaining full view of inspection areas.”Primary camera views are displayed and monitored all the time, while others can be pulled up and played back as issues arise Passport and ticket inspection made easy AV Costar cameras are monitored 24/7 in the airport’s communications centre. Primary views are displayed and monitored all the time, while others can be pulled up and played back as issues arise. The system also allows for particular divisions within the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport to monitor cameras that are applicable to their work, such as in the parking garage. In terms of responsiveness, AV Costar makes it a top priority. “We had an issue recently with the lack of detail in some of the views for when people were having their passports and tickets inspected by TSA employees,” Paul stated, “An AV Costar rep came out and agreed that we could improve images, so he pulled the cameras and re-installed a newer firmware version which allowed for finer adjustments, completely and efficiently solving our problem.” AV Costar prides itself in its relationship with clients such as Manchester-Boston Regional Airport and to its continued design and manufacturing of quality, innovative, and industry-leading cameras within the United States for customers to use worldwide.

Qognify - the trusted advisor and technology solution provider for physical security and enterprise incident management – reveals the advances that have been made since the acquisition of On-Net Surveillance Systems, Inc. (OnSSI) and SeeTec GmbH in January. The company is delivering its expanded product portfolio, complemented by enhanced service and support for its expanded global customer-base and network of channel, technology and camera partners. The new unified company will demonstrate how it is ‘Safeguarding Your World’ on Booth 13074 at ISC West in Las Vegas, April 10-12, 2019. Provider of VMS, PSIM and video analytics Qognify is dedicated to supporting and developing its portfolio of award-winning technologies, including VMS platformsQognify is one of the largest VMS, PSIM and video analytics providers for mid-market and enterprise organisations and CEO, Steve Shine states: “Our customers place a premium on their physical security strategy, either because of the complexity of their needs, or the specifics of the industries in which they operate. Therefore, our focus is to deliver the solutions they need to achieve their required outcomes.” From its research and development centres in Germany, Israel and the United States (as well as additional offshore resources), Qognify is dedicated to supporting and developing its premium portfolio of market-leading and award-winning technologies, including VMS platforms – VisionHub, Ocularis, Cayuga, NiceVision and FAST, and enterprise incident management platform – Situator. Benefits for customers   Shine adds: “Qognify, OnSSI and SeeTec have always shared a similar solutions philosophy. Thus, it was a logical step to combine these companies in order to accelerate global growth and to extend the portfolio of products and technologies available to customers, resulting in faster access to new markets and vertical industries.” Customers are benefiting from expanded professional services offering, customisation capabilities and support Customers are already benefiting from expanded professional services offering, customisation capabilities and worldwide support. Furthermore, the ability to share developments across three of the market’s leading VMS solutions such as camera integrations, gateways, analytics and mobile applications, is creating some very exciting opportunities for organisations. In addition to its headquarters in Pearl River, New York, Qognify has regional offices positioned throughout Europe and Asia, ensuring it is geographically close to all its customers and partners.

OnSSI announces the launch of Ocularis 5.7, the latest release of the company’s industry leading Video Management System (VMS) solution. Key featured enhancements of Ocularis 5.7 include a new Recorded Video Backup function that allows recorded video to be saved to a secondary location on the system at no extra cost. Additionally, the new Mirrored Recordings feature, available in Ocularis 5.7 Ultimate, allows the simultaneous recording of all cameras on two recording servers, ensuring that recorded video is never lost from failure of the primary recording server. Ocularis 5.7 includes numerous enhancements to improve user access and scheduling, along with more robust cyber security protection. New data protection capabilities Additional enhancements in Oculars 5.7 provide users with greater speed of operations and convenience"“In addition to the superior VMS performance provided by Ocularis, this latest version delivers new data protection capabilities to ensure that critical video and information is always accessible,” said Ken LaMarca, VP of Sales & Marketing, OnSSI. “Additional enhancements in Oculars 5.7 provide users with greater speed of operations and convenience, further elevating their user experience and surveillance capabilities.” The new Recorded Video Backup and Mirrored Recordings features are just two of the enhancements offered in Ocularis 5.7. New updates to Ocularis allow system administrators to better control when users can access the system, including the ability to schedule when users can log in, as well as restricting user access during off hours. Ocularis 5.7 also employs enhanced TLS 1.2 encryption for stronger system security against cyber-attacks. Smooth video streaming Additional new features in Ocularis Client include: a new Export Alarm Recordings Only function for faster video export; a smooth video streaming option to improve performance when connecting to remote sites with an inconsistent network connection; faster log in times on large systems; added Smart Camera Drivers for Vanderbilt, Eclipse, Uniview and Sony Generation X imaging solutions; and two-way audio support expanded to include Bosch cameras.

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, foreshadowing ACRE’s late-year announcement to acquire access control company Open Options, Addison, Texas.The VaaS cloud-based image capture platform includes fixed and mobile license plate reader cameras driven by machine learning Just days later, in the midst of the holiday season, Qognify announced its plan to acquire On-Net Surveillance Systems Inc. (OnSSI) and sister company SeeTec GmbH. Then came an even larger announcement: Motorola has acquired VaaS International Holdings Inc., a data and image analytics company for $445 million. The VaaS cloud-based image capture and analysis platform includes fixed and mobile license plate reader cameras driven by machine learning and artificial intelligence. Most recently, ADT announced yet another acquisition, Advanced Cabling Systems, a technology integration company in the South, thus continuing consolidation on the integration side of the business. There are likely to be further mergers and acquisitions in the video surveillance supply base in 2019 Continuation of the trend In the case of the Qognify and Motorola deals, Jon Cropley, Principal Analyst, Video Surveillance & Security Services, IHS Global Limited, sees them as the next chapter in an M&A trend going back several years. “I think this is a continuation of what we have been seeing in recent years of video surveillance software vendors being acquired,” he says. In the face of intense price competition, vendors have found it increasingly difficult to compete based on hardware features" “In the face of intense price competition, vendors have found it increasingly difficult to compete based on hardware features and are looking at software to offer unique competitive advantages.” In short, he sees it as a continuation of a trend that previously saw Canon acquiring Milestone Systems and Briefcam, Panasonic acquiring Video Insight and Tyco acquiring Exacq. “There are likely to be further mergers and acquisitions in the video surveillance supply base in 2019,” adds Cropley. “However, a spree of large-scale mergers and acquisitions is not expected.” Memoori, another market research firm, forecasts that the value of acquisitions could actually decline marginally in 2019 in value terms but increase in number. This observation is based on Memoori’s charting of physical security deals over the last 18 years. Jim McHale, Managing Director of Memoori, says there have been four cycles of increase and decline in activity, often exaggerated by billion dollar deals in one year such as the merger of Johnson Controls and Tyco of $165Bn in 2016. Access control when combined with identity management is punching well above its weight, and this trend has continued Access control to open systems Only time will tell whether the new year pattern of M&A activity is a coincidence or a harbinger of a busy M&A year ahead “It may be too early to make judgements on the future based on the last four weeks, but there are some interesting points that can be made when compared with our 2018 analysis,” says McHale. “Access control when combined with identity management is punching well above its weight, and this trend has continued. "Acre has been a major contributor and has completed some 10 acquisitions. In general, the access control business has been slow to move to open systems, and hopefully we can expect this trend toward openness to continue as it will give additional growth to the business.” For more commentary from Memoori, see their report “Major Trends in the Global Access Control Market 2018”. Only time will tell whether the new year pattern of M&A activity is a coincidence or a harbinger of a busy M&A year ahead. While past trends may provide a glimpse of what’s coming, there are always new variables. It’s a sure bet the overall trend toward consolidation will continue but predicting the pace and timing of individual transactions is almost impossible. In any case, it will be interesting to watch how 2019 unfolds on the M&A front, among other factors in a changing industry.

They say that every choice has a cost. It's a basic principle that, economically speaking, nothing is free. If it doesn't cost actual money, it may be expensive in terms of time, attention and/or effort. These are interesting observations to keep in mind as one peruses the various "free" video management system (VMS) offerings available on the market. Some are provided by camera companies to unify their products into a "system", even if it's a small one. Other free VMS offerings are entry-level versions offered by software companies with the intent of the customer upgrading later to a paid version. For more insights, we asked this week's Expert Panel Roundtable: What is the value of “free” video management systems (VMSs) and how can a customer decide whether “free” is the right price for them?

We are living in the age of Big Data, and businesses are inundated with large volumes of data every day. Success depends on capturing, analysing and ultimately transforming that data into information and intelligence that can be used to improve the business. So, it is with today's physical access control and video systems, too, which also generate unprecedented levels of data. But how can we make the data useful to end users and how can they realise its full value? We asked this week's Expert Panel Roundtable: Relating to physical security systems, what is the value of data and how can that value be measured?