Xtralis - Experts & Thought Leaders

Honeywell, a pioneer in products, software and technologies for connected buildings and homes, announced that its Xtralis VCA suite of security software is available for licensing by third parties. Now, both Xtralis LoiterTrace video detection software and Xtralis IntrusionTrace video detection software will be made available to third parties looking to improve the analytics capabilities of their security offerings.  Xtralis IntrusionTrace, a high-performance intrusion detection software solution designed for continual outdoor operation is now integrated into its first external partner, Axis Communications Inc., a provider of network video, and their Axis Camera Application Platform (ACAP).  Honeywel-Axis integration  “The ACAP offers a variety of services and applications for select devices to ensure our customers can deploy value-added services on our cameras,” said Alex Walthers, business development manager, ADP, Axis Communications, Inc.   “We are pleased to collaborate with Honeywell to allow mutual customers to embed Honeywell’s Xtralis IntrusionTrace on Axis cameras. This technology brings video detection analytics that has been tested and hardened to the market.”  Beyond Xtralis IntrusionTrace, the VCA suite available for licensing also includes Xtralis LoiterTrace Beyond Xtralis IntrusionTrace, the VCA suite available for licensing also includes Xtralis LoiterTrace, an advanced detection system that provides timely notification of unauthorised loitering in both indoor and outdoor areas.  Intrusion detection products   “Nearly three decades ago Xtralis commercialised the first video motion detection product in the industry; and since then our intrusion detection products have been the industry benchmark and top choice for protecting perimeters with the highest security requirements,” said Alessandro Araldi, Vice President of global product management, Honeywell Home and Building Technologies.   “Honeywell is making Xtralis IP available for leading security manufacturers. We are pleased to have Xtralis IntrusionTrace offered on select Honeywell cameras as well as the ACAP and are looking forward to even more manufacturers leveraging our technology,” Araldi added.  The Xtralis VCA suite can be integrated with cameras, network video recorders, video management systems and third-party panel and platform providers. 

In the course of five years, the Euralarm Symposium has established itself as the most important event on significant market developments of innovative, legislative, regulatory and standardisation nature, impacting one of the most successful Industries in Europe: electronic security and fire safety. The speakers at the Euralarm Symposium 2018 have now been announced, with only a few additions still to be confirmed. The event will take place in Bucharest, Romania, on June 4th. Fire and security professionals, installers, manufacturers, end users, building managers and certifiers will gather in the Romanian capital to discuss the latest trends and developments in the fire safety and security Industry. The Symposium will consider the latest developments in both the digitisation and regulatory landscapes, and how they continue to impact the fire safety and electronic security Industry Discussing digitisation and regulation This year, the Symposium will consider the latest developments in both the digitisation and regulatory landscapes, and how they continue to impact the fire safety and electronic security Industry. During the Symposium, the renewed importance of qualification and the evolving skill set of fire safety and security technicians, as well as keeping systems secure, and finally the EU’s Construction Product Regulation, will be discussed in three separate sessions. Speakers from Romania will give an interesting colour to the usually western-dominated line-up, offering new perspectives and ideas from a dynamic and creative market with traditionally strong ICT players. First session of Euralarm Symposium The first part of the Euralarm Symposium will be titled ‘You have to qualify to compete’. The Euralarm-supported EN 16763 services standard, one of the first pan-European standard impacting the tertiary sector, was only a stepping stone. National players must now outline training programmes that will support the continuous development of skills and knowledge within the fire safety and security Industries, and define schemes to measure qualifications. Speakers on these topics will be Jon Könz (moderator), Head of Enterprise Services at Siemens Building Technologies, Alexandru Mateiciuc, Head of Schrack Seconet, a leader in high-tech security systems and Member of ARTS, Valentin Negoita, APTEDIC, Romanian Association of Manufacturers and Distributors of Equipment for Information and Communication Technology, Robert Yates, Technical Manager at the UK Fire Industry Association, FIA and the association’s Delegate to the Euralarm Fire Section. While ICT has opened new integration possibilities, these new threats demand that additional measures are implemented to protect systems against cyber-attacks and data theft Cyber-attacks and data theft The second part of the Euralarm Symposium: ‘Keeping security secure and data compliant’, touches upon the ever evolving risks for fire safety and security systems. While Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has opened new integration possibilities, these new threats demand that additional measures are implemented to protect systems against cyber-attacks and data theft. Topics to be discussed during this part of the Symposium are security solutions, cyber security, data storage as well as product security. Among the speakers are Enzo Peduzzi (moderator), Euralarm President of the Board, Toma Cimpeanu, CEO of the Romanian National Association for Information Systems Security ANSSI, Marc Chenevoy, European Technical Manager at Euralarm, Viorel Petcu, General Manager at SC ONEST SOLUTIONS, a cutting-edge technological company notably active in physical security risk assessment, Member of ARTS and Michael Scharnowsky, Hekatron, part of the Securitas Group, delegate to Euralarm. Topics to be discussed are the challenges in harmonised standards development and their publication, the Euralarm position on the CPR Impact of the CPR and challenging it The third and last part of the Symposium, ‘7 Years Construction Products Regulation and now what?’ focuses on the European regulation on construction products, the CPR. The regulation lays down harmonised rules for the marketing of construction products in the EU. The implementation has however hindered the publication of harmonised EN’s from the CEN Technical Committees 72 and 191, resulting in a complicated blockade. This part of the Symposium will focus on the impact of the CPR and challenge its value. Topics to be discussed are the challenges in harmonised standards development and their publication, the Euralarm position on the CPR, and an outlook based on Euralarm’s White Paper on the topic. Speakers for the session Among the speakers are Lance Rütimann (moderator), Senior Manager Industry Affairs at Siemens and Euralarm Advocacy Committee Chairman, Frédéric Chateau, Certification Manager and responsible for partnerships at COFLEC, groupe DEF and Chairman of Euralarm's Technical Group Fire Standards, Iuliana Chilea, Director General ASRO, the Romanian Standardisation Body, Peter Massingberd-Mundy, Technology and Expert Practices Manager at Xtralis and Chairman CEN/TC 72, Dominique Taudin, Senior Director, Codes and Standards at UTC and Chairman of the Euralarm Fire Section as well as Robert Thilthorpe, Chairman CEN/TC 191, Technical Manager of the UK Fire Industry Association (FIA) and Chairman Euralarm Technical Committee on Horizontal Compliance.

Honeywell has announced new additions to its lines of equIP® Series IP cameras, designed to provide high image picture quality in ultra-low light environments. With a unified and simple design, the new equIP cameras offer a superior user experience that makes them easy to install, use, and maintain and integrate with other connected building solutions. Honeywell equIP series The new equIP cameras have the latest technology, providing higher resolution, bandwidth optimisation and embedded video analytics. Using H.265 Codec technology, the cameras reduce video recorder storage costs without sacrificing image quality, providing better bandwidth usage. Honeywell Xtralis IntrusionTrace™ video analytics software improves surveillance accuracy and responsiveness, helping users to reduce financial losses and limit business interruption. The equIP series is ideal for security professionals looking to more easily design connected building solutions. The cameras can be easily integrated with other Honeywell ecosystem solutions to create one complete IP platform for site monitoring and control. The cameras are ideal for enterprise and critical infrastructure environments where complete visibility is essential, such as industrial buildings, utilities, energy, education, government, and banking. Connected building systems “With a trusted manufacturer like Honeywell, security professionals can be assured that every component of their connected building system will work seamlessly together,” said Gerald Coste, global video product director of security and fire, Honeywell Home and Building Technologies. “This is essential to providing the fully integrated and reliable IP solution today’s enterprise and critical infrastructure protection customers demand.”     The equIP camera range includes: 12 megapixel 4K Ultra HD IP box camera IR IP bullet camera Outdoor IR IP mini-dome camera Six megapixel indoor/outdoor Fisheye IR IP camera Indoor/outdoor 2 megapixel 30x zoom WDR PTZ IP cameras Cameras in the equIP line feature: 3D positioning functionality for PTZ cameras Embedded microphones for indoor cameras for greater accuracy Support for ONVIF Profile S and G Integration with Honeywell NVRs and VMS including MAXPRO®, HUS, DVM, and Performance embedded NVRs Support for third-party manufacturers’ NVR and VMS The equIP series is easy for security professionals to install and maintain. Fifteen languages are available during installation, and only one person is needed to mount the cameras. The range can re-use existing pole, corner, pendent, or wall brackets, saving installers and their customers time and money. If the cameras are installed with Honeywell’s MAXPRO, setup is even easier as all camera units are automatically detected by MAXPRO in a seamless installation process. The new equIP series is fully certified CE, FCC and UL.

Merger and acquisition activity has become a familiar topic in the physical security market. In 2016, SourceSecurity.com covered M&A news involving some of the industry’s largest companies, including high-profile names such as Tyco, Honeywell, Hikvision, ADT, and Ingram Micro. Here’s a look at the top 10 M&A stories in 2016, as covered by SourceSecurity.com:   1. Johnson Control and Tyco merge Johnson Controls and Tyco announced their merger into one company with annual revenue of $32 billion. Johnson Controls, a global multi-industrial company, combined with global fire and security provider Tyco to create a leader in building products and technology, integrated solutions and energy solutions. Johnson Controls previously had a small presence in the physical security market, but their products have mostly centred around building controls, HVAC and energy storage technology. For its part, Tyco’s focus on video, access control and alarm systems has expanded to consider those systems in the context of broader building systems. The trend toward convergence in the building market is the common ground for these companies, and a major driver in their decision to merge under the name Johnson Controls. 2. Honeywell acquires Xtralis and RSI Video Technologies Industry giant Honeywell agreed to acquire Xtralis, a global provider of aspirating smoke detection and advanced perimeter security technologies and video analytics software, for $480 million from funds advised by Pacific Equity Partners and Blum Capital Partners. Honeywell saw Xtralis' systems as complementing their growing Security and Fire business. A month or so later, Honeywell also acquired RSI Video Technologies, provider of the Videofied Intrusion Detection System, for $123 million. Upon completion of the acquisitions, both would become part of Honeywell Security and Fire. Honeywell also made headlines for a deal that didn’t happen. It seems Honeywell wanted to merge with UTC, but UTC declined because of “insurmountable regulatory obstacles and strong customer opposition.” 3. Ingram Micro acquired by Chinese Conglomerate Ingram Micro Inc. and Tianjin Tianhai Investment Company, Ltd. announced a merger agreement under which Tianjin Tianhai would acquire Ingram Micro for $38.90 per share in an all-cash transaction with an equity value of approximately $6 billion. Ingram Micro would become a part of HNA Group, a Hainan-based Fortune Global 500 enterprise group and a leader in aviation, tourism and logistics and the largest stockholder of Tianjin Tianhai. ADT holds the largest share of the U.S. residential security market, and a respectable small business presence 4. ADT Merges with Protection 1 ADT, the well-known home and small business security company, which traces its history back to 1874, agreed in 2016 to be acquired by private equity firm Apollo Global Management, and would merge with competitor Protection 1, a subsidiary of Apollo-owned Prime Security Services Borrower LLC. The announcement comes amid rapid changes in the residential security and home automation market, much of it driven by emerging Internet of Things (IoT) technology. ADT holds the largest share of the U.S. residential security market, and a respectable small business presence. Protection 1 began in 1991 when it was spun off from PacifiCorp., a power utility. It grew rapidly, largely through acquisition, into a full-service business and home security company. 5. Konica Minolta acquires majority shares of MOBOTIX Konica Minolta, Inc. entered into a share transfer agreement to acquire shares comprising about 65% ownership of German manufacturer MOBOTIX, developer of technologies including decentralised processing (edge computing) IP cameras, image data compression, and image data analytics. The deal was estimated at between $177 million and $265 million. Konica Minolta seeks to broaden the distribution of MOBOTIX products and solution services by leveraging its global direct sales network and after-sales support and services systems. 6. Hikvision acquires Pyronix Hikvision, the world’s largest video surveillance manufacturer, announced the acquisition of Pyronix, the UK-based intrusion alarm security firm. Hikvision planned to apply Pyronix expertise and know-how in intrusion detection systems to its leading position in the video surveillance market. The combined know-how of Hikvision and Pyronix seeks to bring new advancements and innovative products to the market, converging two security technologies in video surveillance and intrusion detection. 7. Merger creates AlliedUniversal brand AlliedBarton Security Services and Universal Services of America agreed to merge, combining to do business under the AlliedUniversal brand. The combined company offers clients localised response and national support using technology solutions and approximately 140,000 highly-trained officers. The combined company is expected to have total annual revenues of approximately $4.5 billion. AlliedUniversal brand offers clients localised response and national support 8. Acre acquires two companies ACRE, LLC, the holding company that owns Vanderbilt Industries and Mercury Security, made two more acquisitions this year. Through its subsidiary Vanderbilt, a global provider of state-of-the-art security systems, Acre acquired Access Control Technology Ltd (ACT), based in Dublin, Ireland. This purchase would enhance Vanderbilt’s strategic expansion plans for strengthening its access control business and product portfolio. Later in the year, Acre also announced plans to acquire Communication Networks LLC (dba ComNet), a manufacturer of video and data transmission equipment. The acquisition of ComNet builds on the ACRE family of companies, providing complementary communication technologies utilised across its access control, intrusion, video, and cloud-based product ranges. 9. Gemalto to buy 3M’s identity business Gemalto, a provider of digital security, agreed to acquire 3M's Identity Management Business for US $850 million; it will become part of Gemalto Government Programs. 3M's Identity Management Business is comprised of 3M Cogent Inc., which provides a full spectrum of biometric solutions with a focus on civil identification, border control and law enforcement, and 3M's Document Reader and Secure Materials Businesses. 10. Bosch and Sony partner up Although technically not a merger or acquisition, Bosch Security Systems and Sony signed a contract to establish a business partnership to collaborate in the development of products and solutions in the field of video security applications, beginning in 2017. Bosch will handle the sales and marketing globally for all of Sony’s video surveillance products (outside of Japan). The two companies will also pool their technology expertise, leveraging Sony’s imaging capabilities and Bosch’s analytics and networking strengths. See the full coverage of 2016/2017 Review and Forecast articles hereSave Save Save

Body worn cameras help to provide better evidence documentation, increased accountability and transparency in law enforcement Forensic recordings – or the audio and video recordings from 911 calls, traffic cameras, CCTV systems and more – are virtually everywhere.  However, in most cases the devices are static and fixed and often do not provide immediate or real-time information on incidents or pending threats.  For example, the Boston Marathon bombers were seen on multiple cameras after video feeds following the incident were analysed – but those forensic recordings did not help in preventing the tragedy or providing more real-time information.  Shooting of Michael Brown Technology continues to transform our lives, and is changing the way law enforcement officials do their jobs by providing them with better real-time solutions. Rewind to August 9, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Michael Brown, an 18-year-old black man, was fatally shot by Darren Wilson, a 28 year old a white Ferguson police officer.  The tragic incident resulted in an uproar of riots and accusations in part because the eye-witness accounts varied drastically. Could the outcome have been different or could the evidence have been clearer, if live situational awareness technology (streaming or recording) had been in place? Variety of BWC applications Two years ago, only a handful of police departments used body worn cameras (BWC). Today, there are various estimates that put the number of law enforcement agencies using, or investigating BWCs at as many as 6,000 out of 18,000 nationwide. The technology helps to provide better evidence documentation, increased accountability and transparency. Estimates put the number of law enforcement agencies using, or investigating BWCs at as many as 6,000 out of 18,000 nationwide The development of body worn solutions was born out of the need to satisfy the growing demand for added surveillance with remote access to live video and GPS location information in overt and covert environments. This technology works to improve security for people in the field, and allows supervisors to coordinate tactical operations involving multiple agents. Bottom line: It gives law enforcement the ability to have dangerous situations or threats contained as quickly and safely as possible for all parties involved. Body worn technology can be used in a variety of ways based on the needs of the application, and installation can vary from a camera mounted chest or shoulder height, helmet mounted camera, attached to a backpack or belt and more. Most recording devices have a lightweight design, weighing only 10.5 ounces or less than an iPad mini. Therefore, it doesn’t add significant weight to the law enforcement officer’s uniform allowing him or her to move quickly and efficiently. Body worn solutions also can be designed with a second head or chest camera, and the battery powered units can contain a removable compact flash card for digital evidential quality recording, which makes the systems ideal for police or agents who require evidential recordings of interactions and interventions with suspects. However, it’s important to note that prior to putting any equipment into everyday use, department officials should complete a policy guiding officers on when to activate the cameras, when not to, who can access the resulting footage and when, and how the collected data will be stored. Additional capabilities of BWCs should include a built-in GPS receiver, so command & control can track and map the exact location of individuals in the field Other advantages BWC users can monitor either live or recorded video and/or audio footage from any remote location via mobile phone connectivity. In addition, the live streamed and recorded video, combined with the bi-directional audio capability, allows an operations command centre to interact with the user on location and assist with the response and/or intervention.  Live bi-directional audio and video streaming capability can allow higher ranking officials, who may be remote, to interact and provide assistance in next steps. Live transmission of video and audio can also allow supervisors or a monitoring station staff member to respond proactively and appropriately to the situation at hand. Body worn technology should be designed to operate on all of the latest mobile phone network technology Body worn technology should be designed to operate on all of the latest mobile phone network technology, and can be programmed/interfaced to work with any industry standard camera, including providing the ability to be easily upgraded to meet changing requirements. Additional capabilities should include a built-in GPS receiver, so command & control is able to assist remote law enforcement (emergency responders) by tracking and mapping the exact location of individuals in the field and helping to speed accurate & appropriate assistance. The precise position of multiple agents, combined with their respective live video and audio feeds, allows supervisors to assess a situation in real-time and make decisions accordingly. Finally, access to an alarm button allows agents to notify the supervisor that they need immediate assistance. At the end of an operation, data is easily being backed up for evidential purposes, reducing administration time. What if Officer Darren Wilson had used this technology? Would the vital intelligence that was lacking through witness-only accounts been clearer?  Would the outcome have been different?  Live situational awareness technology will continue to help both law enforcement and the citizens they are hired to protect and serve.

Technology solutions enhance and make manned guarding moreeffective and efficient the quickest way Most companies believe manned guards can help mitigate disturbances and neutralise situations, while at the same time reducing the chance of criminal activities and/or accidents occurring. However, people cannot be omnipresent or always be in the right place at the right time. When combining manned guards with the power of today’s technology, the results are unmatched. Developments in technology solutions for the security industry have had a positive impact on businesses, customers and employees – in more ways than one. Technology products and solutions are the most efficient and quickest way to enhance and make manned guarding more effective, especially at sites with large perimeters and/or multiple ingress and egress points like gates, doors, windows, loading docks, etc. Faster response time, lower cost By using manned guarding companies coupled with the latest technology solutions, it will help to improve the delivery of information regarding possible threats.  By investing in new systems and technology platforms, businesses can enhance their manned guarding protection by providing more pinpoint accuracy on an issue, allowing for faster response time and providing a safer environment for existing manned guards and other employees, while over time reducing the number of guards needed and thereby decreasing costs. Security technology helps to provide reliable perimeter detection, immediate and assured remote visual verification, effective remote prevention capabilities to ward off threats and the right tools to provide situational awareness to first responders to safely and effectively monitor and respond to rising threats. Businesses can enhance theirmanned guarding protectionby providing more pinpointaccuracy on an issue, whileover time reducing the numberof guards needed and therebydecreasing costs Technology is rapidly improving, sometimes so quickly it’s hard to keep up. Today’s technology and remote electronic prevention solutions can provide superior detection verification and allow for remote response with high performance and reliability at a total cost of ownership that is cost effective. Look for solutions that have leveraged years of award-winning onsite, remote and mobile guarding technology experience that enable virtual guard tours at remote sites, increase protection, augment existing guard patrols and/or replaces manned guard patrols entirely. Following are four effective technology solutions to pair with a company’s manned guarding services for enhanced security outcomes: Video content analytics Video content analytics (VCA), which provide the capability to automatically analyse video, range from video motion and audio detection to more advanced systems, including camera tampering detection, people counting and more, and provide high performance intrusion detection using video analytics specifically designed for 24/7/365 outdoor operation. Optimised using footage from thousands of hours of video covering a range of environmental, seasonal and time of day variations, analytics can achieve low false alarm rates while maintaining high detection probability and reliability and add simple “region of interest” configurations for the locations that need the highest level of monitoring. Whether monitoring a yard or creating a virtual fence around a supply depot, technology solutions can deliver performance where it is needed 24/7, quickly and effectively. Look for systems that provide remote access via mobile devices or that run through a Central Monitoring Station (CMS), but that also have dashboard analytics, which can be easily created to measure the performance of a particular site and of individual guards — all benchmarked against targets and key performance indicators. VCA should allow customers to get as granular as they want or need, and trends can be compared to determine performance across an entire enterprise or portfolio. This brings a new level of visibility, transparency and openness to the client/supplier relationship that would have been impossible to imagine 20 years ago. As VCA gets even more sophisticated, the number of applications and the reporting options are expected to grow, making it possible that in the future there will be far less reliance on manned guarding.   PIR detectors produce true alarms – no false alarms – with the highest detection reliability   Passive infrared response (PIR) detectors PIR detectors help protect large perimeter campuses due to their high precision detection performance, reliability and range. In fact, PIR detectors are capable of identifying human targets by sensing temperature differences between them and the background at distances over 700 feet. These types of detectors are customisable and available in a variety of models to optimally address varying perimeter, performance and budget needs for any size company, and one of their greatest benefits is that they produce true alarms – no false alarms – with the highest detection reliability – allowing guards the ability to quickly resolve any issue accurately. Multi-service gateways Multi-service gateways can transmit, record and do VCA in one single unit for easy management of multiple remote sites and accurate deployment of guards, ultimately, improving efficiency and reducing personnel costs. Multi-Service gateway applications should include the ability to detect loitering, provide remote visual verification as well as real-time intelligence within six seconds of anything from an intruder to smoke detection.  A rapid assessment of video alarm images allows responders to quickly identify the alarm cause, optimising real-time intervention while reducing expensive nuisance alarm responses. As VCA gets even moresophisticated, the number ofapplications and the reportingoptions are expected to grow,making it possible that in thefuture there will be far lessreliance on manned guarding Mobile apps Mobile apps for security purposes? Of course. Today, the general consumer can access detection and monitoring apps to see inside their homes directly from their smartphones. Similar mobile apps are now available for remote response and situational awareness purposes for business enterprises, so relying solely on security guards to detect threats around your business no longer makes sense. Now businesses can download Apple applications that provide remote event notification and verification for first responders. It also can alert end-users to provide situational awareness through live and timed access into an end site enabled by a CMS. Most mobile applications are free and can be found in the Apple app store for iPhones and iPads. This technology helps first responders reduce their risk and response time, while allowing end-users the ability to verify an event. Double-knock functionality Intelligent PIRs pointed at each other and linked together via an intrusion control panel or management station deliver “double knock” functionality. By cross zoning two detectors additional sub-zones are created, which can then be used for precise alarm localisation and subsequently camera positioning. This results not only in an ideal image section, but also in fewer false alarms, caused by wild animals or other environmental reasons. Additionally optimally zoomed-in images can be used by video analytic functions of remote multi-service gateway systems for “triple knock” verification and response by operator in an alarm receiving center (ARC). There have been debates about the pros and cons of employing security guards versus buying electronic security measures. Why not have both? The combination of Passive Infrared Response (PIR) detectors, video content analytics, multi-service gateways and mobile apps in conjunction with manned guards not only improves security and threat detection, but also improves effectiveness needed to protect a company’s enterprise while lowering the cost over time.