COVID-19 - News

New research has found that nearly half (49%) of urban design professionals believe that the recent rise of pedestrianisation in city and town centres is making public spaces more vulnerable to attack. The coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating impact on urban economies, with local authorities left in the novel position of needing to find ways to encourage people back into city centres. Temporary pedestrianisation of key locations has suddenly become commonplace as a result, offering an eff...

The rampant spread of COVID-19 around the globe continues to challenge public health officials and governments alike to find ways to manage the spread of the disease until an effective vaccine can be developed. This challenge has led to new and novel approaches, particularly in the use of technology. One of the most recent technology applications to control the spread of the virus is the use of security cameras combined with facial recognition software. Facial recognition is part of a computer...

Video surveillance users can adapt to the challenges of working more flexibly between home, office, stores, and the control room with the newly released IDIS Mobile Plus app. Mobile Plus integrates the company’s popular IDIS Mobile app with its network and digital recorders, network cameras, and IDIS Solution Suite VMS. It delivers improved and more powerful functionality - anytime and anywhere – and gives users remote situational awareness of single and multiple sites. The app ena...

As employees continue returning to the office, travellers start flying again, fans slowly return to stadiums, technology that focuses on maintaining health and safety in semi-public and private venues remains crucial to slowing the spread of COVID-19. In response, FLIR Systems announces the FLIR Elara™ FR-345-EST, a fixed-mount radiometric thermal security camera that measures elevated skin temperature (EST) accurately without contact or the need for a reference temperature source. This s...

Sterling, a renowned provider of background and identity services, is expanding the global Sterling Identity suite of services and has launched a new UK Right to Work Identity Verification solution that uses facial recognition and fraud detection technology to accurately verify an individual’s right to work status. According to Cifas - the UK’s leading fraud prevention service - there have been consistent increases in identity fraud over the last four years which means that the pote...

IT and security systems integrators across the Middle East and Africa can now deliver more efficient, off-the-shelf integration of complete corporate systems - including access control, visitor management, security and building management - following a distribution agreement between Quanika and NIT, an Ingram Micro Company. Quanika’s modular, ready-made approach is designed to make integration straightforward, even for the most complex, multi-site projects, enabling organisations to adapt...

Digital Watchdog® (DW), the industry provider in digital recorders, surveillance cameras and related management software, announces the launch of the new E.S.T. System (Elevated Skin Temperature). DW’S E.S.T System (DW-ESTS) provides a quick, contactless solution for initial screening of people on the go. Every industry and institution may benefit from implementing a skin temperature screening system. Following the U.S. FDA’s COVID-19 Enforcement Policy criteria released in Apri...

Navigate360 urges to identify the warning signs of stress in the employees and ultimately prevent violence with confidence and knowledge. If it is like most businesses, the business probably weren't at all prepared to deal with COVID-19, and the companies are still tirelessly adjusting operations to adapt and survive. Regardless, the urgency of another eclipsing issue is about to interrupt those efforts. Professionals have warned of a follow-up tsunami in the form of mental health issues. And i...

The increasing cyber security threat and COVID-19 are causing challenges everywhere, including in the energy sector. The European Network for Cyber Security (ENCS), the Association of European Distribution System Operators (E.DSO), and the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), hosted the first of two webinars to discuss some of these challenges. ‘Cybersecurity: Data Sharing’ webinar Renowned cyber security experts from the grid operator commun...

At the official launch of CyberCenturion Vll, Nick Chaffey, Chief Executive, UK, Europe and Middle East, Northrop Grumman announced that the 2020/21 focus of the competition will be on encouraging greater diversity in the cyber security sector. CyberCenturion VII is open to all secondary school students in the UK, UK Crown Dependencies and UK Overseas Territories and starts in October 2020 with the national finals due to take place in April 2021. CyberCenturion is the UK edition of the global C...

Multi-brand distributor, Oprema, are proud to announce the appointment of Natasha Owens as their new HR Director. Oprema are delighted to promote Natasha and welcome her to the Board of Directors in her new role. Natasha is the first female to join the Board, providing new angles to discussions. The decision to give HR a place at board level within Oprema reflects the value the company places on its people. Commenting on her appointment. Natasha said “At Oprema we pride ourselves on our e...

Vimpex Ltd, Europe’s independent manufacturer of fire alarm ancillaries, has added a Fire Door Coordinator - which ensures that a pair of self-closing fire doors will always close in the correct sequence, enabling each door leaf to shut fully, and help to maintain the fire integrity of the doors - to its door holder product range. If double fire doors don’t close in the correct sequence they will not close in the middle and leave a gap for dangerous smoke and gases to pass through....

Acuant, a global provider of identity verification, announced that Acuant FaceID provides facial recognition with liveness detection technology that has been awarded PAD Level 1 and Level 2 compliance by iBeta, an independent third-party tester, in accordance with the ISO/IEC 30107-3 standards. Acuant FaceID now offers biometric facial recognition match with liveness tests that are iBeta PAD Level 2 compliant using anti-spoofing technology as part of its suite of tools for identity verification...

Alcatraz, developer of autonomous access control products, has been added to the lineup of sponsors for PSA Security Network’s ADAPT 2020 virtual managerial conference for system integrators. PSA Network’s virtual event, held Oct. 6-8, 2020, will include sessions on topics ranging from industry, emerging technologies, physical security, operation improvements, managed services, and more. Participants will have the opportunity to network with other PSA Network members and vendors and...

Allot Communications Ltd., a globally renowned provider of innovative network intelligence and security-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions for communication service providers and enterprises, has announced that Telefónica España, the renowned telecommunications operator in Spain, has expanded its Allot-powered ‘Conexión Segura’ SECaaS service to protect small and medium-sized business (SMBs) against a broad range of cyber threats. MultiAccess suite The expansion als...

Trueface announced being awarded its third contract from the Air Force's AFWERX and Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) program, satisfying their need for frictionless access control to inhibit the spread of COVID-19 through physical contact by implementing facial recognition ingress on-base. The Trueface solution will instantly identify individuals at Eglin Air Force Base and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst who have been cleared to access the installations without the need for p...

Motorola Solutions, announces the latest additions to its video security and analytics portfolio, which will be profiled at several upcoming virtual experience events. “We are committed to providing meaningful solutions that, through the use of advanced analytics and AI, improve public safety and deliver on business outcomes for our enterprise customers,” said John Kedzierski, Senior Vice President, Video Security & Analytics at Motorola Solutions. “The technologies we are...

Johnson Controls, the globally renowned company for smart and sustainable buildings, has launched Tyco Illustra Insight, an intelligent frictionless access management solution for work environments, where there is a requirement for a high level of security, without disrupting the constant flow of employees, contractors and visitors. The solution offers an unobtrusive, stress free way for authorised people to smoothly move around buildings, places and spaces, and yet provides security personnel...

During the global COVID-19 pandemic spread, businesses have completely shifted their practices with curbside pick-up and drive-thru becoming increasingly essential. Even with the slow opening of brick and mortar retail shops and in-restaurant dining, curbside pick-up and drive-thru remains favourable among consumers and will continue to be as the pandemic rages on. Contactless payment  According to Hal Lawton, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tractor Supply Company, “Consumers w...

Theft and burglaries are on the rise in condo parking garages across North America amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Ottawa Police see a 70% spike in break and enter calls during the COVID-19 pandemic including a string of several occurring in parking garages in commercial or residential buildings. In Toronto, more than 20 vehicles were broken into overnight at an underground parking garage this past March. Safe and secure housing CNN recently stated that since the beginning of the pandemic, major...

Powercast Corporation, the globally renowned company in radio-frequency (RF)-based, over-the-air wireless power technology and solutions, has announced the launch of a new wirelessly-powered RFID Temperature Scanning System that enables businesses to easily and safely monitor employees' temperatures, as they work to re-open offices and get back to normal. RFID Temperature Scanning System The new system is comprised of a wirelessly-powered temperature-scanning fob for each employee, an RFID rea...

Camden Door Controls announces the publication of a new website designed to provide up-to-the-minute information on low-voltage system design in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The TouchlessWave website is an easy to use one-stop resource for installers, building and facility managers, architects, and system specifiers. The TouchlessWave website highlights ‘no-touch’ and ‘low-touch’ solutions that eliminate the spread of germs caused by manually operating door...

ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions Americas introduced its Safer2Open™ suite of hands-free solutions. Available across a variety of products, both mechanical and electromechanical, these solutions can reduce touchpoints without compromising functionality in a range of facilities, including healthcare, education, office buildings, and other high traffic spaces where decreasing the spread of germs is essential to public safety. “As the economy begins to reopen, there’s a surging need...

AMAG Technology, a G4S Company, was named the Outstanding Security Equipment Manufacturer by the Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs) during a ceremony held during the virtual Global Security Exchange (GSX+) conference on Friday afternoon, September 25, 2020. Aims to be #1 Trusted Security Advisor AMAG’s goal is to be the #1 Trusted Security Advisor, and achieves that by helping customers through all stages of their security journey. “We are honoured to be recognised by...

Leonardo’s U.S. subsidiary, Selex ES Inc., developer of en-route navigation, precision approach and landing, and surveillance systems, recently added airport surface management technologies to their air traffic control solutions. Marketed under the name AeroBOSS, the technologies offer real-time, collaborative decision-making, flight and ground vehicle tracking, and runway safety systems that allow all surface vehicles to operate safer and more efficiently. AeroBOSS provides an airport-wi...

The opportunity for criminals to take advantage of COVID-19 face covering requirements presents a security challenge for commercial premises. The Face Recognition Company (FRC) is addressing that challenge with the addition of a new “unmasking” capability to its multi-camera face-recognition security system. Designed for a wide range of commercial environments, from retail outlets and hospitals to sports arenas and hotels, the FRC system identifies and alerts about individuals on a...

Corps Security begins pilot scheme which equips officers with speech to text and translation tools to overcome communication issues caused by wearing face masks, and addresses language barriers. Forty Corps Security officers across retail sites in Birmingham, Cheltenham and Exeter have access to transcription functionality (audio to text), written text translating capability and verbal conversation translation between two different languages. All services are delivered via mobile application an...

Intersec, the world’s renowned security, safety, and fire protection trade fair, has been rescheduled to take place in January 2022, organiser of the trade event, Messe Frankfurt Middle East confirmed on September 24, 2020. The 23rd edition of the three-day event was originally set to run from January 24-26, 2021, at the Dubai World Trade Centre, in Dubai, UAE. However, the event has now been moved to 2022, after extensive consultation with key industry stakeholders. Intersec Dubai 2022...

Paxton’s longstanding access control system, Net2, receives its latest software update. The highly anticipated new feature, Checkpoint Control, supports COVID-secure sites. This additional functionality helps Net2 users protect employees and visitors by monitoring and approving people as they enter buildings. Throughout the first half of 2020 the creation of Checkpoint Control was underway, along with the unforeseen global spread of the coronavirus COVID-19. During this time lockdown and...

Allied Universal, a globally renowned security and facility services company in North America, has announced that Forbes’ ‘America’s Best Employers by State Survey’, partnered with market research company, Statista, has ranked the company as the best employer in the US states of Georgia, New Jersey and Tennessee. Forbes list The Forbes’ list is divided into 51 rankings, one for each of the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and was compiled by surveying 80,0...