Day/Night surveillance - Round table discussions

A software platform designed to centralise and manage various physical security systems within an organisation used to be called a PSIM (physical security information management) system. Generally speaking, however, the PSIM term has fallen out of favour because the systems were seen as expensive and difficult to manage. The phrase has been replaced by command-and-control, referring to software that combines access control, video surveillance, intrusion detection, and other systems into a unifie...

By all reports we have heard, 2024 is rushing by at a rapid pace. Many of us are just now catching our breaths after the busy holiday season, even though spring is practically here. Having had a healthy taste of 2024 already, our Expert Panel Roundtable is eager to weigh in on what lies ahead for the rest of the year to come. We asked this week’s panel: What large trends are driving growth in the physical security industry in the year ahead? 

There is safety in numbers, or so the expression goes. Generally speaking, several employees working together tend to be safer than a single employee working alone. Even so, some environments require that workers complete their jobs alone, thus presenting a unique combination of security vulnerabilities. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines a lone worker as “an employee working alone, such as in a confined space or isolated location.” We asked this we...

As physical security technologies become more complex, it is incumbent on the dealer/integrator to have the skills and expertise needed to ensure that a system operates smoothly. The value of integrators increasingly rests on the skill sets they bring to bear when installing a system. If the skills are missing, there is a problem. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What missing skills among security integrators can cause problems for customers? 

The role of the integrator/installer in the physical security marketplace is shifting as technologies evolve and applications expand. Integrators are being faced with a need to augment their expertise both in a wider range of systems and deeper into the specifics of each increasingly complex technology. At the end of the day, it falls to the integrator/installer to ensure a system performs as promised, however much a consultant or even a manufacturer might be involved in the process. We asked th...

Deployed across a wide range of devices, the Internet of Things (IoT) collects data to help business owners make decisions on a macro scale as well as at a granular level. The IoT is a network of physical devices embedded with sensors, software, and network connectivity that allows them to collect and share data. We called on this week's Expert Panel Roundtable to comment on the intersection of the IoT and physical security. We asked: How is the Internet of Things (IoT) increasing the effectiven...

As cloud-based systems become more common, Video Surveillance as a Service (VSaaS) is becoming mainstream in the physical security marketplace. There are certainly benefits for manufacturers and end users, but we asked our Expert Panel Roundtable to focus on the benefits to the dealer channel. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What is the impact of video surveillance as a service (VSaaS) on security integrators?

The transportation industry is unique because it plays a role in both the minutiae of everyday life and the overall economy's well-being. Providing uninterrupted and efficient transportation services depends heavily on the safety and security of transportation entities. Due to the vast amount of people frequenting transit stations and the importance of the items on ships and ferries, the transportation sector faces multiple challenges that evolve as the industry advances. We asked this week&rsqu...

The COVID-19 pandemic has complicated the task of securing hospitals and healthcare facilities by adding new concerns about disease transmission to the long list of other threats healthcare security professionals face. Hospital security must also crack the code to both allow open public access to healthcare facilities while keeping out violence and other security threats. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the security challenges of the healthcare industry?   

Hospitals and healthcare facilities are an important vertical sector in the physical security market. Protecting healthcare facilities is a rich opportunity to leverage the value of physical security systems that range from video to access control to newer location and asset protection systems. But understanding how technology can excel in the healthcare vertical requires that we first identify and understand what these institutions need. Therefore, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundt...