Hybrid surveillance systems - Round table discussions

Migrating to the Cloud can be a cultural shift for some organisations, especially when it comes to physical security systems. Challenges such as concerns about data security and compliance, cost management, and a skills gap can make adopting the Cloud seem onerous. But the benefits are there, aren't they? We asked this week's Expert Panel Roundtable: Will the impact of the Cloud on physical security integrators be net-positive or net-negative?

When it comes to protecting the environment, the security industry has historically been perched on the sidelines. For instance, the amount of electricity that physical security systems use is minimal when compared to the total energy usage in a typical building. However, as awareness of environmental issues has surged, and as some of the "low-hanging fruit" has been harvested, attention has come back to opportunities for additional, if small, savings. The lifecycles of security products are als...

Video storage has come a long way since rooms full of VCRs stored video from an entire system of cameras. Video storage equates to data storage, and there are multiple options ranging from hard disk storage to the cloud to storage on each individual camera using SD cards. Increasingly, cloud-based storage is an attractive option to store video footage conveniently and safely. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How is expansion of video storage capabilities impacting the security...

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...

As much as we each seem to live in our own bubble, the reality is that everything is connected and we are all part of a greater whole. So it is with the security market, which can be both inward-focused and also play a role in the bigger societal picture. A couple of recent questions we posed to the Expert Panel Roundtable highlight how the security market can and should interact with society in general.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is driving innovation in the security marketplace, just as it is in almost every other market. IoT devices, also known as ‘edge devices’, provide sensing, processing ability, software, and other technologies to connect and exchange data. The most common edge devices in the world of IP security are video cameras, which are becoming more intelligent and capable of processing the data they collect. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How are...

The last regularly scheduled spring ISC West trade show was held in 2019. The show returned last year with a rescheduled event in the summer, and attendees were largely pleased with the offerings. However, the ‘real’ ISC West, in the spring in Las Vegas, Nevada, will resume a decades-old tradition in 2022 that has been a major driver of industry market growth and innovation. The show is also an annual reunion of sorts for the security industry, and we are all ready for a reunion! We...

When technology performs a required task effectively, there is little reason to upgrade to the ‘next big thing’. In this regard, the physical security market is notoriously slow to change. Much of yesterday’s most robust and dependable equipment is still in place at thousands of customer sites, still performing as well as the day it was installed. However, there comes a point when any technology becomes outdated. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Which securi...

Video storage has been a challenge since the days of VCRs and videotape. Storing images is a central need for any video systems, especially one that is focused on the forensic and investigative aspects of video. Today, digital video is stored on hard drives and even in the cloud. Increasingly, video is considered “data” that drives a variety of video analytics and even artificial intelligence (AI) applications. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the new tren...

Cities are increasingly connected using information and communication technologies, a trend often referred to as “smart cities.” In much the same way, “safe cities” initiatives are uniting businesses, city officials, law enforcement and other stakeholders in an effort to maximise the safety of businesses and citizens and to minimise theft and crime. Safe cities programmes seek to leverage a variety of resources, including public-private partnerships, to make urban communi...