Mobile surveillance - Round table discussions

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...

Risk is a core concept in the practice of physical security. However, the risk is not always assessed effectively. Ideally, an organisation's appetite for risk guides its security strategy and action planning to the minutest detail, including buying decisions for security equipment and systems. We asked this week's Expert Panel Roundtable: How does the concept of risk influence buying decisions in the security market?  

Biometrics is both a mature technology in the physical security world and an innovation perpetually on the cutting edge. Biometric technologies received a boost during the COVID pandemic when “touchless” became a buzzword with particular relevancy to the world of biometrics. Higher security needs, such as “two-factor authentication,” are also driving demand for biometric products. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the latest technology trends in...

The upcoming ISC West trade show in Las Vegas will offer innumerable networking and learning opportunities for attendees. Manufacturers will take the opportunity to promote their businesses and showcase products and services to a targeted audience. Best of all, the event will be "in person," an advantage we should never again take for granted. We asked this week's Expert Panel Roundtable: What big announcements do you expect at ISC West 2023?

The holiday season is marked by festive spirit and family celebrations, but it is also the busiest time of year for retailers. Busy shoppers willing to spend money are an upside to the holiday shopping season, and many businesses depend on the holiday rush as a critical element to having a successful year. A downside of a busy holiday season is an increase in retail security threats including shoplifting. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How can technology address loss prevent...

Connectivity is literally the difference between products operating individually and those combined into a more powerful system. Many of the devices that connect today’s security products reflect mature technologies that have been proven over time. However, innovation is also driving the need for new approaches to connectivity and networking. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the new developments in networking and connectivity for security?

Machine learning refers to the evolving ability of computer systems to learn and adapt without following explicit instructions. It essentially involves the use of algorithms and statistical models to analyse and draw conclusions from patterns in data. In the security industry, when it comes to buzzwords, artificial intelligence (AI) has a higher profile than the more specific related term, although machine learning is a better description of tools that are gaining popularity in physical security...

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...

It’s safe to say there has been more change in the workplace in the last two years than ever before. Driven by the pandemic, technology has both allowed greater flexibility for employees and enabled continuing prosperity for many companies that otherwise would have had to cease operation. But have security protocols and practices done enough to enable companies to keep pace with the changes? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Have security protocols and practices kept up w...

The advantages of security systems as forensic and investigative tools are well understood and demonstrated in the market. However, the new trend is toward systems that are useful in real-time and that even predict a security event, before it happens. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Which security systems are becoming more proactive than reactive?

Early in the pandemic, before the mechanisms of COVID spread were clearly understood, there was talk about the disease being transmitted through contact with surfaces. Such concerns created a windfall for manufacturers of hand sanitizer, and broadly changed the perceived risks of touching surfaces, perhaps forever. Touching the same surface as hundreds of other people suddenly became less desirable, thus boosting the fortunes of “touchless” access control and security devices. But wi...

Supply chain issues have plagued the economic recovery during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the problems show every indication of persisting for months or even years to come. Supply chain challenges have impacted the security marketplace in many ways, reflecting the breadth and variety of products needed to secure people, facilities, and assets. Wondering about the specifics of that impact, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How does disruption of the global supply chain...

Residential security and smart homes are rapidly changing facets of the larger physical security marketplace, driven by advances in consumer technology and concerns about rising crime rates. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people spent more time at home and became more aware of the need for greater security. As workplaces opened back up, returning workers turned to technology to help them keep watch over their homes from afar. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the...

There is a broad appeal to the idea of using a smartphone or wearable device as a credential for physical access control systems. Smartphones already perform a range of tasks that extend beyond making a phone call. Shouldn’t opening the door at a workplace be among them? It’s a simple idea, but there are obstacles for the industry to get there from here. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the challenges and benefits of mobile access control solutions? 

Perimeter security is the first line of defence against intruders entering a business or premises. Traditionally associated with low-tech options such as fencing, the field of perimeter security has expanded in recent years and now encompasses a range of high-tech options. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the latest trends in perimeter security technology?

In the past few weeks, the light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel has brightened, providing new levels of hope that the worst of the pandemic is behind us. Dare we now consider what life will be like after the pandemic is over? Considering the possible impact on our industry, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Which security technologies will be most useful in a post-pandemic world?

An aging employee population and the influx of a new generation of workers and customers is driving change in the physical security industry. Millennials – those born in the 1980s and mid-1990s – are especially impacting how the industry operates, the technologies it produces, and the customers it serves. This tech-savvy generation grew up with the Internet at their fingertips. They embrace innovation in all its glory and expect it to play a seamless role in their lives – and w...

The reviews are in, and ISC West was another hit. Brisk attendance and a comprehensive lineup of the industry’s top companies and products contributed to another successful show for Reed Exhibitions. Our Expert Panel Roundtable, who have attended many such events, added their own reflections to the industry’s post-ISC glow. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How successful was ISC West 2018 for security industry exhibitors and visitors?

Body-worn cameras are becoming more common every day, driven both by needs of the marketplace and technology developments. However, questions remain about the usefulness of the devices, and their future role in promoting safety and security. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the challenges of body-worn cameras for the security industry?

How mobile telephones have transformed into “smartphones” is one of the great technology stories of our time. What once was a single-function device now can do almost anything – display video, pay for groceries, monitor our health. The smartphones we carry in our pockets today have more computing power than the “super computers” of yesteryear, and that power has found many uses in a seemingly endless array of “apps.” Some of them are directly related to...

The connected workplace, increase in “bring you own device” environments and even the rise in telecommuting have served to blur the lines between an employee’s private life and his employment. The idea of an executive’s obsessive need to check his Blackberry while on vacation has crept into the popular culture and is now a familiar cliché that is as old as, well, Blackberries. The blurring of lines has also created a blurring of expectations. Now employees expect t...

The ability to view surveillance footage on mobile devices adds greater flexibility to an organisation's security monitoring system. But of course, there are drawbacks. In the age of mobile devices, we are able to do more and more while "on the go" and are less limited by the need to be at a desktop computer with internet / network connectivity. We are seeing the proliferation of mobile apps designed to enable us to access our most important files and perform important tasks...

In today's world of mobile devices, the number of apps available to the general public is increasing daily - apps that are designed to make our lives simpler and help us be more efficient. With about three-quarters of the world's population having access to a mobile device, it's no surprise that the range of different types of apps available today is so wide and varied. For the general public, there's an app for nearly everything. You can do your banking, order groceries, find th...