Security communication - Expert commentary
The CertAlarm scheme is today the only European certification scheme that has been endorsed by the EA Today, manufacturers who plan to sell their fire and security products in different European countries are faced with uncertainty regarding the standards against which their products should be developed, tested and certified. There are no harmonised EU-wide standards or certification schemes for security equipment, instead there is a suite of EN standards plus a variety of co...
Observers suggest asking open-ended questions and focusing in on specific details as the conversation moves ahead If a trained interviewer has ever questioned you, you may have started out by promising yourself to keep certain information secret. Then during the interview, you spilled it all. Police detectives, officers and savvy security professionals have learned how to talk to people in ways that will elicit information that subjects prefer to conceal. How do they do th...
Social media channels have active and consistent users and may constitute a promising audience for security integrator’s marketing efforts If you have any lingering doubts about the impact of social media, consider this: Worldwide, there are over 1.44 billion monthly active Facebook users, which is a 13 percent increase year over year, according to the social media giant. In addition, 936 million people log onto Facebook daily (as of March 2015), whi...
For high value individuals such as the Pope,agencies have access to unlimited publicresources in terms of money and people The Pope’s visit to the United States reminds us that protecting big-name executives, celebrities and dignitaries is a highly specialised security function. Public and private executive protection groups begin preparing for the visit of major world figures months ahead of time. “It is a task of massive proportions,” says Tom M. Con...
Police intelligence can help security directorsto understand the criminal trends across theirarea or city Corporate security has changed dramatically over the last few years. Traditionally, security has always been associated with physical protection and installation of security systems. In this article, Tom M. Conley, president and CEO of The Conley Group, discusses the importance of information received from law enforcement. A good rapport with law enforcement can help...
Once home automation – controlling everything from HVAC to door locks to lights to security cameras – was solely the providence of the high-end home. Custom systems were pricey – some ranging upwards of $100,000 or more. That was before widespread access to broadband internet and before everyone started carrying a powerful internet-connected mini-computer – called a smart phone – in their pocket. Home Automation goes mainstream These days the Smart Home has gone...
Security and technology are rushing to offer home automation solutions and build out the Smart Home of connected devices and applications. As cameras, alarms, as well as, thermostats and other appliances become controllable and programmable using Internet-enabled smart phones, they are becoming part of a vast web called the internet of things (IoT). Achieving greater value through smart data exchange This network of physical objects or "things" embedded with electronics, software, sensors and...
Affiliated Monitoring’s UL-Listed monitoring centre with a second floor dedicated to areas for security company meetings Central monitoring stations have innovative approaches to assist security installing companies in growing their account base, adding value and boosting recurring monthly revenue (RMR). These companies do much more than simply monitor accounts – today they provide a host of services to give security installing companies the added edge in an extrem...
New notification appliances from Silent Knight provide code-required low-frequency output Just before the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) World Safety Conference and Expo, June 22-25 in Chicago, Honeywell unveiled new solutions and features designed to boost life safety and provide more intuitive installations. S3 series control/communicator A “virtual press conference” unveiling the announcements was kicked off by Beth Welch, manager of publi...
The nature of crime in general – and particularly types of theft – are changing. Craig Mackey, Deputy Commissioner of London’s Metropolitan Police Service, says falling rates of conventional “property” crime are being of offset by an increase in computer-related crimes. Fall in “property” crime rate Mackey stressed that there has been no “magic bullet” responsible for the pronounced fall in burglaries and other prope...
In the vast centre of the hall almost none of the randomly shaped stands display their index number I enjoy IFSEC each year, spending three days walking the halls. I do feel frustrated by the acres of "me too" products prompting a "meh" response. So often I’m left feeling the "big news" is that hype and lies are growing and continue to drown out the truth. If companies' marketing budgets were simply given over to their product development departments, we would find thing...
Security is a big concern for local government buildings, but there are measures that can make a difference Back in August of 2013, Rockne Warren Newell, armed with a rifle and a handgun, stormed a township meeting in the Ross Township Municipal Building in Saylorsburg, Pa. Witnesses say he fired through a wall into the meeting room and then burst into the room itself, guns blazing. Three people died, and two sustained wounds before citizens attending the meeting restrained hi...
A demonstration of the home automation capabilities of Z-Wave wireless transmission – controlling a coffee maker from the Mt. Everest base camp – came off without a hitch at ISC West. A few days later, however, the veteran climber involved in the stunt got a first-hand look at the deadly 7.8 earthquake in Katmandu and the resulting avalanche. The adventurer, Mariusz Malkowski, began his love of climbing in his native Poland while in early high school. “I would go on an 8-hour...
“Better, Faster, Cheaper – choose any two” is the old adage for computerised systems. When it comes to businesses subjected to federal or industry security regulations, the equivalent saying might be, “mitigate risk, achieve compliance, or reduce cost – choose any two.” So if there were a way to have all three that would get your attention. Complying with regulations More and more industries are subjected to some form of regulation....
Most of us have a basic instinct as to what is and is not ethical behaviour. But is instinct enough? “Ethics and the security industry is a balancing act,” says Mike Hurst, vice chairman of the UK Chapter of ASIS International. “Most people will have an instinct as to what ethical behaviour is, but there’s an absence of hard and fast rules.” Examples often crop up in video surveillance situations, Hurst says. For instance, when and where i...
Petrow began her career at Vector Security in 1982, and was appointed senior vice president of the Central Stations and Information Services Group in 1997 Pamela J. Petrow, chief executive officer (CEO) of Vector Security Inc., Warrendale, Pa., has been appointed President of CSAA International, the industry’s leading, 65-year-old central station monitoring organisation. Petrow is the first woman in the organisation’s history to hold this top leadership...
ASAP-to-PSAP technology automates communications between alarm monitoring companies & PSAPs and dispatches emergency service In April 2015, Cary, N.C., adopted a technology called Automated Secure Alarm Protocol to Public Safety Answering Point (ASAP-to-PSAP), but currently they are among only a handful of emergency 911 call response locales that use ASAP-to-PSAP technology in the United States. Commander Scott Edson of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, sp...
The physical security community is contributing expertise and equipment of many kinds to the country As rescue teams and aid workers from around the world converge on Nepal after the country's 7.8-magnitude earthquake, the physical security community is contributing expertise and equipment of many kinds to a country whose government has described it as being “on a war footing.” At time of writing, conservative estimates of the fatalities are around 5,000, but many,...
Beyond the need to install new systems, often overlooked is how schools are going to pay for security upgrades Limited financial resources are a common pain point for primary/secondary schools looking to implement cutting-edge security technology. But security needs persist despite scarce resources. All school administrators want to do everything in their power to secure their facilities against threats. More schools are recognising the benefits and, in some cases, requiremen...
The industry has to advance in terms of attracting experienced people and paying for that experience Time was, security officers patrolled with walkie-talkies, responding to dispatchers monitoring cameras in the control centre. The post of security officer was a minimum wage job requiring little more than a high school diploma, if that. Educated and experienced security officers a prerequisite No more. “Today, when we read our requests for proposal (RFPs), we’re...
Too often a valid assumption turns out to be the opposite in practical operation It’s easy to misinterpret product specifications of IP video transmission products to the detriment of system functionality. We have seen how this problem relates to port speed, power over Ethernet (PoE) and transmission media. Now let’s look at some additional aspects of product specifications – and how they can be misinterpreted. Importance Of Temperature Rating What about te...
A BBC report Monday alleges instances when Security Industry Authority (SIA) licences were fraudulently obtained, prompting questions about licencing processes and whether unqualified candidates are being "fast-tracked" and provided SIA cards without taking the required hours of training and passing exams. Following is a statement provided to SourceSecurity.com by Robert Buxton, head of communications, Security Industry Authority, about the matter: SIA assures investigation over...
Supply chain risk management involves identifying and dealing with supply chain uncertainties that pose a threat to business continuity Today’s complex world needs risk managers, business people that think about the bad things that might happen and lay plans to eliminate or at least mitigate those risks. This article explains the need to identify and respond to risks involved in a supply chain. Manufacturers should make efforts and develop strategies to enhance supply ch...
The era of IoT - the Internet of Things - is upon us. A deluge of urban sensory data is flowing into data centers every minute, putting pressure on data-centre resources and accumulating at a rate faster than anyone can process. Is the proliferation of sensory data simply evidence of an increasingly intrusive world, or can IoT be used for the improvement and development of intelligence-equipped cities? We believe that with the right steps the convergence of city operations with IoT...
Standards are like a warm blanket on a cold winter night. They make us feel safe and warm. A standard tells us the devices we use within our systems will interact with each other regardless of manufacturer. For IP-powered PoE devices, we depend on standards such as 802.3af for devices requiring up to 15.4 watts and 802.3at for devices powered up to 30 watts. We depend on the devices generating the power to be able to be read by devices receiving the power. Our dependence is not al...
Organisational resilience takes all appropriate actions to help ensure the organisation’s continued viability In this day and age, the traditional components of security officers, cameras, access control and alarm systems aren’t enough to protect a company or organisation. No matter how good your preparations, security sometimes breaks down, and bad things happen. That can take a toll on a business. Today, security’s role extends to organisational resilience...
The number-one cause of most power outages in the U.S. is bad weather What does the industry consider to be its most severe threats the U.S. electric grid? There is no shortage of nightmare scenarios. According to the Department of Energy, the number-one cause of most power outages in the U.S. is bad weather, which costs the economy between $18 billion and $33 billion every year in lost output and wages, spoiled inventory, delayed production and damage to grid infrastructure....
Whether you are a contractor, installer, dealer or systems integrator depends on where you live and how you are perceived by the real world Because I have been in the industry for a considerable amount of time, I have seen quite a few changes, albeit the bulk have come over the last five or so years. Before that, the advent of the digital dialer was our big innovation – that tells anyone with any history in the industry just how far back I go! But today, change is fast a...
Drone is a toy with a bright future—until it causes a catastrophe Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, are today’s gizmo du jour. A recent Bloomberg article reported that Amazon alone is selling more than 10,000 a month, and with prices as low as $50, it’s a toy with a bright future—until it causes a catastrophe. Consider the January incident at the White House when a drunken National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency employee lost control of a quadcopter...
Check out the research available from the ASIS Foundation. It is proving to be right on the button.When the Guardians of Peace hacked Sony Pictures Entertainment late in 2014, they crashed the studio’s email, leaked films and scattered personnel data across the Internet. By mid-December, four class-action lawsuits had hit Sony, claiming that the company had not taken adequate cyber-security precautions. How about your company? Are you prepared to withstand a cyber-att...
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