Security software - Expert commentary
As a society, we have been studying crime for years, with an eye to prevention. Now that mass shootings have seized our attention, experts have begun studying this particularly violent crime, again with an eye to prevention. “Our view is that inside a large enterprise — a corporation or government agency — anyone can be the risk you may face someday,” says Bryan Ware, CEO of McLean, Virginia-based Haystax Technology, a business that identifies risks b...
DIY—the fastest-growing segment of the residential alarm market—has evolved from a niche trend into a major event in which the big dealers are “in” but the small dealers are not. But the good news is that new partnership programmes emerging from central stations are levelling the field so that even the smallest dealers can get themselves an “in.” Why board the DIY train in the first place? It’s become clear the DIY craze is here to stay, with capital in...
The landscape for end-to-end solutions is not designed to address thelong-term evolving needs of customers The video surveillance industry has reached an important crossroads where manufacturers can choose to continue in one direction that solely focuses on their own products and profits, or to move forward in another direction that emphasises building partnerships for the greater good of the community. On one side lies the short road of end-to-end, proprietary solutions fro...
The integration of H.265 technology may be hindered by the availability of optimised H.264 best encoding for surveillance systems Video compression technology has been a crucial element in surveillance system design since the advent of Internet Protocol (IP) in the 1990s. Since that time, standards for video encoding have been explored in various capacities. Currently, the industry is all abuzz around H.265 High Efficiency Video Coding – the next iteration beyond H.264,...
There are resources to help guide an organisation’s management of cybersecurity risks, most prominently from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. NIST defines cybersecurity as "the activity or process, ability or capability, or state whereby information and communications systems and the information contained therein are protected from and/or defended against damage, unauthorised use or modification, or exploitation.&rdquo...
Cloud connectivity can provide a linkage between the mobile users and the facilities and systems they want to interact with From enterprise applications to small businesses, schools, health care facilities and beyond, investments in physical security systems provide valuable resources to help protect people, property and assets – and ultimately the financial security and well-being of the organisation. As need and demand for better security has dramatically increased ove...
Automated CCTV lip reading is challenging due to low frame rates and smallimages, but the University of East Anglia is pushing the next stage of this technology Scientists at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, are working on the next stage of automated lip reading technology that could be used for deciphering speech from video surveillance footage. The visual speech recognition technology, created by Dr. Helen Bear and Professor Richard Harvey of UEA’s S...
Systems may be reliable and performing as originally intended, but can also beoutdated in comparison to current technology offerings Let’s start by defining what a legacy system is in the context of a security control system. Legacy refers to an installed and operating security control system made up of numerous components, both hardware and software, that have been eclipsed by newer technologies. A shortage of parts and pieces may be creeping in, and it’s also li...
The right security system can add great value when used as anintegral part of business processes When buying a security system, primary consideration is often given to short-term issues such as technical capability and how current risks are covered. However, this approach doesn’t account for a security system being a longer-term investment, often spanning around ten years. During this time a lot can change, both in terms of technical development and an organisation&rsquo...
Access control and visitor management are evolving and becoming more rooted in an organisation’s overall physical security structure Government regulations are driving increased security levels for visitor management. Private industry, where the need to manage and monitor visitors is an equally high security priority, is following suit. As a result, access control and visitor management are evolving and becoming more rooted in an organisation’s overall physical sec...
ISC West has seen manufacturers' efforts to simplify the installation, serviceand deployment of security solutions for systems integrators Efficiencies come in all shapes and forms for systems integrators in the security industry, and ISC West 2016 was a testament to manufacturers' efforts to simplify installation, service, maintenance and deployment of IP video specifications for installers. GURU smartphone app with audit reporting capabilities March Networks, Ottawa, Canad...
Access control now includes a strong focus on the data integration side ofthe business, as showcased at this year’s ISC West When the category of physical security emerged many decades ago, it was literally all about locks, hardware and creating barriers such as fences to keep people out. Fast forward to ISC West 2016 in Las Vegas this week, where the focus is on intelligent solutions, smart data, cloud-based access control and incorporating audio, video and a wide r...
Many transformations have occurred that have caused PSIM’s true definition to be misunderstood and miscategorised The evolution of Physical Security Information Management (PSIM) over the past ten years has been rapid and transformative. In fact, according to a recent report from marketsandmarkets.com, the global physical security market, estimated to be $65.41 billion in 2015, is expected to reach $105.26 billion by the year 2020. At the forefront of this movement...
According to Merit LILIN, the UAE will be a thriving new and potential market in 2016since Europe’s economy is still sluggish The global Chinese community recently welcomed the year of the Fire Monkey with a two-week celebration, concluding with the lantern festival at the end of February. According to Chinese astrology, we are now in the year of the Fire Monkey. What’s in store for businesses around the world? Global economic growth is predicted for the ye...
Starlight camera technology is redefining low-light surveillance to new levels Starlight cameras are the latest products security companies are adding to their product line-ups, each camera boasting the most comprehensive ability to make darkness visible. While low-light surveillance capabilities have been around on the market for some time, starlight camera technology is redefining low-light surveillance to new levels. Sourcesecurity.com spoke to manufacturers to discuss this...
A number of misconceptions exist about the capabilities and technology ofbiometrics, perpetuated in popular culture by films and TV Like many categories in the security marketplace, the biometrics market suffers its share of misconceptions, ranging from misunderstanding of the technology to underestimating its utility for a broad range of uses. Misunderstandings created by pop culture Contributing to the problem of understanding is the popular culture. “Popular mo...
The universe of biometric authentication applications is expanding rapidly invertical markets such as healthcare and retail Once used mostly to secure high-value government facilities, biometrics are now a basic tool used in a variety of vertical markets. This article will look at some of those opportunities. For healthcare organisations, for example, biometric authentication is being used for secure medical dispensing to streamline workflow and control drug diversion, and f...
Key control technology and guard tour systems provide a ready-made solution for healthcare organisations to enhance their security & asset management protocols Morse Watchmans, a leading provider of key management solutions explains how to provide top-notch security and manage asset with a combination of key control systems, asset lockers and guard tour systems. The shift from manpower resources to technology as a main line of defence is having a significant impact on...
As the security industry continues to grow, recruiting must have more sophisticatedscreening and hiring processes, and a commitment to hiring quality personnel The physical security industry today is driving focus on finding the right talent. Deborah O’Mara, SourceSecurity.com's dealer/integrator correspondent, in an exclusive Q&A with Brent O’Bryan, Vice President of Training and Development for AlliedBarton Security Services, discuss the challenges that secur...
Strong electronic access control (EAC) investments by the healthcare and education verticals were a highlight of a very strong 2015 for Allegion. The company saw double-digit growth in multiple categories for its electronics as well as continued strong growth in commercial markets, with further expansion of software provider integration of Allegion-connected devices. Mobile connectivity & system integration nurture positive trends Demand for mobile connectivity and inte...
Stratus Technologies is a provider of “always-on” technology, which helps to ensurethe running of mission-critical access control and video surveillance applications Building security – especially high-security installations – requires technology that is reliable and minimises downtime. In some physical security installations, access control and video surveillance solutions are required to function uninterruptedly to ensure business continuity and maint...
An improving economy has resulted in additional spending on new and existing security initiatives in 2015, a solid year for the security industry. In addition, industry consolidation continued with the announcement of a few important mergers and acquisitions, which is further evidence of a vibrant and exciting time for our industry. As we move into 2016, we expect to see increased momentum for megapixel and 4K security products. The benefits of 4K are being realised by end users in outdoor cit...
The role of today’s security leader continues to evolve as they are faced with an ever-expanding risk environment that includes active shooters, crime, natural disasters, liabilities and cyber threats. Most recently, the terrorist attacks in Paris and the active shooter violence in California once again served as reminders of the threats organisations face on a daily basis. Intelligent technologies for proactive security management Over the past year, the increased fo...
2015 was a notable year for Quantum Secure, culminating with the company becoming part of HID Global. Growth was seen in several sectors for us, led by the adoption of our SAFE software solutions in the finance and aviation markets, among others. For the industry in general as it relates to Quantum Secure, predictive security became a more prevalent theme as organisations were tasked with not only providing more data but making sense of the data for use in improving security operations. Another...
2015 was one of the more stable of the last five years. We’re seeing a fundamental increase in confidence that is freeing up capital spend. There’s a good bit of pent-up demand, and larger projects are being funded. We’re seeing more M&A deals, not an explosive change, but a marked increase and more quality deals. These deals reflect an interest and demand for services and solutions. The commoditisation of cameras and NVR/DVRs is putting pressure on long-term players as we...
Command centres allow physical and IT security to collaborate for greatersituational awareness and responsiveness Conventional command centres focus on video and access control system monitoring. When something happens at a door, the video system reports the event to one monitor in the command centre, while the access control system reports to another monitor. It is up to the operator to imagine the possibilities, draw the right conclusions, decide on a response and, if necess...
Many security solutions available today have the problem of being insufficiently open, offering very limited flexibility. Integrating third-party products is practically impossible. Customers therefore very often have to make a long-term bet on just one vendor. Upgrading or expanding security systems is often complex, expensive and time-consuming. But the industry is changing. Initiatives like open standards and cooperation between suppliers are emerging to help companies react faster to changin...
The siliconisation of surveillance cameras has had a great impact on the security industry, especially this year. The cost of complex megapixel cameras has decreased dramatically as this functionality is now available on chips. The camera industry has gone from innovating on the camera’s performance and functionality to acting more like the PC OEM business, and this siliconisation is driving industry commoditisation. Commoditisation is levelling the competitive landscape as customers are...
We close a historic year for the video surveillance industry: HD security cameras dominate the market for the first time, while overall camera sales are growing even stronger than ever, as security customers are accelerating replacements, finally able to get HD CCTV. As of 2016, “4K” replaces “HD” as our industry’s code word for highest-resolution video. Trade show demos of 4K cameras are as common now as HD camera demos were in 2008. 4K technica...
2015 was a year of consolidations: The spring of 2015 recorded the highest acquisition rate for a six-month period in 10 years. There were single-digit market growth rates reported in video surveillance due to price erosion affecting revenues. Video solution providers are expanding into access control, and both are slowly but steadily moving into the cloud. Users want the efficiency benefits of converging access control with video verification and unified operation. There are more cloud offering...
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