Video analytics - Round table discussions
The return of trade shows has been an invigorating development for the security market. The morning-after reviews of this year's shows could not have been more positive. Everyone in the industry seemed to revel in the excitement and momentum as the shows decisively proclaimed: 'We're back.' Continuing that momentum into the future will depend on how well the shows adapt to changing industry trends and repeatedly reinvent themselves to be better every year. Adding feedback from GSX to our earlier...
Big Data is a persistent buzzword in the broader technology realm and in the physical security market. More every year, it seems we see a greater impact of the compilation of numerous data sources (Big Data) on our market. Smart leaders in the industry are looking at the vast opportunities that exist to leverage Big Data into greater intelligence and situational awareness. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What is the intersection of the security market and "big data?"
Faces captured by video cameras could be perceived as an invasion of privacy, as could images captured through residential windows or that involve private or proprietary information. Fortunately, modern video systems incorporate technological features that help avoid an inadvertent invasion of privacy, while preserving any data that may be needed by authorized persons. For the latest commentary, we turn to our Expert Panel Roundtable with this week’s question: What new features of video sy...
Challenges of the global supply chain have reverberated into the physical security marketplace in a big way in recent years. Dealers who historically could count on timely delivery of equipment have instead faced extended delays that in some cases have jeopardised their businesses. By most accounts, the situation is improving, so we turned to our Expert Panel Roundtable for an update. Our question this week: What is the current state of the physical security supply chain?
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?
Some systems and assets are so vital that their incapacity or destruction would have a debilitating impact on security, economic security, public health or safety, or any combination of those factors. This so-called critical infrastructure has historically faced many complex threats. In 2023, we can add growing concerns about cybersecurity to the mix. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What is the largest risk to critical infrastructure in 2023? How can we address it?
There’s always more to talk about in our Expert Panel Roundtable discussions, and we appreciate the variety of opinionated responses offered throughout the year. Looking back at 2022, we found several random and uncategorised Expert Panel responses that were not previously published. We have rescued these responses from our cutting-room floor and present them here in the interest of generating even more discussion.
A multi-factor authentication is a layered approach that requires users to provide two or more verification factors, such as credentials, to gain access to data and applications. If one of the credentials is compromised, the thinking goes, an unauthorised user will still be unable to meet the second authentication requirement and will be denied access to a targeted physical space, computing device, network, or database. Cybersecurity applications have long embraced the idea of MFA, which is also...
For decades now, usernames and passwords have been a critical, and highly visible, element in data protection and cybersecurity. However, the use of passwords is a far-from-perfect approach to protecting access to computer systems. Nowadays, newer, more sophisticated forms of user identification and authentication have emerged on the scene. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Is the password on the brink of extinction in physical security? Why or why not?
Since they were invented, video surveillance cameras have been used mostly for security applications. However, the advent of video analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) has paved the way for use of video data in a variety of other applications, from process control to measuring occupancy to analysing customer traffic trends. The ‘data’ aspects of ‘video data’ are feeding many new applications that no longer involve operators looking at video images on a screen. We as...
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...
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...
Obtaining needed funding for security technology improvements often requires going to senior management with a hat in hand. But requests for more security funding from the C-suite may fall on deaf ears unless a security professional can make a compelling case for the needed expenditures. It starts with learning to speak in terms that resonate with upper management and also involves carefully analysing the benefits of security investments to the broader enterprise. We asked this week’s Expe...
Integration of access control and video has been a reality for decades. The combination of our industry’s dominant technologies provides a one-two punch when it comes to maximising the security benefits of a system. Access control tracks ‘events,’ while video provides visibility into those events. But the benefits of integrating video and access control are far from static. Rather, today’s systems are becoming even more valuable as they incorporate elements such as artifi...
How has the security end user’s ‘buying journey’ changed in the age of the Internet? If nothing else, the online age has simplified access to information about various security products and systems. However, easily accessible information could enable a customer to delay contacting a manufacturer or systems integrator until further along the decision-making process. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What role should the Internet play when customers are research...
Cloud systems faced early resistance from physical security end users concerned about a perceived lack of control of data that ‘leaves’ their premises. More recently, mass adoption of cloud systems reflects widespread confidence in these systems to protect the data they handle. However, there are physical security professionals who remain concerned about cloud-based systems from the perspective of cybersecurity. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How can the industry...
Who needs cards when everyone has a smartphone? That’s the key question underlying the access control industry’s transition to mobile credentials. But the transition is easier said than done, and mobile credentialing, for all its advantages, also has limitations, which further innovation continues to address. Wider acceptance comes next, driven by use cases in various vertical markets. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the latest developments in mobile acce...
Robots have been used in security patrol applications for decades, although developments in artificial intelligence (AI), video analytics, sensors and communications are expanding robot capabilities to new heights. Suddenly, robots are the latest thing in security. In addition, drones have become ubiquitous for numerous applications, including security. We wondered how well the security industry is embracing these newer technologies. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What impac...
The security trade show season is resuming this fall with the GSX show in the United States and Security Essen in Germany, among other upcoming industry events. The return of trade shows is gathering momentum following the COVID lockdowns and cancellations with plenty more shows coming soon. But how useful is attending industry trade shows? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What do you accomplish by attending a security industry show?
PropTech (property technology) is a term that describes electronic tools used in the real estate industry. It’s a buzzword that has made its way into the physical security industry, often in connection with access control. For the latest insights on the trends of security in PropTech, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What is the role of security as property technology (PropTech) transforms the real estate market?
With the worst of the COVID pandemic’s impact behind us, most would agree that the security industry was transformed by the interlude, as were most other elements in our society. But what will be the lasting impact on the security market – positive or negative? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Is post-pandemic security more effective than pre-pandemic security? How?
Security is critical in the government sector, as much as any other vertical. Successful systems must promote public safety while also facing onerous requirements when it comes to cybersecurity. From a global perspective, the world seems less safe than ever before, suggesting an even greater role for security technologies. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How can security address the challenges of the government market?
Six months can go by in the blink of an eye. In 2022, it almost seems as if it has. Here we are already at mid-year after what has been an eventful six months for the security marketplace. There is still a lot ahead in 2022 for the industry, and our Expert Panel Roundtable has been considering what the coming months might hold in terms of technology change. We asked this week’s panelists: What will likely be the most important technology development in the security marketplace in the secon...
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 buzzwords in security provide a decent parallel to the technology advancements in our industry. Over the years, our language has evolved to encompass new concepts that have transformed our business. Buzzwords can sometimes be dismissed as overblown compared to the current state of the technology, or even as marketing hype. But the language we use to describe the industry’s technologies often reflect our changing marketplace. Sometimes the challenge is keeping up with the latest buzz. W...
Technologies and trends in the security marketplace come and go with some regularity. But how can you tell which trends are gaining traction and which amount to ‘the flavour of the month.’ For guidance, we asked our Expert Panel Roundtable: Which new security trend do you think is here to stay?
Any marketplace tends to emphasise the newest technologies and products. Confirming the trend is the perpetual rush to buy the latest iPhone. But some legacy products are so good and perform the required functions so well that users may stick with the “tried-and-true.” But does staying with yesterday’s technology suggest a missed opportunity to leverage new product features and benefits? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What is the security market’s app...
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...
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...
We appreciate the variety of opinionated discussions offered throughout the year by our Expert Panel Roundtable. Looking back at 2021, we found some random and uncategorised Expert Panel responses that were not previously published. We have rescued these responses from our cutting-room floor and present them here in the interest of generating even more discussion.