IDIS CCTV Switchers & Switches

In 2017, DITEK saw how power surges from the many natural disasters that took place damaged many businesses. In a natural disaster, or even everyday business operations, a facility’s entire investment in security, life safety and surveillance systems technology can be disabled or rendered useless in a few seconds. Surge protection solutions can mitigate those risks and protect security investments. Proactive approach to risk mitigation Throughout 2017, we also witnessed a change in how enterprises view surge protection, which included how investments are being made in surge protection to protect valuable security, life safety and surveillance systems, while also reducing downtime, manpower costs, liability vulnerabilities, and possibly compliance issues that can force businesses to actually cease operations. Effective security management is about mitigating risks. But risks cannot be mitigated without a proactive approach. Enterprises and integrators, who take the time to assess risk and to develop a strategy to incorporate effective detection, deter and response criteria to protect physical assets will be successful in 2018. 2018 and beyond That strategy includes designing surge protection into new security systems, while also adding surge protection to existing systems. Enterprises and security integrators who implement a surge protection strategy during security planning processes – or after – will be exercising prevention and mitigation, and they will be successful in 2018 and beyond.  Surge protection devices have an untapped potential for enterprise surveillance and security systems In 2017, Ditek continued to offer security end users a solid surge protection solution. We also successfully educated system integrators, who are seeking value-added products or services to incorporate into their portfolios, on the importance of surge protection devices. Educating security integrators We believe that surge protection devices have an untapped potential for enterprise video surveillance and security systems, because they can and do meet safety and security challenges that have been rarely identified in the past. We are looking forward to 2018, when we will continue to develop new surge protection products – including a new product engineered to protect up to twelve individual fuel dispensers, which is critical to the financial operation of convenience stores. We will also continue to educate security integrators about the importance of including surge protection in the design/build RFP, to not only secure an enterprise’s valuable security equipment, but also to help integrators to differentiate their capabilities and knowledge from the competition.

Technology is changing the look and function of today’s security control rooms. Old-school CRT (cathode-ray tube) monitors are giving way to the thinner, flat screen monitors in the control room environment, but the transition is gradual. Randy Smith of Winsted still sees many control rooms that need to make the conversion, which is a boon to his company’s business. Furniture today is designed differently to accommodate the thinner monitors, often with larger screens. Need for integrated rack systems With the increase of IP-based systems comes the need for integrated rack systems that include advanced functionality such as cable management, adds Jim Coleman, National Sales Manager, AFC Industries. Server rooms are environmentally controlled by cooling systems and power systems monitored on the IP network. Low-profile flat screens allow centres to utilise space vertically, thus creating a smaller footprint for the consoles. Additionally, with IP-based systems, workstations will have a smaller footprint because there is less cumbersome equipment. In most cases the servers are stored in a secured, climate controlled environment to eliminate overheating of the servers and maintain their security, says Coleman. This environment also helps with cable and power management. AFC builds technical furniture racks that adhere to the precise needs of computer network server room operators. The company designs and fabricates LAN workbenches with versatile functionalities, and server room workstation racks that are scalable. There is a complete line of IT workbenches, IT computer racks and computer server rack mounts with flexible mounting options. In most cases the servers are stored in a secured, climate controlled environment to eliminate overheating of the servers and maintain their security Flexible control room designs Matko Papic, Chief Technology Officer of Evans Consoles, says the transition from bulky CRT equipment to flat-screen (lower profile) monitors was a major disruption in control room design; it changed the whole dynamic. Another evolution is the use of IP video streaming, which allows more flexibility in manipulation of audio-video content, and requires more flexible control room designs. Another shift, driven by larger, higher-definition monitors, is a shift to fewer monitors that display more information. Instead of a smaller monitor for each information stream, larger monitors now consolidate that information into “dashboard” displays. Looking ahead, control rooms will need to be more flexible, both in the initial design and the ability to adapt to changing technology, says Papic. Legacy customers who are currently using PCs may be moving to more remote applications. Sit-stand equipment will continue to be increasingly prevalent. “There will be more emphasis on flexibility, technology integration, and the ability to change over the life of the system,” says Papic. Consolidation of multiple operations into a single system A trend in security is consolidation of multiple physical operations into a single system, says Papic. As a result, more customers are taking more interest in alarm management and situational awareness. How is the technology being used in terms of alarm triggers? How can the systems react rapidly and provide information to a larger audience in the control room? These questions impact how control rooms are designed, and Evans Consoles can adapt lessons learned from other markets to these trends in the security arena. Greater use of technology is inevitable, says Coleman of AFC Industries. “It is virtually impossible for humans to monitor all security data at the street level in our cities,” he says. “As computers become more powerful and their programs more all-encompassing, we will see a greater shift to robotic and technology uses that will provide enhanced monitoring capabilities and safety Read our Control Rooms series here

The security industry will continue to see consolidation through acquisition in 2017. At the advent of IP camera adoption, we saw a great decline in large vertically integrated companies, which spurred a new era of innovation within smaller IP camera manufacturers, VMS providers and other hardware companies for storage and managed switches.   We are now living in a new era of consolidation that is taking us full-circle back to vertical integration. Ultimately, the industry as a whole suffers because this consolidation will stifle innovation until the next big technology disruption takes shape. Interoperability across different verticals  This time last year, we noted that the marketplace was moving toward converged technologies and the need for alarm management across multiple platforms into a common interface, turned out to be a popular request. If anything, we are only seeing just the beginning phases of this transition. The biggest surprise is that interoperability is not only confined to security technology, but also extends to parallel systems such as building automation, safety and environmental controls, and even Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software. Using Video Event Management Software (VEMS) alongside these intelligent platforms proves to be a valuable verification process for many new and exciting vertical markets. Arteco plans to continue the revenue growth and brand awareness achieved in 2016 Event-based video security software At Arteco, our highest growth sectors tend to be slightly insulated from economic fluctuation in the sense that we focus on securing critical infrastructure (electrical utilities and communications) as well as corporate and education campuses. Unfortunately, the continued growth in active shooter incidents have made physical security concerns top of mind for many organisations regardless of economic impact. The unexpected repercussions are that many new security technologies are emerging that cater to real-time event notification on both the macro and micro level. The exciting part of this trend is that users are leveraging a layered approach with multiple autonomous applications working together toward a common goal to improve security, which will hopefully ensure a high level of protection.  Business growth and challenges Business has continued to grow year-over-year, and 2016 was a huge step forward for Arteco not only in terms of revenue growth, but also increased brand awareness in the United States and abroad. Our biggest challenge continues to be the crowded VMS market, which is filled with lower cost or even free substitute products. We are making great strides in overcoming this challenge by having a wonderful team of people, both on the technical and sales side of the organisation, who are focused on finding new and innovative ways to advance intuitive, open and affordable event-based and intelligent video security software into 2017. See the full coverage of 2016/2017 Review and Forecast articles here 

IDIS, one of Korea’s largest in-country video tech manufacturer, is pleased to announce several new staff appointments and hires at IDIS America. Andy Cruz has been named Area Sales Manager for the Houston, Texas region. Cruz brings over fourteen years of security industry experience spanning systems integration, sales, and distribution. Mark Creighton has come aboard as Area Sales Manager for the Southern California territory. A retired Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant, Creighton has been a valued resource in the security industry for over twenty years and brings extensive technical expertise to managing the network video and security sales markets in the Western United States. Security industry experience Jason Burrows now serves as IDIS America’s Regional Sales Director in charge of all sales operations in the Western half of North America. With over twenty-eight years of security industry experience, Burrows has held key positions with the largest brands in video surveillance manufacturing and distribution. Throughout his career, he has worked closely with integration firms and large-scale end-users including military, education, cruise lines, theme parks, shipping ports, Metro transit, and major municipalities. Jeff Montoya has been named Regional Sales Director for the Eastern U.S. region. He brings twenty years of industry experience working for manufacturers, as well as in distribution and integration in the video surveillance and access control markets. With experience handling national account level clients providing sales, service and project coordination, Montoya will also support sales and marketing initiatives for selected vertical markets. Wider global marketing programs IDIS has also recently welcomed several new manufacturer’s rep firms to support its continued growth Leo Choi is responsible for Marketing and Demand Creation of IDIS video tech across North America. Previously working in senior international marketing positions for LG Electronics, Choi has already been instrumental in liaising with IDIS’ sales, marketing, and product planning teams in South Korea to bring new products and technologies to meet the specific needs of the U.S. market. Cydney Higgins serves as IDIS’ Marketing Specialist and has taken on an expanded role to include overseeing wider global marketing programs and communications as well as local marketing and providing sales administration support. IDIS has also recently welcomed several new manufacturer’s rep firms to support its continued growth and expansion in the U.S. market. Deep learning announcements “These new hires bring additional sales capability backed by an extensive tech team and positions IDIS for continued growth into existing and new markets,” says Andrew Myung, President, IDIS America. “The company has some exciting tech launches planned over summer that will further build out our end-to-end solutions for the residential, commercial office space, education and retail sectors. Customers can also expect some exciting deep learning announcements as well continue to bring to market technology that enhances safety and security as well as delivering significant operational efficiencies.”

Globally renowned video surveillance and technology solutions firm, IDIS is targeting video projects in resilient Middle East market sectors, including banking, grocery retail, and education, as it looks to build on recent successes, delivering compliance-driven solutions. Despite continuing disruption and uncertainty in the world economy, the company says the outlook is positive in the region as it supports its systems integration partners to focus on both resilient sectors and markets showing continued growth. Video tech projects in the education sector The Korean video technology solutions provider, which is known for its end-to-end solutions, highlights opportunities for video tech projects in the education sector, where it already has successful deployments in the Middle East countries of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The education sector continues to expand through investment from private equity firms and government funding" “The education sector continues to expand through investment from private equity firms and government infrastructure funding, as well as international higher education institutes expanding their presence in the Middle East and North Africa regions,” said Jamil Al Asfar, Senior Sales Manager, IDIS Middle East & Africa. IDIS video technology in banking sector In the banking sector, major investments in more robust video surveillance infrastructure, over the last three years, have been largely driven by compliance pressure, as more and more banks look to meet ever more stringent government standards. IDIS video technology has already been deployed to protect more than 3,000 bank branches and ATMs for the National Commercial Bank in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and was chosen to secure the Central Bank of Jordan. Both projects demonstrated the benefits of robust, cyber-secure technology and proved how compliance can be delivered at good pace, even on a challenging scale in difficult environments. Video technology expansion in financial and retail sectors With IDIS video solutions fully compliant with requirements in the financial sector, including the gold-standard Saudi Arabia Monetary Authority (SAMA) regulations, upgraded projects are driving strong activity for the company and its integration partners in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA),  Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, and Pakistan. In the grocery and retail sector, Carrefour’s recently reported expansion across the Middle East, and its choice of IDIS video tech, has paved the way for further opportunities, including for projects in hypermarkets. In-depth experience in retail sector Alongside our integration partners, IDIS has in-depth experience of retail applications globally" IDIS Middle East & Africa, Senior Sales Manager, Al Asfar stated, “Alongside our integration partners, IDIS has in-depth experience of retail applications globally and we are focusing on continuing demand for not just affordable video, but for scalable solutions that offer advanced analytics and deep learning tools. These will help stores compete in the current tough trading conditions and into the future too.” SIRA certification for IDIS cameras and NVRs Al Asfar adds, “In addition, Security Industry Regulatory Agency (SIRA) certification for the latest range of IDIS cameras and NVRs also means we are gaining momentum in commercial, residential and government sectors across the UAE. In Dubai, we have seen construction and re-development rapidly bounce back, and all these new facilities need compliant, cyber-secure and resilient video tech to ensure public safety and security.” “Despite the undoubted economic challenges in some sectors, we are still seeing strong demand for video solutions that combine low total cost of ownership (TCO), high performance, and robust cyber security standards, and that meet compliance needs,” said, Ahmad Shanawani, Managing Director, Ametrad Technology Services. Ahmad adds, “We are now seeing how much IDIS end-to-end solutions and the company’s collaborative approach are suited to the growth projects we are working on.”

IDIS is working with systems integrators across Europe to identify and secure video projects in post-COVID growth sectors, including hyperscale and co-location data centres, residential construction, logistics and healthcare. Integrators affected by project delays or cancellations in their established markets are looking to diversify their customer portfolios says the company. In the latest analysis released online it highlights sectors that will offer significant prospects for new video installations and system upgrades, as customers look to expand, to drive efficiency, or to introduce COVID-safe site control measures. Data centre market “After a number of project successes across the UK, mainland Europe and the Middle East we are seeing opportunities in some exciting areas,” said James Min, Managing Director, IDIS Europe. “For example, there is currently extraordinary growth in the co-location (co-lo) data centre market. Even before the push-effects of COVID-19 this sector was already set to double by 2024 compared to 2018, and that now looks likely to be an underestimate.” Businesses concerned with becoming infection hotspots are looking to increase site monitoring He said there was similar buoyancy in the logistics sector, which continues to be boosted by the rise of e-commerce, and in healthcare where some major video projects are being accelerated, including roll outs for a large NHS Trust due to be completed over the summer. AI video capabilities Businesses concerned with becoming infection hotspots are looking to increase site monitoring, whilst pressures to drive efficiency are pushing other businesses to leverage the latest AI video capabilities, with new systems and upgrades. “Yet without sector experience these growth markets can be difficult to access,” he added. “So, systems integrators in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands are positioning themselves by partnering with the right vendors, including IDIS.” Seamless technical support House building and residential developments are also seeing strong activity in several areas, with recent government interventions providing a stimulus. IDIS will continue to develop its relationships with main contractors to capitalise on resilience in new build projects - one major development in South East London, making extensive use of IDIS video tech, is due for completion later this month. IDIS already has strong references in these sectors and is encouraging its integration partners to capitalise on emerging opportunities. The company is structured to collaborate closely with systems integrators and end-users, offering benefits including lower total cost of service (TCS) for integrators. Advantages of the single-supplier model include improved sales planning, seamless technical support for end-to-end solutions, and reduced training requirements. New safe working practices IDIS is a very effective collaboration partner, helping to identify upgrade opportunities and new business" Among the companies benefiting from the diversification is systems integrator ISD Tech, which is involved in IDIS projects in the UK and mainland Europe. Managing Director Nicky Stokes commended IDIS’s approach to the market, and to working with partners to support customers long term, which he says is very different to the ‘box shifting’ distribution model: “IDIS is a very effective collaboration partner, helping to identify upgrade opportunities and new business. As well as giving our existing customers solutions that let them adapt to new safe working practices, we are also developing opportunities in new market sectors where IDIS already has a strong presence.” Face mask policy compliance Looking ahead, James Min, Managing Director, IDIS Europe, said the company would be further supporting integration partners by building out solutions to help businesses enforce safe working practice in Q3. “We will be helping them meet new government and industry guidelines with competitive video solutions for applications including building occupancy and density control, social distancing compliance and face mask policy compliance,” he confirmed.