Panasonic 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 

ES Broadcast Hire, the company’s broadcast hire division, announces the purchase of a large quantity of Panasonic’s AW-UE150 and AW-HE130 PTZ cameras, for high-end 4K and Full-HD remote production across a range of verticals. The announcement coincides with the company’s ‘4K Fact or Fiction: A Live Production Showcase’ which took place on the 9th May. The Panasonic’s PTZ camera line-up has been recognised as an essential addition to ES Broadcast’s dry hire fleet, due to its position in the market. HDR recording capabilities Panasonic’s PTZ cameras are being readily used for a wide array of productions that range from fixed-rig observational documentaries and live event capture, as well as e-sports and live streaming applications. This has made it a popular choice for ES Broadcast, which aims to meet rising demands of this market. AW-UE150 is the flagship 4K model within the already-established integrated PTZ range The newly-released AW-UE150 is the flagship 4K model within the already-established integrated PTZ range, having demonstrated Panasonic’s commitment to HDR recording capabilities as the first PTZ capable of 4K at 50p, offering HLC.BT.2020 support. In addition, it offers the widest FOV of any remote camera on the market, with a unique crop-in function for pan and scan applications. Equally, Panasonic’s AW-HE130HD PTZ, is equipped with three ½.86-type MOS sensors and allows for high-grade filming in low light conditions, with a superior S/N ratio and high resolution. Landscape of PTZ filming Edward Saunders, Group CEO of ES Broadcast, said, “We have seen significant growth in PTZ markets through our sales activities, and the increase in uptake, coupled with the technological advances that allow PTZ cameras to hold their own in the emerging UHD landscape, meant this was the right time to add these cameras to our rental offering. The choice to use Panasonic was easy as they are the market leader in PTZs.” “The UE150 is set to change the landscape of PTZ filming with its cutting-edge image quality and high level of usability,” said Nigel Wilkes, Group Manager at Panasonic. “We are extremely excited to have both the AW-UE150 and AW-HE130 be a part of ES Broadcast Hire’s rental fleet, and look forward to seeing how our technology can support both existing markets and new uses.”

Panasonic has expanded the i-Pro Extreme series with six new compact models which feature Infra-Red (IR) illumination, to provide accurate colour footage both day and night. This makes the range suited to high end surveillance applications, where the reliability of evidence is paramount should incidents occur. The inbuilt colour night vision functionality improves the user’s ability to distinguish between shades of clothing and cars in extreme low light environments (minimum luminance required is 0.03 lux). Infrared LEDs enhance visibility in zero lux environments, making it easy to identify images of people and their movements in monochrome. Monitoring corridors and retail aisles Another benefit of the range is the visibility ensured by a wide-angle lens with a 109 degrees horizontal and 73 degrees vertical field of view. A special corridor mode means integrators will be able to provide 90 degrees by 270 degrees field of view to monitor locations that stretch in to the distance, such as corridors and retail aisles. Ease of installation is assured due to the compact housing across the range, which makes each camera suited to discrete use in a range of environments such as small stores, on cash machines or in elevators. The cameras are installed with microphones, which enables audio recording, even outdoors As with the previous models within the series, the six new cameras are installed with iA (Intelligent Auto), which automatically shoots the optimum footage regardless of the environmental conditions. The cameras are installed with microphones, which enables audio recording, even outdoors. 24/7 protection of property “One of the key steps to mitigating risks in surveillance is ensuring visibility whatever the conditions,” said Gerard Figols, European Category Manager at Panasonic. “When we combine the infrared and colour night vision technology alongside Intelligent Auto, we are arming businesses with the peace of mind that their property is being secured round the clock.” The range includes indoor and outdoor versions in both 1080p and 720p as well as two models which conform to in-vehicle standards, suitable for surveillance inside trains and buses.

Jumbo Ten Brink Food introduced the face server into their store environment in March 2017 after discovering that almost 80% of shoplifting took place via large shopping bags. Since then, Jumbo has installed 80 Panasonic cameras in-store, helping them to win the award. Previously recognised by the National Institute of Standards Technology (NIST) as the most accurate on the market, Panasonic’s face server uses deep learning technology which maximises the performance of the core engine to achieve accurate and reliable recognition. The technology identifies faces that are ordinarily difficult to recognise with conventional techniques, such as those taken from an angle of up to 45 degrees to the left or right or 30 degrees up or down. It also maintains a 90% accuracy rate when detecting faces that are partially hidden by sunglasses or face masks. With this improved accuracy, security protection is enhanced and the system allows matches even when images are 10 years old Enhanced security protection If people are caught stealing, their image remains on the database. The face server provides a real-time processing capacity of up to 20 cameras per server and can execute high-speed searches of up to 30,000 registered reference faces. With this improved accuracy, security protection is enhanced and the system allows matches even when images are 10 years old. “The moment that a known shoplifter attempts to re-enter the store, an internal alarm is triggered, and we can take the best suitable action,” explains Edwin ten Brink, founder of Jumbo Ten Brink Food stores. “Thanks to the Panasonic face matching server, Jumbo has been proclaimed the safest store in the Netherlands." Karen Sangha, Panasonic’s Security Solutions Regional Marketing Manager says, “We are pleased to see that our customers are winning awards as a result of implementing our technology. We firmly believe that our face server is industry-leading and Jumbo Ten Brink Food’s success is testament to that.”