Technology & Trends - CCTV cameras

Managed and hosted services allow users access from a variety of connected devices It’s not about hardware anymore, although quality components are a must. Now, it’s about how technology performs. For the systems integrator, there’s also an opportunity to provide essential services to keep customers connected. As with many other businesses, the security industry is being “disrupted” and influenced by the cloud. Delivering outsourced security and...

Unrealistic promises by over-enthused marketers and under-delivery by R&D departments have damaged the cause of video analytics almost since its inception. For me, the exaggeration reached its worst point when industry pundits suggested that we would soon be able to identify and alert on anomalous behaviour of the kind demonstrated by the Tsarnaev brothers in the moments before the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings. Mainstream journalists speculated that the two Chechen broth...

The future will produce cost-effective solutions that can provide meaningful coverage of wide expansive areas The greatest trend in history will continue to change the world, and the physical security market. It’s called Moore’s Law. In accordance with Moore’s Law, our electronics have consistently doubled in speed, halved in size, or halved in price every two years for decades already. This trend means that our electronics, communications networks, data ne...

Strategic management of costs is important when considering video storage systems Costs are at issue when considering any component of a video system. Strategic management of costs is especially important when considering video storage systems because storage accounts for such a large cost component of networked systems. Gartner’s Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) As enterprise products begin to dominate the video storage market, more attention needs to be addressed to Gar...

Integrators and end users should be aware that their definition of open might differ from those of security manufacturers Much of the buzz in the industry today about open architecture is driven by the IT world, with many security-related decisions now falling on an organisation’s IT department, where true open architecture has been around for a long time. Closed systems like we’ve experienced in the security world are not just viewed as foreign to the IT world; th...

Not too long ago the idea of home automation was strictly the province of the rich and famous. With costs that soared as high as $100,000 or more, controlling HVAC, lighting, doors and security from a single source just wasn’t in the budget for Main Street America. That was then, but now is an entirely different story. The “connected home” in which smart phones and tablets serve as controllers for Internet-enabled devices has gone mainstream. Installers are still fashioning hi...

The fundamental value of data is widely apparent in modern society, and its loss may have significant consequences Video data is critical to today’s enterprise. The latest video storage systems must offer dependable operation that doesn’t risk loss of that critical data. DDN - When performance matters “Not only is bandwidth very important, but functionality cannot be lost when a storage system is having a bad day,” says Jeff Adams, director of sales,...

“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...

The trend towards greater unification is facilitated by an all-encompassing shift to IP technologies As more organisations are looking for ways to maximise resources and increase operational efficiencies, unification of multiple security and business systems is gaining popularity. From the central command center, there is significant time lost when operators have to jump from video surveillance to access control systems to analyse an incident and take appropriate measures. Eve...

Michael Byrden, Sales Director of ACT, considers the convergence of facility management. He describes how ACT, the access control manufacturer, has acquired a VMS and analytics development house in order to unify security solutions and bring customers nearer to the goal of a truly intelligent building. Desire for open systems Major acquisitions have been dominating the news recently and, even if this lays me open to a charge of naivety, I genuinely believe that they aren’t predatory. As...

Timm typically walks through school buildings to assess vulnerabilities, and recommends systems and products As an independent school security consultant, Paul Timm of RETA Security conducts security assessments and provides technical assistance for numerous school districts throughout the United States and Canada. Timm typically walks through school buildings to assess vulnerabilities, and recommends systems and products, practices and policies, and other strategies to optimi...

Since 2006, the LUSAX research program at Lund University in Sweden has investigated the effects of digitisation on the physical security industry. This article will look into the forces driving digitisation, and how those forces broadly translate and impacts the physical security industry. Historically, physical security systems have moved from purely mechanical systems into systems holding both mechanical and electronic low-voltage circuit-based components. Development was...

Honeywell recently helped the Penns Valley Area School district in Pennsylvania design and implement a custom security system Security systems are just part of the solution to protecting primary/secondary schools. Technology can contribute to a broader, holistic approach to security that is customised to meet the needs of each educational institution. Honeywell has helped many schools customise security systems to meet each school’s unique needs, says Bruce Montgomery,...

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,...

see bigger image Figure 5: Providing correct and useful results requires intersection of user intentions, VCA interpretation, and results provided by VCA tool The term Video Content Analysis (VCA) is often used to describe sophisticated video analytics technologies designed to assist analysts in classifying or detecting events of interest in videos. These events may include the appearance of a particular object, class of objects, or action. VCA technology employs a comple...

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...

End users in the video surveillance market are looking for higher quality images and to retain those images for longer periods. Also, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are turning to networked video surveillance in larger numbers. And video is now finding many uses outside the security market, including business intelligence and customer service applications, among others. These familiar trends are directly impacting the choice of video storage solutions being used i...

Wong was the first Asian woman to obtain the Alarm Contractor License Mun C. Wong, PSP and president of VinTech Systems Inc. in Chicago, is a successful entrepreneur who has brought new technologies and a knack for superior service to her integration business.  In fact, at the age of 29, she was the first Asian woman to obtain the Alarm Contractor License from the State of Illinois and its Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. But she doesn't focus on gend...

Employees are the front line of defence — as well as the most economical defence — against shrinkage losses The financial cost of retail shrinkage is huge. The latest Annual Shrink Report issued by Dr. Richard Hollinger and Dr. Read Hayes at the University of Florida puts the total at $36 billion annually. Shrinkage has several causes: customers shoplifting , employee theft, supplier fraud and administrative errors. Frequent inventories and accounting audits coun...

Integrators must understand that the primary/secondary education market has a unique and urgent need for access control, but with limited budgets Systems integrators play a key role delivering effective security solutions to the kindergarten through 12th grade (primary/secondary) education market. Schools certainly depend on an integrator’s expertise regarding which electronic products to choose. However, schools also rely the benefit of an integrator’s experience...

Readily available security technology can help officials take control of their campuses Two top priorities for school security are the ability to communicate within a facility, and the ability to control access of who comes and goes. Paul Timm, president of RETA Security, an independent school security consulting firm, acknowledges the value (and popularity) of video cameras for school security, but that value is almost completely realised in terms of forensics – reactin...

Audio systems can enhance liability protection. Recently, a large regional convenience store chain with units across the Midwest and South supplemented its video surveillance security system with an audio monitoring system. Retail stores with Louroe audio system: The technology has been installed in more than 700 of the convenience retailer’s locations. The Louroe Electronics systems feature omni-directional capability and sensitivity and pick up sound within a 15-foot...

Layering as applied to computers is a made up term having no relationship to any particular standards When it comes to setting the criteria for network switching, we often hear “I only want a layer 3 switch.” We naturally assume that since the number 3 is bigger than the number 2, a layer 3 switch must be better than a layer 2 switch. It may surprise you, but when it comes to video security applications, this may not be the case. In fact, just the opposite may...

It’s that time of year: show season! And for systems integrators and security installers, PSA-TEC is one of the quintessential annual conferences, offering hundreds of hours of education and training during the May 4-8 show (exhibits are May 6). Hotel registration at the Westin in Westminster, Colo., is due on or before April 16. PSA Security Network was established in 1974 as the Professional Security Alliance, Inc. dba PSA Security Network and is now the world’s largest electronic...

Kevin Brownell, principal physical security consultant at PTS Consulting Group, considers convergence of IT networks and physical security. He argues that current best practice shows that they no longer need to be separate disciplines and reassures installers that their diversity has been exaggerated. Brownell describes experiences of working with IT managers who no longer see networked CCTV and access control as ‘black arts’ and are buying into the idea of IP security as an integr...

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...

Companies need to increase the knowledge within their business on the range of cyber-vulnerabilities At one time, embedded devices, such as access control components communicating with application software, used proprietary protocols like RS485. Use of proprietary protocols kept these devices safe from attack. However, in this article TDSi Technical Director Mike Sussman explains that the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) involves a move toward IP-based systems and open s...

Organisations must find more effective ways to optimise the use of the resources they have available As market demand intensifies for higher resolution from megapixel, and 4K cameras, customers will begin to feel the ensuing cost pressures caused by the increased need for greater processing power. As customers update their system and add new cameras, operators must monitor additional cameras concurrently, oftentimes leveraging high resolution video streams. HPC For Quick...

School administrators are now choosing products that make the biggest, long-term impact on campus security Well-publicised events such as the U.S. school shootings at Columbine and Sandy Hook lead to an increased demand of security equipment to protect kindergarten through 12th grade (primary/secondary) education campuses. But do they also result in buying decisions made on impulse that don’t necessarily meet a school’s most pressing security needs? Increase in de...