TDSi News

Large public events were out of the question during the depths of the pandemic. However, public events are likely to experience a resurgence along with a more optimistic outlook in the coming months. In addition, there will likely be pent-up enthusiasm for these events among individuals weary from months of isolation. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the security challenges of public events planners in 2021?

In the past few weeks, the light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel has brightened, providing new levels of hope that the worst of the pandemic is behind us. Dare we now consider what life will be like after the pandemic is over? Considering the possible impact on our industry, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Which security technologies will be most useful in a post-pandemic world?

Integrated security manufacturer TDSi is proud to announce the reopening of its on-site training programme, backed up by a robust COVID-safe regime of testing and Track and Trace, which helps to protect everyone involved. Additionally, TDSi has signed up to the government-run WOTTOS (We Offer Testing to our Staff) scheme, which facilitates all staff taking lateral flow testing in its offices twice weekly. Practical training applications John Davies, Managing Director at TDSi comments, “...

During the coronavirus lockdown, employees worked from home in record numbers. But the growing trend came with a new set of security challenges. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What is the impact of the transition to remote working/home offices on the security market?

Contact tracing has been more than a buzzword during the coronavirus pandemic. In some cases, it has been an issue of life and death. Tracking who an infected person has been in contact with is an important tool to minimise disease spread, and technology from the physical security industry claimed a role in contact tracing early on – and continues to provide benefits as companies seek to reopen. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How can the security industry enhance conta...

When technology performs a required task effectively, there is little reason to upgrade to the ‘next big thing’. In this regard, the physical security market is notoriously slow to change. Much of yesterday’s most robust and dependable equipment is still in place at thousands of customer sites, still performing as well as the day it was installed. However, there comes a point when any technology becomes outdated. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Which securi...

When the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, a world of uncertainty unfolded for those doing business in the UK and the EU. The referendum was passed in July 2016. Including subsequent delays, the separation was completed after four years in January 2020, with a transition period ending December 2020. Even with the deadlines past, there are still pockets of uncertainty stemming from the separation. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How has Brexit affected the secu...

It has been two years or so since the last ISC West trade show, the biggest security show in the U.S. market. The coronavirus pandemic has caused a year’s worth of trade show cancellations, and the trend will continue for a while longer. The absence of trade shows has been transformative for the security marketplace, among others, as companies implemented a variety of alternative approaches, with mixed results. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What impact has the cancel...

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) make huge contributions to the economy overall. Considered individually, they may not be as large as companies in the enterprise market, but they have big requirements when it comes to security. SMBs also present unique challenges to security manufacturers and integrators seeking to serve their needs. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the security challenges of protecting small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs)?

Our Expert Panel Roundtable is an opinionated group. However, for a variety of reasons, we are sometimes guilty of not publishing their musings in a timely manner. At the end of 2020, we came across several interesting comments among those that were previously unpublished. Following is a catch-all collection of those responses, addressing some of the most current and important issues in the security marketplace in 2021.

The COVID-19 global pandemic had a life-changing impact on all of us in 2020, including a multi-faceted jolt on the physical security industry. With the benefit of hindsight, we can now see more clearly the exact nature and extent of that impact. And it’s not over yet: The pandemic will continue to be top-of-mind in 2021. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What have been the positive and negative effects of Covid-19 on the physical security industry in 2020? What impact wi...

The “Roaring Twenties” was a decade of economic growth and widespread prosperity, driven by recovery from devastation, a construction boom, and welcoming of new technologies such as automobiles and electricity. As we look ahead to the big picture of the 2020s, 100 years later, are there parallels that suggest a successful decade ahead? Might recovery from the devastation of COVID-19 help to drive even higher levels of economic growth and technical innovation? We asked this week&rsquo...

We are several weeks into 2021, and it is already shaping up to be an eventful year. The happenings and trends from 2020 will likely carry over into the new year, but in a fast-moving industry such as ours, there will also be additional trends to watch. Looking toward the year ahead, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What will be the biggest security trends in 2021?

Integrated security manufacturer TDSi is pleased to announce a raft of new features for its GARDiS range of integrated software and hardware security systems. Additional features for 2021 include integration options for Lift Control, Area Occupancy, and ANPR – which are all designed to assist with not only security, but also ongoing safeguarding of health and social distancing requirements. Common security needs Tina Baker, TDSi’s Software Project Manager commented, “The new...

As an industry, we often speak in buzzwords. In addition to being catchy and easy to remember, these new and trendy industry terms can also reflect the state of the security market’s technology. In short, the latest buzzwords provide a kind of shorthand description of where the industry is - and where it’s going. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What new buzzword(s) rose to prominence in the security industry in 2020? (And how do they reflect industry trends?)

What a year 2020 was for the security industry! There were vast challenges that could not have been foreseen at the beginning of the year. It is safe to say that the events of 2020 defied all industry prognosticators. However, is that any reason not to hope our expectations looking ahead to 2021 will be much closer to reality? Can we possibly benefit from looking ahead and trying to plan for the challenges of the year ahead? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What will be the se...

As a subset of the larger economy, the security industry is bound to feel the effects of an economic downturn. Such was the case in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic undermined economic growth and presented a brand new set of challenges to business. The security industry has been able to pivot toward emerging opportunities, but that success has been offset by broader economic challenges. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What impact, positive or negative, has the larger economy h...

Artificial intelligence is more than just the latest buzzword in the security marketplace. In some cases, smarter computer technologies like AI and machine learning (ML) are helping to transform how security operates. AI is also expanding the industry’s use cases, sometimes even beyond the historic province of the security realm. It turns out that AI is also a timely tool in the middle of a global pandemic. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How is artificial intelligence...

Integrated security manufacturer TDSi is pleased to announce its first higher-level Apprentice, trainee Product Engineer Oscar Johnson. Oscar is currently studying for a Higher National Certificate (HNC) at Bournemouth and Poole College for two years, but will continue as a Degree Apprentice for a further four years, with a permanent role at TDSi alongside his studies. TDSi’s Managing Director, John Davies commented, “It’s great to welcome Oscar to TDSi. He’s the first c...

Facial recognition is the latest technology to be targeted because of concerns about privacy. If such concerns cloud the public perception, they can be harmful to technology markets. Whether the concerns are genuine or based on misinformation is often beside the point; the practical damage has already been done. But beyond market demand, what is the impact of privacy concerns on technology innovation? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Are privacy concerns stifling innovation in...

Integrated security manufacturer TDSi is proud to announce it has been shortlisted in the Security and Fire Excellence Awards 2020 for ‘Hardware Manufacturer of the Year’ supported by IFSEC and FIREX. The award winners will be announced at a virtual ceremony taking place on Wednesday 25th November 2020. Upon the announcement of the shortlisting, Zara Taylor, Marketing Manager at TDSi commented, “We are very excited to be a finalist in this year’s Security and Fire Excell...

Integrated security manufacturer TDSi is pleased to announce the launch of its new GARDiS Bluetooth Low Energy reader, which enables the authentication of security credentials from a compatible mobile device. This provides convenient, fully secure, cost effective and safer contactless access for security operators and users. Research shows that 98% of security users view access control using a token or card as a constraint on their daily routine, whilst 68% would like to use their mobile smartp...

Integrated security manufacturer TDSi is pleased to announce the appointment of Zara Taylor as Marketing Manager. Zara, who is based at the company’s global headquarters in Poole, Dorset, is overseeing the company’s ongoing and rapidly expanding digital and marketing strategies. TDSi’s Managing Director, John Davies commented, “We’re excited at the prospect of seeing Zara’s skills being put to work, as we take our marketing activity to the next level with a g...

Integrated security manufacturer TDSi is proud to announce the launch of the new and enhanced version of its GARDiS security software, Version 2.0. Amongst the upgrades, GARDiS 2.0 features new Fire Door release and Site Lock Down functions, along with integration with ASSA ABLOY Aperio and SimonsVoss SmartIntego wireless locks.  GARDiS 2.0 software TDSi’s Managing Director, John Davies commented, “We are excited to unveil the new version of our Software as a Service (SaaS) GA...

Should security spending be a one-time capital expense or as an ongoing operating expense? At first glance, the question appears to be an accounting issue with little impact on the actual equipment or systems involved. However, as security professionals seek to cost-justify new systems, the question may be central to providing the “best security for the money” and a system that fits the company’s continuing needs. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Should secur...

For most security end users, keeping all their data on the premises “feels” more secure. But in the age of Internet connectivity, that feeling of safety is mostly an illusion. In any case, increasingly, video and other security systems are migrating to the cloud. So are most other business IT systems for that matter. However, when “security” is in your job title, it becomes that much more important to ensure that data is reliably protected. We asked this week’s Expe...

Traditionally, security industry professionals have often come from backgrounds in law enforcement or the military. However, the industry is changing, and today’s security professionals can benefit from a variety of backgrounds and educational disciplines. The industry’s emphasis on technology solutions suggests a need for more students of computer science, engineering and other technology fields. The closer integration of security with related disciplines within the enterprise sugge...

For several decades, Baby Boomers represented the largest sector of employees in the physical security market. However, these security professionals born between 1946 and 1964 are now nearing retirement – or have already retired. How will the security market change as the next generations step up to make their contributions? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: As Baby Boomers approach retirement age, what are the positives and negatives in the physical security market?

School shootings are a high-profile reminder of the need for the highest levels of security at our schools and education facilities. Increasingly, a remedy to boost the security at schools is to use more technology. However, no technology is a panacea, and ongoing violence and other threats at our schools suggest some level of failure. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How have security solutions failed our schools and what is the solution?

Serving customer needs is the goal of most commerce in the physical security market. Understanding those needs requires communication and nuance, and there are sometimes surprises along the way. But in every surprising revelation – and in every customer interaction – there is opportunity to learn something valuable that can help to serve the next customer’s needs more effectively. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: what was the best lesson you ever learned from...