DVS - Experts & Thought Leaders

Suprema, a globally renowned company in access control, biometrics and time & attendance solutions, has announced its new partnership with DVS Ltd., a security solutions distributor in the United Kingdom. Suprema – DVS partnership DVS is a well-established distributor of video surveillance products in the UK. By becoming DVS’s first dedicated access control and biometric partner, Suprema aims to expand its customer base, providing UK customers with comprehensive security solutions inclusive of security video cameras. DVS will benefit from being able to supply Suprema’s wide range of products that encompasses controllers, biometric security devices, card readers as well as mobile credential solutions and time and attendance software.  Biometric access control solutions expert Suprema expects the partnership to create true customer value, bringing better service to advanced security solutions" “Suprema is very excited to work in partnership with DVS Ltd. They have an outstanding reputation in the security industry for being innovators both in marketing and technical delivery. Suprema expects the partnership to create true customer value, bringing better service to those that need advanced security solutions,” said Jamie McMillen, the Managing Director of Suprema Systems UK Ltd. “DVS is equally excited to partner with Suprema, an industry-renowned biometric access control solution manufacturer. Suprema products are well-respected in the industry as highly-reliable, feature-reach and well-integrated into various VMS solutions,” said David Davies, the Chief Technical Officer of DVS Ltd. Fusion face recognition technology David adds, “This partnership will bring the best of both worlds, allowing our customer base to access Suprema products and our technical design and support expertise. DVS is truly excited to bring brands like Suprema to market.” Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Suprema continues to grow in the market, meeting the needs for contactless access control in the new normal. Suprema’s biometric products, such as the recently released FaceStation F2 with innovative fusion face recognition technology and skin temperature screening are well-received, as well as its other solutions, like the access control and time attendance software, BioStar 2 and mobile credential solution, Suprema Mobile Access.

Hikvision partners, distributors & installers attended informative seminars & live product demonstrations Hikvision’s Autumn Roadshow came to a close this week after a hugely successful run of events from London to Glasgow. Hikvision partners and distributors, as well as installers gathered at each event for informative seminars and live product demonstrations. Hikvision’s UK & Ireland distribution partners ADI Global, DVS Limited, Dynamic CCTV, ezCCTV, Norbain, were all on hand to offer live demonstrations of Hikvision’s latest products. While Pyronix and WD provided the audience with some insight into the solutions their businesses are creating to support the CCTV security industry. Seminars from the Hikvision team offered an in-depth look at some of the newest technologies behind their innovative video surveillance products and solutions. License plate recognitionThe Hikvision LPR solution has achieved huge growth as it is both cost effective and high performance. In 2015 Hikvision LPR cameras were supporting license plate recognition efforts in more than 50 countries, and LPR can be added to a standard mid-range camera and recorder, license free. Darkfighter liteUnder even the poorest lighting conditions, Hikvision Darkfighter Lite Series cameras can see clearly in colour while others can only see in black and white. The patent bubble design and advanced IR solution limit reflection to keep images clear of dust and water particles, while the built-in junction box reduces installation time. Anti-explosion camerasThere was plenty of interest from the attendees for Anti-explosion cameras. The anti-explosion product family are currently undergoing certification and should be available in 2017. Each product will have an audit trail to certify anti-explosion specifications. Video IP intercomBuilding on Hikvision’s advanced video technologies and cloud services in the CCTV market, Hikvision can now provide an intelligent & simple IP Video Intercom system for customers. The Video IP product family includes Indoor, Outdoor, House and Master Stations, as well as Hikvision Intercom Switch and Power Supply. At each event attendees had the chance to win an EZVIZ S1 Sports Cameras and an incredible prize of a week-long trip to China including a stop at Hikvision’s Headquarters in Hangzhou. After the huge success of the Autumn Roadshow, Hikvision looks forward to the next event in 2017.

The autumn tour will feature live demonstrations of Hikvision’s latest technologies Following the huge success of the Go Beyond HD Roadshow in March, Hikvision, the supplier of innovative video surveillance products and solutions, is set to tour the UK with another informative roadshow in September 2016. VASP programme The autumn tour will feature live demonstrations of Hikvision’s latest technologies and present details of how to become part of Hikvision’s VASP (Value Added Solution Partner) programme. VASP promotes training, marketing, and project support to qualified installers and integrators. Hikvision has partnered with distributors ADI, DVS, Dynamic, EZCCTV and Norbain to bring the events to London, Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds and Glasgow in September. Informative demonstrations Among many hands-on demonstrations and Q&A sessions, Hikvision will present the new functionalities of its LPR solution. The unmissable first look includes All-in-One Blazer Express, VMS software and integration with third party LED Matrix Signs. Advanced features Turbo 3.0 is the new standard available for existing analogue CCTV infrastructure. It provides latency-free HD clarity without signal loss to analogue cameras. Hikvision will also showcase the Turbo 3.0 solution to demonstrate its higher HD image quality, longer transmission distance, a choice of new penta-brid technology (five different connection types), POC (power over coax), Loop solution, among many new features. New technologies As a global innovator in engineering and design the creation of new technologies is at Hikvision’s core. Products including 16MP PanoVu Camera, Thermal Technology, new Anti-reflection Darkfighter Lite IP camera, Hik-Connect Point-to-point (P2P) solution, IP Video Intercom products will showcase. Following its recent award win, Hikvision’s Darkfighter PTZ camera range will also be on display. Win a trip to China At each of the five Hikvision Autumn Roadshow events delegates will have the chance to win the huge prize of a weeklong trip to China including one day in Hikvision HQ, and one of 20 EZVIZ S1 Sports Cameras. Save

Cybersecurity talk currently dominates many events in the physical security industry. And it’s about time, given that we are all playing catch-up in a scary cybersecurity environment where threats are constant and constantly evolving. I heard an interesting discussion about cybersecurity recently among consultants attending MercTech4, a conference in Miami hosted by Mercury Security and its OEM partners. The broad-ranging discussion touched on multiple aspects of cybersecurity, including the various roles of end user IT departments, consultants, and integrators. Factors such as training, standardisation and pricing were also addressed as they relate to cybersecurity. Following are some edited excerpts from that discussion.  The role of the IT department Pierre Bourgeix of ESI Convergent: Most enterprises usually have the information technology (IT) department at the table [for physical security discussions], and cybersecurity is a component of IT. The main concern for them is how any security product will impact the network environment. The first thing they will say, is “we have to ensure that there is network segmentation to prevent any potential viruses or threats or breaches from coming in.” The main concern for IT departments is how any security product will impact the network environment”They want to make sure that any devices in the environment are secure. Segmentation is good, but it isn’t an end-all. There is no buffer that can be created; these air gaps don’t exist. Cyber is involved in a defensive matter, in terms of what they have to do to protect that environment. IT is more worried about the infrastructure. The role of consultants and specifiers Phil Santore of DVS, division of Ross & Baruzzini: As consultants and engineers, we work with some major banks. They tell us if you bring a new product to the table, it will take two to three months before they will onboard the product, because they will run it through [cybersecurity testing] in their own IT departments. If it’s a large bank, they have an IT team, and there will never be anything we [as consultants] can tell them that they don’t already know. But we all have clients that are not large; they’re museums, or small corporations, or mom-and-pop shops. They may not be as vulnerable from the international threat, but there are still local things they have to be concerned about. It falls on us as consultants to let them know what their problems are. Their IT departments may not be that savvy. We need to at least make them aware and start there. Wael Lahoud of Goldmark Security Consulting: We are seeing more and more organisations having cybersecurity programs in place, at different maturity levels. At the procurement stage, we as consultants must select and specify products that have technology to enable cybersecurity, and not choose products that are outdated or incompatible with cybersecurity controls. We also see, from an access control perspective, a need to address weaknesses in databases. Specifying and having integrators that can harden the databases, not just the network itself, can help. The impact of physical security products on the network environment was a dominant topic at the MercTech4 consultants roundtable discussion The need for standards on cybersecurity Jim Elder of Secured Design: I’d like to know what standards we as specifiers can invoke that will help us ensure that the integrator of record has the credentials, knows what standards apply, and knows how to make sure those standards are maintained in the system. I’m a generalist, and cybersecurity scares the hell out of me.We’re not just talking about access to cameras, we are talking about access to the corporate network and all the bad things that can happen with that. My emphasis would be on standards and compliance with standards in the equipment and technology that is used, and the way it is put in. It can be easier for me, looking at some key points, to be able to determine if the system has been installed in accordance. We are seeing more and more organisations having cybersecurity programs in place, at different maturity levels"I’m taking the position of the enforcement officer, rather than the dictator. It would be much better if there were focused standards that I could put into the specification— I know there are some – that would dictate the processes, not just of manufacturing, but of installation of the product, and the tests you should run accordingly. Pierre Bourgeix: With the Security Industry Association (SIA), we are working right now on a standard that includes analysed scoring on the IT and physical side to identify a technology score, a compliance score, a methodology, and best-of-breed recommendation. Vendor validation would be used to ensure they follow the same process. We have created the model, and we will see what we can do to make it work. Terry Robinette of Sextant: If a standard can be written and it’s a reasonable process, I like the idea of the equipment meeting some standardised format or be able to show that it can withstand the same type of cyber-attack a network switch can withstand. We may not be reinventing the wheel. IT is the most standardised industry you will ever see, and security is the least standardised. But they’re merging. And that will drive standardisation. Jim Elder: I look to Underwriters Laboratory (UL) for a lot of standards. Does the product get that label? I am interested in being able to look at a box on the wall and say, “That meets the standard.” Or some kind of list with check-boxes; if all the boxes are checked I can walk out and know I have good cybersecurity threat management. IT is the most standardised industry you will ever see, and security is the least standardised" The role of training Phil Santore: Before you do any cybersecurity training, you would need to set the level of cybersecurity you are trying to achieve. There are multiple levels from zero to a completely closed network. Wael Lahoud: From an integrator’s perspective, cybersecurity training by the manufacturer of product features would be the place to start – understanding how to partner the database, and the encryption features. We see integrators that know these features are available – they tick the boxes – but they don’t understand what they mean. Cybersecurity is a complex topic, and the risk aspects and maturity levels vary by organisation. That would be a good starting point. The role of integrators Wael Lahoud: Integrators like convenience; less time means more money. So, we see some integrators cut corners. I think it is our role (as consultants) to make sure corners are not cut. If you rely solely on integrators, it will always be the weak password, the bypass. We have seen it from small projects to large government installations. It’s the same again and again. Even having an internal standard within an organisation, there may be no one overseeing that and double-checking. Tools will help, but we are not there at this point. I will leave it up to manufacturers to provide the tools to make it easy for consultants to check, and easier for integrators to use the controls. Cybersecurity is a complex topic, and the risk aspects and maturity levels vary by organisation - so training is very important The impact of pricing Pierre Bourgeix: The race to the cheapest price is a big problem. We have well-intended designs and assessments that define best-of-breed and evaluate what would be necessary to do what the client needs. But once we get to the final point of that being implemented, the customer typically goes to the lowest price – the lowest bidder. That’s the biggest issue. You get what you pay for at the end of the day. With standards, we are trying to get to the point that people realise that not all products are made the same, not all integrators do the same work. We hope that through education of the end user, they can realise that if they change the design, they have to accept the liability.It’s not just the product that’s the weakest link, it’s the whole process from design to securing that product and launching it" The big picture Wael Lahoud: The Windows platform has a lot of vulnerabilities, but we’re still using it, even in banks. So, it’s not just the product that’s the weakest link, it’s the whole process from design to securing that product and launching it. That’s where the cybersecurity program comes into play. There are many vulnerable products in the market, and it’s up to professionals to properly secure these products and to design systems and reduce the risk. Pierre Bourgeix: The access port to get to data is what hackers are looking for. The weakest link is where they go. They want to penetrate through access control to get to databases. The golden ring is the data source, so they can get credentialing, so they can gain access to your active directory, which then gives them permissions to get into your “admin.” Once we get into “admin,” we get to the source of the information. It has nothing to do with gaining access to a door, it has everything to do with data. And that’s happening all the time.