Jeff Bransfield

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 security be a capital expense (CAPEX) or an operating expense (OPEX)? Is the trend shifting and what is the impact?

New software developments have dominated technology innovation in the physical security industry for years, making more things possible to the benefit of integrators and end users. However, hardware is another important piece of the puzzle. No matter how great your software, the system doesn’t perform unless the hardware works too. In our enthusiasm over software developments, let’s not overlook the latest in the hardware world. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How do hardware improvements drive better physical security?

A shift toward touchless devices during the coronavirus pandemic has been a boon to the biometrics sector. Another factor in the recent increase in use of biometrics is lower prices, which are a symptom of a maturing market and of new technology capabilities. Increasingly, integration of biometrics with access control and other security systems is expanding use cases and sales numbers. For additional insights, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the new trends and opportunities with biometrics (facial, fingerprint, iris and/or voice)?

Retrofit projects provide new levels of physical security modernisation to existing facilities. However, retrofits come with their own set of challenges that can frustrate system designers and defy the efforts of equipment manufacturers. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the biggest challenges of retrofit projects, and how can they be overcome?

The general public gets much of its understanding of security industry technology from watching movies and TV. However, there is a gap between reality and the fantasy world. Understanding of security technologies may also be shaped by news coverage, including expression of extreme or even exaggerated concerns about privacy. The first step in addressing any challenge is greater awareness, so we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Which security industry technology is most misunderstood by the general public and why?

The new year is several weeks old, so it is safe to say that many of our New Year resolutions have fallen by the wayside. Despite the limited success of our personal resolutions, the new year is a great time to take stock, look ahead, and plan to make 2020 the best year yet. Thinking about our industry as a whole, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What should be the security industry’s “New Year’s resolution?” 

“Open systems” has been a security industry buzzword for decades, although reality has sometimes diverged significantly from the ideal. The current state-of-the-art in open systems provides a multitude of benefits to increasingly complex physical security systems. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable to elaborate: What is the impact of open systems on physical security?

Products are the building blocks of the security industry. Historically much of the industry’s sales effort has been focused on highlighting product features and functionality. At the end of the day, however, an end user is less interested in the performance of any individual system component than in the system as a whole. Lately, the industry has embraced a changing sales approach by emphasising systems rather than products. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the benefits of a transition from selling security products to selling security solutions?

Securing large campus environments can be particularly demanding and requires a range of technology solutions. In effect, a campus may represent a dozen or more individual facilities to be secured, in addition to protecting the overall environment. Seeking more insight into the number and variety of needs of securing a campus, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the security challenges of protecting large campus environments?

RS2 Technologies, a provider of access control systems, announces the availability of free mobile credentials for its innovation-rich platforms, such as Access It! Universal.NET, through its partnership with WaveLynx Technologies. The partnership allows RS2 to provide its customers with safe and secure access via mobile phone to doors in office buildings, government facilities, healthcare institutions, schools, residences and a growing number of enterprises. Access control system Available on both iOS and Android smartphones, the mobile credentials are easy to issue and use to grant and restrict access to users and visitors without having to issue key cards or fobs. The mobile credentials are easy to issue and use to grant and restrict access to users and visitors The WaveLynx Technologies integration with Access It! Universal.NET allows a seamless and touchless enrolment into the access control system. The application does not require any subscriptions or fees, making it an extremely flexible and affordable solution that allows organisations to transition to mobile access at their own pace. Mobile-based credentials “Adding the capabilities of the WaveLynx credentials provides RS2 customers with another way to grant access across a variety of enterprise organisations that prioritise functionality and ease-of-use for their access control systems,” said Jeff Bransfield, National Sales Manager, RS2 Technologies. “The use of our mobile devices as a means to access a facility is growing in popularity and the team at WaveLynx has brought that ability to RS2’s customers with its level of accessibility that we haven’t seen before. As this demand for touchless access and streamlined credential issuance grows in popularity, there will be a real opportunity across the market to adopt mobile-based credentials for a broader audience.”

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 security be a capital expense (CAPEX) or an operating expense (OPEX)? Is the trend shifting and what is the impact?

New software developments have dominated technology innovation in the physical security industry for years, making more things possible to the benefit of integrators and end users. However, hardware is another important piece of the puzzle. No matter how great your software, the system doesn’t perform unless the hardware works too. In our enthusiasm over software developments, let’s not overlook the latest in the hardware world. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How do hardware improvements drive better physical security?

A shift toward touchless devices during the coronavirus pandemic has been a boon to the biometrics sector. Another factor in the recent increase in use of biometrics is lower prices, which are a symptom of a maturing market and of new technology capabilities. Increasingly, integration of biometrics with access control and other security systems is expanding use cases and sales numbers. For additional insights, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the new trends and opportunities with biometrics (facial, fingerprint, iris and/or voice)?

Retrofit projects provide new levels of physical security modernisation to existing facilities. However, retrofits come with their own set of challenges that can frustrate system designers and defy the efforts of equipment manufacturers. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the biggest challenges of retrofit projects, and how can they be overcome?

The general public gets much of its understanding of security industry technology from watching movies and TV. However, there is a gap between reality and the fantasy world. Understanding of security technologies may also be shaped by news coverage, including expression of extreme or even exaggerated concerns about privacy. The first step in addressing any challenge is greater awareness, so we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Which security industry technology is most misunderstood by the general public and why?

The new year is several weeks old, so it is safe to say that many of our New Year resolutions have fallen by the wayside. Despite the limited success of our personal resolutions, the new year is a great time to take stock, look ahead, and plan to make 2020 the best year yet. Thinking about our industry as a whole, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What should be the security industry’s “New Year’s resolution?” 

“Open systems” has been a security industry buzzword for decades, although reality has sometimes diverged significantly from the ideal. The current state-of-the-art in open systems provides a multitude of benefits to increasingly complex physical security systems. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable to elaborate: What is the impact of open systems on physical security?

Products are the building blocks of the security industry. Historically much of the industry’s sales effort has been focused on highlighting product features and functionality. At the end of the day, however, an end user is less interested in the performance of any individual system component than in the system as a whole. Lately, the industry has embraced a changing sales approach by emphasising systems rather than products. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the benefits of a transition from selling security products to selling security solutions?

Securing large campus environments can be particularly demanding and requires a range of technology solutions. In effect, a campus may represent a dozen or more individual facilities to be secured, in addition to protecting the overall environment. Seeking more insight into the number and variety of needs of securing a campus, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the security challenges of protecting large campus environments?

Allegion, a provider of security products and solutions, announced its ENGAGE IP Gateway integrated with the latest version of RS2 Technologies’ Access It! Universal.Net software. RS2 Technologies released Version 7 of its software on March 11, which enables it to support Schlage Control, Schlage LE and Schlage NDE wireless locks as well as the Von Duprin Remote Undogging (RU) and Remote Monitoring (RM) options via the ENGAGE IP Gateway. “Allegion is excited to grow our offering with RS2 Technologies and provide end users more flexibility when it comes to electronic access control,” said Robert Lydic, VP of PACS/ OEM Business at Allegion. “This IP-based integration gives our customers the scalable and cost-effective options they need. By completing this integration and incorporating our new Von Duprin RU and RM kits, the opportunities for the RS2 community have been expanded significantly.” Real-time access control Ethernet connectivity to the network enables real-time access control directly from an in- or out-of-network host to an edge deviceThe RS2 Technologies’ integration with the ENGAGE IP Gateway eliminates the need of an access control panel, which enables customers to grow the number of access control secured doors while maintaining their budgets. The ENGAGE Gateway provides the ability to leverage existing IP-based infrastructure for maximum efficiency. Ethernet connectivity to the network enables real-time access control directly from an in- or out-of-network host to an edge device. To further simplify installation, the Gateway can be powered over Ethernet (PoE), removing the need for separate power supplies or wiring. The ENGAGE Gateway performs regular, frequent communication between the Gateway and linked ENGAGE enabled devices. The Gateway is able to send commands such as lock and unlock from an IP host in real-time. Commands are executed in less than five seconds. As an Internet of Things (IoT) device, the Gateway leverages network security practices, including AES-256 bit and TLS encryption, to provide customers with secure, dependable experiences. Solutions for housing and education markets The ENGAGE IP Gateway integration allows us to deepen our support for specific verticals"RS2 customers were already able to utilise its Access It! Universal.Net with the Schlage NDE, LE and AD Series locks. This integration of the new software with the ENGAGE IP Gateway will further support the Schlage LE and NDE locks, and it adds the Schlage Control and Von Duprin perimeter security solutions to the offering. “In addition to expanding our scalable, flexible solutions for our integrators and end users, the ENGAGE IP Gateway integration allows us to deepen our support for specific verticals,” said Jeff Bransfield, national sales manager at RS2 Technologies. “We’ve seen demand from the multifamily housing market for the Schlage Control locks. And the Von Duprin RU and RM options are an excellent fit for the education market and larger venues. Adding these to our portfolio through the IP-based integration will help us better serve our customer bases.” Schlage Control Smart Deadbolts The Von Duprin RU and RM options expand the reach of the access control system to perimeter openings beyond main entrancesThe Schlage Control Smart Deadbolts offer highly scalable, efficiency-boosting capabilities so that multifamily properties can focus on operating more profitably—and with greater appeal for residents. Property managers can configure and manage access from virtually anywhere and moving to smart credentials eliminate the costs and hassles of managing keys. The Von Duprin RU and RM options expand the reach of the access control system to perimeter openings beyond main entrances. The Von Duprin RU option retrofit kit for exit devices is a cost-effective solution that enables remote locking (undogging) for centralised lock down and door status monitoring. The RM option is a sensor-only configuration for exit only or fire rate doors that require monitoring. Version 7.0 of Access It! Universal.NET, an industry-leading access control solution, continues to deliver a complete access control solution at an unsurpassed value. Access It! Universal.NET Version 7.0 is built with a focus on interoperability, security and scalability. New features include expanded support for leading hardware solutions, destination dispatch, expanded reporting and filtering, QR codes for badging and operating modes for enhanced system control and flexibility.