Commercial security - Security beat

After the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting, Jody Allen Crowe set out to develop a threat suppression tool to address school violence. Five years later, the result of that effort is the Crotega Threat Suppression System, displayed this year at ISC West. The remotely-deployed threat suppression system drenches a perpetrator with a repulsive water-based solution, thus impairing their ability to enact violence. The solution irritates eyes, throat, lungs and skin, but does not cause permanent injury....

Technology is a valuable tool for increasing security, but occasionally technology can create a threat. An example is the threat 3D printing technology poses to one of the most mature security technologies, mechanical locks and keys. The ability of 3D printing to duplicate keys presents new challenges for lock manufacturers, and new vulnerabilities to end users. Keys that could previously only be duplicated by skilled thieves can now easily be copied using off-the-shelf technologies and informat...

2016 is shaping up to be the year of the billion-dollar merger in the security market. After last month's mammoth Tyco/Johnson Control merger, a second big merger has rocked the market, this one involving one of the most familiar names in the consumer market – ADT. The home and small business security company, which traces its history back to 1874, has agreed to be acquired by private equity firm Apollo Global Management, and will merge with competitor Protection 1, a subsidiary of Apollo-...

As a “futurist” for lock manufacturer Allegion, Robert C. Martens says he is “part strategist, part predictor” – looking at megatrends, current events, technology changes, and how those changes impact Allegion’s business customers and partners. Spanning both the commercial and residential businesses, Martens considers various scenarios for business leaders and partners, specifically regarding where technologies and electronics are going. Today, he spends a lo...

Where do traditional security dealer/integrators fit in the new era defined by the Internet of Things (IoT)? According to Robert C. Martens, Allegion's Futurist and Director of Connectivity Platforms, there is no need to worry. In fact, there is potentially a huge role for traditional security integrators to play in the IoT age. His explanation suggests a successful future for security integrators, but there are caveats. Networking IoT devices may seem like an information technology (IT) funct...

“Lifestyle services” become the norm with home security: One of the trends driving growth in the home security market is the concept of “lifestyle services”.  Home security systems today can offer new benefits and features that go beyond protection to also encompass convenience. All the home security companies are now embracing ways they can expand system functionality to enhance their customer’s safety as well as lifestyle. Examples include the ability to lock...