IFSEC International 2016 by all measures was a successful show. Two of the three days clearly met (or exceeded) exhibitors’ expectations. The third day was slower, but is it any wonder? Heavy rains and resulting commuter train complications would have discouraged all but the most determined. And there was another distraction, too: It was the day of the Brexit vote, when the United Kingdom made history.
Results of that momentous vote underlined the sense of uncertainty I felt on the first day of IFSEC, and also ensured the gamut of ramifications – political and economic – that will impact the security marketplace for years to come. So the last day of IFSEC was definitely historic!
And just days after the close of IFSEC comes word of another terrorist bombing, this one at the airport in Istanbul, Turkey, again reiterating to the security industry the importance of what we do. Clearly, multiple factors suggest continued instability in the European region, and internationally, pointing to the use of more technologies like those displayed at IFSEC 2016.
Canon's complementary camera lines
Axis is expanding its product line beyond cameras into other devices operating on the Internet of Things |
I had an interesting discussion on the last day of IFSEC with Julian Rutland, Canon’s European Network Visual Solutions Marketing Director. Industry observers (including me) have wondered about the thinking behind a large corporate parent (i.e., Canon) operating two camera lines – Axis and Canon – seemingly in direct competition. For its part, Axis has repeatedly emphasised its independence from Canon, and is also expanding its product line beyond cameras into other devices operating on the Internet of Things.
Canon is taking a very different path, says Rutland (who was careful not to comment on “strategy.”) Canon is seeking to complement what Axis is doing, rather than competing head-on. Specifically, Rutland says Canon is looking to leverage their "general business" presence and their "global accounts team" (i.e., the ones that sell Canon copiers, scanners and other office equipment). Canon will sell their general business customers on video "solutions" – in many cases leveraging that other familiar Canon sister company, Milestone Systems. This approach (outside the traditional security channel, where Axis is strong), allows Canon cameras a route to success that doesn’t require them to compete head-to-head with Axis. And by leveraging Milestone's open "community," they are maximising the corporate synergies there, too.
New Canon products at the show included cameras that have an “IR band pass filter” that takes out the glare from halogen headlights for vehicle license plate recognition (ANPR) applications; the stand highlighted an integration with Intelico. Other solutions announced in the Canon stand included integration with Digital Barriers for real-time streaming on cellular networks. The system, for safe cities applications, adjusts image quality and frame rates automatically according to available bandwidth. There was also an integration with Ipsotek (video analytics, accredited by the UK Home Office) for high-end critical infrastructure applications.
Successful year for Vanderbilt
I also caught up with Vanderbilt CEO Joe Grillo on the last day. It’s been exactly a year since Vanderbilt’s acquisition of Siemens Security Products business, and it’s been a busy transition. They have been at almost every trade show in Europe during the last year to build the Vanderbilt brand. Vanderbilt has also consolidated its access control platforms into the Aliro 2 solution, which uses firmware by sister company Mercury. At IFSEC, Vanderbilt also demonstrated the SPC intrusion line, including the SPC Connect cloud-based system. Also, the Eventys CCTV range provides plug-and-play installation and intuitive interface for small- to medium-sized installations that require up to 20 cameras.
Significant security trends from Nedap
“In the last months, you have started to see awareness that, in the physical security world, there is a cyber-threat that affects everything" |
Daryn Flynn, Nedap’s UK security management manager, confirmed trends I had heard several times at the show. One was the growing awareness of wireless locks (whether online or offline). Wireless locks expand the ability to protect a variety of doors in an organisation – no one size fits all. A mixed topology of online and offline locks provides plenty of options, says Flynn.
Another familiar topic I heard at Nedap is cybersecurity, and there is a new acknowledgement in the market of its importance. “In the last months, you have started to see awareness that, in the physical security world, there is a cyber-threat that affects everything,” says Flynn. “It’s becoming much more mainstream.”
Flynn says Nedap’s goal with its AEOS security management platform was to create a product that does not have an end of life. The flexibility of the system is an advantage for users, who can adapt to changes – different people, different risks, different buildings – because everything is based on reprogrammable software. “In security that represents value,” he says. “When people invest in a technology, they want a long life.”
At Heathrow Airport traveling home from IFSEC, the passenger screening lines moved fast, and my carry-on bag was scanned, thoroughly searched, swabbed for explosives residue, and scanned again — as it should be.
