Facial recognition systems

Iris ID, a global provider of iris recognition technology, announced its award-winning multimode iCAM M300 handheld biometric platform now offers gateless access control, time and attendance and employee mustering for both commercial and government markets. The new functions are possible with embedded XPressEntry software from Telaeris, a provider of real-time personnel tracking solutions. Also using Iris ID’s Iris Access EAC software, the iCAM M300 continues to provide an ideal portable biometric enrolment and identification solution for law enforcement, border control and national ID programs – all from the convenience of an Android mobile device. Users of the iCAM M300 can extend their door-mounted iris readers using a cloud-based mobile server that automatically syncs all users, access and activity data. Handheld solution for iris authentication It is exciting to partner with Iris ID to provide a powerful handheld solution for iris authentication"“The addition of the Telaeris XPressEntry software enables us to add important new functions for our commercial and government customers,” said Mohammed Murad, vice president global sales and business development, Iris ID. “The iCAM M300 is now ideal for virtually any use requiring mobile identity authentication.” "It is exciting to partner with Iris ID to provide a powerful handheld solution for iris authentication," said David Carta, chief executive officer, Telaeris. "Iris ID's multimodal device, combined with XPressEntry from Telaeris, allows security integrators and end users to easily integrate mobile iris identification technology into their existing physical access control infrastructure." FBI-compliant 500DPI fingerprint collection The iCAM M300 has embedded cameras for simultaneous capture of both iris and facial modes. An optional snap-on module provides for an FBI-compliant 500DPI, single fingerprint collection. Also included are magstripe and contactless card support, as well as an MRZ reader to verify ePassports. Communications protocols include NFC, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and 4G LTE. The Security Industry Association named the iCAM M300 the best mobile app in the 2018 New Product Showcase.

Suprema, global provider of biometrics and access control solutions, has announced that it will showcase new-generation mobile solution and latest facial recognition biometrics at IFSEC 2019 in London on June 18. Suprema mobile credential service Suprema's new mobile credential service provides the end-to-end solution including a cloud-based portal services, a mobile app, BLE readers, open API and in-app SDK for 3rd party support. The new service provides users with easier mobile card administration, enhanced level of security, extensive choice of card types, and cost-efficient pricing plans. We are excited to introduce our new mobile credential service at IFSEC 2019" "We are excited to introduce our new mobile credential service at IFSEC 2019. The new service has been designed to improve overall user experience and enhance interoperability with 3rd party systems, readers and apps," said Hanchul Kim, Director of Global Business at Suprema. XPass 2 RFID access readers To fulfill the new mobile solution, Suprema will also launch XPass 2 readers, a series of access readers supporting BLE, NFC and various types of RFID standards. Comes in both gang box and mullion form factors, the new XPass 2 readers are intelligent edge controllers fully support BioStar 2 and mobile authentication. FaceLite facial recognition terminal In addition, Suprema will also demonstrate the new FaceLite, the company's latest facial recognition terminal for the first time in UK and EU market. Launched in April 2019, the new FaceLite is designed for both the enterprise access control systems and time attendance applications by featuring Suprema's industry-leading technologies and innovative features. Loaded with powerful 1.2GHz CPU and massive 8GB memory, FaceLite achieves incredible matching speed of up to 30,000 matches per second and accommodates up to 30,000 users while providing intuitive face-enrollment GUI for faster user registration. On the optical side, the new face recognition technology overcomes possible interference from dynamic lighting conditions including sunlight and ambient light. The new technology allows greater range of operating illuminance from zero lux to 25,000 lux which covers almost every possible lighting condition regardless of indoor or outdoor, day or night. Biometrics and access control Along with new mobile credential service and face recognition technology, Suprema will also showcase the company's extensive range of latest biometrics and access control solutions at IFSEC 2019.

German manufacturer Dallmeier announces a development partnership with AnyVision, a pioneer in AI-based facial, body, and object recognition. The aim of the cooperation is to integrate AnyVision’s facial recognition technology into the Dallmeier ‘HEMISPHERE’. The HEMISPHERE software platform offers customers from various industries a wide variety of modular solutions for security applications and business process optimisation. From the optimisation of marketing activities to forensic evaluations – the use of facial recognition technologies is becoming increasingly important for customers of video technology solutions. The integration of AnyVision’s technology will enable Dallmeier customers to utilise facial recognition data within various modules of the Dallmeier HEMISPHERE software platform. Facial recognition solution This allows customers of the Dallmeier HEMISPHERE software platform to access and leverage the data In this way, security and business processes can be optimised, e.g. through blacklist/whitelist procedures, marketing optimisation through VIP-customer recognition, forensic evaluations in law enforcement procedures or the automation of access controls in office or manufacturing environments. This allows customers of the Dallmeier HEMISPHERE software platform to access and leverage the data within various solution suites. Specifically, AnyVision’s facial recognition solution will be integrated into the Dallmeier HEMISPHERE SeMSy® Video and Security Management Suite, as well as in other solution suites of the HEMISPHERE platform, such as the Situational Awareness / Incident Management or Data and Security Information Management. Video security technology “In today’s increasingly complex world, customers need solutions that can integrate powerful components from leading manufacturers within a single platform strategy. Partnerships like this with AnyVision ensure that our customers always have the optimal combination of leading technologies at their disposal,” said Dieter Dallmeier, Founder & CEO, Dallmeier. “Dallmeier’s solutions in sectors such as safe city, stadiums, airports, logistics, casinos but also in the processing industry cover more and more topics that go far beyond classic video security technology. This makes it all the more important to work together with the right partners for complementary technologies which, when combined, offer decisive added value.” The German manufacturer Dallmeier electronic has been manufacturing solutions for security applications and process optimisation for 35 years. The portfolio includes cameras, recording systems and software. Security and surveillance AnyVision currently develops technology for security and surveillance Dallmeier’s solutions are used worldwide by customers in areas such as safe city, stadiums, airports, logistics, casinos but also in the processing industry. The partnership is also part of AnyVision’s mission to make its innovative AI-powered technology available to more businesses and environments across the globe. Unlike other software solutions in the market, AnyVision’s software is plug-and-play for new and existing systems, and able to overcome challenges such as occlusions, different angles of view, and poor lighting conditions. AnyVision currently develops technology for security and surveillance, mobile authentication, access control, and real-world analytics. Boris Gokhman, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at AnyVision, commented: "Facial, body, and object recognition have real-world benefits right now. Collaborating with best-of-breed technology partners to help more organisations ‒ working across diverse sectors ‒ harness new capabilities and achieve those benefits is hugely important to us. We are delighted to be working with Dallmeier on this and look forward to expanding this partnership in the future.”

IDIS has launched its totally cost-free IDIS Dynamic Privacy Masking (IDPM) solution at IFSEC International (stand IF1110 at London’s ExCel) 2019.  IDIS now offers a simple answer to the previously labour-intensive – or prohibitively expensive – problem of de-identification in video footage which is being submitted in response to requests for access under The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or for evidential purposes. Protecting privacy with masking GDPR came into play during a challenging time and some users have stopped reporting smaller losses" Last year, GDPR gave the right to any person captured by a video surveillance camera to access a copy of their personal recorded data. But at the same time, companies are required to protect the identity of other individuals who feature in the recorded video, with anonymisation and masking.  The same de-identification also needs to be applied when providing video clips to the police and courts for use as evidence. GDPR-compliance for incident investigations Jamie Barnfield, Sales Director at IDIS Europe, says that many small to medium companies – for example, retailers and eating-out chains - are struggling to manage their recorded video footage. They are under pressure to provide police with GDPR-compliant video for incident investigations, to respond to freedom of information requests from the public, and to supply footage to insurers assessing claims including as slips, trips and falls. In all of these cases the video needs to be redacted, Barnfield points out. “GDPR came into play during a challenging time and some users have stopped reporting smaller losses and petty crimes because of the increased work involved. For others the alternative has been to resort to expensive video cloaking services that charge by the minute, or to use third-party redaction software not budgeted into the running costs of their surveillance operations,” he said. IDIS Dynamic Privacy Masking (IDPM) Solving this problem, IDPM is now available from the IDIS Partners Portal as a direct download. It allows authorised system users to blur sensitives areas and dynamically de-identify faces, vehicles etc. Crucially, IDPM does this automatically for the duration of the clip, even as the object or person moves around the scene. Users can then quickly save video as clips or project files via the IDIS Clip Player which, crucially, does not rely on transcoding to prevent forgery. The integrity of recorded video is already assured with IDIS Chained Fingerprint technology As a result, masking can easily be removed later by the authorised user without affecting the integrity of the footage, if that becomes necessary for a subsequent investigation. Users also have options to set passwords and expiration dates, and to control who can access and play video files.  IDIS Chained Fingerprint technology The integrity of recorded video is already assured with IDIS Chained Fingerprint technology, which extracts distinctive features of recorded video data to create fingerprints for each frame and then embeds each fingerprint into the data of the next frame, connecting each frame together with the next like a blockchain. “IDPM now gives users a simple, fast and intuitive tool to provide evidence to the police and courts so that theft, abuse and violence against staff can be investigated and criminals brought to justice. At the same time companies can respond, within the stipulated timeframe, to information requests in line with GDPR without additional costs,” added Barnfield.

At the beginning of 2017, MOBOTIX and RealNetworks established their strategic partnership. Almost everyone has known RealNetworks since the 1990s, when the Seattle-based company introduced the first online audio streaming solution, RealAudio®. Years of continuous innovation and multiple generations of RealVideo® then gave birth to the company’s most well-known product, RealPlayer®, which is still used millions of times every day for streaming and downloading videos. More recently, RealNetworks has been steadily expanded its expertise in the area of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. “Our innovative strength, quality standards and commitment to high-quality, customer-oriented solutions form the basis of our strategic partnership with RealNetworks,” explains Thomas Lausten, CEO of MOBOTIX AG. Facial and mood recognition MOBOTIX and RealNetworks see enormous market potential for further joint projects and customised solutions SAFR™, the latest solution from RealNetworks, is an exceptionally accurate, artificial intelligence-based system for facial and mood recognition that has been optimised for the challenges of live video. MOBOTIX and RealNetworks see enormous market potential for further joint projects and customised solutions. “MOBOTIX cameras have an excellent market reputation for high quality, cyber security, reliability and direct applicability for facial recognition.” “Our partnership has grown rapidly as we also share the same values, such as a commitment to quality, innovation, data security and building strategic partnerships to generate synergies for both our companies and our customers,” says Mathias Grünwald, Senior Lead Account & Service Management at RealNetworks. “The new MOBOTIX is increasingly developing into a base platform for a multitude of industry specific tasks – Beyond Human Vision,” says Lausten. Identify cyber security Since joining the company, Lausten has transformed MOBOTIX from a highly secure but self-contained product provider into an open and flexible solution and system platform that continues to identify cyber security as its top priority. This means that all MOBOTIX products are now ONVIF-compliant, there is a dedicated NAS solution and, with the MOBOTIX MOVE series, a PTZ camera has been launched on the market as a complementary independent product line. “Artificial Intelligence will play an increasingly important role in all areas of IT, meaning video surveillance as well – and with Konica Minolta, we have a leading technology partner by our side in this area,” explains Christian Heller, MOBOTIX Sales Director for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. “In conjunction with our new openness and our drive to produce cyber-safe products and solutions, we can work with our strategic partners like RealNetworks to strengthen the market and develop new solutions for a variety of vertical markets,” he adds. Video surveillance cameras SAFR facial recognition solutions based on MOBOTIX cameras are already being used in numerous vertical markets MOBOTIX's partnership with RealNetworks and SAFR demonstrates this in unique ways: “We are currently working together on an exciting project for a high-profile European museum,” says Lausten. The museum uses SAFR live analytics at the entrance and other locations within the museum to automatically count the number of people by time of day, using demographic breakdowns, such as gender and age. The same system can also analyse people’s moods. This solution is made possible by the combination of versatile, high-precision MOBOTIX cameras and the equally high-precision SAFR facial recognition platform. SAFR facial recognition solutions based on MOBOTIX cameras are already being used in numerous vertical markets. “Since MOBOTIX cameras were designed as the best video surveillance cameras and SAFR is regarded as the leading facial recognition platform for live video, together, we are able to deliver solutions that go far beyond recognition,” says Grünwald. “Beyond Human Vision means more than just monitoring video from a camera feed. Together with our selected strategic partners, MOBOTIX is creating solutions based on artificial intelligence that make events predictable and that can initiate countermeasures to protect the environment, valuables and people,” emphasises Lausten.

From June 11th to 13th Gradiant has an important appointment in London. For a few days, the city is becoming the capital of identity recognition technologies to transact in a seamless, yet secure manner. Identity Week is the largest technology fair focused on the concept of identity in Europe and this year brings together more than 3,000 international industry actors in three world-class events: Digital:ID, Planet Biometrics and Security Document Week. Forensic and face recognition solutions In this international scenario, Gradiant is showing forensic technologies and face recognition solutions at booth D28 (Digital: EXPO, ExCel London) to automate digital onboarding and Know Your Customer (KYC) processes in a reliable way, as well as prevent document fraud on Internet. Providing security when we need access to personal data is fundamental in order to incorporate technology into the day-to-day activities we carry out in the actual digital society. Facial recognition is positioned as one of the most reliable techniques to incorporate into user registration processes Facial recognition is positioned as one of the most reliable techniques to incorporate into user registration processes, both to register new customers and to provide secure access to personal data in digital onboarding processes (electronic identification of the customer that allows the remote goods and services contract). Most of the time, these processes require to verify that the ID document - ID, passport or driver's license - registered in the system matches with the user's identity in an unmistakable way; but it is also important to incorporate other techniques that collect more information about the client and analyse possible manipulations carried out in the identity document, in order to ensure secure remote client's discharge. Valida by Gradiant forensic tool “In London we are going to show Valida, our forensic tool to detect manipulations in digital documents. In January we received our second selection to present this solution at the CES in Las Vegas and we continue to show it at MWC in Barcelona and RSA in San Francisco,” explains Daniel Ramos, International Business Development Manager at Gradiant. "Now it's time to bring Valida to the UK, to Identity Week, where the world's leading document security vendors come together.” Valida by Gradiant’s main goal is to evaluate the authenticity of digital documents to prevent fraud in online user verification, digital on boarding and Know Your Customer (KYC) processes. This technology developed by Gradiant, in collaboration with atlanTTic research center of Universidade de Vigo, allows companies to offer an extra level of security in this operations, as it automatically analyses any type of identity document (and other PDF and JPEG files such as payroll, invoices, receipts, etc.) to detect possible spoofing attacks and forgeries in the data present in these files. faceIDNN facial recognition technology Gradiant is also showing in London faceIDNN to verify user’s identity by comparing the face with the photograph in his/her ID In addition to forgery detection technology for digital documents, Gradiant is also showing in London faceIDNN to verify user’s identity by comparing the face with the photograph in his/her ID, driver’s license or passport. Using both images, techniques developed by Gradiant verify in real time if they belong to the same person. The company’s experience in facial recognition has allowed to develop techniques for anti-spoofing attacks, as well as guaranteeing verification despite significant appearance changes have happened against the photo in the ID card, or if the person has aged. faceIDNN has been co-funded by Xunta de Galicia (Galician Regional Government) by Ignicia Programme (IN8555A IGNICIA Proba de Concepto) Biometric technologies In order to complement this verification, Gradiant has developed biometrics of signature, voice and video (liveness detection) to be incorporated in the processes of digital onboarding as a second authentication factor, in order to prove the customer is who he claims to be. “Our solution focuses on taking advantage of digital onboarding process in order to collect other types of information that provide us with a higher level of security in their verification, such as their signature, voice or video," says Ramos. "We have these three biometric technologies and we can implement them together or separately.” More and more businesses are born 100% digital and more traditional ones are joining the digitised world. Some of these businesses need to verify the identity of their customers remotely and ensure. This is the case of banks, which currently can register new customers without them physically going to bank offices. Biometric verification solutions These entities have a legal obligation to know the identity of their customers as required by the 4th European Anti-Money Laundering Directive In addition, these entities have a legal obligation to know the identity of their customers as required by the 4th European Anti-Money Laundering Directive, in order to comply with the Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) requirements. This European directive aims to prevent problems such as corruption, illegal financing, and money laundering, among others, to combat illegal transactions in the digital environment. Gradiant's biometric verification solutions are a complete choice to ensure security through face, signature or voice customer identification and to prevent fraud in digital files. These solutions can also be effective in sectors such as gambling (to identify if users are old enough to access these services), sharing economies (where there is a digital transaction between at least two people), dating, telcos, insurance, e-commerce and hotels.

Artificial intelligence allows machines to do jobs previously done by people. When it comes to security and surveillance, this technology allows cameras and control room equipment to identify a wide range of threats automatically and in real time across hundreds or even thousands of cameras – allowing security teams to take immediate action to protect people and assets. AI technology and surveillance solutions Artificial Intelligence technology built into surveillance solutions help organisations optimise their security Video surveillance cameras are the electronic eyes of any security operation. In the past, human supervision was needed to make sense of the images captured, and to assess whether certain events posed a security risk or not. With some organisations using hundreds or even thousands of cameras to protect their people and assets, manual review of footage is simply impossible – potentially leaving them vulnerable to security breaches. Advanced Artificial Intelligence technology built into surveillance solutions can help organisations overcome this challenge and optimise their security. This means cameras, control-room equipment and back-end infrastructure can now ‘learn’ about potential threats for themselves by recognising people, vehicles and even behaviours. Detection and prevention The manual interventions needed with traditional security systems mean that teams were frequently reacting to breaches that had already happened. Artificial Intelligence changes all this by recognising potential threats before they impact company’s people or assets – allowing security teams to react immediately to neutralise any potential threat. Artificial intelligence solutions can automatically trigger alerts when a person appears in a restricted area For example, artificial Intelligence solutions can automatically trigger alerts when a person appears in a restricted area, or when a vehicle with a blacklisted number plate enters a site. With alerts delivered in real time, teams can identify and react to security threats and protect people and assets more effectively. And because alerts are automated, potential threats are hardly missed or overlooked. How does artificial intelligence work? Artificial Intelligence systems become more intelligent over time, building databases of potential threats and reacting to new events accordingly. This allows systems to ‘think for themselves’ and to alert teams of any suspicious events or people who are caught on camera. Artificial intelligence technologies use advanced algorithms based on Deep Learning to distinguish between different kinds of security events and threats. Technologies incorporated into the Hikvision portfolio include: Facial recognition which allows law enforcement personnel to identify suspects and commercial teams to identify VIP customers in real time. Vehicle identification which can be used to identify vehicle number plates and recognise different types of vehicles (even down to make and model), or to trigger alerts when vehicles enter restricted areas. Perimeter protection which helps organisations to identify real threats by distinguishing people and vehicles from other moving objects and keeping false alarms to a minimum. Business intelligence which employs people counting, queue detection, and heat mapping technologies, so that organisations can enhance operational efficiency by making use of the data report. Increasing commercial success  Artificial intelligence isn’t just useful for identifying security threats – although this is a key strength of the technology. It can also help organisations increase their competitiveness and commercial success. For example, VIP customers who opt to participate in special marketing promotions or other incentives can be identified so staff can provide the right kind of service at the right time. This gives organisations the opportunity to personalise the service experience, foster loyalty and maximise customer lifetime revenues. Artificial Intelligence can help organisations to better understand customers and meet their needs more effectively In the same way, artificial Intelligence can help organisations to better understand customers and meet their needs more effectively – leading to more commercial opportunities. One feature – called People Counting – allows stores and commercial centres to map footfall at peak times, ensuring that staffing is optimised to meet demand. At the same time, stores can see which areas of the building customers visit most and adjust their merchandising and product positioning accordingly to maximise the sales opportunities. Artificial intelligence at Hikvision Hikvision’s family of artificial intelligence products include the DeepinView network cameras and DeepinMind NVRs. The products help to tackle security with facial recognition; monitoring and counting of people; and recognition and detection of vehicles, to name a few. These features all depend on artificial intelligence technology to recognise, classify and respond to security threats. This article was written by Hikvision.

The access control industry tends to be more conservative when it comes to the adoption of new technology and services for end users, but that doesn't mean that 2019 won't provide a significant amount of progress through emerging trends taking shape in the industry. In addition to the increased adoption and acceptance of the cloud, mobile credentials and biometrics are becoming more mainstream, and integrations between manufacturers will take centre stage. Here, we take a look at these and other trends helping to shape the coming year. Cloud-based products We're continuing to see a demand by end-user customers for customised responses to certain actions within an access control system For many access control manufacturers, the core of the business is in more traditional products, with a high percentage of installs continuing to be these kinds of projects. However, over the last couple of years, cloud-based products have emerged as a viable option for customers. We've seen more of a willingness for end-user customers to inquire whether this is an option for them, citing ease of use, remote management, cybersecurity and more as part of their foray into this branch of access control. The cloud has established its reputation as being quicker to install, more flexible for customers to access and manage both their access points as well as the video associated with these doors, and placing less pressure on internal (or in some cases, non-existent) IT teams to help set up and manage an access control system. Mobile credentials applications We're continuing to see a demand by end-user customers for customised responses to certain actions within an access control system. For example, if there's an alarm set off during the day along a perimeter, the ability to automatically execute a lockdown and simultaneous email or message to everyone within the building alerting them to the issue is critical. The desire for this kind of flexibility within a system is prompting manufacturers to build new simple to use graphical tools into their systems that allow customised action responses that are proportional to the level of alarm. There's a strong desire by many of today's companies to be able to use mobile phones for access control and as such, manufacturers are either developing their own mobile credentials applications or integrating their systems with these kinds of products. Over the last couple of years, cloud-based products have emerged as a viable option for customers Future of biometrics As companies start to ask about whether their facilities are safe enough, they're often more willing to consider access control that takes security to a new level, such as the implementation of biometric readers. Biometrics is getting more usage in professional security applications and many customers want to move away from using physical cards for access control. Manufacturers that don't currently have biometric hardware in place are starting to integrate with readers designed to offer this functionality in an effort to meet the demands of customers. The dramatic rise in facial recognition biometrics is something that will likely shape the future of biometrics as costs start to decrease. While the access control industry is highly fragmented, we're seeing a trend toward increased partnerships and open-platform technology that helps end users achieve the kind of comprehensive security that they desire. Video management platforms We're seeing a trend toward increased partnerships and open-platform technology that helps end users achieve the kind of comprehensive security that they desire For example, there are a number of access control providers that are providing paths toward full integration with lock manufacturers and vice versa in an effort to meet the needs of clients who may have purchased locks but a high powered access control system to properly manage them. There's also a large shift toward full integration with video management platforms and access control systems to fully integrate the two into a single, user-friendly experience and give end users more control over both. Additionally, manufacturers are looking to provide customers with a single system that meets the needs they have with regards to video, intrusion and access control. Right now, I don't think there's a system that can fully deliver on the promise of being exceptional at all three, so integrations and partnerships remain important to achieve that end goal. Access control world An increasing number of end users are realising the holes in the current Wiegand protocols that have been in place since the 1980s, along with the large number of ‘off the shelf’ equipment that's now available to allow outsiders access through readers that operate under these protocols. As a result, in the last decade or so, OSDP has come onto the scene and is growing in popularity. One of the most important steps for access control manufacturers in 2019 will be to listen to customers who are concerned with this vulnerability and work toward fully supporting OSDP in an effort to protect these access control systems. It's an exciting time to be a part of the access control world, as we finally see results from all of the hype centred around the cloud, biometrics, mobile credentials, hacking protection and strong partnerships come to fruition. As 2019 begins, look for these trends to grow in popularity and for manufacturers to really listen to the end-user customer they serve and respond in kind.

When dealing with a substantial, complex security system installation – often covering multiple sites and many hundreds of people – you clearly need a security vendor with the resources and experience to deliver. Smaller security companies may not have adequate means to support the longevity of these projects. This generally isn’t an issue for larger companies, but beware - not all such companies are well placed to deal with large projects; that’s because not all of them have a formal process in place. Large security projects require clear KPIs and targets (including monthly commitments), ongoing review, regular clear communication and a dedicated team for consistency and continuity from start to finish. Major security system Tying yourself to one manufacturer is rarely a good idea when it comes to large and complex security installs If you don’t choose wisely, what you may end up with is company delivering a string of different people from different departments working on your installation at any given time, without a joined up approach. The person responsible for system design, for example, may never see your project when it’s actually being installed, which can lead to a potentially problematic and ultimately unsatisfactory outcome. Whilst every major security system design project will bring about its own set of challenges, the approach taken by the security vendor should remain consistent. Here’s what it should look like at the different stages of the project and what you should expect from your supplier. Tying yourself to one manufacturer is rarely a good idea when it comes to large and complex security installs. Product knowledge Going down this route limits your options and you could end up with a security system that meets the vendor’s product portfolio rather than your needs. That doesn’t mean to say that a security company that is not affiliated to specific manufacturers won’t have close relationships with a range of them. A close relationship can be beneficial in terms of in-depth product knowledge and preferential pricing. What’s most important is that the security company independently test and asses product rather than relying on manufacturers’ claims. They should continually appraise the marketplace to see what’s new and assess the value and relevance of product. They should also have the finger on the pulse of the security sector to identify where the market is going. Team work is essential with large projects not only to get the job done, but also to manage any risk Comprehensive strategy At STANLEY Security we very much focus on identifying technology solutions that minimise financial outlay for a client, such as video analytics. At present we are testing facial recognition systems which have grown in popularity and delivery. A written, comprehensive strategy needs to be in place for the project, including forecasting that considers the longer timescales involved in large, complex projects and includes a ‘what if’ approach to ensure appropriate resource is available. So, for example, if a project looks like it is going to overrun due to unforeseen circumstances, you want to be sure you retain the same team on the project full time and that they are not transferred onto the next contract or dividing their time between the two. Manage any risk Team work is essential with large projects not only to get the job done, but also to manage any risk. Your vendor must have an experienced Major Project Team with a clear structure, so everyone knows their role and you know who you are dealing with at any given time. Although it’s the last stage of the project, Commission & Handover has the potential to be the most difficult and is where costs can escalate If subcontractors are being used by the security company, which is quite usual for very large installations and for particular specialisms (e.g. control room modelling), then a process needs to be in place to manage them and you need to be made aware of this. Although it’s the last stage of the project, Commission & Handover has the potential to be the most difficult and is where costs can escalate. High security requirements This is where the dedicated Major Project Team is vital as they will know the project inside out and have worked on it from start to finish, helping to avoid any end of project issues. Large, complex security systems, especially those with high security requirements, are not easy to deliver. They require skilful, experienced hands, substantial resources in both financial and staffing terms, and a clear, consistent procedure that everyone is fully aware of. Don’t assume that just because you are dealing with a large security vendor they will have all of these in place; think like a security professional and ask to see the evidence!

Panasonic is selling off 80% of its video surveillance business to a private equity firm but will retain 20%, and the new company will continue to use the well-known Panasonic brand. The move is aimed at reinvigorating a business challenged by new competition from large Chinese companies and lower prices of video surveillance equipment. Strategic business alliances Panasonic is establishing a new company made up of its security systems business, and Polaris Capital Group Co. will acquire 80% of the outstanding shares of the new company. The decision was approved by the board of directors on May 31, and the transaction is expected to be completed by Oct. 1. The new company’s security cameras and software will be sold under the Panasonic brand Polaris has experience in strategic capital alliances with manufacturers and large-scale companies. Based on that experience, Polaris expects to smoothly and rapidly build the structure necessary for an independent business while preserving the strengths and unique characteristics of the business. The goal is to 'maximise corporate value as an independent company toward IPO (initial public offering) in the future.' Panasonic brand name to continue The new company – named Panasonic i-PRO Sensing Solutions Co., Ltd. – will encompass the Panasonic Connected Solutions Company’s Security Systems Business Division and the industrial and medical vision compact camera R&D department of its Innovation Center.  The Public Safety sales and development functions of Panasonic System Solutions Company of North America (PSSNA), and the security camera manufacturing factory in China – Panasonic System Networks Suzhou Co., Ltd. (PSNS) – will become subsidiaries of the new company. Polaris expects to smoothly and rapidly build the structure necessary for an independent business After establishment, the new company’s security cameras and software will be sold under the Panasonic brand. Sales will be handled directly by the new company in the U.S. market; through Panasonic System Solutions Japan Co., Ltd. (PSSJ) in the Japanese domestic market; and through existing Panasonic sales companies in other regions including Europe, China, Southeast Asia, Oceania and Canada, which will all sign sales agreements with the new company. Future outlook An announcement from Panasonic details plans for the new company: “It will build on the strengths of the Division while benefitting from management and resources of Polaris to seamlessly implement the necessary structure to operate as an independent organisation. Strengthening its solutions capabilities with proactive alliances and M&As, the new company will aim to enhance its revenue and profitability globally centred on the North American market. With new and next-generation products and services, and a strategic growth plan to expand sales of medical camera modules, the new company will build a solid foundation as an independent entity.” The core business of video surveillance equipment is more competitive than ever The Security Systems Business Division of Panasonic has a roughly 60-year history of developing security cameras and advanced edge devices and combining these with unique software such as facial recognition to meet the needs of the market. It has established itself as a top brand. Effect on U.S. market Panasonic in the U.S. broadened its business approach to increase systems sales with the acquisition of Houston, Texas-based Video Insight in 2015. The developer of video management software especially helped to boost business opportunities in the education market in North America. More recently, Panasonic has sought to differentiate itself with an emphasis on R&D and new product developments, including artificial intelligence. Last year, the company highlighted its FacePro deep learning facial recognition system using extreme sensing and enhanced detection technology to identify persons of interest and  alert authorities of their presence in real-time. Developments in the offing The Security Systems Business Division of Panasonic has a roughly 60-year history of developing security cameras In the near future, Panasonic is also looking to apply AI-based capabilities to vehicle recognition, with the ability to identify vehicle characteristics such as colour, type of vehicle and direction of travel. On the VMS side, Panasonic announced last year its intent to transition its Video Insight software to a modular approach, tailoring solutions for a growing range of vertical markets, such as transportation and retail, all using “plug-ins” that enhance operation of Video Insight software. No additional license fees are involved. Still, the core business of video surveillance equipment is more competitive than ever. As Panasonic looks to regain its former dominance, it will face an uphill battle. A sharper focus and new management, resulting from the acquisition, may help to turn the tides.

Facial recognition has seen huge breakthroughs since the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) first began testing in 2010. Accuracy has seen massive gains, especially from 2013-2018. In the 2018 test, the most accurate algorithm was 20 times more accurate than the 2013 equivalent. Essentially, 95 percent of the matches that failed in 2013 now yield correct results. Compare that to 2010-2013, when the most accurate algorithm reduced its error rate by 30 percent. This reduction in error rates since 2013 is due to wholesale replacement of the old algorithms with new ones based on deep convolutional neural networks — completely revolutionising the technology. Optimal recognition results SAFR says it delivers optimal recognition results with 99.86 percent accuracy in under 100 milliseconds One entrant in the newly energised market is RealNetworks, whose SAFR for Security is an AI-based facial recognition solution for live video that integrates video management system (VMS) solutions. With 24/7 monitoring, SAFR detects and matches millions of faces accurately in real time, enabling teams to manage a watchlist across any number of video feeds. SAFR says it delivers optimal recognition results with 99.86 percent accuracy in under 100 milliseconds, even in real-world conditions where faces are in motion, at different angles, under poor lighting, or partially obscured. SAFR builds on RealNetworks’ 23-year history in video technologies. Launched in July 2018, SAFR — secure, accurate facial recognition — is enabling new applications for security, convenience, and analytics. Create security responses “We seek to be the world’s most trusted facial recognition platform and are delighted to partner with customers in the security industry and elsewhere to shape a more secure, convenient future worldwide,” says Dan Grimm, Vice President of Computer Vision and General Manager of SAFR at RealNetworks. “Security professionals are asked to keep us safe 24/7, monitoring a burgeoning number of cameras, and we help make them more effective.” SAFR targets facial recognition for live video, identifying camera-unaware faces moving in real-world conditions. In the April 2019 NIST results, SAFR tested as the fastest and most compact solution among algorithms with less than 0.022 False Non-Match Rate — 62 percent faster than the average speed, according to the company. SAFR now provides capabilities such as live video overlays alerting security professionals to events in real time, automatic bookmarks with rich metadata for investigative work, and alerts that can be customised to create security responses. SAFR uses one-sixth the compute power of competing facial recognition solutions Facial recognition algorithms Five years ago, facial recognition algorithms would struggle to match forward-facing people from still images, let alone camera-unaware moving faces from live video with variations in rotation and tilt. SAFR says they have achieved a balance of accuracy and performance for live video. A contributor to this accuracy is consistency across a range of skin tones. The algorithm was trained on a highly diverse global set of over 10 million non-simulated real-world faces. SAFR was optimised for speed and can sample a face multiple times during the same period of time as other algorithms, subsequently increasing its accuracy. SAFR achieves the performance through edge processing. Distributed architecture enables efficient bandwidth consumption, reducing the roundtrip latency of facial recognition speed to under 100 milliseconds. The savings lower total cost of ownership (TCO): SAFR uses one-sixth the compute power of competing facial recognition solutions, equating to $500,000 or so in savings on a 250-camera deployment. Integrated experience SAFR also uses off-the-shelf hardware and is optimised to leverage inexpensive GPUs SAFR also uses off-the-shelf hardware and is optimised to leverage inexpensive GPUs. SAFR can be deployed on premises or in the cloud, and supports Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, and Android. When SAFR is paired with a VMS, such as Milestone XProtect or Genetec Security Center, the integrated experience includes 24/7 monitoring to detect and match faces in real-time. Features include live video overlays within the VMS to identify strangers, threats, concerns, unrecognised persons, VIPs, employees, or other tagged individuals in live video. Real-time alerts can be customised for when persons of interest appear on a video camera feed. Additionally, automatic bookmarks with rich metadata make for easier investigative review of security footage. Facial recognition technology is increasingly in demand to improve safety across various industry verticals. Better customer experience Large enterprises with high-visitor flows and heightened security — such as transportation hubs, stadiums, universities, and hospitals — need to know in real time when persons of interest or those on watchlists appear on camera. Sports stadiums could apply facial recognition to deny entry to banned patrons, locate lost children, or recognise VIPs to deliver a better customer experience. Hospitals need access control to restricted areas and pharmaceutical storage closets Hospitals need access control to restricted areas and pharmaceutical storage closets. Airports and transit centres value traffic flows, demographic composition, and dwell times to help improve scheduling. SAFR for Security is available worldwide, and the company partners with VMS providers such as Milestone, Genetec, Digifort, and IPConfigure by Paliton Networks. They are actively working to support additional VMS solutions and have sales teams located in major metropolitan cities around the world. Security professionals “The job of the security professional is critical in today’s world,” says Grimm. “SAFR for Security helps mitigate the challenges of the important work security professionals do to keep us all safe.” In designing and developing SAFR, RealNetworks considered diversity and the uniqueness of each person; Grimm says their massive global training data set is a competitive advantage. SAFR is designed with privacy in mind. All facial images and signatures are AES-256 encrypted in transit or at rest. “SAFR is powerful enterprise-grade software that is continuously improving through innovation and many years of expertise,” says Grimm.

Coming off a successful ISC West show, Honeywell is sharply focussed on product development, with an emphasis on advanced software. “We have a strong new product pipeline this year – more than two times the number of products than we’ve released in the past several years,” says Luis Rodriguez, Director of Product Marketing, Honeywell Commercial Security. “At ISC West, we received a lot of interest in how AI and new security systems are changing the market.” Although uses for AI are still emerging in security, Honeywell sees an important role for AI in building a connected system to ensure the safety and security of a building, and more importantly, its occupants. AI allows end users to go beyond monitoring activity on a surface level to really understand the scene – from who exactly is in the area to what they might be doing. As more data is processed over time, AI will continue to build on its learnings to help deliver a more accurate assessment of potential threats each time. Machine learning-based analytics End users should explore the use of machine learning-based analytics as machine learning is more advanced than AI-based systems, says Rodriguez. “When speaking to dealers and integrators, end users should also inquire about the detection accuracy of systems that use AI or machine learning technology, particularly around false positives and negatives.” Honeywell seeks to develop integrated security systems that provide the earliest detection “Additionally, end users should always ask to conduct site testing so to understand how well-suited the machine learning-based system is to the particular user’s native environment,” adds Rodriguez. “The testing will help identify the exact needs of their site.” Honeywell is reinvesting in its video portfolio, both in hardware and software innovation, as well as partnering with the top experts in the IT and education industries to stay ahead of customer demand. Honeywell seeks to develop integrated security systems that provide the earliest detection, enable the fastest response, centralise decision making, and allow customers to manage it all from anywhere. Solutions for vertical markets Honeywell Commercial Security is focussed on supporting vertical markets that have specific security needs such as education, banking and finance, and pharma. Each has unique nuances that call for tailored security approaches. “As Honeywell continues to develop its suite of security solutions for the future and identify personalised systems for each vertical, AI such as analytics, deep learning and facial recognition will play an integral role during research and testing,” says Rodriguez. Honeywell is developing video and audio analytics technology capable of studying crowd behaviour as well as detecting guns, gunshots An example is the education market, where eliminating human delay in reporting potential threats to law enforcement and creating faster systems that help omit single-point failures are key to protecting schools and ensuring students’ safety. To address those challenges, Honeywell is developing video and audio analytics technology capable of studying crowd behaviour as well as detecting guns, gunshots and fights, says Bruce Montgomery, Business Development Manager, Honeywell Commercial Security. Testing technology for sports security The software is able to visualise, automate planning, design and efficiency analysis of a video surveillance system"A partnership with University of Southern Mississippi’s National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) is testing technology such as MaxPro Video, Pro-Watch Access Control and UNP Mass Notification in the National Sport Security Laboratory and in connected real-world environments. “The analytics data gathered from these environments will help inform future security innovations,” says Montgomery. Another Honeywell partnership is with JVSG, whose CCTV Design Software offers a new way to design more affordable and higher quality video surveillance systems. Integrators and distributors are now able to add a range of models from Honeywell’s portfolio of Performance Series IP Cameras into their system design from the software’s database. “The software is able to visualise, automate planning, design and efficiency analysis of a video surveillance system,” says Jeremy Kimber, Director of Enterprise Global Product Management, Honeywell Security and Fire. The program is used by more than 7,000 CCTV designers in more than 130 countries around the world and is downloaded more than 60,000 times every year.

Ahli United Bank (AUB) is a leading financial institution providing banking, investment, and wealth management services from 147 branches in eight countries. Utilising Gallagher’s business and security solutions in Bahrain since 2008, Ahli United Bank decided in 2017 to undertake a full upgrade of the systems at its headquarters. Installing controlled doors As part of upgrading the full product suite at its Bahrain Headquarters – which included all controlled doors and software – Ahli United Bank (AUB) also took the opportunity for a complete re-design of the set-up and locations of its security system. The bank was committed to finding a product that was cost effective and had a long life expectancy. While researching their options, AUB management saw a demonstration of Gallagher’s Mobile Connect technology and were immediately convinced that this was the ideal product for the bank’s upgrade. Gallagher Mobile Connect uses Bluetooth wireless technology to enable users to badge at a reader using a smartphone  Gallagher Mobile Connect In late 2018, AUB began testing the new mobile solution on site then to be rolled out to most of its staff at headquarters. Gallagher Mobile Connect uses Bluetooth wireless technology to enable users to badge at a reader using a smartphone instead of an access card. A huge benefit for AUB is the solution’s capability to add additional layers of security where needed. Gallagher’s Mobile Connect solution provides the option to apply two-factor authentication via the smartphone – either fingerprint, PIN, or facial recognition – delivering heightened security over access to restricted areas. According to AUB’s management, the two-factor capability was very appealing to them. “Using mobile with facial recognition is far more secure than card and PIN, and it’s immensely more cost-effective than buying biometric readers,” they said. Temporary remote access control From an administrative and site management perspective, Gallagher Mobile Connect provides AUB with significant flexibility. Easy provisioning means that authorised staff can remotely allocate temporary access in advance and can also schedule when a user’s access can begin and end – ideal for visitors and contractors who come to the bank’s headquarters. Beyond Mobile Connect, readers and controllers, AUB uses Gallagher’s security software platform, Command Centre, to manage alarms and access for its headquarters and all branches, all from a centralised location. “The power of Command Centre is enormous,” said AUB’s Management. “It integrates with our CCTV equipment and gives excellent oversight of our operations.”

Police forces recognise biometrics as a potentially critical tool to improving the quality and efficiency of policing across the globe. As part of a diverse Digital Authentication strategy, automated facial recognition surveillance is becoming an integral part of our digital policing, with the UK Home Office planning to invest a huge £97 million into a broader biometric technology approach to safeguard our streets. Automated facial recognition surveillance Digital fingerprint-based authentication is still widely regarded as having a higher level of maturity However, the latest court case against the South Wales Police as well as the Amazon backlash over the sale of its technology to the US police has highlighted that acceptance of the use of biometric technology as much as the maturing of the technology is important to achieve the expected benefits for the police. Digital fingerprint-based authentication is still widely regarded as having a higher level of maturity, has an implicit acceptance linked to the identity of the individual and delivers a lower false positive result. Facial recognition, when used as a stand-alone biometric, suffers from the risk of challenge or refusal to accept as in the case of the challenge to the South Wales Police pilot program. In addition, gender and racial bias as well as scenarios such as poor lighting and individuals wearing accessories impacts on reliability. Advancements in biometrics There is clearly a need to focus on how biometrics, as technology matures, can support identity verification at scale and to gain widespread public acceptance as part of a wider digital policing initiative according to Jason Tooley, Chief Revenue Officer at Veridium. Jason comments: “Police forces around the world are looking to integrate the latest advancements in technology to enhance public security and cut costs, and biometric solutions are integral to this movement. With the maturing of biometrics techniques and many different scenarios to address, it’s imperative to use the right biometrics for the right requirements and to create a strategy that facilitates the use of multiple biometrics. We would advocate an approach that abstracts the identity verification and digital authentication processes from the services and creates a biometric platform to match the specific requirements of the police and the public.” Fingerprint recognition Fingerprint, being the most mature and widely used biometrics, has high levels of acceptance today" He adds, “There are current barriers to the acceptance of biometrics which will be overcome as trust in the technology becomes the norm. Fingerprint, being the most mature and widely used has high levels of acceptance today and is easily adopted by police and public. It requires public acceptance and doesn’t work for wider surveillance techniques but for individual verification, police moving to a digital fingerprint capture mechanism rather than physical has great benefits and the public are more likely to be accepting of enrolment. Facial recognition would be a surveillance at scale solution but the challenges of maturity and external factors as well as public acceptance are challenges to be overcome in the future.” Jason continues, “It is imperative for police forces to take a strategic approach as they trial biometric technologies, and not solely focus on a single biometric approach. With the rapid rate of innovation in the field, an open biometric strategy that delivers the ability for the police to use the right biometric techniques for the right requirements will accelerate the benefits associated with digital policing and achieve public acceptance by linking the strategy to ease of adoption.”

Pengsheng Industrial Park is the first investment project by a Chinese private enterprise in Uzbekistan that has been acknowledged and ratified by the governments of the two countries. Located in Uzbekistan's Sirdaryo state, the Pengsheng Industrial Park is the biggest non-energy cooperation project between China and the Central Asian country. At present, there are over 10 workshops covering various fields with a total number of more than 1,500 employees. As a model project of China-Uzbekistan cooperation, it has contributed to a large number of job opportunities and high output value for local economic development. High-end monitoring system The expansion of the production scale of the park brought inconvenience to management and the current simple front-end camera plus back-end storage video surveillance system cannot meet the growing production management and modern monitoring needs any more. Dahua provided the park with a complete, high-end monitoring system that contain over 500 HD cameras, 100 IP camerasDahua provided the park with a customised complete, high-end monitoring system that contain over 500 HD cameras, 100 IP cameras, central management, central storage, third-party contact as well as display and control system all around factory, fence, outdoor and indoor areas to protect the whole park. To better secure the access between the network of video surveillance system, the data is gathered from front-end devices by PON transmission to establish looped network for video surveillance and to ensure reliability. Advanced technology solutions This project is the first general contracted project with great significance in Uzbekistan. Dahua is not only the supplier of the equipment, but also responsible for the whole project life cycle including construction, delivery, system documentation, technical support, operation training and long-term maintenance. The solutions have effectively reduced the difficulty during production process, which greatly improved the management efficiency for customers. In the future, Dahua will continue to provide more advanced technology solutions such as face recognition, personnel and vehicle management IT systems, industrial machine vision, etc. for the Peng Sheng industrial Park.

Maintaining an educational environment that is conducive to learning requires, at a minimum, that we keep our school children safe and secure. It’s easier said than done, given the wide range of sizes and types of educational institutions. Campus Security High-profile violence in educational environments highlight the urgency of the need for security and safety systems High-profile violence in educational environments highlight the urgency of the need for security and safety systems, and the challenges extend beyond preventing the active shooter incidents that grab headlines. In the United States, 79% of public schools recorded that one or more incidents of violence, theft, or other crimes had taken place, amounting to 1.4 million crimes. That translates to a rate of 29 crimes per 1,000 students. Security is a 24-hour challenge. Protecting schools involves deployment of a range of security and physical hardening tools. Reducing risk requires that access to school buildings be controlled, while also preserving an ‘open’ campus atmosphere that promotes a learning environment. Schools should be an inviting place for students and families, so technology solutions aimed at restricting access should be low-profile and unobtrusive. School security must also be designed in layers, or concentric circles of protection, starting at the school’s perimeter and working inward to secure individual classrooms and other internal areas. Enhancing video security at schools Video surveillance is a technology that is unobtrusive and can promote security beginning at the outermost boundaries of the school environment – at the perimeter and as automobiles drive onto school grounds. Surveillance can keep a silent and constant watch on people comes and goes. Furthermore, incorporating new artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning technologies are increasing the real-time capabilities of video surveillance to provide early warning of a possible security threat as it enters a campus. AI and deep learning analyse the content of video feeds and provide usable information to security personnel, including analysis of trends and real-time alarms when an event takes place. Incorporating AI into video security Video feeds are analysed in real-time and alarms can be raised only if there is a problem In addition to controlling perimeter access, video surveillance incorporating AI can also provide other benefits, such as keeping watch on a school campus after hours – before and after school, or even on weekends when extra-curricular activities may be taking place. The systems can monitor traffic flow and ensure that only authorised vehicles enter an area. The benefits of AI-driven video systems also enable greater effectiveness of systems that are not being actively monitored. Video feeds are analysed in real-time and alarms can be raised only if there is a problem. Whenever a vehicle passes into a restricted area on a school’s campus, the video system captures a vehicle image and automatically provides significant data. ANPR systems Automated number plate recognition (ANPR) systems identify the license numbers of cars that enter a school’s parking entrance or gate and can match the numbers to a watch list and provide an alarm. The technology could also be used to monitor compliance with restricted areas; for example, to only allow vehicles that registered for a parking pass to park in a certain lot. A more advanced approach could involve dual identification technologies – vehicle plate and facial recognition of a driver – to add another layer of security. Video systems with illegal parking detection can define a zone for no parking at a school. If any vehicle enters the area, the camera will be triggered to collect evidence. Images are captured of illegally parked vehicles, and the system provides data about when and where it occurred, the vehicle plate number and the parking violation. Traffic cameras with DL technology Traffic cameras with deep learning technology can also identify and classify vehicles Traffic cameras with deep learning technology can also identify and classify vehicles; in effect, to distinguish between small and large vehicles and even detect a vehicle’s make, model and colour. For instance, it is possible to differentiate between cars and buses in ‘buses only’ areas. Currently such cameras are more commonly deployed on public streets and highways, but the capability is there. The system can also capture images and produce alarm data if a vehicle is driven in the wrong direction, such as into an exit-only lane or the wrong way on a roadway. Facial recognition systems Facial recognition can be used at school entrances and gates to promote security of students and staff and to identify known suspects who attempt to enter the building. ‘Blacklist alarm’ technology generates a notification if a known suspect enters. Clarity is paramount when identifying faces, and cameras that provide wide dynamic range (WDR) can offset challenges such as backlighting on a bright day when the light behind a person coming in is brighter than the ambient light inside. People counting cameras Facial recognition systems can also be used inside school buildings. A facial recognition terminal installed at the entrance of a campus building or library can be configured to ensure that only registered students and staff have access to the buildings. People counting cameras can be used in cafeterias and libraries to provide daily or monthly traffic reports and to better understand peak times and arrange workflow accordingly. Unified security solution Tedious and error-prone manual monitoring can now be replaced by more intelligent systems Feeds from all the cameras can be managed, monitored and stored in an authorised security centre, either located on a campus or in a central location that combines camera feeds from multiple campuses in a school district, for example. In general, security staff can access surveillance data in a variety of ways, via a desktop, laptop, or mobile device. Such flexibility makes the job of security personnel easier. A campus police or resource officer can view video on a mobile device while patrolling the campus. Often video surveillance systems at schools are not monitored. School security personnel have more pressing duties than sitting in front of a video monitor, and it is difficult for operators to stay alert for detailed incidents that may be shown on the screen. Tedious and error-prone manual monitoring can now be replaced by more intelligent systems that provide alarms only when there is something to see.  Maximising school surveillance capabilities Systems to maximise school surveillance and security include dedicated, high-performance cameras for event capture, embedded network video recorder for event recording and storage, and a centralised video management platform to unify the system. AI and deep learning technologies automate security processes and provide useful real-time information that extends beyond video images. Deploying these technologies at the perimeter can promote better security campus-wide by preventing danger from entering the learning environment.

Prama Hikvision partnered with the Sanjivani Group of Institutes to offer latest surveillance and security solutions. For the first time that Artificial Intelligence was offered, and enabled face recognition terminals in India’s education sector. Sanjivani Group of Institutes situated at Kopargaon, Ahmednagar is a premier institute for Engineering, Pharmacy, Nursing and Diploma in Ahmednagar District. Sanjivani took its names and inspiration from the famous epic of Ramayana where ‘Sanjivani buty’ was brought for revival of life. The Sanjivani Rural Education Society (SRES), was established by Honorable Shri. Shankarrao Genuji Kolhe in 1983, at Kopargaon, rural domain in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, India. Identify unauthorised person The entire campus of the Sanjivani Group of Institutes is spread out in more than 100 acres land As the educational scenario changed with time, SRES understood the need and added a number of courses under the umbrella of the Sanjivani Rural Education Society (SRES) and consequently it gave birth of the Sanjivani College of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Sanjivani Senior and Junior College, Sanjivani Academy, a CBSE school and Sanjivani International school. The entire campus of the Sanjivani Group of Institutes is spread out in more than 100 acres land. There are different departments in various buildings, playgrounds, hostels and staff quarters. Due to vast area and huge numbers of students, it’s very difficult for management to identify unauthorised person inside the campus. In the past, many instances of bullying, robbery, theft, ragging and pick-pocketing were reported. Up-to-date surveillance solution With the expansion of the Sanjivani Group, there were many challenges faced by students and staff in terms of safety and security. “Consequently, we took our first step towards it by installing Hikvision IP CCTV surveillance in all our campus areas for monitoring. The clarity and the quality of the camera is appreciable and satisfying,” said Amit N Kolhe, Managing Trustee, Sanjivani Rural Education Society (SRES). He further added, “Presently the security technology has changed a lot. While understanding the need of safety and security of the students, we decided to go for an up-to-date surveillance solution. We contacted Prama Hikvision team and their system integration partner Om Agency for an advanced solution. After understanding our requirements, they introduced some of the latest technologies related to security surveillance.” Facial recognition devices The same software can be used by seamless integration for time attendance, access control and surveillance" He further elaborated, “After this we finalised the key areas by conducting the security survey in the campus. We got many advanced solutions implemented with help of SI partner and Prama Hikvision team. The solutions included, ANPR cameras for number plate recognition of cars and bikes at entry and exit gates, facial recognition devices for time attendance and access control of students & staff members.” “The advantage of Hikvision security and surveillance products is that things can be monitored through a single software platform, i.e. IVMS 5200E, which comes as all in one software. The same software can be used by seamless integration for time attendance, access control and surveillance,” concluded Amit N. Kolhe. Access control systems By visiting Sanjivani Group of Institutes along with System Integration Partner Om agency, the following solutions based on the latest technology and products were adopted: Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras Tripod turnstile integrated with face recognition panels HD IP cameras A broadcasting solution for the seminar rooms Face recognition based access control systems Hikvision solutions delivered results: ANPR Cameras helped the institute to identify unauthorised vehicles at entry gates, through which they stopped many outsiders in getting entry into campus area. Face recognition panels and access control panels helped institute in getting entry and exit record of students as well as visitors. Through the large number of cameras installed at various locations, the management is able to keep an eye on the entire campus. One-stop solution We are proud to execute this project with support of Prama Hikvision" “Implementing IP Surveillance project for Sanjivani Group of Institutes, Kopargaon was a great learning experience. We have built a strong relationship with Prama Hikvision over the past 10 years. They work with vendor partners to deliver solutions that suit the requirements. The efficient professionals and quality of service is appreciated.” said Mr. Hemant Rokade – Director Sales, OM Agency. “We are proud to execute this project with support of Prama Hikvision. It was a huge challenge to execute the project of such gigantic proportions. While implementing the project, Prama Hikvision helped us through the project at every step. We appreciate the level of details and accountability, which Prama Hikvision has demonstrated in this project. This reaffirms our faith that Hikvision is the one stop solution for all security and surveillance solutions,” said Mr. Pravin Rokade – Director Operations, OM Agency.

Iris ID, a global provider of iris recognition technology, has partnered with Africa’s leading manufacturing conglomerate, Dangote Group, to provide a time and attendance solution for more than 30,000 employees working at Dangote Cement manufacturing plants in five countries. The Dangote Group is a Nigerian multinational industrial conglomerate, founded by Aliko Dangote. It is the largest conglomerate in West Africa and one of the largest on the African continent. The group employs about 35,000 people, generating revenue in excess of US$4.1 billion in 2017. Contactless facial recognition system Prasanna Burri, group chief Information officer, Dangote, Group, said the company wanted a biometric solution that provided greater accuracy than a facial recognition system previously used at the company’s cement manufacturing plants in Nigeria, Ethiopia, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Congo. The new system also had to be contactless to reduce the chances of spreading colds, flu and other diseases. The Iris ID readers provide us with a secure time and attendance solution" “Iris-based technology is not only contactless and more accurate but also faster than our previous system,” he said. “The Iris ID readers provide us with a secure time and attendance solution, deployed in Dangote Group’s public cloud that integrates seamlessly with the enterprise resource planning system at our Nigerian headquarters.” Early success Burri said the system’s early success has Dangote considering expanding it to more of its African operations. Mohammed Murad, vice president global sales and business development, Iris ID, said the iris-based solution was ideal for use in the Dangote cement manufacturing operations. “Our contactless readers work well in a dusty environment and are unaffected by employees wearing safety glasses and other protective gear,” he said. “Dangote is the largest indigenous industrial conglomerate in sub-Saharan Africa, helping to drive the continent’s growth. We’re happy to play a part.” Time and attendance system Initial installation of the time and attendance system was completed by Maxut Consulting Ltd. Of Lagos, Nigeria. Iris ID technology is used in several African nations providing identity authentication for national ID, voter registration and other public and private programs.

With the advent of online shopping, brick-and-mortar retail businesses are challenged to make transactions more convenient while enhancing the “experience” aspects that differentiate real-life shopping from the simpler route of clicking on a website. Technology is helping retailers create that differentiation, including technologies such as video systems, deep learning analytics and point-of-sale (POS) integrations that have evolved from innovation in the physical security market. For more insights, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What new security industry technologies are having an impact on the retail market?

Statistically speaking, incidents of terrorism are unlikely to impact most businesses and institutions. However, the mere possibility of worst-case-scenario attacks is enough to keep security professionals awake at night. Compounding the collective anxiety is the minute-by-minute media coverage when an attack does occur. The immediacy of the shared experience of global tragedy impacts us all – including security system decision-makers. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How is the rise in terrorism impacting the physical security market?

What is a business, or an industry, but a collection of people and the results of their work? People make all the difference in the destiny of a business or industry. And the people involved in a business reflect the impact of demographic changes – and the passage of time. The security industry has been largely built by Baby Boomers, who are getting older and increasingly stepping aside to make way for younger folks. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Is there a “new generation” of employees and managers entering the physical security marketplace, and what will be the impact?