Hybrid security

DigiCert, Inc., globally renowned provider of TLS/SSL, IoT and PKI solutions, has announced two new PKI tools, namely - IoT Device Manager and Enterprise PKI Manager. Unlike PKI applications of the past, both PKI managers use a container-based, cloud-agnostic implementation that ensures fast and flexible on-premises, cloud and hybrid PKI deployments. These new offerings are built on the DigiCert ONE platform.  DigiCert ONE is a holistic approach to modernising PKI management and sets a new standard for fast and flexible PKI deployments. Based on modern software design and engineering technology, DigiCert ONE delivers end-to-end centralised user and device certificate management for a variety of deployment models and PKI use cases. Fast and flexible PKI deployments PKI applications that we’ve used in the past have required weeks of long hours to deploy on-premises" “As early adopters of IoT Device Manager and Enterprise PKI Manager, we are looking forward to their ease of use and flexibility for our many initiatives, including our IoT and connected city solutions,” said Mark Stevens, Technical Lead, British Telecom PKI and Cryptography. Mark adds, “PKI applications that we’ve used in the past have required weeks of long hours to deploy on-premises, but with DigiCert ONE, after configuring our Docker and network environment, we were up and running the PKI Managers in about 20 minutes. British Telecom is excited and looking forward to the benefit of DigiCert ONE’s multiple functionalities and the scalability it will bring for our customers.” IoT Device Manager It allows device manufacturers to - Provision and embed device identity at any stage of the device lifecycle, from the factory to device deployment on-premises, in the cloud or hybrid environments; Simplify device identity, authentication, encryption and integrity with a single click; Integrated device data visualisation with cryptographic, manufacturing and factory process data; and Support standards-based interoperability with many third-party manufacturing and provisioning systems. Enterprise PKI Manager It allows IT teams to do the following - Seamlessly and transparently deploy identity, authentication and access to large user populations quickly and with little to no end-user interaction; Flexibility in deployment models, supporting customer deployments in private or public cloud, air-gapped environments, or completely managed by DigiCert; Customise certificates and tailor deployments to their infrastructure and needs; and Manage out-of-the-box and create custom CA hierarchies. Automated PKI deployment IoT Device Manager and Enterprise PKI Manager give customers the tools they need to integrate PKI services" “Today’s release of the IoT Device Manager and Enterprise PKI Manager in DigiCert ONE meets customers where they want to be with fast, flexible and automated PKI deployment across global networks and within geographies of differing regulatory standards,” said DigiCert CEO John Merrill. John adds, “Whether deploying to their own private or public clouds, or within air-gapped or on-premises networks to meet in-country compliance requirements, IoT Device Manager and Enterprise PKI Manager give customers the tools they need to integrate PKI services that secure their device connection points.” Integrate PKI services Developed based on feedback from leading enterprises and IoT device manufacturers, DigiCert ONE meets practical organisational needs, enabling them to - Integrate PKI services with established business processes and third-party vendors via a feature-rich REST API; Facilitate a rapid rollout of PKI services in minutes instead of days, leveraging environment parity and container portability to set up private or public clouds or on-premises quickly; and Reduce total cost of ownership and complexity with a modern scalable architecture and containerisation strategies to provide a high availability PKI platform for their company. With a continuous deployment model, DigiCert will introduce additional PKI managers to DigiCert ONE, such as secure email, document signing, and object signing, individual signing. From OS to application, DigiCert ONE users will benefit from regular updates that ensure they are always running the most up-to-date software with the latest functionality.

Pulse Secure, globally renowned provider of software-defined Secure Access solutions, has announced that Alex Thurber is joining the executive team as Chief Revenue Officer, where he will be responsible for global sales strategy, management and team development. “We are committed to providing the easiest, most effective solutions for enterprises to secure access to applications and data across their hybrid IT environments,” said Sudhakar Ramakrishna, CEO of Pulse Secure. Zero Trust solutions He adds, “We are excited to have Alex join our team and spearhead our forward momentum in the marketplace. Alex has the experience to drive growth of our industry-renowned Zero Trust solutions into an ever-evolving security landscape.” Thurber brings more than 20 years of international leadership experience across the tech industry for security and channel development. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President, General Manager of Blackberry’s Mobility Solutions Business Unit, where he transformed the hardware BU into a mobility solutions licensing group. At WatchGuard, he successfully revamped their sales, channel and go-to-market strategy. Alex has also held sales leadership roles at Tripwire, McAfee, and Cisco Systems. Challenging IT and security issues Businesses are looking to companies like Pulse Secure to address challenging IT and security issues" “Enterprises are faced with the weight of transforming their businesses to meet the productivity needs of their employees and customers while ensuring access to their applications and information are protected and compliant,” commented Thurber. “Businesses are looking to companies like Pulse Secure to address challenging IT and security issues, and I am excited to join the team and continue the great success we’ve built.” Pulse Secure, LLC provides easy, comprehensive software-driven Secure Access solutions for people, devices, things and services that improve visibility, protection and productivity for our customers. Our suites uniquely integrate cloud, mobile, application and network access to enable hybrid IT in a Zero Trust world. Secure information access Over 23,000 enterprises and service providers across every vertical entrust Pulse Secure to empower their mobile workforce to securely access applications and information in the data center and cloud while ensuring business compliance.

As it is a new year and decade, it is prime time to assess the state of the video content analytics industry and ponder how it might evolve in the coming 12-18 months. The video surveillance market has been booming for many years, but the introduction of complementary video intelligence technology has enabled users to derive more value from their video surveillance investments, transforming video into actionable intelligence based on deep learning techniques and artificial intelligence. This is why a variety of industries, including retail, financial services, and shipping, are enthusiastically embracing video content analytics. Video content analysis Artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning continue to be the key enabling technologies behind video content analysis, effectively transforming live or recorded video into structured metadata that can deliver actionable and quantifiable insights. Ongoing algorithm research and development continues to make the extraction and analysis of data increasingly efficient and accurate and the innovation in this area will progress as the world moves into 2020 and beyond.  Algorithm research and development continues to make the extraction and analysis of data increasingly efficient and accurate Because real-time video processing continues to provide significant benefit to end users – based on advances in the sophistication of real-time alerting – a top priority for organisations already leveraging video analytics is expanding the camera coverage for real-time video processing. By expanding the scope of real-time video processing, users can trigger alerts for broader environments and also increase data aggregation and visualisation into dashboards in real time to drive business insights based on continuous processing with integrated video data sources. Real-time information The market demand for real-time information and immediacy will only grow, especially as users become more reliant on video intelligence dashboards for deriving current business intelligence, and – in parallel – the technology to support this will continue to improve. Facial recognition, which matches faces by correlating biometric features against a compiled watchlist or database of digital images, either extracted from video frames or uploaded to the system. With so many significant applications – from pinpointing missing persons or criminal suspects, to identifying VIP customers in a loyalty program – this technology is posed for increased adoption, as access to ideal video and conditions to support face matching become more mainstream: As higher resolution video and more efficient processing technologies evolve, face recognition solutions are becoming more effective and accurate. While the progress in this field has been significant, face recognition remains controversial and will continue to do so until regulations around its use become more definitive. Accurate video analytics The increasing availability of high-resolution video (4k, 8k) is enabling more sophisticated and accurate video analytics. Higher resolution video makes it possible to more accurately analyse and identify objects in crowds, for triggering real-time rule-based alerts when certain conditions are met, searching and filtering video, and drawing intelligence from video metadata. Technological advances drive precise analytic capabilities, such as face recognition and count-based alerting. However, the steep hardware requirements to support heavier video processing remain a barrier. As long as the cost of hardware is high, mass market adoption of higher resolution cameras will be somewhat stilted, but it’s definitely an evolution we’ll continue to monitor in the coming years.  Video surveillance networks The migration to cloud platforms offer end users the freedom of choice when it comes to video content analytics deployment Cloud-based video analytics is a trend that’s often discussed, but as of yet there has not been significant market penetration. Nonetheless, this industry – among other software solutions – is still moving in this direction, because cloud implementations offer ease of deployment and a low cost of entry. With advances to cloud development, in general, cloud platforms now boast robust cyber security, as well. Cloud services incur a fraction of the capital expenditures, procurement procedures, and installation and deployment expenses of on-premises implementations, and are well-suited to serving the needs of a multi-site deployment. At the very least, the migration to cloud platforms will offer end users the freedom of choice when it comes to video content analytics deployment, whether the cloud, on-premises or hybrid of the two is most suited to maximise their existing video surveillance networks. Hardware and software progress The video analytics field is posed for continued evolution in 2020, because of rapid enabling hardware and software progress that is making the technology more accessible and more valuable. BriefCam is looking forward to continuing to contribute towards the advances in video content analytics in 2020 and to evolve with the market as it grows to serve new types of end users, business units and organisations across a broad range of industries in 2020 and beyond. 

Pulse Secure, global provider of software-defined Secure Access solutions, has announced a new distribution partnership with Cloud Distribution to grow its channel community across the UK and Ireland to meet accelerating demand for Zero Trust access security. Cloud Distribution is a “Cloud First” next-generation value added distributor (VAD) and specialist in Cyber Security, Networking, and Data Centre Solutions with a community of over 900 active partners across the UK and Ireland. Pulse Secure Zero Trust-based Access Suite Cloud Distribution will offer the integrated portfolio of Pulse Secure solutions, including virtual private network Cloud Distribution will offer the integrated portfolio of Pulse Secure solutions, including virtual private network (VPN), software defined perimeter (SDP), network access control (NAC), and virtual application delivery controllers (ADC). The agreement will include Pulse Secure’s Zero Trust-based Access Suite which delivers protected connectivity, operational intelligence and threat response across mobile, network and cloud environments. “The adoption of Zero Trust is accelerating and Pulse Secure is the only vendor with a complete, end-to-end offering that also adheres to open industry standards to encourage seamless migration,” says Adam Davison, Sales & Marketing Director for Cloud Distribution, “This new agreement will help our channel to deliver the strategic shift that organisations are undergoing as the notion of the secure perimeter fades and is replaced by secure access technologies enable hybrid IT utilities.” Hybrid IT utilities As part of the new distribution agreement, Cloud Distribution aims to on-board additional Pulse Secure partners that will benefit from a program of sales enablement, lead generation, education and marketing elements. The program will be supported by call-out days, webinars, test drive seminars and a proactive approach to market development. “Cloud Distribution is a progressive Value Added Distributor (VAD) that has built a reputation for strong channel engagement which will help extend Pulse Secure’s reach across the UK and Ireland at a time of strong growth." said Alan Finden, director of EMEA channel and distribution sales for Pulse Secure. “The move to Zero Trust is one of the most significant shifts in secure access since the advent of the VPN and our new partnership we believe will extend our market leadership within the channel.” Remote, mobile and cloud security The Zero Trust security market size is projected to grow from USD 15.6 billion in 2019 to USD 38.6 billion by 2024, at a CAGR of 19.9% from 2019 to 2024 according to MarketsandMarkets Research. Pulse Secure’s Zero Trust focus is delivered with the Pulse Access Suites Pulse Secure’s Zero Trust focus is delivered with the Pulse Access Suites. The Suites provide remote, mobile, cloud, network and application security with comprehensive VPN, Mobile Device Management (MDM), Single Sign-on (SSO), endpoint and IOT device security, Network Access Control (NAC) and virtual Application Delivery Controller (ADC) functionality. Software Defined Perimeter (SDP) Pulse SDP is a Suite add-on which activates Software Defined Perimeter (SDP) components within existing Pulse solutions to provide direct device-to-application trusted connectivity only after successful user, device and security state verification. This approach extends the company’s foundation of Zero Trust access for hybrid IT with enhanced usability, deployment flexibility, automated provisioning and resource optimisation. In November, Pulse Secure won the Software Defined Vendor of the Year at CRN Channel Awards 2019 recognising its development of new Software Defined technologies to help the channel meet growing demand for Zero Trust security. Pulse Secure provides easy, comprehensive software-driven Secure Access solutions for people, devices, things and services that improve visibility, protection and productivity for enterprises and customers. This global cloud security provider’s suite of solutions include uniquely integrated cloud, mobile, application and network access solutions to enable hybrid IT in a Zero Trust world.

ExtraHop, globally renowned provider of cloud-native network detection and response solutions, has announced a new integration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) that automates the isolation of compromised Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) instances and empowers security operations teams to create a wide range of customisable response automations, from quarantining and blocking to ticketing and tagging. ExtraHop Reveal(x) Cloud Alongside the new automation capability, ExtraHop Reveal(x) Cloud offers continuous packet capture in AWS Alongside the new automation capability, ExtraHop Reveal(x) Cloud now offers continuous packet capture in AWS. That reduces the amount of time, effort, and money required to perform packet-level analysis while providing security teams with the forensic detail they need to get to root cause or to fulfill chain-of-custody requirements.   Response automation is considered the Holy Grail for many security operations, allowing teams to snuff out threats before they further infiltrate or damage the organisation. But when done at a tool level instead of a system level, response automation too often results in devices being quarantined or systems being shut down based on unreliable data or incomplete information. ExtraHop integration with AWS Lengthy investigation time compounds the challenge, leaving critical systems idle until the threat can be remediated, and potentially resulting in business downtime and lost revenue. The latest ExtraHop integration with AWS brings precision to both response automation and investigation workflows in the cloud. The AWS quarantine integration combines high-fidelity detections from Reveal(x) Cloud with AWS security group policies to automatically quarantine compromised EC2 instances, enabling timely and targeted response. Streamline investigations in cloud and hybrid environments Security teams can also modify the trigger, or write a new trigger, to take different actions when detection violates policies. With right-sized continuous packet capture, Reveal(x) Cloud takes an analytics-first approach to investigation, allowing security operations teams to go from detection to associated packets in a matter of clicks, keeping investigations fast and focused. Reveal(x) Cloud also includes new features that streamline investigation in cloud and hybrid environments, enabling analysts to rapidly identify and respond to the highest priority threats. 1G, 5G, and 10G SaaS offerings with Continuous Packet Capture within AWS environments support streamlined and guided investigation for any incident. Customers can begin purchasing the Reveal(x) Cloud PCAP for AWS offering in early 2020. Related Detections reduce response time by automatically surfacing similar threats across architectures in a Reveal(x) Cloud investigation workflow. This provides SecOps teams with a unified view of attack patterns happening in the environment. Enhanced reporting capability provides executive-level overviews of security posture at the touch of a button. Reports zero in on critical threats while also delivering high-level insight into compliance across hybrid and cloud environments. Advanced visibility and detection “Though AWS supports strong controls, companies are responsible for securing their own workloads, which is a daunting task with the current cyber security skills shortage and nascent cloud security market,” said Jesse Rothstein, CTO and co-founder, ExtraHop. Jesse adds, “Our Reveal(x) solution provides SecOps teams with advanced visibility, detection, and response for hybrid environments. We are constantly working to expand our capabilities, and this integration with AWS is another step towards winning the arms race in enterprise security.”

ExtraHop, a pioneer in cloud-native network detection and response, announced a new integration between ExtraHop® Reveal(x) and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) via the new packet mirroring feature announced by GCP at Google NEXT ‘19 UK. Google Cloud’s new Packet Mirroring feature enables Reveal(x) to passively and agentlessly analyse network traffic within GCP to provide robust, real-time threat detection, investigation, and response. Cloud computing Traffic visibility is critical to prevent security breaches and attacks as networks grow in complexity" Armed with this visibility, security teams can protect data and workloads in Google Cloud and expand control across the entire hybrid attack surface. Reveal(x) for GCP automatically discovers, classifies, and maps dependencies between workloads, and applies advanced machine learning to surface the most critical threats. Equipped with this information, GCP customers can rapidly identify, investigate, and respond to threats, fulfilling their obligations under the shared responsibility model. "Ulta Beauty is a company built on seeing possibilities. It's informed everything from our in-store shopping experience to how we build our business – including the technology that supports it," said Diane Brown, senior director of IT risk management and CISO at Ulta Beauty. "In cloud computing, we see the ability to grow faster and deliver more 'wow' experiences to our customers. The new integration between ExtraHop Reveal(x) and Google Cloud's new packet mirroring accelerates our cloud adoption by giving us the visibility we need to secure our applications and protect our most precious asset, our customers." Full threat visibility Through the integration with GCP packet mirroring, ExtraHop Reveal(x) provides full threat visibility, detection, and response across cloud and hybrid workloads. Full Packet Analysis: Reveal(x) leverages GCP Packet Mirroring to capture payloads and headers, enabling in-depth analysis and threat hunting. Machine learning at the application layer provides immediate detection of difficult-to-spot activity, including exfiltration. Encrypted Payload Visibility: Reveal(x) decrypts SSL/TLS-encrypted traffic at line rate, including cipher suites supporting perfect forward secrecy, providing complete visibility into all communications, including encrypted malicious traffic. Augmented Investigation: Reveal(x) for GCP automates several early investigation steps to provide analysts with workflows that can be completed in clicks, enabling quick and confident response. Detect network intrusions "Traffic visibility is critical to prevent security breaches and attacks as networks grow in complexity," said Mahesh Narayanan, product manager at Google Cloud. “With Packet Mirroring, our customers now have a way to proactively detect network intrusions, analyse, and diagnose application performance issues for both Compute Engine and Google Kubernetes Engine, across all regions and machine types." "Traditional security tools are falling short and new thinking is needed for hybrid enterprises today," said Jesse Rothstein, CTO and co-founder at ExtraHop. “Reveal(x) for GCP Packet Mirroring provides security teams with unparalleled network visibility and cloud-scale machine learning for detection and automated response across your business's complex attack surface.” ExtraHop Reveal(x) for GCP is now available in alpha.

Imagine a home surveillance camera monitoring an elderly parent and anticipating potential concerns while respecting their privacy. Imagine another camera predicting a home burglary based on suspicious behaviors, allowing time to notify the homeowner who can in turn notify the police before the event occurs—or an entire network of cameras working together to keep an eye on neighborhood safety. Artificial Intelligence vision chips A new gen of AI vision chips are pushing advanced capabilities such as behavior analysis and higher-level security There's a new generation of artificial intelligence (AI) vision chips that are pushing advanced capabilities such as behavior analysis and higher-level security to the edge (directly on devices) for a customisable user experience—one that rivals the abilities of the consumer electronics devices we use every day. Once considered nothing more than “the eyes” of a security system, home monitoring cameras of 2020 will leverage AI-vision processors for high-performance computer vision at low power consumption and affordable cost—at the edge—for greater privacy and ease of use as well as to enable behavior analysis for predictive and preemptive monitoring. Advanced home monitoring cameras With this shift, camera makers and home monitoring service providers alike will be able to develop new edge-based use cases for home monitoring and enable consumers to customise devices to meet their individual needs. The result will be increased user engagement with home monitoring devices—mirroring that of cellphones and smart watches and creating an overlap between the home monitoring and consumer electronics markets. A quick step back reminds us that accomplishing these goals would have been cost prohibitive just a couple of years ago. Face recognition, behavior analysis, intelligent analytics, and decision-making at this level were extremely expensive to perform in the cloud. Additionally, the lag time associated with sending data to faraway servers for decoding and then processing made it impossible to achieve real-time results. Cloud-based home security devices The constraints of cloud processing certainly have not held the industry back, however. Home monitoring, a market just seven years young, has become a ubiquitous category of home security and home monitoring devices. Consumers can choose to install a single camera or doorbell that sends alerts to their phone, a family of devices and a monthly manufacturer’s plan, or a high-end professional monitoring solution. While the majority of these devices do indeed rely on the cloud for processing, camera makers have been pushing for edge-based processing since around 2016. For them, the benefit has always been clear: the opportunity to perform intelligent analytics processing in real-time on the device. But until now, the balance between computer vision performance and power consumption was lacking and camera companies weren’t able to make the leap. So instead, they have focused on improving designs and the cloud-centric model has prevailed. Hybrid security systems Even with improvements, false alerts result in unnecessary notifications and video recording Even with improvements, false alerts (like tree branches swaying in the wind or cats walking past a front door) result in unnecessary notifications and video recording— cameras remain active which, in the case of battery powered cameras, means using up valuable battery life. Hybrid models do exist. Typically, they provide rudimentary motion detection on the camera itself and then send video to the cloud for decoding and analysis to suppress false alerts. Hybrids provide higher-level results for things like people and cars, but their approach comes at a cost for both the consumer and the manufacturer. Advanced cloud analytics Advanced cloud analytics are more expensive than newly possible edge-based alternatives, and consumers have to pay for subscriptions. In addition, because of processing delays and other issues, things like rain or lighting changes (or even bugs on the camera) can still trigger unnecessary alerts. And the more alerts a user receives, the more they tend to ignore them—there are simply too many. In fact, it is estimated that users only pay attention to 5% of their notifications. This means that when a package is stolen or a car is burglarised, users often miss the real-time notification—only to find out about the incident after the fact. All of this will soon change with AI-based behavior analysis, predictive security, and real-time meaningful alerts. Predictive monitoring while safeguarding user privacy These days, consumers are putting more emphasis on privacy and have legitimate concerns about being recorded while in their homes. Soon, with AI advancements at the chip level, families will be able to select user apps that provide monitoring without the need to stream video to a company server, or they’ll have access to apps that record activity but obscure faces. Devices will have the ability to only send alerts according to specific criteria. If, for example, an elderly parent being monitored seems particularly unsteady one day or seems especially inactive, an application could alert the responsible family member and suggest that they check in. By analysing the elderly parent’s behavior, the application could also predict a potential fall and trigger an audio alert for the person and also the family. AI-based behavior analysis Ability to analyse massive amounts of data locally and identify trends is a key advantage of AI at the edge The ability to analyse massive amounts of data locally and identify trends or perform searches is a key advantage of AI at the edge, for both individuals and neighborhoods. For example, an individual might be curious as to what animal is wreaking havoc in their backyard every night. In this case, they could download a “small animal detector” app to their camera which would trigger an alert when a critter enters their yard. The animal could be scared off via an alarm and—armed with video proof—animal control would have useful data for setting a trap. Edge cameras A newly emerging category of “neighborhood watch” applications is already connecting neighbors for significantly improved monitoring and safety. As edge cameras become more commonplace, this category will become increasingly effective. The idea is that if, for example, one neighbor captures a package thief, and then the entire network of neighbors will receive a notification and a synopsis video showing the theft. Or if, say, there is a rash of car break-ins and one neighbor captures video of a red sedan casing their home around the time of a recent incident, an AI vision-based camera could be queried for helpful information: Residential monitoring and security The camera could be asked for a summary of the dates and times that it has recorded that particular red car. A case could be made if incident times match those of the vehicle’s recent appearances in the neighborhood. Even better, if that particular red car was to reappear and seems (by AI behavior analysis) to be suspicious, alerts could be sent proactively to networked residents and police could be notified immediately. Home monitoring in 2020 will bring positive change for users when it comes to monitoring and security, but it will also bring some fun. Consumers will, for example, be able to download apps that do things like monitor pet activity. They might query their device for a summary of their pet’s “unusual activity” and then use those clips to create cute, shareable videos. Who doesn’t love a video of a dog dragging a toilet paper roll around the house? AI at the Edge for home access control Home access control via biometrics is one of many new edge-based use cases that will bring convenience to home monitoring Home access control via biometrics is one of many new edge-based use cases that will bring convenience to home monitoring, and it’s an application that is expected to take off soon. With smart biometrics, cameras will be able to recognise residents and then unlock their smart front door locks automatically if desired, eliminating the need for keys. And if, for example, an unauthorised person tries to trick the system by presenting a photograph of a registered family member’s face, the camera could use “3D liveness detection” to spot the fake and deny access. With these and other advances, professional monitoring service providers will have the opportunity to bring a new generation of access control panels to market. Leveraging computer vision and deep neural networks Ultimately, what camera makers strive for is customer engagement and customer loyalty. These new use cases—thanks to AI at the edge—will make home monitoring devices more useful and more engaging to consumers. Leveraging computer vision and deep neural networks, new cameras will be able to filter out and block false alerts, predict incidents, and send real-time notifications only when there is something that the consumer is truly interested in seeing. AI and computer vision at the edge will enable a new generation of cameras that provide not only a higher level of security but that will fundamentally change the way consumers rely on and interact with their home monitoring devices.

Last year, Genetec predicted that cybersecurity would be taken much more seriously as the Internet of Things (IoT) opened more doors for hacking and network take overs. We also predicted that that there would be an increase in the adoption of Software as a Service (SaaS), expanding choice and convenience from new ownership models via hybrid (on-premises and Cloud) and Cloud-only models. Cyber Accountability awareness 2017 was also a year of awareness about ‘Cyber Accountability’. Rising cyber-crime and the increasing threats saw organisations taking direct action to mitigate their risks. There was a greater demand for cybersecurity/cyber-incompetence malpractice insurance in the physical security space. The physical security industry is continuing to grow at a rate that most other industries would envy. However, the “race to the bottom” and the rise of ultra-low-cost surveillance sensor equipment is negatively affecting the industry as a whole on several levels: Not only are profit margins being eroded, but these ultra-low-cost devices are being fielded and subsidised by state-owned organisations which raises troubling questions around privacy, data sovereignty and cyber security. More focus on privacy protection In 2018, we will see a lot more focus on privacy protection and compliance. People want to feel safe, but not watched. This is where privacy protection and encryption technology play a role in ensuring that security professionals have enough information to be able to do their job while protecting the privacy of the public. In addition to privacy and data protection, there is a greater demand for organisations and institutions to not only make sense of an increasing array of data from sensors and connected devices, but to take meaningful and smart action on these data. Software that help organisations build and activate this type of operational resiliency and security intelligence will lead the way in 2018. Genetec celebrated its 20th anniversary and welcomed its 1,000th employee in 2017. We are still proudly privately owned and will continue to grow and march to our own drummer while delivering our usual brisk pace of software innovation.

Organisations are moving to align their physical and digital security initiatives, especially in today’s more connected world Organisations must address growing security threats using fewer resources in an increasingly challenging regulatory environment. They are looking to ensure data security while also protecting their facilities’ physical security. At the same time, their users are demanding more choices of smart cards, smartphones, wearables, and other mobile devices that can do much more than simply open doors in an increasingly connected world. Cobbling together disparate solutions creates vulnerability gaps and can be expensive and difficult to manage. For these and other reasons, many organisations are moving to align their physical and digital security initiatives, especially in today’s more connected world tied to the Internet of Things (IoT). They are adopting new ways of thinking about trust in smart environments and evolving how they use trusted identities across their operations. In the process, they are discovering better ways to establish, create, use and manage secure credentials using hybrid on-premises and cloud solutions both for access control and to tie people, assets and processes to the Internet of Trusted Things (IoTT). Simpler and more efficient approaches Cloud-based solutions such as Microsoft Azure are already widely used for IT access management and there is now growing interest in harnessing the cloud to manage trusted identities used for physical access management as well. Today’s solutions span the full identity lifecycle, from badge printing or mobile credential issuance all the way through to the management and application of access rights. These solutions tie everything together and automate other manual workflows to provide an end-to-end physical identity and access management solution These integrated solutions will be joined by new cloud models for delivering network-based, service-focused badge printing and encoding that eliminates the need for stand-alone card printers attached to dedicated PC workstations and delivers the security of end-to-end encryption. Such solutions will transform the operational management of ID badge printing, reduce costs, eliminate capex outlay, simplify system maintenance and improve security as compared to on-premises solutions. Reducing vulnerabilities and simplifying compliance In parallel with the move to the cloud, there is also a growing awareness of the interdependencies of technologies and platforms that are used to optimise business agility, manage costs and improve the user experience in today’s increasingly mobile environment, or to extend the reach, flexibility and security of digital commerce and relationship management. These interdependent technologies require an organisation-wide approach to identity management that connects multiple platforms, systems and devices for multi-factor authentication. This approach increases security, reduces vulnerabilities and simplifies compliance. To achieve this vision, unified identity cloud-based physical and IT access management solutions can create a far more seamless experience for users while simplifying procurement, deployment and maintenance. These solutions tie everything together and automate other manual workflows to provide an end-to-end physical identity and access management solution that integrates with access control systems, logical identity and other applications so organisations can manage all types of physical identities and their details. Encompassing identity management lifecycle This approach incorporates trusted credential and other advanced security technologies and encompasses the entire identity management lifecycle. The result: organisations achieve a single, comprehensive security view and more coordinated way to protect privacy, while also lowering total cost of ownership, extending strong authentication from the desktop to the door and supporting a multitude of advanced use cases. This unified approach is especially effective for government agencies and other regulated industries such as banking, healthcare, and transportation. It improves the organisation’s overall security posture while consolidating physical and IT security into a single solution. The user experience is improved by having a single credential for opening doors and accessing IT systems, networks and data and the organisation can more easily comply with federal security requirements while extending public key infrastructure (PKI) strong authentication throughout their operations. Unified identity cloud-based physical and IT access management solutions can create a far more seamless experience for users This unified approach also enables using strong cryptographic credentials in a range of additional applications, including digitally signing emails or documents, decrypting emails or files, full disk encryption and boot protection to secure laptops, among others. This approach also makes it easier to monitor and manage users’ access rights as their roles change within an organisation, ensuring they only have access to what they need in a current role. Incorporation of biometrics In banking, unified platforms provide a holistic, mobile-relevant, multi-channel solution for managing customer identities across all channels, improving the user experience without increasing cost or complexity. The incorporation of biometrics further improves the user experience with higher levels of trust and makes it easier to combat fraud while complying with “know your customer” and other regulatory mandates. Unified platforms for healthcare enable administrators to consolidate identity and access management across the continuum from hospital to home, simplifying operations ranging from opening hospital doors and accessing healthcare records to e-prescribing while simplifying compliance and improving how healthcare professionals interact with patients and log their activities. Institutions can leverage e-prescribing architectures for other valuable capabilities such as authenticating to VPNs and enabling remote access using credentials, key fobs, mobile smartphones and other smart devices and one-time password (OTP) tokens. Path to converged solutions The move to unified platforms offers new ways to establish, create, manage and use trusted identities and combine on-premises systems and the cloud to simplify identity and access management using common, flexible and adaptable platforms. Organisations that adopt these platforms can more easily secure access to everything from the facility’s doors to its computers, data, applications, and cloud-based services and can also tie their smart buildings to the IoT. As they deploy these unified platforms, they will be embarking on a path to truly converged solutions that will ultimately consist of a single security policy, one credential and one audit log, delivered through a fully interoperable, multi-layered security infrastructure. Between now and then, they will be able to preserve their investments while continuing to grow, evolve and continually improve their security capabilities in the face of ever-changing threats.

The mission of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) is to ensure the reliability of the North American bulk power system (BPS). While electric utility companies are responsible for administering the day-to-day operations of the electric grid, regulators such as NERC and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) are charged with the overall responsibility of ensuring reliability and security. NERC develops and enforces Reliability Standards, annually assesses seasonal and long-term reliability, monitors the bulk power system through system awareness, operates the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC) and educates, trains and certifies industry personnel. Normal everyday operations of the system are the responsibility of utility owners and operators. Protecting critical infrastructure An attack by a disgruntled former employee, ideologically motivated activist, or a criminal could inflict significant damage Currently, a significant reliability threat to the U.S. grid is associated with squirrels and balloons, and not religiously inspired terrorists. However – and more applicable to grid operators – we have recently seen noteworthy interest in disabling or destroying critical infrastructure. Coordinated attacks can target the grid, and an attack by a disgruntled former employee, ideologically motivated activist, or a criminal stumbling across a “soft target,” could inflict significant damage. With an interconnected grid of over 450,000 miles of high voltage transmission lines (100 kV and higher) and over 55,000 substations (100 kV and larger), the targets of opportunity are endless. Data capture form to appear here! According to the Department of Energy, the number-one cause of most power outages in the U.S. is bad weather, which costs the economy between $18 billion and $33 billion every year in lost output and wages, spoiled inventory, delayed production and damage to grid infrastructure. The number-one cause of most power outages in the U.S. is bad weather, which costs the economy between $18 billion and $33 billion every year Large power transformers A large power transformer (LPT) is an enormous, custom-built piece of equipment tailored to customers’ specifications. They usually are not interchangeable with each other, and they are not produced for spare-part inventories; so if one blows, a lot of companies and homes could be without power for more than six months. They are not cheap, either. According to EEP (Electrical Engineering Portal), $10 million is a fairly average cost, but that doesn’t include transporting the gargantuan piece of equipment or installing it, which usually adds an additional 35 percent to the bill. Protecting power grids is essential to deliver electricity that serves millions of consumers. Transmission substations are a component of the power infrastructure that presents unique security challenges. These important facilities often sit out in the open, in remote locations, and were historically protected by little more than cameras or chain-link fences. According to EEP, $10 million is a fairly average cost for a large power transformer NERC/CIP guidelines The North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC/CIP) guidelines address security needs of electrical substations. Every facility has a baseline requirement for perimeter security protection around the site, although medium- and high-impact sites will have more stringent requirements. The geography surrounding sites – Is it an urban area or rural? Does the surrounding elevation provide additional lines of sight? – also impacts the types of systems they require. Electricity coming from coal, nuclear or hydroelectric plants goes to local utilities The U.S. power grid is divided into three sections: The Eastern Interconnection for states east of the Rocky Mountains, The Western Interconnection for states from the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountains, and the smallest—the Texas Interconnected system—covering most of Texas. Electricity coming from coal, nuclear or hydroelectric plants goes to local utilities and they distribute power to homes and businesses, to millions of personal devices, lights, refrigeration, computers, and to other “loads,” that tap it. Inherited challenges According to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the nation’s electric infrastructure is “nothing but a patchwork system” that has evolved wildly since the first substation was erected by Thomas Edison in 1882, on New York City’s Pearl Street. Contributing to the challenges of securing the grid are the crazily disparate ages and capacities of the grid’s equipment. There are many possible targets, too. Approximately 300 control centres around the country monitor voltage and watch the data from SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) systems, which are placed at transformers, generators and other critical areas. Ideally, this allows engineers to monitor the data for signs of trouble and then communicate with each other to deal with whatever is happening to the grid, but SCADA has cybersecurity issues.

Intelligent solutions, such as those derived from artificial intelligence, help critical infrastructure organisations make sense of vast amounts of data. These integrated applications, such as advanced video analytics and facial recognition, can automatically pinpoint potential breaches and significant events, and send alerts to the appropriate personnel, departments, and agencies. These solutions can be powerful in unifying disparate command centre technologies, fusing critical data input from emergency calls and responder activity to enhance situational awareness. Electrical substations are particularly vulnerable (and in need of extra security) due to their role in power distribution and the nature of their equipment. The challenge power utilities worldwide are facing is finding an affordable solution, which can help detect, deter and facilitate an informed response to a substation security event. Data capture form to appear here! U.S. regulations In the United States, this need is furthered by the physical security mandate CIP-014 issued by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), calling for identification of security issues, vulnerability assessments and deployment of appropriate processes and systems to address. CIP-014 identification of security issues, vulnerability assessments and deployment of appropriate processes and systems to address CIP-104 specifically calls for implemented security plans that include measures to deter, detect, delay, assess, communicate, coordinate and respond to potential physical threats and vulnerabilities. Manufacturers of video and other systems are designing products to serve the critical infrastructure market. For example, Dahua Technology offers explosion-proof cameras with a combination of rugged reliability and superior optics that is a fit for surveillance of explosive and corrosive environments, including chemical plants, refineries, and other facilities in the oil and gas industry. This explosion-proof series of cameras are housed in enclosures that are certified to the ATEX and IECEx standards for equipment in explosive atmospheres. Each explosion-proof camera features Dahua’s Starlight technology for ultra low-light sensitivity and high-definition sensors that deliver clear images in real-time. They are IP68-rated to prevent water and dust ingress. Each explosion-proof camera features Dahua’s Starlight technology for ultra low-light sensitivity and high-definition sensors that deliver clear images in real-time Video footage in extreme temperatures Another manufacturer, Videotec, offers a range of cameras and housings that provide video footage regardless of aggressive external factors, such as ice cold, scorching heat, desert sand, the force of sea or wind, total darkness, pollution, corrosion and even explosive agents. SightSensor thermal systems enable a utility to detect and respond to substation security incidents across multiple sitesSightLogix smart thermal camera systems have been deployed to protect substations for electric utilities and other critical infrastructure facilities. SightSensor thermal systems enable a utility to detect and respond to substation security incidents across multiple sites, ranging from copper theft to vandalism while also meeting regulatory compliance. At each substation facility, Thermal SightSensors are positioned along the perimeter, and are paired with a high-resolution pan-tilt-zoom camera for alarm assessment. When a Thermal SightSensor detects an intruder, the target’s location information is sent over the network to a SightTracker PTZ controller, which automatically zooms and steers PTZ cameras to follow the intruder. The target’s location is also displayed on a topology site map to provide real-time situational awareness. Alarms are sent to the utility’s 24-hour security operations centre, which will contact law enforcement in real time when unauthorised intrusions are detected. Integrated intrusion detection and lighting systems The Senstar LM100 hybrid perimeter intrusion detection and intelligent lighting system is simplifying security at one U.S. electrical utility company. For years, the utility company had integrated its perimeter intrusion detection and lighting systems. The company has now installed the Senstar LM100 which provides detection and lighting in one product and saves them over $80,000 per site. The savings are a result of the reduction of electrical requirements, conduit, grounding, and associated labor, as well as the removal of certain equipment from project scope that are required for the two-system integration. The Senstar LM100’s perimeter LED-based lighting acts as an initial deterrent. If an intruder persists and an attempt to cut, climb or otherwise break through the fence is detected, the closest luminaire begins to strobe, and an alert is sent via a security management system. The intruder knows immediately they have been detected and that their exact location is known by security and others in the vicinity.

Verkada was founded by three computer scientists and security experts who studied together at Stanford University. They connected with a former founder of Meraki and created Verkada with a mission to “modernise the world of physical security”. The fast-growing company currently focuses on delivering an all-in-one hybrid cloud video security solution powered by edge processing inside the camera. On the surface, the product is simple: cameras record video, connect to the internet, and push data to the cloud. “What sets us apart is the system architecture that drives our solution,” says Brandon Davito, Verkada’s VP of Product and Operations. “Starting with edge processing, all data is instantly analysed and processed at the camera. This enables enterprise users to scale coverage without traditional limitations like bandwidth consumption or the costs of supporting additional equipment for processing footage. Simultaneously, all footage is stored directly on each camera and can be streamed securely via Verkada’s centralised management platform to any device.” The product is simple: cameras record video, connect to the internet, and push data to the cloud Hybrid cloud architecture Verkada’s goal is to make it easy to buy, deploy and manage large-scale enterprise video security systems across hundreds of cameras and dozens of sites. The hybrid cloud architecture makes it easy to access video footage from hundreds of cameras across any platform (web, mobile apps, tablets, and AppleTV). Verkada is appropriate for any business, school or enterprise that needs a scalable, secure and reliable video security solution, says Davito. “Our system streamlines surveillance management, removes the need of supporting equipment, and is ready to use, out-of-the-box, without the need for technical configurations,” says Davito. The simplicity and scalability of the end-to-end solution is attractive to security professionals, simplifying the day-to-day of surveillance management and providing insights that drive a business forward in other areas of the organisation. “This approach also allows us to provide customers with a complete experience, as we build our hardware and software to work seamlessly together,” Davito adds. Verkada does not integrate with other equipment or systems. “Taking an end-to-end approach ensures that we are able to develop and roll out features more quickly and take advantage of the edge-processing capabilities of our cameras,” Davito says. The simplicity and scalability of the end-to-end solution is attractive to security professionals Defending against IoT threats An end-to-end solution also increases defenses against threats in today’s Internet of Things (IoT) space. IP cameras have historically been some of the most vulnerable devices. Verkada cameras save time by updating automatically, and they are unable to accept 3rd party software (and the risks that come with it). Verkada partners with many of the leading channel distributors and is always recruiting new integrator/reseller partners. “The solution is easy to sell. It's a bolt-on value-add that doesn't require altering or configurations to existing infrastructure,” says Davito. “Sales cycles are also much shorter because implementation is simple and streamlined; it’s creating a lot of business efficiency.” The world of physical security is always evolving, so Verkada’s ongoing challenge is to continue delivering on the potential of hybrid cloud management of physical spaces. “We are always launching new features and enhancements, as well as ensuring the security and integrity of our customers’ environments,” says Davito. “We will look to continue to push the boundaries of physical security and deepen our use of technologies like machine learning and future advancements in video analytics and AI technologies.”

Chocolate Nation’s decision to partner with Panasonic for technology at the immersive Belgium museum has delivered the sweet taste of success. Having already attracted over 100,000 visitors in the first nine months of opening, the Antwerp museum says its technology partnership with Panasonic has underpinned its rapid rise as a visitor attraction. Panasonic security cameras Chocolate Nation has deployed Panasonic equipment throughout the museum, shop, restaurant, event and meeting rooms. The technology provides a truly immersive experience for visitors and underpins the effective operation of the business. The range of solutions includes 20 professional display screens, 10 laser projectors, security cameras and the latest telephony solution.  Chocolate Nation has deployed Panasonic equipment throughout the museum, shop, restaurant, event and meeting rooms From initial concept, the museum set-out to be an immersive experience for visitors to discover the wonders of Belgium chocolate using their five senses. Through 14 thematic areas, visitors are taken on a journey from the jungle where cocoa beans are grown, through their transportation across the ocean to Antwerp (the world’s largest port for cocoa bean storage), to the making of exquisite chocolate delights and, of course, lots of tasting. High quality video security “The immersive experience is where Panasonic plays an important role,” explains Catherine Stuyck, Head of Marketing and Communications at Chocolate Nation. “Thanks to the large projections on the ceiling, walls, and floor, visitors can really have the feeling they’re standing on a floating container ship. Using light and sound effects, visitors can pass in front of a large imaginary machine in true Willy Wonka fashion to understand how chocolate is made. Afterwards, visitors virtually meet the great Antwerp chocolate makers and are seated in an experimental restaurant where surprising images are projected onto their plates.” More than three years in the planning, the Chocolate Nation founders knew that choosing the right technology partner for the brand-independent museum was going to be critical to creating the magical environment for visitors and a reliable and cost effective business infrastructure. Seamless, flexible installation "After extensive market research, we chose Panasonic as our technology partner for Chocolate Nation," said Jeroen Jespers, Co-Founder of Chocolate Nation. “Panasonic had all the product categories we required and solid in-house expertise. The result is a visitor attraction of the highest quality and an outstanding experience. Obviously, it is only possible because of the absolute reliability of the technology provided by Panasonic”. Jeroen adds, “In addition, their flexible installation outside opening hours and the low maintenance equipment saves a lot of time. If we decide to expand our activities to other countries, we will quickly have a full on-site service with Panasonic, a global player in the sector.” Panasonic LCD and DLP projectors A variety of Panasonic LCD and DLP projectors, ranging from 32” to 65”, have been used in the museum A variety of Panasonic LCD and DLP projectors, ranging from 32” to 65”, have been used in the museum to create the immersive tourist installations and to provide the quality audio visual experience in the event and meeting spaces. The highest levels of security with the lowest total cost of ownership are ensured with the effective use of Panasonic’s 360 degree and indoor dome cameras combined with Panasonic’s Video Insight system management solution. KX-NS700 Smart hybrid communication system The extensive coverage from the 360 degree cameras reduced the number required across the venue and minimised the bandwidth impact on the network. For its unified communication system, Chocolate Nation chose Panasonic’s KX-NS700 Smart hybrid communication system. By using the Panasonic desktop phones, DECT handsets and intercoms as one integrated system, the guests are supported directly when needed. The size of the system ensures Chocolate Nation can expand its communications infrastructure quickly and efficiently as the organisation grows.

Pulse Secure advances remote access to web applications such as Microsoft Office 365 and network resources to help 3,000 staff enjoy a better work-life balance leveraging Pulse Secure. Pulse Secure, a provider of software-defined Secure Access solutions, has announced the delivery of a successful project at one of Italy’s largest media organisations designed to help foster mobile workforce productivity while ensuring protected, compliant access to cloud and data centre applications.  RCS MediaGroup is one of the leading multimedia publishing groups, active mainly in Italy and Spain across all publishing fields, spanning from newspapers to magazines, from digital to books, from TV to new media, and to training. It is also one of the top players in the advertising market and in the organisation of iconic events and major sporting formats, such as the Giro d’Italia. Protecting against cyber-attack We maintain several security controls across our network, as well as regularly cyber-security training" The RCS Group publishes the daily newspapers Corriere della Sera, La Gazzetta dello Sport, El Mundo, Marca and Expansion, as well as numerous magazines, the most popular including Oggi, Amica, Io Donna, 7, YO Dona and Telva. Like many other popular enterprises, being an integral part region’s culture and communications has made RCS Group a target for cyber threat actors. “Protecting our systems against cyber-attack is a critical requirement as is ensuring our staff and journalists have easy, flexible and secure access to their work,” says Monica Venanzetti, Network Manager for RCS MediaGroup in Milan. “To meet this need, we maintain several security controls across our network, as well as regularly conduct cyber-security training. We deployed our first VPN solution in 2006 to enable secure access to our systems and it was time to progress our capabilities.” New cloud services RCS MediaGroup employs over 3,000 staff including 700 journalists and as Giandomenico Oldano, Director of IT operations for RCS MediaGroup, explains, “As a group, we have an ongoing strategy to help our staff embrace smart working. This is part of an initiative to improve the work-life balance of our employees and reduce their traveling time, which in a busy city like Milan can be very time consuming.” As part of this work-life balance strategy, RCS MediaGroup has invested in more remote, mobile and cloud technologies and recently moved its staff onto Microsoft Office 365 to encourage this transition. “To meet this need and as part of our commitment to ensuring best practice secure access, we decided to upgrade our legacy VPN to provide more capacity and to better integrate with new cloud services such as Office 365,” says Venanzetti. Cloud single-sign on The simplified management interface allows RCS MediaGroup to set up enterprise-wide policies" “We examined several options and Pulse Secure provided us a modernised platform with more advanced features including endpoint compliance and cloud single-sign on. We found the tool comparatively simpler to administer, very interoperable and with a broader feature-set.” The upgrade process was straightforward, and the simplified management interface allows RCS MediaGroup to set up enterprise-wide policies that make it easy for its remote users to connect to its critical publishing systems. The solution also incorporates client checking technology that ensures that its users’ devices, both corporate and personally owned endpoints, are running the right system and security patches before they can attach to the corporate network. “One of the most important features was deep support for our users’ devices including tablets, laptops and PCs across both Apple and Microsoft environments,” says Oldano. Cloud-based applications “Our upgrade has been a success and provides a lot of potential for future projects that will allow us to offer secure access for more cloud-based applications. Pulse Secure has been with us throughout this process and its technology is helping us to deliver on our commitment towards smarter working for all our staff.” Pulse Secure enables enterprises to centrally manage Zero Trust Secure Access to applications, resources and services that are delivered on-premise, in private cloud and public cloud environments. The Pulse Access Suite delivers protected connectivity, operational intelligence and threat response across mobile, network and multi-cloud environments in order to provide easy, compliant access for end users and single-pane-of-glass management for administrators. “Enterprises are fortifying capabilities to accelerate mobile workforce productivity and take advantage of cloud computing.” Comprehensive and integrated Pulse Secure offers a proven, comprehensive and integrated suite that works with an enterprises hybrid IT infrastructure to enable a simpler, more manageable and scalable approach to secure access,” said Paul Donovan, vice president of EMEA sales at Pulse Secure. “We are pleased to have been selected by RCS MediaGroup, a prominent and progressive market leader in multimedia publishing and look forward to supporting their on-going digital transformation initiatives.”

Security is always one of the top concerns for any stores, especially for multinational hypermarkets, and IP surveillance is becoming the norm in the retail sector. The multinational hypermarket in South America has adopted 70 Surveon NVR7816, which was designed as a recording server with an archiving function that offers cost advantages and easy maintenance. Besides, NVR7816 ensures high video image quality with high throughput capability, providing a safe environment for people and goods in their 66 stores. Price and performance are always the key elements to help SI win projects. Surveon NVR7800 Series was designed as a recording server with an archiving function that offers cost advantages compared to traditional system structures composed of recording server plus a separate storage device, making it the top choice for the multinational hypermarket. Better image quality The NVR7800 Series is 100% compatible with major 3rd party VMS, including Milestone and Genetec VMSEach hypermarket installs 80 to 100 cameras with improved image quality. The multinational hypermarket needed a reliable system which supports recording with hundred channels and is able to transmit high resolution images smoothly. The NVR7800 Series delivers a high level of recording throughput of nearly 2000 Mbps, supporting recording with more channels, allowing system to receive better video image quality by higher bitrates, and ensuring smooth transmission even with high frame rate. The multinational hypermarket bought 6,000 channels Genetec VMS license before deciding the supplier of server and storage, making the system most composed by brands. The multinational hypermarket needed a solution which is fully compatible with Genetec VMS. The NVR7800 Series is 100% compatible with major 3rd party VMS, including Milestone and Genetec VMS. Hybrid server-storage design The hybrid server-storage design of NVR7800 Series gives us a big hand with its high throughput and easy maintenance" With Genetec VMS, NVR7800 Series can serve up to 300CH 1.3MP cameras with continuous recording or 190CH 1.3MP cameras with motion detection recording. Based on Milestone test findings, NVR7800 Series supports up to 150 cameras, more than twice Milestone’s benchmark level in a non-stop recording scenario. The system is even capable of supporting more than four times the number of cameras estimated by benchmark under the testing scenario where motion detection is enabled, giving medium to large projects the best price-performance solution. "The hybrid server-storage design of NVR7800 Series gives us a big hand with its high throughput and easy maintenance. And it also gives us a better performance with affordable budget in every perspective. We are very satisfied with the result and look forward to working with Surveon in the future." said the administration manager of the multinational hypermarket.

On his 2018 two-day visit to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families, Pope Francis’s scheduled activity was protected by high-performance Predator and Invictus cameras from UK CCTV design and manufacturing company, 360 Vision Technology. Specialists in a wide range of leading-edge CCTV, Access Control, PA, AV and radio communications, County Kildare-based Mongey Communications was chosen to provide the additional security surveillance protection measures necessary to secure the Pope’s visit to Dublin. With the massive crowds expected to see the pontiff, the temporary surveillance installation needed to be minimally disruptive and use mobile radio to provide the multi-scene coverage required during the two-day visit. Multi-site CCTV surveillance The camera images were to be used for co-ordination and management by multiple agencies To support an existing small-scale CCTV installation at the Pope’s final venue of Phoenix Park (the largest enclosed city park in Europe), there was a need for further camera coverage along the park’s approach routes, entrance/exit gates, search areas and general areas of crowd movement and congregation. A similar solution was also required for the Pope’s visit to the Knock Shrine pilgrimage site and the Capuchin Day Centre, where public space CCTV was again already in place but of limited overall coverage. Full integration with the existing CCTV system at the 82,300 capacity Croke Park stadium for a papal address to the Festival of Families extravaganza was also required, with communications and CCTV feeds from all locations required to be transmitted back to local on-site control rooms at each location, and additionally to a central Command and Control room at Dublin Castle. At the main Command and Control Centre, the camera images were to be used for co-ordination and management by multiple agencies, including the Office of Public works (OPW), Garda Síochána, Defence Forces Ireland, Dublin Fire Brigade, HSE / Ambulance Services and Civil Defence. High-definition video security to secure Phoenix Park  “With 300,000 people expected to attend a papal mass at Phoenix Park to close the World Meeting of Families, we were briefed to provide the very best possible reliability and imaging performance from the additional cameras we employed,” explains Kevin McGrath of Mongey Communications. We needed to be confident of camera reliability straight out of the box, along with simple and fast set-up" He further added, “With this in mind, we needed to be confident of camera reliability straight out of the box, along with simple and fast set-up, and quality high-definition video for forward transmission to the various control rooms. Our very positive experience of employing 360 Vision Technology cameras on many high-security installations in the past led us to be confident about the image and build quality of the manufacturer’s cameras, and product support.”  “So, to fulfil the challenges we faced for this high-profile project, we specified the latest version of 360 Vision’s Predator camera, and also their new cost-effective and ruggedised Invictus Hybrid HD PTZ camera.” 360 Vision Invictus Hybrid HD PTZ camera The new 360 Vision Invictus cameras specified for the project employ the latest compact camera modules with a choice of 20:1 or 30:1 zoom and are available with 1/2.8” Sony StarVis or 1/1.9” Sony Exmor (Ultra) sensor packages. Bridging the divide between analogue and IP technology, all Invictus cameras are equipped with Hybrid functionality enabling installation in existing analogue systems and also in full 1080P HD IP video streaming networks. Alongside ONVIF 2.4 Profile S compatibility, this means the Invictus range is not only economical, but simple to install, providing Mongey Communications engineers with a reliable, flexible and high- performance solution with which to enhance the existing electronic surveillance measures for the Pope’s 2018 visit. HD IP video streaming networks An upright camera mount design allows full 360-degree continuous pan and unobstructed field of view Further enhancing camera reliability for this important event, the new Invictus camera range design draws cost-effectively on features usually associated with very high-end cameras, including construction from high grade, hardened aluminium and stainless steel, to ensure a rugged, durable and compact camera. An upright camera mount design allows full 360-degree continuous pan and unobstructed field of view, plus the ability to tilt above the horizon – enabling operators to view targets above camera installation height (i.e. up hills) – an invaluable asset where cameras were being installed in the difficult installation and operational conditions of Phoenix Park. Technical relationship with 360 Vision Technology “Our decision to once again entrust the provision of the best technology available for the project to 360 Vision Technology was proven correct, and we had no issues of consequence with the installation, commissioning and performance of all the cameras - straight out of the box,” explains Kevin. “Because of the condensed set-up period available and challenging terrain of some of the installation areas, we had to act fast to ensure the successful inclusion and full control of the cameras for the multi-agency command and control room,” adds Kevin. “Here our technical relationship with 360 Vision Technology really paid dividends throughout this time-critical project, affording easy integration of all the additional cameras into the control room’s Cathexis VMS. Cathexis VMS Images from the cameras were relayed back to the various event control centres In all, over 60 additional 360 Vision Technology cameras were employed over the various sites throughout the Pope’s visit. With extensive digging and cabling not a practical option, images from the cameras were relayed back to the various event control centres via a network of reliable and secure microwave transmission links, powered by temporary generators and back-up batteries. “The new Invictus cameras were perfect for the role thanks to their low power consumption compared to other similar specification PTZ cameras,” explains Kevin. “Low power consumption really helps when adding multiple cameras to a network with a temporary power system - and meant we could add more cameras for the benefit of maximum scene coverage.” High-speed fibre-optic connectivity High-speed fibre-optic connectivity between the various remote sites and Dublin Castle was installed, together with video walls at the various control rooms. “The Pope’s visit was a great success with no security issues reported,” says Kevin. “Images relayed to the control room from the additional 360 Vision Technology cameras were vital in the smooth running of the visit and allowed all of the state agencies involved to keep a constant update on the movements of the vast crowds drawn over the pontiff’s two-day visit.” “Our long-term technical partnership with 360 Vision Technology and our direct input in to the development of their new products really pays off with high-profile projects like this,” concludes Kevin. “We have many new and exciting installation challenges on the horizon and I’m confident that 360 Vision Technology camera products will continue to be an integral part of those future projects.”

Pulse Secure, a provider of Secure Access solutions to both enterprises and service providers, has announced that Entegrus has successfully deployed Pulse Policy Secure advanced network access control (NAC), to strengthen overall visibility and access security across their hybrid IT infrastructure. Entegrus, a Canadian energy company, leveraged their existing Pulse Secure virtual private network (VPN) implementation to expedite NAC deployment and fortify their infrastructure in accordance with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) guidelines. As a result, their security organisation extended visibility for remote and on-premise users and devices, as well as enhanced endpoint compliance and Internet of Things (IoT) risk mitigation. We have increased our security posture, and for the most part, there has been zero impact on our end users" Pulse Secure-Entegrus collaboration Entegrus serves over 58,000 customers throughout Ontario. They bring electricity, renewable energy and water across three large regions, with a workforce spread out over 2,300 square miles. Entegrus’ objective is to provide safe, reliable and cost-effective provision of energy and related billing services, while providing high levels of service to its customers, partners and the communities it serves. IT security plays a critical role in protecting their delivery of energy and data services.  “The threat landscape is constantly evolving, forcing us to always consider how we can go one step further. With a widely distributed IT infrastructure, we considered NAC as an effective way to improve our security posture without dramatically altering how we operate,” said Dave Cullen, manager of information systems for Entegrus. “We have a long-standing relationship with Pulse Secure. The level of integration between Pulse Secure secure sockets layer (SSL) and NAC, as well as the extended feature set, made it a straightforward choice for us. Perhaps, the two most important things are that we have increased our security posture, and for the most part, there has been zero impact on our end users.”  Active control with seamless network access Ensuring always active control while maintaining flexible, seamless access to network and application resources is an essential requirement for utility providers. Within such highly regulated industries, best practices dictate a constant cycle of security readiness review and improvement to meet an increasingly potent threat posed by cyber threat actors. NAC provides foundational endpoint intelligence, resource access enforcement and IoT defences that support industry and regulatory compliance guidelines. These compliance requisites apply to both regional and large national critical infrastructure providers.  For stretched IT departments, Pulse Secure’s Secure Access solutions are designed to streamline deployment and on-going administration using an easy, integrated, policy-driven platform that works with a customer’s existing installed base and network infrastructure. In addition, Pulse Secure’s VPN solution utilises the same endpoint client, policy engine and appliance management as the NAC solution. Entegrus took advantage of this platform capability to rapidly implement NAC. As a result, they gained dynamic intelligence, unified policy management, automated enforcement and threat response through a single management console. We needed to make sure our secure access technologies could adapt to new regulatory requirements and new business needs" Secure access solutions Cullen highlights numerous benefits, including a simplified method of managing complex policies and user access rights, as well as an enforceable method of checking end-point devices to ensure that only properly patched operating systems can connect to the network. Another advantage of Pulse Policy Secure was evident after Entegrus recently merged with London, Ontario-based St. Thomas Energy. “We needed to make sure our secure access technologies could adapt to new regulatory requirements and new business needs, as the recent merger added new, unqualified infrastructure and grew our customer base by around a third, which also led to the hiring of 28 new staff members,” Cullen added.

A security camera provided by Hikvision USA Inc., the North American supplier of innovative, award-winning video surveillance products and solutions, was installed by Holmes Security to help Spinner’s Pizza in Fayetteville, NC to improve efficiency. Established in 1999, Spinner’s Pizza is a popular restaurant with a dedicated following and a very busy lunch crowd. Owner Spero Poulos thought of using a “Pizza Cam” to streamline operations during their busiest times. “Holmes Security had installed Hikvision cameras for security in and around the restaurant. We decided, why not use it for the service efficiency and accuracy?” said Poulos. Innovative camera-kitchen monitor system  The restaurant owner needed to improve efficiency. The combination of a camera with a kitchen monitor “keeps the staff from running to the buffet just to check what needs to be cooked." Poulos noted that when staff members leave the kitchen they’re “invariably stopped by customers and friends that want to chat. That can slow down the replenishment process." Spinner’s analog and IP hybrid system includes mini domes, bullets and turret cameras. Holmes Security recommended and installed the Hikvision DS-2CE56D5T 1080p Turbo HD-TVI Turret camera for the buffet to deliver HD quality over the existing coax cabling. The turret camera is positioned to capture the entire line of pizzas on the buffet. “We’re able to keep the buffet full at all times. When someone is on a tight lunch break, the last thing you want them to do is wait for their food. With the Hikvision camera in place, they no longer have to wait,” said Poulos. The Pizza Cam enables the operation to be run from the kitchen monitor with no downtime. Monitoring the Hikvision Turbo HD-TVI Turret camera from the kitchen improved efficiency since staff can check the status easily and quickly Ruggedised camera for heat tolerance “Heat tolerance was a big consideration based on the camera’s position in relation to the buffet itself. The specs showed that the Hikvision camera’s operating temperature range was 22 below to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, so we knew it could withstand the heat,” Dave Foster, sales and marketing manager for Holmes Security, told Hikvision.    Holmes Security is a 109-year old, family-owned company based in Fayetteville, NC. They use Hikvision cameras because “we have found over time that Hikvision provides higher quality, is easier to install, program and maintain. Tech support is great, and the software is consistent as well. Plus, we have great reps and a great rapport with Hikvision personnel,” said Foster.  Holmes Security positioned the camera to the upper right of the buffet to capture the entire line of pizzas. Spinner’s kitchen staff can now see the entire buffet from a monitor in the kitchen, allowing the chefs to stay ahead of customer demand.  Poulos adds that he gets “comments all the time about what a great idea it is. The customers especially like the fact that they don’t have to wait for new pizzas to be placed on the buffet.” Greater efficiency and improved operations  Spinner’s Pizza is delivering a better experience to its customers by keeping its buffet stocked with fresh pizza. Monitoring the Hikvision Turbo HD-TVI Turret camera from the kitchen improved efficiency since staff do not have to run out to the food line to check the status. The system allows servers to concentrate on serving. The Hikvision Pizza Cam delivers ease of operations for the restaurant staff, owner, and patrons. “Our strength in the field is the partnership among Hikvision, our integrators and their customers, collaborating together to find innovative ways to solve real-world problems,” said Alex Asnovich, director of marketing for Hikvision. “Spinner’s Pizza is a great example of applying our technology to achieve business results in a retail restaurant environment.”

Will 2016 see faster adoption of video analytics? Will cyber-security have more impact on physical security? Is the market likely to see greater use of cloud-based products and services? Will technology help to drive greater involvement by everyday citizens in public safety initiatives? Could the market focus shift from selling products to selling solutions?  We asked this week’s SourceSecurity.com Expert Panel to look ahead to 2016, and these were some of the surprises they see in our industry’s near future. Specifically, we asked this week’s panel: What will be the biggest surprise in 2016 for the security market?