Internet of Things (IoT) - Expert commentary

The rate of adoption of mobile credentials will progress quickly, because of its exciting value proposition Cloud computing has been around for some time now, starting with the formal public Internet in 1990. But the nature of it has changed and evolved quickly and dramatically. Now, the cloud is becoming foundational to many emerging security applications, including mobile credentialing involving Near Field and Bluetooth communications, with the Internet of Things (loT) poise...

H.265 compression continued to be a popular topic from exhibitors on the second day of IFSEC Video beyond security, compression, HD over analogue and integration were on the lips of several exhibitors at IFSEC International 2016. Strangely for a security exhibition, there were plenty of exhibitors talking about non-security applications on the second day of IFSEC International in London. For Axis Communications, Atul Rajput, Regional Director for Northern Europe, said th...

IPVideo Corporation, Bay Shore, New York, recently announced a new OEM agreement with Milestone Systems Inc., Beaverton, Oregon, in an effort to provide deeper and wider options in its portfolio of video management solutions. According to Steve Rice, Director of Business Development, the partnership will allow the company to reach a broader number of enterprise customers and provide them with distinct choices – and two completely different video management system (VMS) offerings. On the t...

A “smart home” featuring networked security devices and other home automation products will be new to IFSEC International 2016 in June. This replica smart home will be at the heart of the new home automation zone at IFSEC International (London, 21-23 June). The smart home will feature CCTV, intruder alarms, biometric readers, door entry solutions and locks, as well as wireless blinds, lighting and heating control, and 4K video and audio distribution. “These features, along wi...

 PSIM systems extend their value beyond emergencies by including routinemanagement tools, that provide value during daily operations, such as automatingmaintenance activities Physical Security Information Management (PSIM), an acronym termed to describe a family of software platforms that claim to replace traditional command and control (C&C) systems, primarily used to provide situation awareness in control and monitoring centres of Critical Facilities. Traditional C...

ISC West educational sessions bring into focus some of the challenges, issues and opportunities faced by systems integrators What will be the hot technology at ISC West 2016 this year? Devices to detect drones, more affordable biometrics, or cameras with 360 degrees of clear vision? You’ll probably see some of the above and much more if you’re attending the security industry’s largest trade show, scheduled for April 6 through 8 at the Sands Expo Center in Las...

Wireless offers many opportunities for security contractors to increasethe base of installations and add subscribers Security installation contractors have many different choices when it comes to wireless signalling technologies for their customers. Radio frequency (RF) communications have become more reliable, more robust and include inherent safeguards, such as encryption, to prevent hacking or takeover of wireless devices. Wireless can also allow for remote programming, de...

Strong electronic access control (EAC) investments by the healthcare and education verticals were a highlight of a very strong 2015 for Allegion. The company saw double-digit growth in multiple categories for its electronics as well as continued strong growth in commercial markets, with further expansion of software provider integration of Allegion-connected devices.   Mobile connectivity & system integration nurture positive trends Demand for mobile connectivity and inte...

In today’s connected world, our customers are focused on streamlining operations and garnering actionable insights to help drive success across the business. Modern security systems enable security integrators to offer remote access capabilities which in turn helps businesses to improve their performance. For example, security integrators continue to bring new value to customers through new capabilities enabled by the Internet of Things. By utilising connected technology and sensors, secu...

In the past year, ONVIF prepared the release of two new profiles, Profiles Q and A, which are currently in Release Candidate status, being fine-tuned by developers from member organisations. They are ONVIF’s fourth and fifth profiles, with Profile Q addressing easy set-up and advanced security features and Profile A encompassing daily tasks for access control. ONVIF also hit major milestones in 2015, reaching the 5,000-conformant product mark and maintaining a membership of more than 500 m...

Cybersecurity is a fast-changing field and 2015 was no exception. The proliferation of cybersecurity issues continued to make headlines, including the very dramatic hacking of a vehicle to allow for remote control over steering, brakes, the transmission and other critical functions. There was also state-sponsored hacking that targeted government, defence and other strategic sectors of the marketplace. Staying on top of these breaches still remains a challenge.   Securing the I...

2015 has been an eventful year for the physical security industry. As 2016 looms, the pace of industry change shows no sign of decreasing.   Seeking insights into the state of the physical security market at year-end, SourceSecurity.com this month is publishing dozens of 2015 Review and 2016 Forecast articles submitted by manufacturers, integrators and other industry leaders. Taken together, the articles portray a mostly optimistic view of the industry’s present, and an...

The global economy presented some challenges to Tyco Security Products in several ways throughout 2015. Anyone in oil and gas or mining experienced an impact resulting from the market dynamics within those verticals. Also, the significant strength of the US dollar versus other currencies is impacting order value for companies with a global footprint. All in all, though, business remains strong and growing.   Measures to strengthen cybersecurity Looking ahead to 2016, cybersec...

For many years, the physical security industry seemed at a standstill, maintaining the status quo. In recent years, it’s become clear that change is a constant, effectively altering the landscape of the systems integration industry and all it encompasses.   In 2015, we continued to see the proliferation of news about the Internet of Things (loT) and the ways in which connected systems and technologies will affect both the manufacturing and installation communities. As mo...

Overall 2015 has been a year of increased public sector spending (as the UK economy continues to emerge from the recession), which has been highly beneficial to the security industry. This trend has been particularly evident in the healthcare and education sectors, which are key markets for TDSi. Nobody could have predicted the significant number of international security and terrorism threats this year. Undoubtedly this will result in even closer ties among the security industry, police and se...

2015 was a year of consolidations: The spring of 2015 recorded the highest acquisition rate for a six-month period in 10 years. There were single-digit market growth rates reported in video surveillance due to price erosion affecting revenues. Video solution providers are expanding into access control, and both are slowly but steadily moving into the cloud. Users want the efficiency benefits of converging access control with video verification and unified operation. There are more cloud offering...

The security industry continued to grow in 2015, although it was a bit slower than expected. Most noticeably, we saw a lot of M&A activity throughout the industry, including our own new ownership under Canon. Business continues as usual, and we have and will maintain our separate brand. The industry also experienced more price pressure on hardware than in previous years. Axis U.S. expansion plans 2016, IP video, IoT The discussion of price versus value will be a common one in 2016. There...

Hackers probably take more interest in your home computer and information about your identity stored there As the Internet of Things (IoT) grows, so does the hackable universe. Equipment designers need to start thinking about security in the first steps of manufacturing products, and companies and individuals need to start implementing secure coding practices to avoid hacking incidents. Last July, for instance, two security researchers hacked the computer in a Chrysler Jeep a...

The IoT threat is magnified asuncontrolled devices are introduced into thenetwork through people ‘bringing their owndevices to work’ Intelligent building management, combined with the dramatic increase in IP connected devices brought about by the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), provides a vast opportunity for large organisations to work smarter, faster and more efficiently than ever before. Intelligent building management systems have the potentia...

The vision of a utopian urban future restsheavily on the success of Open Dataand a Cloud Computing paradigm Confronting urban challenges using technology requires the private sector to work in tandem with governments to enable "smart cities." In fact, one report predicts the number of safe cities worldwide will quadruple in the next decade. It’s a topic that is increasingly top-of-mind. For example, the Safe Cities Asia 2015 conference in Singapore in May brought to...

Internet of things is worth the resilience trade-offs it demands – effort, thought and inconvenience ‘No society is more than three meals from revolution’ says the old adage. Updating the idea for the Information Age is a revealing, if somewhat worrying, exercise. How resilient are we as a society? Could your company function efficiently after a complete failure in IT? How effective would your employees be if forced to work from home following a collapse in t...

Aventura continues to expands expand its feature set of products beyond PSIM As the 61st annual ASIS 2015 kicked off in Anaheim, Calif., it became increasingly clear that physical security continues to move from the realm of traditional intrusion detection, video surveillance and alarms into value-added applications that extend into new markets, uses and purposes – many of them centred on business and operational processes. While video surveillance, intrusion detection,...

Any wireless device can be a soft target for hackers Security network hacking is one of the hottest topics today. The ability to access security systems or devices anywhere, leaves them vulnerable and prone to hacking. Any wireless device can be a soft target for hackers. Let’s start with the concept that nothing on a network is really secure. Let’s admit this to ourselves and take the next steps to make our security networks more secure. Internet of Things securi...

Widespread use of smartphones and the loT have fuelled explosive demand for connectivity, convenience and control The growing Internet of Things (loT) or intelligent, inter-connected devices are causing a paradigm shift in nearly every technology sector, including the security installing industry. The global IoT market, according to research firm IDC, Framingham, Mass., is predicted to increase from 10.3 million “endpoints” in 2014 to more than 29.5 million in 2020...

(see bigger image) The very nature of true enterprise PSIM software is that it has the capability to connect to other systems and subsystems In this article, James I. Chong, CEO & Founder of Vidsys, sheds light on true PSIM (Physical Security Information Management). He mentions how Vidsys is continually innovating and accelerating its roadmap for PSIM toward Converged Security and Information Management or CSIM. Citing various analysts’ projection, James s...

This article by Keith Jernigan Sr., General Manager - MOBOTIX Corporation states the enormous impact of smart surveillance on various sectors. Highlighting the changing trends of video surveillance, Keith talks about the several benefits of IoT. He mentions that the new era will see video surveillance companies as more than just video security cameras sellers. To summarise, IoT is forecasted to conjure up businesses offerings, reduce costs and hazards, create jobs and opportunities, thus leading...

Security and technology are rushing to offer home automation solutions and build out the Smart Home of connected devices and applications. As cameras, alarms, as well as, thermostats and other appliances become controllable and programmable using Internet-enabled smart phones, they are becoming part of a vast web called the internet of things (IoT). Achieving greater value through smart data exchange This network of physical objects or "things" embedded with electronics, software, sensors and...

Affiliated Monitoring’s UL-Listed monitoring centre with a second floor dedicated to areas for security company meetings Central monitoring stations have innovative approaches to assist security installing companies in growing their account base, adding value and boosting recurring monthly revenue (RMR). These companies do much more than simply monitor accounts – today they provide a host of services to give security installing companies the added edge in an extrem...

What does it take to be a success in the rapidly expanding home automation sector? For large and small security companies, making the jump from providing traditional security services to enabling the new Smart Home means dealing with competition. Security firms v/s cable and telco giants The market is filled with providers of all kind who want a piece of the action. In addition to security companies, cable and telco giants have all rolled out a home automation platform – usually on top o...

Wi-Fi, real-time location tracking and security sensors are important elements of IoT solutions The tracking of people, processes and things continues to grow, and that’s good news for systems integrators, who can add these services to their arsenal of offerings and boost their levels of recurring monthly revenue (RMR). Real-time location tracking Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) are great ways to not only add security, but ope...