Network / IP security - Expert commentary

Body worn cameras help to provide better evidence documentation, increased accountability and transparency in law enforcement Forensic recordings – or the audio and video recordings from 911 calls, traffic cameras, CCTV systems and more – are virtually everywhere.  However, in most cases the devices are static and fixed and often do not provide immediate or real-time information on incidents or pending threats.  For example, the Boston Marathon bombers we...

Keeping surveillance networks secure can be a daunting task but there are several methods that can greatly reduce risk, especially when used in conjunction with each other. Below are 13 tips security and IT professionals can follow in order to keep an IP video surveillance network secure. 1. The stronger the password the better Strong passwords are the most basic security measure, but unfortunately ignored by many users. Many surveillance systems are deployed in the field with...

Time and attendance has proven to be a successful use of biometric technology traditionally used for controlling access to highly sensitive areas Security technology is increasingly being used to help organisations tackle challenges going far beyond controlling access to office buildings and monitoring parking lot activity. Video, in particular, has become the darling of many markets. Retailers use live and recorded video to assess promotional sales efforts. Manufacturers con...

Video surveillance plays a significant role in any comprehensive security plan, and the value derived from surveillance continues to expand Across the globe, organisations are challenged by a diverse risk landscape and a dynamic operational environment. The safety and security of people, assets and intellectual property are a No. 1 priority, and stakeholders look to gain continuous insight into what is happening at any given time. The ability to identify threats early and effi...

Everything about wireless access control makes life easier for those who install and operate it A lot of market data crosses my desk at ASSA ABLOY. Sometimes it can be hard to spot patterns or pick out the trends. But not always. Some recent access control market research we commissioned pointed in one direction. Our conclusion? Slowly but surely, access control is becoming a wireless technology As the global leader in door opening solutions, we are able to survey a large,...

The LTO Program discusses how organisations are struggling to balance thebenefit of video surveillance with high costs and increasing legal parameters We live in a world where there is an increasing need for video surveillance for crime prevention and public security and safety. Video surveillance is being used in greater quantity and with higher quality expectations in airports, cities and workplaces around the globe. In fact, the average person is reportedly caught on a surv...

Part 3 of our Security in Healthcare series Megapixel and higher-definition cameras are meeting the security and surveillance needs of a variety of hospital and healthcare facilities Video is a major component of most hospital and healthcare security systems. Among the big video trends are greater integration of video with other systems, and increased use of higher-megapixel cameras and 180-degree and 360-degree-view cameras to monitor larger areas. Variety of video...

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...

Budget cuts are causing councils to scale down their systems, or decommission them altogether Budget cuts in England and Wales are leading to cameras being switched off to save money. But why is this happening and what could be done to minimise the impact on public space CCTV systems? The UK could be described as the CCTV “capital” of the world, with between 4 million and 6 million cameras deployed, according to a British Security Industry Association study in 201...

DIY—the fastest-growing segment of the residential alarm market—has evolved from a niche trend into a major event in which the big dealers are “in” but the small dealers are not. But the good news is that new partnership programmes emerging from central stations are levelling the field so that even the smallest dealers can get themselves an “in.” Why board the DIY train in the first place? It’s become clear the DIY craze is here to stay, with capital in...

It is more complicated to search through video compared to text-based data Since the launch of Google’s search engine in 1998, Internet search has grown and expanded from desktops to mobile devices, generating over 3.5 billion searches of text, images and videos per day. One likely reason for this popularity is the search engine’s ability to immediately produce relevant results based on search criteria. The security industry, in contrast, has not always taken adv...

 Part 1 of our Security in Healthcare series Hospitals have a continuous need for security, to update their systems,and to make repairs The healthcare vertical provides plenty of opportunities for security integrator companies. A single large hospital system can supply a dependable ongoing source of revenue to integrator companies, says David Alessandrini, Vice President, Pasek Corp., an integrator. Hospitals have a continuous need for security, to update their...

Angela White was sworn in as President-elect of ESA at the ESX show in June and will take office July 1 The Electronic Security Association (ESA) wrapped up its annual ESX conference June 8-10 at a new location in Fort Worth, Texas, with keynote speakers, educational sessions, networking events, exhibitions, awards and the installation of new officers. Logging its ninth year, ESX is jointly owned and sponsored by ESA and the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA). This year&...

The days when Chinese video surveillance products were associated with lower quality are mostly gone now. Certainly, it’s easy enough to test the quality and functionality of any Chinese-made product in a shootout against products made anywhere in the world. In that sense, the quality of Chinese goods is no longer an obstacle for security customers: Their ability to judge quality for themselves eliminates any dependence on previously held opinions. But what about other preconceived ideas...

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...

H.265 compression, apps and the inherent security of security systems were some of the themes to be gleaned on the first day of IFSEC International. Almost every video exhibitor I saw on day one of the show mentioned that many of their products use H.265 compression in these days of high definition, bandwidth-hungry cameras. Over at Vivotek’s stand, for example, Emilio Sanchez, project consultant, spoke of the company’s H.265 Smart Stream compression algorithm. He said this saves an...

The unfortunate reality in today’s world is that everyday places in our communities that were once thought of as safe – hospitals, schools, shopping malls and office buildings – are now places where people are at an increased risk for being injured by gun violence. Increase in gun violence Shocking incidents of active shootings have become all too common where we work, learn, relax and recuperate.  In the wake of the Orlando Pulse shooting, it’s hard to forget that...

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...

Porter will tell IFSEC attendees about an upcoming National Surveillance Camera Strategy The Surveillance Camera Commissioner for England and Wales, Tony Porter, will be speaking at IFSEC International 2016 on how compliance with the U.K. Surveillance Camera Code of Practice can ensure that CCTV systems are operated proportionately, transparently and effectively. Porter has certainly been busy in the two years since his appointment by the Home Secretary. He has the difficult...

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...

The growing sales of IP-based solutions in the surveillance market is a well-discussed topic. Security companies are rushing to grab a slice of this lucrative pie. However, at the same time, analogue surveillance systems have continued to retain their appeal for many end users. Aware of this demand, some companies have continued to develop technology for analogue solutions despite the IP trend. One company driving this force is Nextchip, the company behind AHD™. Up until rec...

Hikvision website’s “Security Center” provides cybersecurity informationand tools for integrators and end users The time is now to address the impact of cybersecurity threats on the IP video market. In the case of video surveillance systems, the main motives of cyber-attackers are usually to either cover up video evidence of crimes or to gain access to video that should be private. “The use of video surveillance is growing across North America, not j...

ONVIF's 1.0 Core Specification debuted in 2008 at Security Essen The adoption of the ONVIF protocol by manufacturers continues to grow. Last year, the number of member companies in the ONVIF forum exceeded 500 and more than 5,000 products are currently certified on the ONVIF website. How did ONVIF achieve this amazing result and experience this wild adoption? More than a decade ago, every manufacturer was defining their own protocols and pushing for Video Management Software...

The landscape for end-to-end solutions is not designed to address thelong-term evolving needs of customers The video surveillance industry has reached an important crossroads where manufacturers can choose to continue in one direction that solely focuses on their own products and profits, or to move forward in another direction that emphasises building partnerships for the greater good of the community. On one side lies the short road of end-to-end, proprietary solutions fro...

The integration of H.265 technology may be hindered by the availability of optimised H.264 best encoding for surveillance systems Video compression technology has been a crucial element in surveillance system design since the advent of Internet Protocol (IP) in the 1990s. Since that time, standards for video encoding have been explored in various capacities. Currently, the industry is all abuzz around H.265 High Efficiency Video Coding – the next iteration beyond H.264,...

There are resources to help guide an organisation’s management of cybersecurity risks, most prominently from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. NIST defines cybersecurity as "the activity or process, ability or capability, or state whereby information and communications systems and the information contained therein are protected from and/or defended against damage, unauthorised use or modification, or exploitation.&rdquo...

Research at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, is developing a technology that can provide clearer, more defined camera images by fusing RGB (red-green-blue) images with thermal imaging. Phusion is being developed by Spectral Edge, an IP licensing company spun out of the university’s Colour Lab and based in Cambridge. Phusion for security cameras The technology has the potential to deliver more detailed images than are usually available from conventional sec...

Cloud connectivity can provide a linkage between the mobile users and the facilities and systems they want to interact with From enterprise applications to small businesses, schools, health care facilities and beyond, investments in physical security systems provide valuable resources to help protect people, property and assets – and ultimately the financial security and well-being of the organisation. As need and demand for better security has dramatically increased ove...

Drones can satisfy five commercial needs, today: surveillance, patrolling,incident response, mapping and site assessment The military uses drones. So do the police. Drones serve as weapons and surveillance tools.Today, businesses and institutions are applying drone technology to a variety of private security surveillance challenges. Private uses include patrolling facilities and installations such as pipelines from the sky. To be sure, private contractors sometimes weaponise d...

With innovation continuing in HD CCTV, analogue video surveillancemay be around for some time What’s your stance on the analogue-to-IP video migration? When will it happen? Will analogue go away entirely? Talk to any security company and they’ll admit they love the simplicity of the installation and setup of analogue cameras. They know how to deploy it quickly, saving labour costs and also, can use the familiar and ever-present coaxial cabling network. That’s...