Network / IP security - Expert commentary

Time will tell regarding how fast public cloud applications will be fully adopted in the security space Sureview 2014/2015 Review and Forecast: The continued movement to “cloud” or “distributed” applications will further impact how security manufacturers and integrators market and position their solutions and offerings. To the traditional security organisation, this brings an entirely new go-to-market and pricing strategy as well as a completely diffe...

The SIA Security Market Index rose to 74.6 in November 2014, up from 72.3 in September SIA 2014/2014 Review and Forecast: The Security Industry Association (SIA) has begun to conduct a bimonthly survey of select SIA members to measure confidence in the security industry through the SIA Security Market Index. Using a scale of 1-100, the SIA Security Market Index reflected growing confidence among security industry business leaders throughout 2014 and into 2015. The SIA Securi...

The rise of IP based security systems has also opened up the market for new systems solutions from the IT market Viakoo 2014/2015 Review and Forecast: There continues to be a sizeable increase in activity across the professional security industry in the United States as the economy grows stronger. One of the strongest segments is commercial construction, which is an influential driver for the purchase and installation of security systems. Based on this trend, along with s...

How will the industry address the confusion about competing HD surveillance local-site transport solutions? HDcctv Alliance 2014/2015 Review and Forecast: 2014 was another good year: Video surveillance equipment unit sales continued to grow slightly above the 7 percent compound annual growth rate of recent years. Notably, 2014 was the first year that HD cameras that are as reliable, as convenient, and as affordable as sub-HD NTSC cameras became widely available. As a result,...

Companies will resort to cooperation in a mutually beneficial and complementary way Dahua 2014/2015 Review and Forecast:The global economy is in recovery, and China’s domestic market keeps its strong momentum. Politically, the terrorist attacks and uncertain factors still exist; and with years of market cultivation, people’s safety awareness continues to grow. Important trends include the popularisation of HD, intelligence, integration and the increasing impac...

Integration of wireless and edge technology will continue to change the economics of installation 2014/2015 D/A Central review and forecast: As a security systems integrator, we are seeing some improvement in the industrial sector. It appears that projects that were deferred during the recession are now getting funded. Healthcare continues to have complex needs with continuing consolidation, which then creates opportunity. One question that remains is military spending a...

AMAG saw growth across all vertical market segments, making 2014 an incredibly exciting year 2014/2015 AMAG Technology Review and Forecast: AMAG Technology saw growth across all vertical market segments, making 2014 an incredibly exciting year. End users are demanding unified, end-to-end total solutions, and I see that trend continuing into 2015 and beyond. Some users want access control and video management from the same manufacturer to eliminate integration challenges, or...

 Grants continue to be available for schools to purchase products such as our intercoms and communication systems 2014/2015 Aiphone Review and Forecast: Video surveillance, audio, access control and locks are the four security solutions that typically work together as part of an overall security plan. Demand for video may have been the prime driver, but 2014 was a solid year for each of these solutions as the economy improved noticeably. Also, federal and state governmen...

With the entry of more manufacturers and mergers and acquisitions in the security industry, the competition is undoubtedly getting fiercer VIVOTEK 2014/2015 Review and Forecast: Total solutions have become more important than individual products in the industry. Security brands are starting to turn themselves into solution providers instead of product manufacturers. Moreover, with technology advancement, the adoption of intelligent video content analysis is on the rise. I...

2014 was a year for eye-popping merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the security space. The big deals of the year included some of the largest names in the industry. One name is larger than any in the security market – Google, which made not one but two acquisitions this year that could impact the future security market. It was also the year that a smaller player in the video camera market (although a huge familiar brand overall) bought a large, open systems V...

2014 saw more organisations making data-driven decisions with insight or foresight provided by intelligent analysis of the data Morse Watchmans 2014/2015 Review and Forecast: 2014 saw a year of continued change in the security marketplace. A healthier economy triggered growth in new projects and helped loosen the purse strings for capital expenditures. From a technology standpoint, the industry evolution to a more network-centric environment created additional opportunitie...

The decriminalisation of marijuana has left the security industry apprehensive to collaborate with the industry If ever there was a market tailor-made for security companies, it’s the growing cannabis industry. Although only two states – Colorado and Washington – currently allow the sale of recreational marijuana and 22 other states permit limited medical use, many within the industry believe the tide has turned in favour of legalisation. [After the recent el...

2015 will see Multifocal sensor cameras opening up new markets for Dallmeier Dallmeier 2014/2015 Review and Forecast:The resolution of megapixel cameras is always going to be higher. But people are starting to understand that resolution is not everything, nor does it solve the problem of the customer. In addition, many megapixels on a single chip have unpleasant side-effects related to things like light sensitivity, lens quality, image rate and bandwidth. What really interes...

Winning companies are those that continue to be proactive rather than reactive to the changing security environment Scallop 2014/2015 Review and Forecast: In the last few years, we have seen a number of developments in the security industry – including organisations taking a more proactive approach to security. As a result, the demand for surveillance solutions has continued to grow at a high rate and, in turn, the data being collected has hit record levels. As...

Customers look to leverage video surveillance technologies to optimise and monitor operations within their business MicroPower 2014/2015 Review and Forecast: In 2015, we will continue to see customers look to leverage video surveillance technologies to optimise and monitor operations within their business. Solutions that enable organisations to shift from more situational awareness to situational assessment – for example, using images collected from the surveillanc...

There is convergence of both the video and access control technologies, and of the companies themselves Milestone Systems 2014/2015 Review and Forecast: Milestone Systems is always in touch with our vast ecosystem of partners around the globe as we support them in their customer projects and needs. We partake in hundreds of industry events, road shows, and meetings, also holding our own partner conferences in every region to ensure face time with our stakeholders. We do...

Retailers can get more use from video surveillance data, ultimately targeting profitability As the holiday shopping season kicks into high gear, retail organisations have two primary concerns: making a profit on notoriously slim margins and shoring up potential areas of internal (employee) and external threats, including organised retail crime. According to the Global Retail Theft Barometer 2011, published by the Centre for Retail Research, total global shrink in 2011 cost r...

Too often we make the assumption that networks designed for data communication are the same as those for IP video Networking Basics for Security Professionals: Bandwidth challenges can impact your video surveillance systemToo often as we continue on the transition from analogue to IP video surveillance, we make the assumption that networks designed for data communication are the same as those for IP video. In fact, they are very different. While we focus on camera, NVR an...

Cloud-based services for video surveillance or hosted access control are garnering more attention in the physical security industry. Most people today are already using or are familiar with cloud-based applications in their day-to-day life, so it will only be a matter to time before the benefits of the cloud permeate security and business solutions. Dealers looking to embrace the cloud model for access control must re-think multiple aspects of how they are set up as an organ...

Think of crisis management and emergency planning as a  customer service Do you have a written emergency management plan? Where is it? When was the last time you updated it?Developing and writing a corporate or organisational emergency management plan can take a long time. Once completed, however, the plan is there for you to access when you need it. In fact, that’s wrong. According to crisis management authority Michael J. Fagel, emergency planning is suppos...

Training and education are essential elements of success in the access control market for integrators and end users alike. Whether one is a seasoned veteran or still new to the industry, continued training and education are critical given that access control technologies continue to evolve at a rapid pace. System integrators who do not take advantage of manufacturers’ training seminars are short-changing themselves and their customers, contends Robert Laughlin, president of...

ISPs are often under-delivering on promised network speeds and bandwidth Regardless of where you stand on net neutrality, there’s a bigger slice to the story – how to monitor the health and performance of a network to ensure system performance. While an Internet fast lane for everyone makes sense, the reality is that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are often under-delivering on promised network speeds and bandwidth. And while the Federal Communications Commissio...

Access control can sometimes get overshadowed by video surveillance Technology is shifting rapidly in the access control market, but another obstacle is the need to communicate the value of the technology to users. Specifically, access control can sometimes get overshadowed by video surveillanceas it competes for a share of the customer’s security dollars. From a pure security standpoint, electronic access control is better suited than video surveillance to keeping...

Orwell’s 1984 depicts a post-apocalyptic dystopia in which camera surveillance is used to oppress the individual The phrase “Big Brother” has been in our vocabulary for eight decades now. Its use is linked exclusively with negative images of a surveillance state (and, of course, a bad reality television show). But would George Orwell, a non-religious democrat, be happy with the way the anti-CCTV lobby has appropriated the phrase? The fact is, Orwell would app...

Access control systems that leverage proprietary technologies severely limit system flexibility Access control’s ongoing transition from closed systems to more open integration provides benefits for integrators, and especially for end users looking to maximise their system return on investment. End users want greater flexibility, specifically in terms of hardware choice. As a result, more non-proprietary solutions are coming to market. For the integrator, offering more o...

Remote monitoring offers a multiplying effect on security efforts The growth of IP-based networks has made it possible for security professionals to easily monitor surveillance activity from any internet-enabled PC, smartphone, or tablet anytime, anyplace. More and more, businesses are realising that remote monitoring can have a significant impact on their bottom line. Whether you’re a retail outlet, bank or hotel, remote monitoring offers a multiplying effect on securit...

Integrators are embracing the many ways the cloud helps smaller companies succeed Hosted and managed security services aren’t for large enterprises only. SMBs (small-to-medium businesses) are taking advantage of the inherent operational and cost efficiencies of deploying managed services. Web-based or cloud services like access control and video provide convenience, ease of use and lower total cost of ownership. Cloud services are accessed without downloading and main...

Newer concepts and modern security solutions help achieve operational efficiencies in the retail sector Asset protection across retail organisations is sometimes still viewed as a necessary evil. But at a time when shrinkage is on the rise, margins are low, competition is fierce and the economic climate is still somewhat uncertain, retailers need to maximise any investment in technology and consider how it can positively impact their bottom line. Steve Bocking, Sales...

Security standardisation reduces operational requirements Controlling identified risks at all of your sites, anywhere in the world, can be difficult. Especially when taking budget constraints into account. How can you ensure all of your people have a secure working environment? And that all employees, everywhere, adhere to your security policy? Nancy Wanders, Business Development Manager Asia/Pacific at Nedap, states that standardising security gives this assurance and more. I...

Cybersecurity is a critically important aspect in today’s increasingly IP-driven world of physical security The physical security market tends to dismiss issues of cybersecurity as outside its area of expertise, but cyber-threats are a problem that has been ignored for too long. The fact is, cybersecurity is a critically important aspect of the systems our industry provides in the increasingly IP-driven world of physical security. And the risk isn’t just reserved...