Network monitoring

Ping Identity, the Intelligent Identity solution for the enterprise, announces the launch of its revamped Global Partner Program, which provides Ping Identity’s extensive network of global technology and channel partners with the tools, resources and technology to grow their business and ensure the success of their customers. There is a booming demand for tailored identity and access management solutions as enterprises continue to expedite their digital transformation initiatives. In a predominantly remote work environment, businesses require turnkey solutions to simplify migration across cloud, SaaS and on-premises data centres and address the realities of hybrid IT environments. Global systems integrators Ping is refining its partner programs to better serve and address the challenges its community currently faces. “Our partners are critical to the foundation, health and long-term success of Ping Identity and are essential to our mission in driving the identity-defined security revolution,” said Kris Nagel, Chief Operating Officer at Ping Identity. Partners are able to receive additional benefits via a tiered program “Expanding and deepening our collective efforts with our global strategic alliance and channel partners allows us to continue to innovate and bring comprehensive IAM solutions to the enterprise.” Ping Identity’s Channel Program has long enabled solution providers, resellers, managed service providers (MSPs) and global systems integrators (GSIs) to grow their business. Now, partners are able to receive additional benefits via a tiered program that recognises organisations’ strengths and encourages growth via Ping investments. Premier identity verification Partners can expect financial, sales, technical and marketing investments designed to provide positive business impact. As part of the Channel Program, Ping Identity is launching Delivery Approved, a new program with four levels of earned designations that reward partners for making a significant investment of time and resources in building a sustainable Ping consulting practice. By earning a Delivery Approved designation, an organisation can earn a formal identification as a preferred Ping Identity delivery partner and trusted advisor. It also provides partners with access to a Ping Identity partner delivery manager, technical enablement support and partner marketing resources. “We look forward to continuing our strategic partnership with Ping Identity as we remain steadfast in our commitment to providing our customers with the premier identity verification and access management services,” said Lorraine Worrall, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at ProofID. Providing greater security The revamped program provides Ping’s customers with access to additional comprehensive “Ping and ProofID have together delivered value for businesses with diverse needs and are eager to continue to play a fundamental role through Delivery Approved to further advancing these businesses’ outcomes and in driving measured growth.” Additionally, Ping Identity has expanded its Strategic Alliance Program, enabling further collaboration with top-tier technology companies. The revamped program provides Ping’s customers with access to additional comprehensive, cross-application integrated IAM solutions as well as the opportunity to leverage existing infrastructure investments to provide greater security and convenience to their identity platform. “To address today’s IT environment’s increasing challenges of security threats and data privacy concerns, our customers need flexible and scalable security solutions to truly achieve a Zero Trust model,” said Harry Gould, SVP WW Partners at SailPoint. “We know that our joint work with Ping Identity will provide these leading businesses with the AI-driven governance and security that can be effectively deployed across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments.”

BlackBerry Ltd. has announced that it has partnered with Dedrone, a globally renowned market and technology solutions company in airspace security, to deliver advanced counter-drone technology to secure the world’s most critical sites.  Advanced counter-drone technology As part of this embedded technology partnership, Dedrone, is integrating BlackBerry AtHoc software into its products, to enable real-time secure alerts, when a malicious or unauthorised drone is detected in airspace. “When an unauthorised drone enters restricted airspace, time is of the essence. The more effectively the on-site personnel can respond, the better their chances of countering whatever the drone is there to do. BlackBerry AtHoc’s advanced alerting capabilities combined with Dedrone’s drone detection technology, enable our customers to react precisely and in time to control the situation,” said Aaditya Devarakonda, President and Chief Business Officer, Dedrone. Dedrone technology The Dedrone technology portfolio combines machine-learning software with state-of-the-art hardware sensors The Dedrone technology portfolio combines machine-learning software with state-of-the-art hardware sensors, electronic attack methods like smart jamming, and defeat weapons to provide early warning, classification of, and mitigation against drone threats. Dedrone’s capabilities are used by hundreds of customers globally, including the U.S. military, allied and coalition forces, correctional facilities, airports, utilities, as well as other public and private organisations. Integration with BlackBerry AtHoc software Working with the BlackBerry AtHoc API, Dedrone has integrated directly to BlackBerry AtHoc’s extensive and granular alerting functionality. This allows the creation of automated, highly targeted alerts based on a range of criteria, including flight zones, drone behaviour, and user groups – for a more efficient, focused response to the presence of an unauthorised drone. “New advanced technologies have the potential to solve some of today’s most pressing challenges, however, they also introduce new security risks,” said Christoph Erdmann, Senior Vice President of Secure Communications, BlackBerry. Countering rising threat of unauthorised drones He adds, “Drones are one of the many IoT endpoints that add to the growing chaos that security experts must navigate. We’re excited to partner with Dedrone to offer a critical solution that organisations around the world can use to keep citizens and the public safe.” BlackBerry is a globally renowned company in secure communications and the BlackBerry AtHoc software is used by key organisations around the world, including 70% of the US Federal Government.

viisights, Inc., the globally renowned developer of innovative behavioural understanding systems for real-time video intelligence, continues to gain momentum with cities, organisations, and technology partners that are serving the United States of America and global markets. viisights Wise The company’s highly innovative and unique solution, viisights Wise, provides municipalities and organisations with the ability to automatically detect, analyse, and differentiate human behaviours, such as an individual slipping and falling vs. being thrown to the ground, or two people embracing vs. fighting, or a peaceful parade vs. a riot. viisights’ powerful solution also delivers analytics ideal for helping organisations get back to work safely and fight the spread of COVID-19, such as recognising close proximity encounters between individuals that may violate social distancing mandates. Innovative security solution viisights behavioural recognition delivers superior video intelligence to help keep cities and businesses safer" “viisights' unique solution can accurately detect and analyse the behaviour of individuals and groups of people, using deep learning and time-based vision analysis,” said Asaf Birenzvieg, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of viisights. He adds, “viisights behavioural recognition delivers superior video intelligence that can help keep cities and businesses safer and more secure, while reducing the manpower and associated costs necessary to monitor vast numbers of live and recorded video sources.” viisights behavioural recognition solution viisights behavioural recognition solution can be deployed on-premise or via the cloud, and is scalable to an infinite number of cameras with data analysis provided within seconds of a triggered event. The innovative solution is based on real-time temporal and holistic video streaming analysis, using video clips rather than standalone images, and employs convolutional neural networks and LSTM models for training its core AI engine. This creates a unique event signature that includes the scene participants and their extracted features, such as positioning, movement, size, and relationship with others. The information can be used to detect potentially dangerous or high-interest situations in progress, and to automatically send alerts to other investigative applications. High-interest situations detected by the system High-interest situations detected by the system include, but are not limited to, people fighting, riots and vandalism, people brandishing weapons, blood on individuals, contextual loitering, a person abandoning an object, people wearing or not wearing masks. It also includes movements, such as running, walking, or climbing, groups of people gathering or running, people climbing over fences or loitering near a fence, people entering a perimeter without permission, people in roadways, vehicles on sidewalks, vehicle collisions, traffic jams, people riding bicycles or motorcycles, people entering or exiting a vehicle, and smoke and fire detection. Minimising false alerts and maximising safety viisights behavioural recognition solution successfully minimises false alerts and their related costs viisights behavioural recognition solution successfully minimises false alerts and their related costs, while maximising safety and security, providing a new level of video intelligence for predictive analysis, incident prevention, response management, and risk mitigation. By only analysing general behaviour patterns of individuals, groups, vehicles, and traffic-flows, viisights technology does not identify faces or license plates to protect personal privacy.  viisights advanced capabilities were recognised early on, when the company was designated as a ‘Cool Vendor’ by internationally renowned analyst and consultancy firm, Gartner, in its Cool Vendors in AI for Computer Vision: Balance Business Risk and Reward report, published in August of 2018, which states ‘Automated scene analysis used to generate real-time insight into human/object behaviour is at the cutting edge of video analytics today’. Wide scope use of viisight technology viisights’ flagship product, viisight Wise addresses a wide range of applications, including, violence and weapon recognition, context-related suspicious activity recognition, crowd behaviour and social-distancing, traffic monitoring, indoor and outdoor safety (including fire and smoke detection), and resource optimisation.

Chromasens allPIXA evo line-scan Dual 10GigE cameras with Multi-Channel Flash will simultaneously trigger up to four different controller channels synchronised to the flash line, a feature that allows for the acquisition of multiple images of the exact same scene with each image showing different illumination geometries and colours (white, red, green, UV, IR), all captured in a single scan. By having one camera capture multiple images within a single scan, Multi-Channel Flash saves the end-use a considerable amount of time and money without compromising quality. Various types of defects are captured, including minuscule cracks, scratches, stains, chipping, or foreign particles. Multi-exposure images Combining multiple illuminations in a single scan also gives inspection systems the capability to overcome the challenges of a shiny surface of an object. Multi-Channel Flash is especially useful in inspection tasks where an object may have different kinds of defects that each require a specific illumination source. For example, an LCD panel could have scratches identified best with brightfield illumination, along with dust particles that require darkfield illumination for detection. The allPIXA evo also has a separate ‘flash mode’ that captures multi-exposure images during a single scan The allPIXA evo also has a separate ‘flash mode’ that captures multi-exposure images during a single scan, resulting in several congruent images of the same scene with different integration times. This process is a prerequisite to composing a single high dynamic-range (HDR) image often needed to reduce the loss of detail from imaging scenes containing regions with vastly different brightness, ensuring that no defects are missed. Complaint network switches Along with its multi-channel flash and HDR, the allPIXA evo is loaded with an advanced feature set for supporting the most challenging colour and mono line-scan applications, and is especially effective in web and 100% print inspections. An outstanding signal-to-noise ratio assures unparalleled quality in colour imaging where dynamic range is critical to success. The camera's fibre interface greatly expands the horizons of vision systems traditionally limited to cable lengths of a few metres to 300 meters or more. In addition to 10K (10240 x 4 lines pixels) and 15K (15360 pixels x 4 lines) 12-bit True RGB and mono versions, Chromasens offers an allPIXA evo TDI mono camera that delivers excellent responsivity in reduced lighting levels for wafer, PCB, and LCD panel inspection, among others, to help increase manufacturing yields. Thanks to the Dual 10GigE interface, allPIXA evo cameras will seamlessly connect to the large ecosystem of GigE Vision compliant network switches and interface cards, while eliminating the need for frame grabbers and expensive Camera Link cables.

Johnson Controls, a globally renowned company in creating smart buildings solutions and helping reopen buildings, as part of the ‘new normal’ in COVID-19 pandemic period, announced the launch of its smart elevated skin temperature scanning solution, the Tyco Illustra Pro Thermal EST. A healthy and safe environment starts with a holistic approach that encompasses not only a building’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) infrastructure, but adds temperature screening among protocols including contact tracing, frictionless entry and exits, and the practice of social distancing. Tyco Illustra Pro Thermal EST The Tyco Illustra Pro Thermal EST is a contactless and highly accurate solution that will be another tool in the first line of defence for building owners and operators as part of their pandemic safety measures. At the heart of the Johnson Controls’ smart elevated skin temperature scanning solution is the Tyco Illustra Pro Thermal EST camera, which provides rapid scanning at accuracy levels that exceed standards set by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), as tested and confirmed by Underwriters Laboratories (UL). In addition, the solution has been designed to meet the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s (USFDA) April 2020 Enforcement Policy for Telethermographic Systems. Skin temperature scanning Advanced facial detection technology and rapid scanning quickly alert operators to elevated skin temperature reading Skin temperature scanning is done while people continue to walk. Embedded, advanced facial detection technology and rapid scanning times quickly alert operators to an elevated skin temperature reading. People don’t need to stop or be approached by operators. This helps to reduce crowding and contributes to a contactless building entry experience for visitors and employees at businesses, schools, sporting and transportation venues, and other buildings. Smart, sustainable building solutions “How we interact with our environments, buildings and shared spaces has become top-of-mind as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. With a 135-year history of creating smarter, safer, more sustainable buildings, Johnson Controls has unmatched expertise, technology and the solutions to rethink our physical spaces at this critical time,” said Mike Ellis, Executive Vice President, Chief Customer & Digital Officer, Johnson Controls. Mike adds, “This camera provides added measures in a rapid and contactless fashion. Johnson Controls is very proud to be providing a solution that not only meets, but exceeds IEC standards.” The solution is equipped with the technical features for accuracy and rapid response: 5-megapixel color/thermal camera with built-in, AI-enabled face detection technology that isolates the forehead and performs a multi-point temperature measurement, accurate to within ±0.2ºC/0.4ºF, when deployed in compliance with proper installation and condition requirements. Blackbody temperature calibration device, with a 24-month calibration certificate, for sustained accuracy. Customisable, real-time alerts for local or remote monitoring via a browser or through compatible video management systems. Integration with other security systems, such as an access control solution that can automatically prevent the person from further access. Using secondary evaluation methods Elevated skin temperatures identified by the solution should be confirmed with secondary evaluation methods, such as clinical thermometers. Temperature measurements should not be solely or primarily relied upon to diagnose or exclude a diagnosis of COVID-19, or any other disease. Pro Thermal EST should be used to measure only one individual’s temperature at a time, in accordance with FDA guidelines. The Tyco Illustra Pro Thermal EST is now available for sale in the United States and will be released globally in phases.

CyberCube, a cyber analytics provider, has completed its Service Organisation Control 2 Type II (SOC 2® Type II) audit report. The report is based on an examination of CyberCube’s internal controls and procedures. CyberCube is committed to exceeding critical compliance standards for its customers. A SOC 2 Type II report assures its clients that the company meets the suitability of design and operating effectiveness of applicable controls. Information security policies SOC 2 Type II is a certification that is only issued by an accredited third-party auditor after conducting an examination in accordance with attestation standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). These standards ensure that CyberCube follows strict information security policies and procedures encompassing the security, availability, processing, integrity, and confidentiality of customer data. Peter Quinby, CyberCube’s Business Operations Manager said: "Meeting the highest standards for security, availability, and confidentiality are all critical to the services we provide to our clients. Ensuring the security of our users is a CyberCube priority, and we are constantly assessing how we can make our solutions even more secure.” Ajay Garg, CyberCube’s Vice President of Engineering, added: “SOC 2 Type II certification is a great milestone for CyberCube as it shows the maturity of our organisational controls, processes, and security. This certification validates our promise of keeping our clients’ data protected.”

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.

Two of the most familiar names in the physical security market – Pelco and Panasonic – underwent ownership changes during 2019. Consolidation continued on multiple other fronts. Security service companies, video companies and access control companies were all among the entities involved in merger and acquisition (M&A) activity during the last 12 months. In short, the industry landscape continues to transform in response to a changing market. Here's a look at the Top 10 M&A stories in 2019: 1. Pelco acquired by private equity firm Transom Capital Pelco Inc. was acquired in May by Transom Capital Group, a private equity firm, from Schneider Electric. Since the acquisition, Transom Capital has been working with Pelco’s management and employees to define and direct the next chapter of the iconic company. Pelco maintains its headquarters in Fresno, Calif., and has a presence in Fort Collins, Colo., near Denver, and a sales office in the New York area, not to mention many global employees who work remotely. 2. Panasonic spins of security business Electronics giant Panasonic sold off 80% of its video surveillance business to a private equity firm but is retaining 20%, and the new company will continue to use the well-known Panasonic brand. The move is aimed at reinvigorating a business challenged by competition from Chinese companies and lower video prices. Polaris Capital Group Co. acquired 80% of the outstanding shares of the new security systems business. 3. Qognify acquires OnSSI and SeeTec 2019 began with the acquisition of IP video management software (VMS) company On-Net Surveillance Systems (OnSSI), including SeeTec in Europe. Backed by the global investment firm Battery Ventures, Qognify completed the acquisition in the final days of 2018. With Qognify, OnSSI and SeeTec operating under one umbrella, the company provides VMS, video analytics, PSIM and critical incident management for mid-market and enterprise organizations. 4. Busy year for acquisitions at Allied Universal Security services company Allied Universal had an active year in acquisitions, beginning in April with the acquisition of integration company Securadyne Systems in Dallas. There was an additional acquisition announced in each of the next four months: Point 2 Point Global Security, Dallas, in May; security services company Cypress Private Security in June, services company Shetler Security Services in July , and Midstate Security in August. Allied Universal announced two more acquisitions in November – low-voltage integrator Advent Systems Inc. in Chicago and Vinson Guard Service in Louisiana. Also in November, Allied announced a transformational merger with SOS Security. In December, Allied Universal acquired APG Security, South Amboy, N.J. 5. Motorola continues video push with VaaS acquisition Following its acquisition of Avigilon in 2018, Motorola Solutions continued to build its presence in the security market in 2019 with the acquisition of VaaS International Holdings, Inc. (VaaS), a data and image analytics company. Motorola Solutions paid $445 million in a combination of cash and equity for the company, which includes fixed and mobile license plate reader cameras driven by machine learning and artificial intelligence. 6. ACRE acquires access control companies Open Options and RS2 Open Options is an open architecture access control company headquartered in Addison, Texas; and RS2 is an open systems access control provider in Munster, Ind. ACRE, global provider of security systems, wrapped up acquisition of both firms in 2019, after announcing the Open Options deal in the waning days of 2018 and following it up with the RS2 announcement in the spring. ACRE’s portfolio now consists of Vanderbilt, Open Options, RS2 and ComNet. 7. Assa Abloy expands capabilities with LifeSafety Power Lock and access control giant ASSA ABLOY acquired LifeSafety Power in September, providing a complement to the access control portfolio. The plan is to incorporate LifeSafety Power’s knowledge of power supply and consumption throughout the ASSA ABLOY access control line. LifeSafety Power was established in 2009 and has some 65 employees. The main office is located in Libertyville, Illinois. 8. Distributor Anixter going private and selling to CD&R Anixter International Inc., a distributor of network and security solutions, electrical and electronic solutions and utility power solutions, entered into a definitive agreement with an affiliate of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) to be acquired in an all cash transaction valued at approximately $3.8 billion. The transaction will result in Anixter becoming a private company and is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2020. Under the terms of the merger agreement, CD&R-managed funds will acquire all the outstanding shares of Anixter common stock for $81.00 per share in cash. (It has been reported that a new bidder has also emerged, although Anixter is resisting – stay tuned.) 9. Alarm.com expands commercial offering with OpenEye acquisition Alarm.com has announced a majority-stake acquisition of OpenEye, a provider of cloud-managed video surveillance solutions for the commercial market. OpenEye is optimised for enterprise-level commercial customers requiring expansive video recording capabilities, in addition to remote viewing, administration and diagnostic reporting. Combined with the Alarm.com for Business offering, service providers partnered with Alarm.com now have solutions to accommodate commercial accounts of any size. 10. ADT makes multiple acquisitions, sells Canadian operation Another North American security giant, ADT Inc., also had a busy year in mergers and acquisitions. In February, ADT acquired LifeShield, a pioneer in advanced wireless home security systems. In June ADT continued expanding capabilities and geographic reach via Red Hawk Fire & Security, ADT Commercial with the asset purchase agreement of Security Corporation, a commercial security integrator headquartered in Detroit, Mich. In November, ADT Commercial purchased Critical Systems, which specialises in enterprise-class fire alarm, fire suppression, life safety and integrated building security solutions for high-rise properties, healthcare campuses and data, manufacturing and distribution facilities in Atlanta.  In October, ADT announced an agreement to sell its Canadian operations to TELUS Corp.

Insider threat programmes started with counter-espionage cases in the government. Today, insider threat programmes have become a more common practice in all industries, as companies understand the risks associated with not having one. To build a programme, you must first understand what an insider threat is. An insider threat is an employee, contractor, visitor or other insider who have been granted physical or logical access to a company that can cause extensive damage. Damage ranges from emotional or physical injury, to personnel, financial and reputational loss to data loss/manipulation or destruction of assets. Financial and confidential information While malicious insiders only make up 22% of the threats, they have the most impact on an organisation Most threats are derived from the accidental insider. For example, it’s the person who is working on a competitive sales pitch on an airplane and is plugging in financial and confidential information. They are working hard, yet their company’s information is exposed to everyone around them. Another type of insider, the compromised insider, is the person who accidentally downloaded malware when clicking on a fake, urgent email, exposing their information. Malicious insiders cause the greatest concerns. These are the rogue employees who may feel threatened. They may turn violent or take action to damage the company. Or you have the criminal actor employees who are truly malicious and have been hired or bribed by another company to gather intel. Their goal is to gather data and assets to cause damage for a specific purpose. While malicious insiders only make up 22% of the threats, they have the most impact on an organisation. They can cause brand and financial damage, along with physical and mental damage. Insider threat programme Once you determine you need an insider threat programme, you need to build a business case and support it with requirements. Depending on your industry, you can start with regulatory requirements such as HIPAA, NERC CIP, PCI, etc. Talk to your regulator and get their input. Everyone needs to be onboard, understand the intricacies of enacting a programme Next, get a top to bottom risk assessment to learn your organisation’s risks. A risk assessment will help you prioritise your risks and provide recommendations about what you need to include in your programme. Begin by meeting with senior leadership, including your CEO to discuss expectations. Creating an insider threat programme will change the company culture, and the CEO must understand the gravity of his/her decision before moving forward. Everyone needs to be onboard, understand the intricacies of enacting a programme and support it before its implemented. Determining the level of monitoring The size and complexity of your company will determine the type of programme needed. One size does not fit all. It will determine what technologies are required and how much personnel is needed to execute the programme. The company must determine what level of monitoring is needed to meet their goals. After the leadership team decides, form a steering committee that includes someone from legal, HR and IT. Other departments can join as necessary. This team sets up the structure, lays out the plan, determines the budget and what type of technologies are needed. For small companies, the best value is education. Educate your employees about the programme, build the culture and promote awareness. Teach employees about the behaviours you are looking for and how to report them. Behavioural analysis software Every company is different and you need to determine what will gain employee support The steering committee will need to decide what is out of scope. Every company is different and you need to determine what will gain employee support. The tools put in place cannot monitor employee productivity (web surfing). That is out of scope and will disrupt the company culture. What technology does your organisation need to detect insider threats? Organisations need software solutions that monitor, aggregate and analyse data to identify potential threats. Behavioural analysis software looks at patterns of behaviour and identifies anomalies. Use business intelligence/data analytics solutions to solve this challenge. This solution learns the normal behaviour of people and notifies security staff when behaviour changes. This is done by setting a set risk score. Once the score crosses a determined threshold, an alert is triggered. Case and incident management tools Predictive analytics technology reviews behaviours and identifies sensitive areas of companies (pharmacies, server rooms) or files (HR, finance, development). If it sees anomalous behaviour, it can predict behaviours. It can determine if someone is going to take data. It helps companies take steps to get ahead of bad behaviour. If an employee sends hostile emails, they are picked up and an alert is triggered User sentiment detection software can work in real time. If an employee sends hostile emails, they are picked up and an alert is triggered. The SOC and HR are notified and security dispatched. Depending on how a company has this process set-up, it could potentially save lives. Now that your organisation has all this data, how do you pull it together? Case and incident management tools can pool data points and create threat dashboards. Cyber detection system with access control An integrated security system is recommended to be successful. It will eliminate bubbles and share data to see real-time patterns. If HR, security and compliance departments are doing investigations, they can consolidate systems into the same tool to have better data aggregation. Companies can link their IT/cyber detection system with access control. Deploying a true, integrated, open system provides a better insider threat programme. Big companies should invest in trained counterintelligence investigators to operate the programme. They can help identify the sensitive areas, identify who the people are that have the most access to them, or are in a position to do the greatest amount of harm to the company and who to put mitigation plans around to protect them. They also run the investigations. Potential risky behaviour Using the right technology along with thorough processes will result in a successful programme You need to detect which individuals are interacting with information systems that pose the greatest potential risk. You need to rapidly and thoroughly understand the user’s potential risky behaviour and the context around it. Context is important. You need to decide what to investigate and make it clear to employees. Otherwise you will create a negative culture at your company. Develop a security-aware culture. Involve the crowd. Get an app so if someone sees something they can say something. IT should not run the insider threat programme. IT is the most privileged department in an organisation. If something goes wrong with an IT person, they have the most ability to do harm and cover their tracks. They need to be an important partner, but don’t let them have ownership and don’t let their administrators have access. Educating your employees and creating a positive culture around an insider threat programme takes time and patience. Using the right technology along with thorough processes will result in a successful programme. It’s okay to start small and build.

The UK Government has been working to reduce the risks associated with illegal drone use since a high-profile incident at UK’s Gatwick Airport in December 2018, when a drone sighting triggered a three-day shutdown of the UK’s second busiest airport, disrupting the travel plans of 140,000 people and affecting 1,000 flights. To address growing security threats by drones, the UK Government has released its ‘Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Strategy’. ‘Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Strategy’ This strategy sets out our approach to countering the threat the malicious or negligent use of drones can bring" “This strategy sets out our approach to countering the threat the malicious or negligent use of drones can bring,” says Brandon Lewis, the U.K. Minister of State for Security. “It will provide the security the public and drone users require to continue to enjoy the benefits of leisure and commercial drone use and facilitate the growth of the drone industry.” “Given the challenge posed by rapid advances in drone technology and the potential threat, the strategy will provide overarching direction to our efforts,” says Lewis. The strategy focuses on ‘small drones’, those weighing less than 20 kg (44 pounds). Countering malicious use of aerial drones The UK Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Strategy centres on mitigating the highest-harm domestic risks resulting from malicious use of aerial drones. They are: Facilitating terrorist attacks, such as modifying commercially-available drones to conduct reconnaissance or attacks. Facilitating crime, especially in prisons, where drones are currently used to deliver contraband. Disrupting critical national infrastructure, such as airports, where a malicious incursion using a drone can have serious safety, security and economic consequences. Potential use by hostile state actors. Maximising benefits of drone technology The initiative will also look to build strong relationships with industry to ensure high security standards Over the next three years, the strategy will seek to reduce the risks posed by the highest-harm use of drones while maximising the benefits of drone technology. It will develop a comprehensive understanding of evolving risks and take a “full spectrum” approach to deter, detect and disrupt the misuse of drones. The initiative will also look to build strong relationships with industry to ensure high security standards. Further, promoting access to counter-drone capabilities and effective legislation, training and guidance will empower the police and other operational responders. Tactical response to drone-based threats Because technology is rapidly evolving, the response needs to keep pace, according to the strategy document. Lewis adds, “We will therefore work to understand how drone-based threats might evolve in the future, both at the tactical and strategic levels.”  The strategy will be to build an end-to-end approach to tackling the highest-harm criminal use of drones. It will also work to make it easier to identify malicious drone use against a backdrop of increased legitimate use. Legal drone operators will be required to register with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and to pass an online competency test before flying a drone. Retailers who follow a specific set of safety guidelines when selling drones will be designated ‘DroneSafe’. Unmanned traffic management system The government is working toward future implementation of an unmanned traffic management (UTM) system, which provides a means of preventing collisions between unmanned aircraft and other manned or unmanned aircraft. The current strategy includes early planning for the system. An Industry Action Group will ensure a continuing relationship with the drone industry and help to improve existing counter-drone measures and identify new opportunities, such as use of ‘Geo-Fencing’ to restrict drones from flying in certain areas. Regulating commercial and domestic drones The UK Department of Transport is responsible for safe and lawful use of drones within the UK airspace The strategy will seek to communicate the UK’s security requirements to the counter-drone industry and to encourage a thriving sector that is aware of, and responsive to, the needs of government. Regulating drones is the responsibility of two UK government departments. The UK Department of Transport is responsible for safe and lawful use of drones within the UK airspace, while the Home Office has overall responsibility for domestic counter-drone activity. Fast-evolving drone and counter-drone technology Also, the Center for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) has been involved in reducing the vulnerability of sensitive sites, including airports. New performance measures will track the strategy’s success. Due to the fast-evolving nature of drone and counter-drone technology, the intent is to review and, if necessary, refresh the strategy in three years.

There is a growing trend towards more outsourcing of the monitoring function among security companies. Technology developments are accelerating and increasing the need for monitoring companies to invest. The barriers to entry are higher than ever. These are some of the trends covered in a discussion at Securing New Ground 2019 titled ‘Monitoring: New Models and New Monetisation Strategies’. A panel of monitoring company executives addressed topics centered on how the industry is changing and evolving. New entrants in the monitoring space New entrants in the monitoring space face barriers to entry, in particular the need for more investment"“New entrants in the monitoring space face barriers to entry, in particular the need for more investment in infrastructure and expertise,” said Spencer Moore, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Rapid Response Monitoring. ”Because of the expense of new technologies, more full-service monitoring companies are outsourcing the monitoring function to existing wholesale monitoring companies.” “The cost of entry has gone up, and companies are trying to preserve capital,” agreed Jim McMullen, President/COO at COPS Monitoring. “Larger companies are realising wholesale monitoring does a better job from a customer service viewpoint. We are more focused on monitoring and the quality of service. It takes a lot of money to keep up with the cyber world,” added McMullen. Wholesale monitoring companies Wholesale monitoring companies are finding that they need petabytes of storage space, among other expensive requirements. “The trend is toward technology evolving quicker, and that often requires investment and training in a monitoring center,” said Daniel Oppenheim, CEO of Affiliated Monitoring. “Because trying out new technology is so important, wholesale monitoring centers often find that they serve as a ‘laboratory’ to experiment with newer technologies. Limited trials often expand later to broader outsourcing of a company’s monitoring services”, said Oppenheim. Automated Secure Alarm Protocol “What people miss out on is that monitoring is quite complex, and there are specialised services and skillsets, and barriers to entry from a regulatory perspective,” said Moore. Adding value to the monitoring function is The Monitoring Association’s ASAP-to-PSAP service Adding value to the monitoring function is The Monitoring Association’s ASAP-to-PSAP service. The national service saves time, improves accuracy and increases efficiency in communications between monitoring centers and public safety answering points (PSAPs). The service uses the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP). Public Safety Answering Points Up to 60 PSAPS have joined the programme, although the low number is misleading, given that a single PSAP could represent the ‘City of Houston’. (There are an estimated 6,000 total PSAPs nationwide). It has taken six to eight years to develop the program from its genesis to where it is today, when more participation is finally creating a critical mass. Technology is fundamentally changing monitoring companies. “We used to be a services company powered by a little bit of technology, but we’re now moving toward a technology services company,” said Moore. Critical ‘filtering service’ Monitoring provides a critical ‘filtering service’ between public requests for emergency service and those tasked with providing the services. In effect, monitoring centers work with manufacturers to make them more resilient to false alarms. Monitoring companies also provide a human touch in a time of need, and emotional empathy. Today, emergency information is being transmitted to PSAPs electronically, which saves time and money. The current low-taxation environment means there are fewer resources for municipal governments, so cost savings make a difference. Monitoring, a specialised skillset Increasingly, monitoring is becoming a business that requires a more specialised skillset Increasingly, monitoring is becoming a business that requires a more specialised skillset. Regulation, and the need for increasing investment, is driving consolidation. “With a decreasing number of monitoring companies, there are fewer customers for software developers and other tools. Less outside innovation makes it more likely monitoring centers will have to ‘go it alone’ and develop software and other tools internally,” said Oppenheim. Importance of monitoring systems “In effect, consolidation will serve to limit technology choices, and to increase the need to in-source a lot of expertise”, agrees Moore. Tying monitoring systems into other software systems is another continuing challenge. “People want our system tied into their system,” said McMullen. “I have two people who focus full time to tie our systems into other systems. There will be more computers talking to computers.”

Qumulex is a new startup with a mission to provide physical security integrators a transition path to embrace the technology of the cloud and a subscription-based business model. Qumulex’s products seek to provide capabilities to embrace the cloud without an integrator having to turn their back completely on the ‘transactional revenue’ of installing new systems. As the transition happens, Qumulex offers a product line that supports any mix of systems from on-premises to the cloud. The flexible deployment model – enabling a cloud installation, an on-premise installation or any combination – is one of the ways Qumulex seeks to differentiate itself in the market. Installing fully on-premise system The Qumulex cloud-based platform uses a gateway device located on-premises to which local cameras are connected The system is designed so that an integrator can install a fully on-premise system and then later ‘flip a switch’ and transition to a cloud model, says Tom Buckley, VP Sales and Marketing. The Qumulex initial 1.0 system launch is currently entering its final beta test. Full commercial availability is expected in the first quarter of 2020, which the company will highlight in a bigger 20x20 booth at ISC West next year. The Qumulex cloud-based platform uses a gateway device located on-premises to which local cameras are connected. Ensuring cybersecurity, the gateway provides a ‘firewall’ of sorts to avoid any cybersecurity threat from entering an enterprise through a vulnerable IP camera. The system is designed to be ‘cloud-agnostic’ and to work with any public or private cloud, using Docker software and ‘containers,’ a standard unit of software that packages code and all its dependencies so an application runs quickly and reliably from one computing environment to another. At launch, the Qumulex system will use the Google cloud. Greater situational awareness The open platform approach will enable users to assemble best-of-breed solutions Another point of differentiation for the new platform is a unified access control and video surveillance environment – both are part of the same program. Access control can drive video events and vice versa for greater situational awareness. A unified system avoids having to integrate separate systems. A big emphasis for Qumulex is ease of use. They have designed the user interface to be as simple and intuitive as possible, using consumer-oriented systems such as Nest and the Ring Doorbell as a model of simplicity. Finally, the open platform approach will enable users to assemble best-of-breed solutions. Keeping it simple, the system offers native integration with only the major camera manufacturers that represent most of the market: Axis, Hanwha, Arecont, Panasonic, Vivotek and Sony. Longer-term storage Other cameras can be included using the ONVIF interface. On the access control side, the system will initially be compatible with Axis door controllers, Allegion wireless door locks and ASSA ABLOY Aperio wireless door locks. Future versions of the software will seek to integrate HID Edge and Vertx and eventually Mercury panels. The gateway device may incorporate only a solid-state drive (SSD) for buffering Qumulex is taking a ‘mobile-first’ approach. The software is designed as a ‘progressive web app,’ which means is it is adaptable to – and fully functioning in – any smart phone, mobile device, laptop, or on a desktop computer with multiple monitors. The gateway device may incorporate only a solid-state drive (SSD) for buffering, or as many hard drives as the customer wants for storage. Short-term storage is available in the cloud, but local hard drives may be used for longer-term storage which can get expensive given the monthly fees of cloud storage. Using third-party server To manage the variety of scenarios, Qumulex will offer a line of gateways and recorders, or a customer can use a third-party server along with Qumulex, which is an open system. Qumulex will use a manufacturer’s representative sales model and has already signed up 11 rep firms covering the United States (the initial target of the launch). The company has been spreading the word among integrators, too, first at the ISC West show last spring, when 98 integrators saw demonstrations of the system at a suite in the Palazzo. Another 48 integrators saw the system at ESX in Indianapolis in June. At the recent GSX show in Chicago, Qumulex had a booth on the show floor, where they scanned 450 badges that yielded 176 unique integrators. Entering the physical security market Qumulex just closed a second round of funding, which does not include any ‘institutional’ money Buckley estimates there are around 10,000 total security integrators in the United States that sell products similar to theirs at their price point. They are working to build their database to reach out to those integrators. (Exacq had more than 4,500 dealer/integrators before it was sold to Tyco/Johnson Controls.) Qumulex is the third company to enter the physical security market by the same team that launched two other successful startups in the last 20 years: Exacq Technologies (sold to Tyco in 2013) and Integral Technologies (sold to Andover Controls in 2000). Both previous companies were built around a need to help the integrator community transition to newer technologies. Qumulex just closed a second round of funding, which does not include any ‘institutional’ money. The first round of investment involved only the founders, and the second round added some ‘angel’ investors to the mix. The funding allows more flexibility and control over the company’s timeline and the evolution of the product’s feature set, free of outside mandates, says Buckley.

Staff safety and customer service will be boosted across Sydney’s rail network with the deployment of SafeZone®, the safety, security and emergency management solution from CriticalArc. The ground-breaking technology will enable Sydney Trains to manage a wide range of situations, including mitigating risks to staff and customers and strengthening the capacity to respond to incidents and emergencies across the network. For example, SafeZone will put up to 2,500 of Sydney Trains’ front-line staff directly in touch with security control room teams, letting them summon immediate assistance at the touch of a button. High safety standards The investment in SafeZone will cover over 175 stations across the greater Sydney area and is the latest step in a modernisation drive to transform Sydney Trains’ operations, with more than a million customer journeys taken on the network every weekday. SafeZone enables staff to call for assistance and receive optimised response at the touch of a button, via their assigned smartphone. This capability is as valuable on crowded city platforms at rush-hour as it is on more remote suburban stations where staff may be working alone late at night. “Sydney Trains is committed to fulfilling our duty of care to all of our staff and enhancing our high safety standards in order to maintain and enrich customer service levels on station platforms,” explains Mark Edmonds, Manager of Security Capability, Network Operations. Real-time situational awareness Sydney Trains will now have real-time situational awareness, and a more complete picture of critical events “Employing proven technology such as SafeZone will help us solve day-to-day challenges, further improving the safety of our staff and helping them work more effectively to continue to deliver world-class service.” Across its transportation network, Sydney Trains will now have real-time situational awareness, and a more complete picture of critical events. This makes possible a wide range of security management functions, such as sending targeted alerts to specific individuals and groups. It enables control room operators to pinpoint the location of individuals needing help so they can initiate the most efficient and rapid emergency response. Primary safety concern “This visionary deployment by Sydney Trains will have a significant impact on the safety and wellbeing of staff and thus will produce dividends with regards to customer service and satisfaction, and the potential for streamlined operations moving forward,” says Glenn Farrant, CEO, CriticalArc. “With staff safety a primary concern for all rail operators internationally, implementation of this technology by Sydney Trains represents a significant step forward for the sector and will be the blueprint for many implementations to follow.”

On an average, approximately 400,000 tons of cargo passes through Malpensa Airport every year, located in Milan, Italy. The Alha Group is the major cargo handling agent at the 25,000-square-meter site, which houses 32 airlines, with 34 large cargo aircrafts. Handling cargo at Malpensa Airport In 2012, Malpensa Cargo became a certified competence and administration centre for air cargo and road transport, especially for premium-quality small goods, such as smartphones, tablets, designer clothing and accessories. The Alha Group chose a system from MOBOTIX AG, a renowned manufacturer of cameras in Germany Since then, passenger transport in Malpensa has increased exponentially, which has driven the Alha Group to procure a video surveillance system that offers the very highest level of protection. The Alha Group chose a system from MOBOTIX AG, which has been manufacturing cameras in Germany for over 20 years. MOBOTIX thermal imaging cameras "We have installed nine MOBOTIX thermal imaging cameras at our sites in Malpensa, Rome Fiumicino, Segrate, Pioltello, Verona and Prato to strategically cover the key traffic areas," said Marco Alesi, Security Manager at the Alha Group. The MOBOTIX thermal systems were installed by Alha's business partner, Trium at the beginning of March 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Alha can now reliably control access to its offices and warehouses. Virtual security cage The project also saw the construction of a ‘Virtual security cage’ that Alha uses to protect the valuable goods of its customers that are being transshipped against theft. An infrared alarm system delineates a defined area and the video-based system triggers an alarm, as soon as an intruder enters this area. With the help of live images from the camera, the uninvited guest can be identified and stopped immediately. The Alha Group has consequently replaced an expensive conventional locking system with an advanced digital video solution and sped up routine work processes at the same time. The MOBOTIX cameras are integrated into the burglar alarm system, which is controlled using security badges. A detailed log is kept to track when the system is deactivated. Integrated thermal imaging solution "We were, and still are, extremely satisfied with the MOBOTIX cameras we installed previously," emphasizes Marco Alesi, adding "Not only because of their high quality and durability, but also because of the numerous integration and development options we've been able to make use of over time. This is a huge advantage, and one that applies to our most recent installation too." The timesheet system has an integrated thermal imaging camera that is activated, every time an employee signs in The timesheet system has an integrated thermal imaging camera that is activated, every time an employee in the warehouse and office access area signs in. A recorded message asks the employee to look into the camera and remove any glasses or head coverings that they may be wearing for proper identification. If the camera measures their body temperature as being 37.5 degrees Celsius or less, a green LED on the camera flashes to allow access to the cargo bay. If the temperature measured is higher than 37.5 degrees Celsius, a flashing red light and another recorded message informs the employee to wait for a specialist member of staff to take their temperature using a clinical thermometer. VoIP intercom system At the same time, the system sends an email with a dated camera screenshot, stored personnel data and the measured temperature. The VoIP intercom system integrated into the camera enables Alha security staff to immediately communicate with employees who were temporarily stopped when entering the company building. "The extra checks are making us all safer during this crisis. We see the ability to contact someone immediately after they receive negative results for a preliminary test as an intrinsic part of our duty of care toward our employees," explains Alesi.

3xLOGIC, Inc., a globally renowned provider of integrated, intelligent security solutions, has announced that the Tampa (FL) Metropolitan Area YMCA is in the midst of a multi-phase security system project. Multi-phase security system project The project would include video surveillance, fire and intrusion upgrades, and a takeover of existing and new cameras by 3xLOGIC’s VIGIL video management system. The project is being implemented by Redwire, security professionals for over 40 years with clients across Florida, South Georgia, and Southern Alabama. When Nate Valentin, VP of Information Technology, joined the Tampa YMCA in September 2019, he was immediately presented with an opportunity. He said, “We had received a generous donation to be used for cameras, and I was tasked with interviewing vendors and evaluating platforms to determine how best to leverage this donation.” Valentin and his team devised plans to go well beyond standard video surveillance. 3xLOGIC cameras installed Phase I of the project was to install approximately 150 3xLOGIC cameras at the remaining locations Prior to this upgrade, the Tampa YMCA had cameras from another manufacturer at three locations. Phase I of the project was to install approximately 150 3xLOGIC cameras at the remaining locations, the smaller buildings received 4-camera packages, most locations have 16, and the largest facilities have 20-25 cameras. Valentin commented, “If there’s any silver lining to the current pandemic, Redwire’s excellent work enabled us to get all the camera systems installed while we were closed down and before we opened Summer Camps.” Fire and intrusion systems upgrade The 3xLOGIC cameras cover a wide range of areas of interest, such as parking lots, pools, any childcare areas, workout centers, front desks, and basketball courts. Phase II of the project will see fire and intrusion systems upgraded and monitored by Redwire. Valentin adds, “Remote access to the camera systems via 3xLOGIC’s View Lite II Mobile App will help us mitigate false alarms.” VIGIL video management system Phase III of the project will see all cameras, new and previously installed, taken over by 3xLOGIC’s VIGIL VMS. “We want everything under one platform and standardised across the organisation,” said Valentin. During the planning and installation, Valentin began to see possibilities for his system that went beyond monitoring parking lots and protecting the YMCA from false claims. He said, “Video is a great tool and it gives us the information we need to make good, informed decisions. We also saw video and our overall security system as a way to enhance our member’s experience and to increase member engagement.” Tampa YMCA call centre Call centre staff will have access to live video feeds of key areas across all YMCA locations The Tampa YMCA plans to establish a call centre to accomplish these important goals of enhancing member engagement and satisfaction. Call centre staff will have access to live video feeds of key areas across all YMCA locations, so members can call in to ask, for example, if a basketball court is free or how many swim lanes are open and any number of other questions they have about the facilities. “Not only will we be able to give our members up-to-the-minute, accurate information about the status of facilities, this will also take some of the load off front desk staff so they can better serve the person standing in front of them,” Valentin explained. Installing third-party fire and intrusion systems Redwire will install fire and intrusion systems from another manufacturer, but 3xLOGIC video surveillance will be used to verify anything these systems flag. Redwire will perform fire and intrusion monitoring and they are also the Managed Services Provider (MSP) for all the cameras. “Across all locations, and in many different ways, we will lean heavily on our cameras to get smarter and provide excellent member service,” said Valentin.

With Razberi Monitor™, security professionals can securely and remotely monitor their physical security network during a time of social distancing. IT professionals can quickly review the cyber posture data in case of a cyber-breach. Razberi Monitor™ provides secure, remote visibility into the availability, performance, and cyber posture of servers, storage, cameras, and other networked security devices. Remote monitoring The tool simplifies the monitoring and support of a multi-site enterprise security system, predicts and prevents problems for security professionals while providing a centralised view that benefits both IT and Physical Security departments. We have listened to the surveillance industry and created our software platform to enhance relationships" According to Tom Galvin, Chief Product Officer, Razberi Technologies, "We have listened to the surveillance industry and created our software platform to enhance relationships and align Physical Security and IT departments. Razberi Monitor allows security professionals to be proactive by predicting problems." Aligning network and surveillance departments Razberi Monitor's software platform, paired with Razberi's video recording and switch appliances, has enabled Tropical Shipping to save on the cost of sending maintenance crews to check on potential issues in their US and Caribbean facilities. "Our network is highly distributed across the US and Caribbean with up to 125 users viewing camera feeds at one time. Razberi Monitor has helped us increase our camera uptime assurance and align our network and surveillance departments," said Chad Nelson, Director of Security, Facilities and Cargo Compliance, Tropical Shipping. "They now have a clear view of all operations, and it puts me in the driver's seat to be able to provide specific alerts to each port remotely, quickly and more efficiently than sending a tech to troubleshoot."

STANLEY Security, one of the UK’s renowned security and business solutions providers, has installed a wall mounted Thermal Temperature Monitoring Solution in the reception area of Amcor Flexibles Winterbourne site, as a valuable addition to the raft of measures that the company has in place to protect its staff from COVID-19. As a key manufacturer of pharmaceutical and medical packaging, Amcor Flexibles Winterbourne, based in the UK, has a workforce which has been designated as key workers in the COVID-19 pandemic. Remaining open for business and working at full capacity during the lockdown was and continues to be vital. COVID-19 specific safety measures Amcor has put in place a raft of COVID-19 specific safety measures, with the latest requirement being a temperature monitoring solution that could be used to detect elevated temperatures of anyone entering the main reception area, without putting reception staff in any danger.  Whilst a raised temperature is not necessarily an indication of illness, and many people with the COVID-19 virus are asymptomatic, monitoring temperatures of people arriving on site is one extra measure to help protect against the spread of the virus. Thermal Temperature Monitoring Solution STANLEY Security provided Amcor with an automated Thermal Temperature Monitoring Solution STANLEY Security provided Amcor with an automated Thermal Temperature Monitoring Solution, featuring a wall mounted hybrid thermal network camera, a blackbody calibration device, and an NVR. The contactless, non-invasive system is able to monitor temperatures within large groups of people at a distance, reducing manpower requirements and improving personnel safety. The blackbody device provides a constant reference temperature in view of the thermal camera, for accurate temperature monitoring during continuous operation. This prevents changes in the ambient temperature, such as air conditioning being activated, from affecting the systems accuracy. Security alerts When a person with an elevated temperature is detected by the system, an alert is raised which is then acted upon by reception staff during office hours or security staff out of hours. Amcor has a clear policy for dealing with this situation, which differs depending on the nature of the visitor. For Amcor Flexibles Wintebourne’s Operations Manager, Shaun Golding, the system has proven very straightforward to use and is a valuable addition to the raft of measures the company has in place to protect its staff from COVID-19. Elevated temperature detection Shaun said, “So far we’ve only had one person who was detected with an elevated temperature and was sent for a test. But that single person could have come into contact with five or six people during the course of their working day. By having this Temperature Monitoring Solution in place, we prevented that from happening, further reducing the risk.” He adds, “STANLEY Security installed the system in less than a day, without any disruption to our business. The services they have provided us have been really good and I would recommend them.” As an existing customer, STANLEY Security was familiar with the Amcor site in Bristol, having installed CCTV and access control systems there in the past.

NEC Corporation, NEC Corporation of America and their partner, Infrared Cameras Inc., were selected by the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) to provide thermal temperature screening and facial recognition technology at Hawaii's public airports to help protect the community and identify passengers with a potentially elevated body temperature. The companies combined resources to submit a unified proposal for the project. Preventative measures against COVID-19 "Taking these steps to implement the technology at our airports shows our commitment to providing preventative measures against COVID-19 for the community," said Hawaii's Governor David Ige. "We recognise that temperature screening won't catch every infected passenger, but it is an available tool that can be implemented and combined with the additional measures the State is providing to help prevent the spread of this virus, while helping rebuild the economy." NEC technology deployed at Hawaii's public airports We believe NEC's technology will help to ensure the safety and health of visitors and residents of Hawaii against COVID-19" "We are honoured to become a part of this significant project for Hawaii towards the revival of tourism and business in the state," said Toshifumi Yoshizaki, Senior Vice President, NEC Corporation. "We believe NEC's technology will help to ensure the safety and health of visitors and residents of Hawaii against COVID-19, and our team will make every effort to ensure the success of this public and private joint project together with all of the partner companies." Multi-person thermal screening solution "Team NEC's approach is predicated on enhancing existing processes and services rather than introducing a bottleneck or negative impact to processing speed," said Raffie Beroukhim, Chief Experience Officer for NEC Corporation of America. Raffie adds, "We look forward to working with the State of Hawaii to further automate and enhance the travellers' experiences with our high throughput, multi-person thermal screening solution." NEC and Infrared Cameras selected NEC and Infrared Cameras were selected with a proposal of US$ 23.3 million for equipment and installation and a 10-year maintenance plan of US$ 1.42 million annually for a total contract amount of US$ 37.5 million. The companies were selected in part because of their innovative concept and functionality to deliver accurate and efficient thermal temperature screening for people traveling to Hawaii. The selection committee evaluated various systems and technologies and NEC and Infrared Cameras were determined to be the best fit for Hawaii's needs. Thermal temperature screening equipment The thermal temperature screening equipment will be installed in three phases at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), Kahului Airport (OGG), Lihue Airport (LIH), Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole (KOA) and Hilo International Airport (ITO). Phase 1 will have the temperature scanners installed this month at the gates currently being used for arriving trans-Pacific flights. Phase 2 will have the temperature scanners installed at the remaining gates in the coming weeks. Phase 3 expects to have the facial recognition equipment installed by December 31, 2020. Leveraging facial recognition technology The system incorporates privacy protections from design to deployment  While the Hawaii airports system will leverage facial recognition technology, people should not think of the features they may have seen in a movie. The system incorporates privacy protections from design to deployment and NEC will work with HDOT throughout this process to ensure the solution meets the requirements of the State of Hawaii. Furthermore, the system will only temporarily retain a picture of a person with an elevated temperature of 100.4 degrees and above to help airport representatives identify them and conduct an additional assessment to determine if health precautions are necessary. Use of thermal image capture technology The picture will be erased within 30 minutes and will not be shared with any outside agencies. Anyone with a temperature below 100.4 degrees will not have their image retained at all. The system will not automatically have a person's personal information, such as their name, address or driver licence number. It will not contain information about criminal history or outstanding warrants. The use of the thermal image capture technology is anticipated to be safer and more cost effective than manual temperature checks. Without the use of facial recognition technology, an employee would need to be next to each camera at all times to pull a person aside as they walk by the camera, creating bottlenecks and further exposing employees to travellers and, thus, possible COVID-19 infection.

The emergence of smart cities provides real-world evidence of the vast capabilities of the Internet of Things (IoT). Urban areas today can deploy a variety of IoT sensors to collect data that is then analysed to provide insights to drive better decision-making and ultimately to make modern cities more livable. Safety and security are an important aspect of smart cities, and the capabilities that drive smarter cities also enable technologies that make them safer. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: what are the physical security challenges of smart cities?

Ten years is a long time, but it seems to pass in an instant in the world of security. In terms of technology, 2010 is ages ago. Changes in the market have been transformative during that decade, and we called on our Expert Panel Roundtable to highlight some of those changes. We asked this week’s panelists: What was the biggest change in the security industry in the 2010-2019 decade?  

Securing large campus environments can be particularly demanding and requires a range of technology solutions. In effect, a campus may represent a dozen or more individual facilities to be secured, in addition to protecting the overall environment. Seeking more insight into the number and variety of needs of securing a campus, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the security challenges of protecting large campus environments?