Security access systems

Heavily used interior and exterior doors need an access solution that’s both robust and intelligent. The new SMARTair i-max Escutcheon from ASSA ABLOY ensures only authorised users pass through these doors, via a range of credentials including virtual keys stored on a smartphone. Fast, wire-free installation makes it easy to implement or extend a SMARTair access control system in any building. This new wireless escutcheon with an inbuilt RFID reader and Bluetooth compatibility handles the punishment of high-traffic, frequent-use doors. It meets standard EN 1906 Category of use: Grade 4 for robustness — the highest level, recommended for doors ‘which are subject to frequent violent use.’ Wire-free installation This hard-wearing, resistant build quality makes the SMARTair escutcheon ideal for busy doors at education establishments like universities and schools; healthcare sites including hospitals and nursing homes; offices and co-working spaces; apartment complexes and multifamily residences; and public institutions like government buildings, sports centres, and libraries. Its robust design, redefined aesthetics and wire-free installation are perfect for these high-traffic environments — facilities with busy students and teachers, or doctors, nurses, visitors, and subcontractors always on the move. The SMARTair i-max escutcheon is also available with an antibacterial coating, for healthcare and other sterile settings. Proximity credential technologies The new escutcheon is battery powered and works with all standard proximity credential technologies The new escutcheon is battery-powered and works with all standard proximity credential technologies, including MIFARE®, DESFire, and iCLASS®. An optional integrated PINpad provides the opportunity to add another layer of security with multi-factor authentication. One can specify individual doors to open with PIN verification or credential verification — or to require both. The new i-max sacrifices none of its style in pursuit of functionality. The new escutcheon comes in a variety of contemporary finishes and handles options — with up to 16 different combinations. A multi-coloured LED gives visual warning signals at a glance. This new SMARTair escutcheon fits glass, wooden, or aluminium doors — including fire and emergency exit doors — and is available for Scandinavian, Euro, Finnish, and Australasian door profiles. System management options The new escutcheon is compatible with all SMARTair system management options: Standalone, for basic access control functionality; Update on Card; Openow and Pro Wireless Online, for real-time management of every door and system user. The i-max escutcheon also offers another way to open doors: the SMARTair Mobile App to open doors remotely and the SMARTair Openow mobile app. With Openow, users no longer carry a separate card or fob credentials. Instead, their smartphone stores secure virtual keys which can be issued, amended, or cancelled at any time. So, users no longer need to waste time collecting or validating an access card to open doors locked with a new SMARTair i-max escutcheon. With Openow, if one has their phone, they are already carrying the keys.

Strategic Security Solutions (S3), the provider of information security consulting services for identity and access management (IAM), governance, risk and compliance, and SAP Security, announces it has formed an advisory board to provide support and guidance for S3’s strategic growth initiatives. The initial members include two widely renowned cybersecurity industry experts, Peter Tran and Michael Brown, Rear Admiral, USN (Retired), who will apply their experience to help S3 identify new strategic and tactical identity security solution opportunities and provide expert guidance on growth execution and customer delivery excellence. Information security challenges “We are proud to welcome two highly esteemed cybersecurity experts to our growing advisory board roster,” said Johanna Renee Baum, CPA, CISA, CEO and founder of S3. “At S3, we define ourselves by the experience and strength of our consultants. Tran and Brown’s technical backgrounds and deep knowledge of the cybersecurity space will bolster our group of experts and the innovative approaches we take to solving complex information security challenges and producing strategic results.” Tran is currently CISO and head of cyber and product security solutions at InferSight Tran is currently CISO and head of cyber and product security solutions at InferSight, responsible for global product security, breach response, enterprise active cyber defence operations and applied counter threat innovation, techniques, tactics, and analysis. He possesses more than 20 years of demonstrated field experience focused on developing, implementing, and growing cutting-edge cyber counter threat and exploitation solutions to address new innovations, applications, and applied cybersecurity defence methods. Cyber defence operations Prior to InferSight, Tran was vice president for Worldpay’s cyber defence operations and security strategy. He was founder, general manager, and senior director for RSA Security’s Advanced Cyber Defense (ACD) practice where he focused on next-generation information security operations designs, tactical field deployments, exploitation discovery and response solutions. Brown is the founder and president of Spinnaker Security LLC and managing partner at Resilient Advisors. Prior to his current position, he was president of RSA Federal LLC and vice president/general manager Global Public Sector of RSA Security LLC, where he oversaw RSA Information Technology, Security and Enterprise Risk Management portfolios. Cybersecurity mission activities Brown joined RSA after a career of more than 31 years in the United States Navy, where he held leadership positions within the Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding cybersecurity. Brown joined RSA after a career of more than 31 years in the United States Navy His last position on active duty was as the director, cybersecurity coordination for DOD and DHS, where he was responsible for increasing interdepartmental collaboration in strategic planning for the nation’s cybersecurity, mutual support for cybersecurity capabilities development, and synchronisation of current operational cybersecurity mission activities. “I am incredibly excited to be working with S3 as a member of its advisory board,” said Michael Brown. Delivering innovative solutions “The vision and capabilities that S3 brings to today’s complex situations are exactly what is necessary to solve the business and security problems of today and tomorrow. Their wealth of experience in delivering innovative solutions to their customers will allow them to continue to grow and ensure their critical place in the cybersecurity and IAM ecosystem.” “S3 is in a unique position as an industry leader within the IAM solutions space,” said Peter Tran. “Their proven IAM strategic approach, designs, and implementations across multiple technology platforms has proven to stand the test of time for some of the most notable Fortune 500 and Global 1000 companies around the word. I am thrilled to be a member of S3’s advisory board as the demand for IAM solutions continues to accelerate.”

Mobile credentials are set to become the mainstream choice for access control in office buildings as a new generation of workers are forcing employers and landlords to prioritise fast, secure and convenient access via their smartphones. Omdia predicts annual downloads of mobile credentials worldwide rising from 20 million in 2020 to 120 million by 2023 and 150 million in 2024. It is particularly bullish about Bluetooth, which it predicts to grow by more than three times the speed of the next highest-growth type of access control reader over the next four years (by 119% to 2024, which must not be ignored). Smart building technology This rings true taking into account the CBRE study, where nearly half of employees (49%) said that they would like to use digital solutions in the office, but that they are not widely accessible for them, and 30% of companies seeing smart building technology as a factor in choosing a building. Featuring 2N specialists, the online event will explore the key features of the new technology To help building managers and system integrators understand the benefits of the new patented mobile access technology, 2N is hosting a live webinar on 25th February. Featuring 2N specialists, the online event will explore the key features of the new technology including the new slimline office-focused access unit – where to use it and how this solution can address the needs of proposed and existing office buildings. Integrated access system Matt Raban, Distribution Manager for the UK and Ireland at 2N, said: “Developers in the UK realise that an integrated access system combined with a smartphone application will be the future of technologically advanced office buildings. In this country, it will become a competitive advantage for forward thinking building designers and facility managers.” “Our new technology couples near-instant responsiveness with intelligent security and will become the most reliable mobile access solution on the market.” The 2N On Air webinar takes place on Thursday 25th February at 15:00 CET. Speakers include Chief Sales Officer, Tomas Klima, and Chief Product Officer, Tomas Vystavel.

Openpath, a provider of renowned touchless access control and security automation for the built environment, has reimagined the ideal digital badge for today’s modern workforce and workplace. As an industry disruptor, Openpath first revolutionised mobile access control by studying user behaviour to add obvious, simple, yet powerful tools that ensure a frictionless user experience while making organisations more secure. Now, Openpath’s new reimagined digital badge gives system administrators new ways to address their company’s security policies and procedures with greater focus, flexibility and features such as: Customised digital badge design tool so the user’s physical ID badge and picture now match their Digital Credential Call or email for help feature to eliminate lock outs “at the door” Single Sign-On App authentication through Okta to ensure security compliance Door auto-detect technology recognises closest door on the home screen Dynamic Status tags can change the user’s work group or vaccination status in real-time Streamlined support options to determine where and how employee questions are answered, either via Openpath or directly to their company’s security operations center (SOC). Touchless access control They are transforming traditional access control into an experience that is modern and seamless “As an enterprise customer of Openpath, we’ve been impressed with their ability to innovate and deliver a product that is both highly secure and that elevates the employee experience. They are transforming traditional access control into an experience that is modern, seamless, and meets the need of the new workplace," said Brooke Lierman, Senior Director of Workplace Technologies at Okta. At LabFellows, which offers remote lab spaces and cloud-based software automation for companies working on vaccine research for COVID-19, Openpath’s remote management, touchless access, and mobile credentials have heightened the security, reduced administrative burdens and improved the overall experience of their smartlab workspaces. Physical keycard “We have so much intellectual property housed inside our laboratories, and a constantly rotating roster of customer tenants. Adding to that are reduced occupancy guidelines and heightened safety concerns due to COVID-19. With all of these challenges, Openpath has been key to the operational success, safety and security of both LabFellows and our HomeLab members,” said Julio de Unamuno IV, LabFellows Founder & CEO. The long-standing legacy of a physical keycard for identification being more secure than a digital keycard is no longer true. Mobile security has advanced, and the security vulnerabilities of a physical keycard, which are easily lost or cloned, still remain. Physical ID badge Furthermore, mobile badging ensures a pervasive, unified safety and security experience across all of an organisation’s company apps, whether on browser or mobile, and for the first time, notifies companies right at the door if there is a cyber security issue, and gives them the appropriate steps to resolve it easily, quickly and efficiently. Many enterprise companies require staff to wear a physical credential for compliance purposes While there will always be a role for the physical ID badge, Openpath has chosen to improve upon it by giving it a digital twin with features that other mobile solutions simply don’t offer, and customised solutions tailored to accommodate a company’s size, scale, and specific security needs. For example, many enterprise companies require staff to wear a physical credential for compliance purposes. Access control system Supplementing that with a digital credential offers a fail-safe in the event the physical badge is damaged or a second form of ID is needed to show an updated photo or other pertinent information, such as vaccination status. “The beauty of the Openpath’s open architecture system is that it allows us to continuously innovate and create new options for companies that weren’t thought to be possible with older technologies,” said Alex Kazerani, CEO and Co-Founder of Openpath. “We have been breaking barriers to mobile access control since day one and today we are so excited to deliver a new digital badge that surpasses the security of a physical badge, plus offers custom features and extensive functionality for system administrators of all types of companies and sizes.”

Boon Edam Inc., a globally renowned company in security entrances and architectural revolving doors, has announced that despite the difficult year for all businesses, the company was fortunate to see growth in 2020, owing to 59% more sales of optical turnstiles, in comparison to the previous year. While most people began working from home (WFH) early in the year, orders for optical turnstiles, which are typically installed in the lobbies of commercial buildings, continued at a steady pace through the summer and into the fall season, indicating a strong interest among enterprises to create safe and secure lobbies, using a touchless security entry solution. High demand for touchless entry solutions Optical turnstiles have been gaining in deployment and popularity, since the Sep 9/11 attacks Optical turnstiles have been gaining in deployment and popularity, since the Sep 9/11 attacks, due to their ability to deter casual intrusion in a lobby setting and relieve busy guards by detecting tailgating attempts using near-infrared detection sensors housed inside the cabinets. The turnstiles can have barriers that either swing or slide, or they can be barrier-free. But in all cases, the optical turnstiles operate automatically and do not require a user to touch them. Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the desire to update security of buildings so that main entrances and lobbies are secure, while also touchless at the same time, has been one of the main reasons that interest in optical turnstiles continues to be healthy. Record optical turnstile sales Over half of Boon Edam's entrance products are automatic and meet the requirement for touchless entry for enterprises. As a result, the company was able to quickly adjust its operations to supply these optical turnstiles to organisations looking to immediately upgrade the security of their facilities. Boon Edam’s most popular optical turnstile is the Speedlane Swing, which features a slender cabinet style and swinging glass barriers. Another popular turnstile, the Speedlane Compact, which has a smaller footprint, was launched in the summer of 2020. Speedlane Swing and Compact turnstiles “The year 2020 was terribly challenging for businesses and people around the world,” said Valerie Currin, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director of Boon Edam Inc. Valerie Currin adds, “We are grateful that our factory has been able to continue operating safely during the COVID-19 pandemic and we anticipate continued strong demand for our turnstiles into 2021, as our customers prepare their facilities for the 'return to work' phase, while maintaining both safety and security.” New turnstile production line at Lillington facility New turnstile production line enabled production staff to nearly double the business’ capacity each month To meet the high demand in Speedlane Swing turnstile orders in 2020, the Boon Edam manufacturing facility in Lillington, North Carolina upgraded its operations to accommodate an additional turnstile production line. All of this also while maintaining safe working conditions for its employees during the COVID-19 global pandemic. The new turnstile production line enabled production staff to nearly double the business’ capacity each month and uphold promised lead times. Adherence to security and safety policies Boon Edam’s Managing Director of the Manufacturing Business, Patrick Nora commended his team for their ability to pivot so quickly to meet demand. Patrick said, “People have moved around the facility and performed jobs they’ve never done before. We’ve implemented policies that, while necessary, have not been comfortable for anyone.” Patrick Nora adds, “The team has worked overtime to ensure on-time delivery to our customers was never threatened. I couldn’t be happier with their efforts.”

OnSolve, a renowned critical event management provider for enterprises, small-to-medium sized organisations, and government entities, announced significant momentum with a brand relaunch and the roll out of a new platform integration engine, which adds more than 450 out-of-the-box integrations to customers’ existing physical security, business continuity, and IT management ecosystems. In 2020, the company added ~450 new enterprise and government customers, such as Cincinnati Bell and Penske, and grew bookings by 45 percent. With its AI-powered risk intelligence and platform innovation, OnSolve is empowering customers through speed, relevance and usability to deliver true actionable intelligence during a crisis, ultimately keeping people safe and protecting their organisations. Social media platforms OnSolve’s new brand identity symbolises its resolve to enable customers to meet current and future challenges with the expertise and mission-critical technology that saves lives and creates true organisational resiliency. This includes a new logo and visual identity that will be implemented across all OnSolve channels including its website, social media platforms, sales and marketing materials, and customer touchpoints. The need to better manage uncertainty is more critical than ever to saving lives and protecting organisations" “The need to better manage uncertainty is more critical than ever to saving lives and protecting organisations,” said Mark Herrington, CEO, OnSolve. “Our customers turn to OnSolve to help them navigate today’s uncertainty. Our AI-powered platform and relaunched brand underscore our relentless commitment to empowering organisations with technology that delivers insight, resilience and continuity during a crisis – keeping people safe, informed, assured and productive when it matters most.” Risk intelligence and platform innovation “Our partnership with OnSolve is essential to building a more resilient employee community at athenahealth,” said Bridger McGaw, Director, Global Security & Services, athenahealth. “When COVID-19 hit, we felt more prepared than other companies our size because we had a trusted, tested, easy-to-use, cloud-based critical event management platform in place to communicate with our employees ahead of an incident, as well as the ability to gauge the impact of localised COVID-19 outbreaks across our dispersed workforce.” The OnSolve Platform for Critical Event Management (CEM) offers a fully integrated suite of products: OnSolve Risk Intelligence, Critical Communications and Incident Management. At the core of the platform is Risk Intelligence. Its powerful AI engine uses machine learning to ingest thousands of verified data sources, identify the most critical events facing an organisation and deliver these alerts to the right people at the right time - far faster than human analysts. Critical communications innovation OnSolve’s next-generation risk intelligence capabilities, coupled with foundational critical communications innovation and incident management, enables organisations to: Bypass human analysis using an AI engine, so customers or in-house analysts can communicate faster and quickly activate crisis response plans Filter out irrelevant data, so staff can monitor only the critical events that matter most to their people, places and property Target alerts to the right people immediately to enable informed, proactive decisions Identify active incidents at a glance, improving response times and enabling customers to activate their business continuity plans and virtually collaborate in real-time, from any location IT management ecosystems OnSolve experienced a banner year of momentum in 2020, with 45 percent growth in bookings The OnSolve Platform for CEM has also rolled out new integration capabilities through its OnSolve integration engine. The OnSolve integration engine paves the way for customers to seamlessly take advantage of more than 450 out-of-the-box integrations for their existing physical security, business continuity/business resiliency and IT management ecosystems. Through the OnSolve integration engine, customers can instantly orchestrate tasks such as wellness checks and alerts to impacted areas; disable building access; and even trigger appropriate tests based on sensor data such as temperature drops, water levels, electrical current detection or gunshot/monitor detection. OnSolve experienced a banner year of momentum in 2020, with 45 percent growth in bookings. Security audit compliance New customers, renowned recognition and accreditation and strategic leadership changes underscore the company’s success in helping organisations better manage uncertainty and crises: OnSolve was recognised in Gartner’s 2020 Market Guide for Emergency/Mass Notification Services Solutions report; and for the third year in a row, the company was awarded two ASTOR awards: Best Mass Notification System and Best Risk and Crisis Management Product. As a testament to its excellence in risk and compliance for federal agencies and the public sector, OnSolve was listed on the FedRAMP marketplace and also achieved HIPAA security audit compliance, enabling the company to sign business associate agreements with healthcare institutions as needed. To support its growth and evolution, OnSolve created new leadership roles and departments in 2020. Ann Pickren assumed the role of Chief Customer Officer to oversee the critical adoption and implementation of the OnSolve Platform by the company’s existing customer base. The company created a new function focused on enhancing alliances, partnerships and channel relationships, led by Vice President of Global Security Solutions Matt Bradley, a 14-year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency. COVID-19 vaccine deployment Most important, however, is the life-saving role OnSolve solutions continue to play. Its critical communications technology sent billions of notifications, helped to find more than 3,500 missing persons and supported nearly 30,000 customers via capabilities in over 190 countries worldwide. Nearly 200 communities are currently using OnSolve to manage information sharing related to COVID-19 vaccine deployment, with more than 640,000 messages sent to date and growing every day.

While the application of facial recognition within both public and private spheres continues to draw criticism from those who see it as a threat to civil rights, this technology has become extremely commonplace in the lives of iPhone users. It is so prevalent, in fact, that by 2024 it is predicted that 90% of smartphones will use biometric facial recognition hardware. CCTV surveillance cameras  Similarly, CCTV is a well-established security measure that many of us are familiar with, whether through spotting images displayed on screens in shops, hotels and offices, or noticing cameras on the side of buildings. It is therefore necessary we ask the question of why, when facial recognition is integrated with security surveillance technology, does it become such a source of contention? It is not uncommon for concerns to be voiced against innovation. History has taught us that it is human nature to fear the unknown, especially if it seems that it may change life as we know it. Yet technology is an ever-changing, progressive part of the 21st century and it is important we start to shift the narrative away from privacy threats, to the force for good that LFR (Live Facial Recognition) represents. Live Facial Recognition (LFR) We understand the arguments from those that fear the ethics of AI and the data collection within facial recognition Across recent weeks, we have seen pleas from UK organisations to allow better police access to facial recognition technology in order to fight crime. In the US, there are reports that LAPD is the latest police force to be properly regulating its use of facial recognition to aid criminal investigations, which is certainly a step in the right direction. While it is understandable that society fears technology that they do not yet understand, this lack of knowledge is exactly why the narrative needs to shift. We understand the arguments from those that fear the ethics of AI and the data collection within facial recognition, we respect these anxieties. However, it is time to level the playing field of the facial recognition debate and communicate the plethora of benefits it offers society. Facial recognition technology - A force for good Facial recognition technology has already reached such a level of maturity and sophistication that there are huge opportunities for it to be leveraged as a force for good in real-world scenarios. As well as making society safer and more secure, I would go as far to say that LFR is able to save lives. One usage that could have a dramatic effect on reducing stress in people with mental conditions is the ability for facial recognition to identify those with Alzheimer’s. If an older individual is seemingly confused, lost or distressed, cameras could alert local medical centres or police stations of their identity, condition and where they need to go (a home address or a next of kin contact). Granted, this usage would be one that does incorporate a fair bit of personal data, although this information would only be gathered with consent from each individual. Vulnerable people could volunteer their personal data to local watchlists in order to ensure their safety when out in society, as well as to allow quicker resolutions of typically stressful situations. Tracking and finding missing persons Another possibility for real world positives to be drawn from facial recognition is to leverage the technology to help track or find missing persons, a lost child for instance. The most advanced forms of LFR in the market are now able to recognise individuals even if up to 50% of their face is covered and from challenging or oblique angles. Therefore, there is a significant opportunity not only to return people home safely, more quickly, but also reduce police hours spent on analysing CCTV footage. Rapid scanning of images Facial recognition technology can rapidly scan images for a potential match Facial recognition technology can rapidly scan images for a potential match, as a more reliable and less time-consuming option than the human alternative. Freed-up officers could also then work more proactively on the ground, patrolling their local areas and increasing community safety and security twofold. It is important to understand that these facial recognition solutions should not be applied to every criminal case, and the technology must be used responsibly. However, these opportunities to use LFR as force for good are undeniable.   Debunking the myths One of the central concerns around LFR is the breach of privacy that is associated with ‘watchlists’. There is a common misconception, however, that the data of every individual that passes a camera is processed and then stored. The reality is that watch lists are compiled with focus on known criminals, while the general public can continue life as normal. The very best facial recognition will effectively view a stream of blurred faces, until it detects one that it has been programmed to recognise. For example, an individual that has previously shoplifted from a local supermarket may have their biometric data stored, so when they return to that location the employees are alerted to a risk of further crimes being committed. Considering that the cost of crime prevention to retailers in recent years has been around £1 billion, which therefore impacts consumer prices and employee wages, security measures to tackle this issue are very much in the public interest. Most importantly, the average citizen has no need to fear being ‘followed’ by LFR cameras. If data is stored, it is for a maximum of 0.6 seconds before being deleted. Privacy Privacy is ingrained in facial recognition solutions, yet it seems the debate often ignores this side of the story Privacy is ingrained in facial recognition solutions, yet it seems the debate often ignores this side of the story. It is essential we spend more time and effort communicating exactly why watchlists are made, who they are made for and how they are being used, if we want to de-bunk myths and change the narrative. As science and technology professionals, heading up this exciting innovation, we must put transparency and accountability at the centre of what we do. Tony Porter, former Surveillance Camera Commissioner and current CPO at Corsight AI, has previously worked on developing processes that audit and review watch lists. Such restrictions are imperative in order for AI and LFR to be used legally, as well as ethically and responsibly. Biometrics, mask detection and contactless payments Nevertheless, the risks do not outweigh the benefits. Facial recognition should and can be used for good in so many more ways than listed above, including biometric, contactless payments, detecting whether an individual is wearing a facemask and is therefore, safe to enter a building, identifying a domestic abuse perpetrator returning to the scene of a crime and alerting police. There are even opportunities for good that we have not thought of yet. It is therefore not only a waste not to use this technology where we can, prioritising making society a safer place, it is immoral to stand by and let crimes continue while we have effective, reliable mitigation solutions.  

Like most industries, the fields of security, access and safety have been transformed by technology, with AI-driven automation presenting a clear opportunity for players seeking growth and leadership when it comes to innovation. In this respect, these markets know exactly what they want. They require solutions that accurately (without false or negative positives) classify and track people and/or vehicles as well as the precise location and interactions between those objects. They want to have access to accurate data generated by best-of-class solutions irrespective of the sensor modality. And, they need to be able to easily deploy such solutions, at the lowest capex and opex, with the knowledge that they can be integrated with preferred VMSs and PSIMs, be highly reliable, have low install and maintenance overheads and be well supported. With these needs in mind, camera and computer vision technology providers, solutions providers and systems integrators are forging ahead and have created exemplary ecosystems with established partnerships helping to accelerate adoption. At the heart of this are AI and applications of Convolutional neural networks (CNN), an architecture often used in computer vision deep learning algorithms, which are accomplishing tasks that were extremely difficult with traditional software. But what about 3D sensing technologies and perception? The security, safety and access market have an additional crucial need: they must mitigate risk and make investments that deliver for the long-term. This means that if a systems integrator invests in a 3D sensing data perception platform today, it will support their choice of sensors, perception strategies, applications and use cases over time without having to constantly reinvest in alternative computer hardware and perception software each time they adopt new technology or systems. This begs the question - if the security industry knows what it needs, why is it yet to fully embrace 3D sensing modalities? Perception strategy Intelligent perception strategies are yet to evolve which sees designers lock everything down at the design phase Well, one problem facing security, safety and access solutions providers, systems integrators and end-users when deploying first-generation 3D sensing-based solutions is the current approach. Today, intelligent perception strategies have yet to evolve beyond the status quo which sees designers lock everything down at the design phase, including the choice of the sensor(s), off-the-shelf computer hardware and any vendor-specific or 3rd party perception software algorithms and deep learning or artificial intelligence. This approach not only builds in constraints for future use-cases and developments, it hampers the level of perception developed by the machine. Indeed, the data used to develop or train the perception algorithms for security, access and safety use cases at design time is typically captured for a narrow and specific set of scenarios or contexts and are subsequently developed or trained in the lab. Technology gaps As those in this industry know too well, siloed solutions and technology gaps typically block the creation of productive ecosystems and partnerships while lack of commercial whole products can delay market adoption of new innovation. Perception systems architectures today do not support the real-time adaptation of software and computing engines in the field. They remain the same as those selected during the design phase and are fixed for the entire development and the deployment stage. Crucially, this means that the system cannot deal with the unknowns of contextually varying real-time situations where contexts are changing (e.g being able to reflex to security situations they haven’t been trained for) and where the autonomous system’s perception strategies need to dynamically adjust accordingly. Ultimately, traditional strategies have non-scalable and non-adaptable competing computing architectures that were not designed to process the next generation of algorithms, deep learning and artificial intelligence required for 3D sensor mixed workloads. What this means for industries seeking to develop or deploy perception systems, like security, access and safety, is that the available computing architectures are generic and designed for either graphic rendering or data processing. Solutions providers, therefore, have little choice but to promote these architectures heavily into the market. Consequently, the resulting computing techniques are defined by the computing providers and not by the software developers working on behalf of the customer deploying the security solution. Context…. we don’t know what we don’t know Perception platform must have the ability to adjust to changes in context, thereby improving the performance post-deployment To be useful and useable in the security context and others, a perception platform must have the ability to adjust to changes in context, can self-optimise and crucially, can self-learn, thereby improving the performance post-deployment. The combinations of potential contextual changes in a real-life environment, such as an airport or military base, are innumerable, non-deterministic, real-time, often analogue and unpredictable. The moment sensors, edge computing hardware and perception software are deployed in the field, myriad variables such as weather, terrain as well as sensor mounting location and orientation all represent a context shift where the perception systems’ solution is no longer optimal. For example, it might be that a particular sensor system is deployed in an outdoor scenario with heavy foliage. Because the algorithm development or training was completed in the lab, the moving foliage, bushes or low trees and branches are classified as humans or some other false-positive result. Typically, heavy software customisation and onsite support then ensue, requiring on-site support by solutions vendors where each and every sensor configuration needs to be hand-cranked to deliver something that is acceptable to the end customer. A new approach for effective perception strategies Cron AI is building senseEDGE, which represents a significant evolution in the development of sensing to information strategy.  It is a 3D sensing perception and computer vision platform built from the ground up to address and remove the traditional deployment and performance bottlenecks we’ve just described. senseEDGE is aware of the user application reaction plan indication to trigger an alarm or turning on a CCTV camera The entire edge platform is built around a real-time scalable and adaptable computing architecture that’s flexible enough for algorithms and software to scale and adapt to different workloads and contexts. What’s more, it has real-time contextual awareness, which means that the entire edge platform is, at any time, aware of the external context, the sensor and sensor architecture and the requirements of the user application. Furthermore, when it produces the object output data, it also aware of the user application reaction plan indication, which could be triggering an alarm or turning on a CCTV camera when a specific action is detected. This approach turns traditional perception strategies on their head: it is software-defined programmable perception and computing architecture, not hardware-defined. It is free from the constraints imposed by traditional CPU or GPU compute dictated by hardware architecture providers and not limited to the perception built defined during design time. And, being fully configurable, it can be moved from one solution to another, providing computation for different modalities of sensors designed for different use cases or environments, and lower risk of adoption and migration for those developing the security solution.  Future perception requirements senseEDGE is also able to scale to future perception requirements, such as algorithms and workloads produced by future sensors as well as computational techniques and neural networks that have yet to be invented. Meanwhile, latency versus throughput is totally software-defined and not limited by providers of computing architecture. Finally, contextually aware, it is fully connected to the real world where the reflexes adapt to even the subtlest changes in context, which makes all the difference in time and accuracy in critical security situations. This is how CronAI sees the future of perception. It means that security and safety innovators can now access and invest with low risk in a useable and scalable perception solution that can truly take advantage of current and future 3D sensor modalities.

Urban populations are expanding rapidly around the globe, with an expected growth of 1.56 billion by 2040. As the number of people living and working in cities continues to grow, the ability to keep everyone safe is an increasing challenge. However, technology companies are developing products and solutions with these futuristic cities in mind, as the reality is closer than you may think. Solutions that can help to watch over public places and share data insights with city workers and officials are increasingly enabling smart cities to improve the experience and safety of the people who reside there. Rising scope of 5G, AI, IoT and the Cloud The main foundations that underpin smart cities are 5G, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Cloud. Each is equally important, and together, these technologies enable city officials to gather and analyse more detailed insights than ever before. For public safety in particular, having IoT and cloud systems in place will be one of the biggest factors to improving the quality of life for citizens. Smart cities have come a long way in the last few decades, but to truly make a smart city safe, real-time situational awareness and cross-agency collaboration are key areas which must be developed as a priority. Innovative surveillance cameras with integrated IoT Public places need to be safe, whether that is an open park, shopping centre, or the main roads through towns Public places need to be safe, whether that is an open park, shopping centre, or the main roads through towns. From dangerous drivers to terrorist attacks, petty crime on the streets to high profile bank robberies, innovative surveillance cameras with integrated IoT and cloud technologies can go some way to helping respond quickly to, and in some cases even prevent, the most serious incidents. Many existing safety systems in cities rely on aging and in some places legacy technology, such as video surveillance cameras. Many of these also use on-premises systems rather than utilising the benefits of the cloud. Smart programming to deliver greater insights These issues, though not creating a major problem today, do make it more challenging for governments and councils to update their security. Changing every camera in a city is a huge undertaking, but in turn, doing so would enable all cameras to be connected to the cloud, and provide more detailed information which can be analysed by smart programming to deliver greater insights. The physical technologies that are currently present in most urban areas lack the intelligent connectivity, interoperability and integration interfaces that smart cities need. Adopting digital technologies isn’t a luxury, but a necessity. Smart surveillance systems It enables teams to gather data from multiple sources throughout the city in real-time, and be alerted to incidents as soon as they occur. Increased connectivity and collaboration ensures that all teams that need to be aware of a situation are informed instantly. For example, a smart surveillance system can identify when a road accident has occurred. It can not only alert the nearest ambulance to attend the scene, but also the local police force to dispatch officers. An advanced system that can implement road diversions could also close roads around the incident immediately and divert traffic to other routes, keeping everyone moving and avoiding a build-up of vehicles. This is just one example: without digital systems, analysing patterns of vehicle movements to address congestion issues could be compromised, as would the ability to build real-time crime maps and deploy data analytics which make predictive policing and more effective crowd management possible. Cloud-based technologies Cloud-based technologies provide the interoperability, scalability and automation Cloud-based technologies provide the interoperability, scalability and automation that is needed to overcome the limitations of traditional security systems. Using these, smart cities can develop a fully open systems architecture that delivers interoperation with both local and other remote open systems. The intelligence of cloud systems can not only continue to allow for greater insights as technology develops over time, but it can do so with minimal additional infrastructure investment. Smart surveillance in the real world Mexico City has a population of almost 9 million people, but if you include the whole metropolitan area, this number rises sharply to over 21 million in total, making it one of the largest cities on the planet. Seven years ago, the city first introduced its Safe City initiative, and ever since has been developing newer and smarter ways to keep its citizens safe. In particular, its cloud-based security initiative is making a huge impact. Over the past three years, Mexico City has installed 58,000 new video surveillance cameras throughout the city, in public spaces and on transport, all of which are connected to the City’s C5 (Command, Control, Computers, Communications and Citizen Contact) facility. Smart Cities operations The solution enables officers as well as the general public to upload videos via a mobile app to share information quickly, fixed, body-worn and vehicle cameras can also be integrated to provide exceptional insight into the city’s operations. The cloud-based platform can easily be upgraded to include the latest technology innovations such as licence plate reading, behavioural analysis software, video analytics and facial recognition software, which will all continue to bring down crime rates and boost response times to incidents. The right cloud approach Making the shift to cloud-based systems enables smart cities to eliminate dependence on fibre-optic connectivity and take advantage of a variety of Internet and wireless connectivity options that can significantly reduce application and communication infrastructure costs. Smart cities need to be effective in years to come, not just in the present day, or else officials have missed one of the key aspects of a truly smart city. System designers must build technology foundations now that can be easily adapted in the future to support new infrastructure as it becomes available. Open system architecture An open system architecture will also be vital for smart cities to enhance their operations For example, this could include opting for a true cloud application that can support cloud-managed local devices and automate their management. An open system architecture will also be vital for smart cities to enhance their operations and deliver additional value-add services to citizens as greater capabilities become possible in the years to come. The advances today in cloud and IoT technologies are rapid, and city officials and authorities have more options now to develop their smart cities than ever before and crucially, to use these innovations to improve public safety. New safety features Though implementing these cloud-based systems now requires investment, as new safety features are designed, there will be lower costs and challenges associated with introducing these because the basic infrastructure will already exist. Whether that’s gunshot detection or enabling the sharing of video infrastructure and data across multiple agencies in real time, smart video surveillance on cloud-based systems can bring a wealth of the new opportunities.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is more than a buzzword. AI is increasingly becoming part of our everyday lives, and a vital tool in the physical security industry. In 2020, AI received more attention than ever, and expanded the ways it can contribute value to physical security systems. This article will revisit some of those development at year-end, including links back to the originally published content. In the security market today, AI is expanding the use cases, making technologies more powerful and saving money on manpower costs - and today represents just the beginning of what AI can do for the industry. What it will never do, however, is completely take the place of humans in operating security systems. There is a limit to how much we are willing to turn over to machines - even the smartest ones. Beyond video analytics "Apply AI to security and now you have an incredibly powerful tool that allows you to operate proactively rather than reactively," said Jody Ross of AMAG Technology, one of our Expert Roundtable Panelists. AI made its initial splash in the physical security market by transforming the effectiveness of video analytics AI made its initial splash in the physical security market by transforming the effectiveness of video analytics. However, now there are many other applications, too, as addressed by our Expert Panel Roundtable in another article. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning provide useful tools to make sense of massive amounts of Internet of Things (IoT) data. By helping to automate low-level decision-making, the technologies can make security operators more efficient. Biometrics with access control Intelligent capabilities can expand integration options such as increasing the use of biometrics with access control. AI can also help to monitor mechanics and processes. Intelligent systems can help end users understand building occupancy and traffic patterns and even to help enforce physical distancing. These are just a few of the possible uses of the technologies - in the end, the sky is the limit. AI is undoubtedly one of the bigger disrupters in the physical security industry, and adoption is growing at a rapid rate. And it’s not just about video analytics. Rather, it is data AI, which is completely untapped by the security industry. Bottom line: AI can change up your security game by automatically deciphering information to predict the future using a wide range of sources and data that have been collected, whether past, present, and future. That’s right. You can look into the future. Smarter perimeter protection Now, Intrusion Detection (Perimeter Protection) systems with cutting-edge, built-in AI algorithms to recognise a plethora of different object types, can distinguish objects of interest, thus significantly decreasing the false-positive intrusion rate. The more advanced AI-based systems enable the users to draw ROIs based on break-in points, areas of high-valuables, and any other preference to where alerts may be beneficial. AI Loitering Detection can be used to receive alerts on suspicious activity outside any given store Similarly, AI Loitering Detection can be used to receive alerts on suspicious activity outside any given store. The loitering time and region of interest are customisable in particular systems, which allows for a range of detection options. Smart security is advancing rapidly. As AI and 4K rise in adoption on smart video cameras, these higher video resolutions are driving the demand for more data to be stored on-camera. AI and smart video promise to extract greater insights from security video. Meeting urban needs Complex, extensive camera networks will already require a large amount of data storage, particularly if this is 24/7 monitoring from smart video-enabled devices. Newer edge computing will play an important role in capturing, collecting, and analysing data. There are many more types of cameras being used today, such as body cameras, dashboard cameras, and new Internet of Things (IoT) devices and sensors. Video data is so rich nowadays, you can analyse it and deduce a lot of valuable information in real-time, instead of post-event. In smart cities applications, the challenge of identifying both physical and invisible threats to meet urban citizens’ needs will demand a security response that is proactive, adaptable and dynamic. Optimise security solutions As we look ahead to the future of public safety, it’s clear that new technologies, driven by artificial intelligence (AI), can dramatically improve the effectiveness of today’s physical security space. For smart cities, the use of innovative AI and machine learning technologies have already started to help optimise security solutions. In sports stadium applications, AI’s role in getting fans and spectators back after the COVID pandemic is huge, through capabilities such as social distance monitoring, crowd scanning/metrics, facial recognition, fever detection, track and trace and providing behavioural analytics. Technologies such as AI-powered collaboration platforms now work alongside National Leagues, Franchises and Governing Bodies to implement AI surveillance software into their CCTV/surveillance cameras. AI surveillance software In many ways, it’s the equivalent of a neighbourhood watch programme made far more intelligent through the use of AI This is now creating a more collaborative effort from the operations team in stadiums, rather than purely security. AI surveillance software, when implemented into the surveillance cameras can be accessed by designated users on any device and on any browser platform. One of the biggest advantages of using AI technology is that it’s possible to integrate this intelligent software into building smarter, safer communities and cities. Essentially, this means developing a layered system that connects multiple sensors for the detection of visible and invisible threats. Integrated systems mean that threats can be detected and tracked, with onsite and law enforcement notified faster, and possibly before an assault begins to take place. In many ways, it’s the equivalent of a neighbourhood watch programme made far more intelligent through the use of AI. Fighting illicit trade Using technology in this way means that thousands of people can be screened seamlessly and quickly, without invading their civil liberties or privacy. AI’s ability to detect visible or invisible threats or behavioural anomalies will prove enormously valuable to many sectors across our global economy. Revolutionary AI-driven technologies can help to fight illicit trade across markets. AI technologies in this specific application promise to help build safer and more secure communities in the future. AI can support the ongoing fight against illicit trade on a global scale in a tangible way. For financial transactions at risk of fraud and money laundering, for example, tracking has become an increasing headache if done manually. As a solution to this labour-intensive process, AI technology can be trained to follow all the compliance rules and process a large number of documents - often billions of pages of documents - in a short period of time.

The coronavirus pandemic had a monumental impact on all aspects of the business world, including the security industry. However, amid the gloom and doom, many security professionals also saw opportunity: New ways the industry’s products could be applied to address the challenges of coping with the virus. This article will review some of those opportunities, based on our reporting throughout the year and including links back to the original articles. During and after the pandemic, security systems are an important asset when it comes to helping to keep occupants and buildings safe as employees return to work. For example, video analytics can provide insight into how spaces have previously been used and can help to predict where and when occupants encounter each other or congregate. Role of thermal cameras These foot-traffic patterns can inform settings for a variety of devices - like ventilation and temperature controls - and even help owners create social distancing plans and monitor personal protective equipment (PPE) compliance. Thermal surveillance, a mainstay of traditional physical security and outdoor perimeter detection, began being deployed early in the pandemic to quickly scan employees, contractors and visitors as part of a first line of defence to detect COVID-19 symptoms. These systems provide flexibility and can offer integrations with multiple VMS platforms and access control devices These systems provide flexibility and can offer integrations with multiple VMS platforms and access control devices. Thermal cameras can be a tool for detecting fever, but any use of the technology for this purpose is full of qualifications and caveats. Importantly, how the camera system is configured makes all the difference in whether temperature readings are accurate, and the downside of inaccurate readings is obvious - and potentially deadly. Temperature detection systems FDA guidelines limit how the cameras are used, not to mention guidance from other regulatory/government bodies such as the CDC. One of our Expert Roundtable panelists compares the market to a “wild west scenario,” and almost all the panelists are clear about how customers should approach the market: Buyer beware. There are many companies jumping into selling temperature detection systems to the state, local governments, hospitals, airports and local businesses, but do they know how to drive one? Anyone can get behind a car and drive it into a wall by accident. The same can happen with a temperature detection system. Customers need to know what questions to ask to ensure they maximise the accuracy of body temperature detection systems. Rise of contactless Spread of the novel coronavirus has jolted awareness of hygiene as it relates to touching surfaces such as keypads. No longer in favor are contact-based modalities including use of personal identification numbers (PINs) and keypads, and the shift has been sudden and long-term. Both customers and manufacturers were taken by surprise by this aspect of the virus’s impact and are therefore scrambling for solutions. Immediate impact of the change includes suspension of time and attendance systems that are touch-based Immediate impact of the change includes suspension of time and attendance systems that are touch-based. Some two-factor authentication systems are being downgraded to RFID-only, abandoning the keypad and/or biometric components that contributed to higher security, but are now unacceptable because they involve touching. "Users do not want to touch anything anymore,” says Alex Zarrabi, President of Touchless Biometrics Systems (TBS). Facial recognition system Another contactless system that benefits from concerns about spread of COVID-19 is facial recognition. New advancement in software, specifically in the areas of algorithms, neural networks and deep learning and/or artificial intelligence (AI), have all dramatically improved both the performance and accuracy of facial recognition systems, further expanding its use for an increasing number of applications. A low-tech solution - the face mask - became a leading preventative measure during the pandemic. But, a high-tech solution is necessary to ensure that everyone is wearing them. Cameras powered by artificial intelligence can now identify whether or not people entering a facility are wearing facemasks and help enforce adherence to mask mandates. This technology is proving to be a cost-effective solution that reduces risks of confrontations over masks policies and gives managers the data they need to document regulatory compliance and reduce liability. Smart video analytics Other technology approaches, including artificial intelligence (AI), were also brought to bear during the pandemic. The German data analytics powerhouse G2K, for example, has developed a Corona Detection and Containment System (CDCS) that is ready for immediate use in record time. Detection takes place in combination with AI-supported data analysis to specifically identify virus hotspots and distribution routes, as well as to identify other potentially infected persons. One specific AI application fuels the reopening of the world and successfully keeps the spread of the virus abated One specific AI application fuels the reopening of the world and successfully keeps the spread of the virus abated. A “collaborative security” application includes a synthesis of smart video analytics, facial recognition, object identification/detection, and thermal cameras that can support the reopening of businesses globally when installed within those facilities frequented by customers. Enforcing social distancing Several applications have been successful to date and will increase in usability in the foreseeable future, creating “smart cities” working together towards a safer, more secure world. The site of one pilot programme is the 250,000-square-foot HID Global facility in Austin. For the pilot programme, 80 HID Location Services readers were installed in a wide area in the facility, including a variety of environments. Initially 30 badges and 30 fobs, all BLE-enabled, were issued to employees. If a badge identifies another nearby beacon (suggesting a social distancing failure), it emits a blinking LED light, which can be seen by the offending co-worker. To ensure social distancing, a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon is emitted from an employee’s fob (or from a badge that has the same functionality). The beacon communicates peer-to-peer with a beacon emitted by another employee’s fob or badge to alert if the location of the two employees is less than six feet apart. For contact tracing, the beacons communicate via a nearby “reader” (a BluFi BLE-to-Wi-Fi gateway) to the Bluzone cloud-based software-as-a-service. COVID-19 white papers In addition, we published several White Papers in 2020 that addressed various aspects of the coronavirus pandemic. They included: The top five security lessons learned that apply across all industries navigating COVID-19. Using video analytics to keep staff, visitors and customers safe by enforcing social distancing. How antimicrobial treatment on door handles and levers can reduce disease spread. How companies can put in extra precautions that will continue to grow and adapt with their environment over the long-term. Determining the practicalities and capabilities of today's thermal cameras to accurately detect body temperature.

The cloud is here to stay. Its resilience and ability to connect the world during during the COVID-19 pandemic has proved its worth, even to the uninitiated who have now witnessed first-hand the value of connected systems. Video and access control as a service provides a flexible and fluid security and business solution to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving industry, where the changing threat landscape means investing in the cloud is an investment towards success. This article will look back at our articles in 2020 about the growing popularity of cloud solutions for physical security, with links to the original content. Product offering While most people agree on the definition of “cloud,” there are several points about the terminology that may require clarification. Private cloud or public cloud? VSaaS or unlimited storage for video? Beyond the basics, the terms become foggy, reflecting a variety of notions about how cloud services fit into the broader physical security marketplace. As cloud usage becomes more popular, it’s important that marketers be precise in their terminology, and that integrators and end users be diligent in understanding the specifics of available product offerings. Different meanings “The cloud has many different possible connotations, depending on the context,” says Yu Hao Lin of Rasilient Systems, one of our Expert Roundtable panelists. For example, corporate CIOs will more likely understand the cloud to be a private cloud platform. As such, the public cloud is a ubiquitous term while the private cloud is more specified. Cloud system security Security of cloud systems is an ongoing discussion in the industry, especially how cloud system cybersecurity compares to that of on-premise systems. Our Expert Panel Roundtable weighed in on this question. “While both kinds of security systems serve their purpose, it can be argued that the streamlined updates that are commonplace with cloud-based solutions may put them at more of an advantage when it comes to data security,” says panelist Eric Widlitz of Vanderbilt Industries. “Also, most reputable cloud-based solutions are running in secured data centers by companies such as Google, Microsoft or Amazon, so you also get to take advantage of all the security layers they have protecting your data.” Hybrid cloud video security solution A growing list of cloud players reinforces the importance of the cloud in the future of physical security There are several relatively new companies pushing cloud in a big way. Verkada is fast-growing company currently currently focusing to deliver an all-in-one hybrid cloud video security solution powered by edge processing inside the camera. The growing list of cloud players reinforces the importance of the cloud in the future of physical security. Combining AI and cloud video One company investing in the cloud is Eagle Eye Networks, which has raised $40 million of Series E funding from venture capital firm Accel to finance the realisation of their vision to combine AI and cloud video. The money will allow Eagle Eye to continue its steep growth curve and leverage AI on its true cloud platform to reshape video surveillance. “The investment will make video surveillance smarter and safer for end-users,” says Ken Francis, President. Eagle Eye offers an application programming interface (API) to enable the integration of best-in-breed third-party AI and analytics systems to leverage the video. Eagle Eye is also investing in its own AI development and hiring additional development and customer service personnel. Hirsch Velocity Cirrus and MobilisID Identiv introduced the Hirsch Velocity Cirrus cloud-based Access Control as a Service (ACaaS) solution and MobilisID smart mobile physical access control solution. Hirsch Velocity Cirrus is an optimal solution for both end-users and integrators, with lower upfront costs, reduced maintenance, enhanced portability, and the future-proof assurance of automatic security updates and feature sets.  MobilisID is a smart mobile physical access control solution that uses Bluetooth and capacitive technologies to allow frictionless access to a controlled environment without the need to present a credential. Advantages and disadvantages Advantages of cloud-based physical security technologies are many, when supporting staff  The advantages of cloud-based physical security technologies are many, and have wide-ranging applications for all areas of the transport sector; across stations, transport hubs and vehicles. When used to support staff and complement existing processes, such systems can prove invaluable for transport professionals in helping to create a safer working environment, promoting confidence among personnel and passengers, and assuring passengers who are fearful about the current pandemic that all possible precautions are being taken during their journey. 5G supporting cloud-based applications 5G is the first communication environment that is cloud-native. As such, such, 5G networks will support cloud-based applications in a way that 4G, 3G and 2G can’t support. For instance, sensors (e.g. in a manufacturing plant) often have small internal storage and rely on synced devices (e.g. gateways) to interact with the cloud. Soon, these sensors will be able to work more efficiently, interacting with the cloud via the ultra-low latency and the edge computing capabilities supported by 5G networks. Increasing use of IoT Unlike current IoT services that make performance trade-offs to get the best from these existing wireless technologies, 5G networks will be designed to bring the high levels of performance needed for the increasing use of IoT. It will enable a perceived fully ubiquitous connected world, with the boosted capacity offered by 5G networks transferring exponentially more data at a much quicker rate.

HID Global, a globally renowned company in trusted identity solutions, has announced that the American School of Guatemala has selected its Seos credential technology to modernise its physical access system. Enhanced campus security The solution significantly improves campus security and traffic efficiency for students and parents, along with enabling staff to easily issue and manage access credentials. “We’ve significantly improved the management of vehicle traffic by reducing the time it takes for parents to access the parking lot. We’ve been able to improve evacuation and emergency processes for our students and staff,” said a spokesperson for the Security Office, American School of Guatemala. Seos credential technology The spokesperson adds, “And, best of all, we have an automated system to manage the entry and exit times of our employees to know where everyone is located on our large campus.” The American School of Guatemala is a private K-12 college preparatory school in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The school partnered with local security integrator, Grupo RQM and HID Global to replace its legacy system, which consisted of written documentation and fingerprint logs. HID readers installed at access points The new system includes HID readers installed at pedestrian and vehicle access points The new system includes HID readers installed at pedestrian and vehicle access points and 1,500 Seos smart cards issued to students, parents and staff. In addition to automating and streamlining access to the school’s buildings, the solution has led to a reduction in the average student drop-off time from 40 to 18 minutes. The school also launched a pilot with HID Mobile Access to allow secure access to the school’s parking lot via mobile IDs stored on smartphones. To gain entry, users simply drive up and hold their mobile phone to a reader, an important feature since most students travel in bulletproof armored vehicles that lack the ability to lower windows.   Upgraded security and authentication solutions “The American School of Guatemala’s access control system has all the hallmarks of HID’s industry-renowned security and authentication solutions,” said Harm Radstaak, Senior Vice President and Head of Physical Access Control Solutions with HID Global.  Harm Radstaak adds, “From flexibility and security to ease-of-use, HID’s unique combination of forward-looking technology and intuitive design helps create a robust solution that fortifies the school’s campuses and elevates the user experience.” Due to the successful deployment, school officials plan to replace its traditional key system with Seos smart cards for additional use cases, such as library and student payment services.

AZ Alma was a brand new hospital, created by merging two other hospitals. It needed an access control system that could cope with the demands of high levels of employees and visitors, varying access rights and the flexibility to respond in emergencies. The new hospital also had a vision of being completely keyless. Opportunities offered by AEOS AZ Alma installed Nedap Security Management’s AEOS access control system and implemented several useful features. LEDs on readers, for example, instantly show nurses which rooms they can’t access. AZ Alma installed Nedap Security Management’s AEOS access control system By integrating Mace readers, AZ Alma can give patients a QR code that gives access to parking, doors and elevators, so they can go straight to the right department. And, in line with its keyless vision, even the electrical cabinets have card readers. Key benefits High security & convenience Significant time and money saved by going keyless Option to trigger emergency settings that change access rights immediately Use of QR codes increases convenience for patients Easy to allocate and manage access rights, even for high volumes of people Freedom to integrate a specific choice of readers and other hardware Future-proofed access control that can be easily extended and adapted AEOS access control system AEOS access control system, developed by Nedap Security Management, is a software-based access control system, operated via a web-based dashboard, offering remote log-in from anywhere to control and monitor access. To add more functionality to the system, users can simply select extra options from their access control software. As AEOS is built on open standards, it integrates with a wide range of technologies, including video monitoring and biometric readers. And it has the flexibility to scale easily, so users can build and grow their access control system.

Aeroturn LLC, a globally renowned turnstile manufacturer that offers 100% Made in the USA turnstiles, has announced that it has been selected to deploy its turnstiles by one of the nation’s largest family housing finance leader.  Contactless biometric technology Currently, the multiple building campus consists of five buildings and is in the middle of a major security upgrade that includes the latest contactless biometric technology. The finance lender was looking for a turnstile manufacturer who was up to the challenge of developing a customised solution that could integrate easily with brand new biometric facial recognition readers with high throughput capabilities.  Aeroturn was the clear winner and joined forces with Siemens to ensure a successful deployment. Aeroturn also designed, fabricated, and delivered a single lane test rig prior to the project commencement to help with a seamless integration to the new biometric technology. Aeroturn X-wing turnstiles Aeroturn has been working closely with Siemens to ensure a seamless installation of our X-wing turnstile" “We are thrilled to have been selected by this financial giant for this important upgrade as the best turnstile solution in the industry to meet their security needs,” states Michael Stoll, Vice President of Technical Sales & Marketing at Aeroturn. Michael adds, “Aeroturn has been working closely with Siemens to ensure a seamless installation of our X-wing turnstile, which offers durability, reliability our 5-year warranty & zero maintenance mechanisms, and a 10 million passages guarantee.” Customised biometric reader interface The project currently consists of 15 lanes of Aeroturn X-wing turnstiles with a customised biometric reader interface being installed within a one-year timeframe. Additional HQ buildings are in the initial specifying stages. Aeroturn continues to raise the bar on quality turnstile solutions and help high-profile facilities in multiple vertical markets improve safety and security.

Trinity College Dublin is enhancing safety and support for staff and students by implementing SafeZone technology from CriticalArc. SafeZone technology Through this implementation, the university aims to deliver more rapid response to calls for assistance across all campus facilities, and to better assist students and staff working remotely, including those on placement overseas. When individuals call for assistance, in a wide range of situations, including those working alone out of hours, those with particular vulnerabilities and those with medical emergencies, the technology will enable responders to pin-point their precise location. Access with SafeZone mobile app Students and staff can check-in and use the service with the SafeZone mobile app Students and staff can check-in and use the service with the SafeZone mobile app, which puts them in immediate contact with the university’s support infrastructure. The technology will also make it easy for the responders to optimise response and to provide appropriate intervention in the event of an emergency. “During this challenging time for our students and staff, Trinity College Dublin is doing everything it can to ensure both the physical and mental well-being of everyone in our community. We are delighted to be introducing this advanced technology, as part of our support actions,” stated Trinity’s Head of Safety, Dr. Katharine Murray. Students and staff safety “It’s more important than ever for universities to keep in touch with their students and staff, to fulfill their duty of care and ensure that those who need help of any kind get the quickest possible response,” said Darren Chalmers-Stevens, Managing Director of CriticalArc. Darren adds, “We’re pleased to help Trinity College Dublin with a rapid implementation of SafeZone to help ensure the safety and well-being of students and staff.”

Appia Residencias is a construction company for residential housings, which gives the customer a space for family and the satisfaction for quality. The company’s commitment is to keep each project on the high quality level from beginning to the end. Installation Site: Appia Residencias (Mexico City, Mexico) Product: Hardware: Anviz fingerprint lock L100-ID Project Requirement: Due to the increased demand for higher security level, the client needed a more secure and effective lock system for access control of the server room Finger touch open Support existing RFID card they have Mechanical key for backup One simple and cost effective product Easy operation and installation Fingerprint identification technolgy Solutions: Anviz has provided Anviz L100-ID fingerprint lock With Anviz fingerprint identification technolgy, highest security level is achieved With Infrared auto-wakeup sensor, user doesn't need to press any button to activate the lock just put his finger on the sensor RFID option available to use existing RFID card and mechanical key for backup Standard single latch for easy installation Fast enrollment by admin finger After the installation of T60, Appia Residencias in Mexico City, Mexico was looking for a lock system for their server room. They wanted to use fingerprint solution but also needed RFID card compatible since every employee had a employee card already. Of course, they came for Anviz for a solution. They realised Anviz L100 could keep them secure utilising fingerprint technology. Besides, RFID option and mechanical key backup would provide them alternatives to open door. Core fingerprint algorithm They felt very comfortable to open by finger touch only without bothering to press a button to activate the lock as many other models in the market do. Also, they were very impressed by the special way how fingerprints and cards were enrolled. User just needed to press their fingers twice and they got enrolled in less than two seconds. With the function key design and admin finger design, all the enrollment process was very simple and secure. Furthermore, they could open door in less than 1 second after they pressed their fingers, which made them think highly of Anviz's mature and advanced core fingerprint algorithm.

Aperio wireless locks from ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions now integrate seamlessly with the versatile AEOS access control by Nedap to bring a range of concrete business benefits. Optimising access control with these battery-powered wireless locks can boost convenience for building users and help make better use of spaces. It can increase efficiency by enabling the integration of functions and processes across the organisation. Existing AEOS users can integrate battery powered Aperio devices to extend the reach of their system. Or, by combining Aperio with AEOS, the user can build a cost-efficient, wire-free access control system from scratch. Aperio cylinders, escutcheons and locks with online (or offline) capability can be implemented alongside existing or new wired doors connected to AEOS. This gives security managers more control over additional rooms or other defined areas at their premises. Seamless and secure integration Devices from the Aperio lock range that integrate with AEOS include the award-winning wireless handle (H100), escutcheon (E100), cylinder (C100) and security lock (L100). Aperio devices are available for almost any interior or exterior door, including wooden doors, glass doors and fire doors. Because all Aperio locking devices are wireless, they can be installed quickly, without causing disruption to buildings or work schedules. The locks are connected to AEOS via communication hubs that allow control of up to 16 locks each One recent ASSA ABLOY benchmarking study finds labour costs for installation are over 80% less for wireless locks versus wired locks. There’s also no inconvenience when it comes to identification: site users continue to gain access with the same credentials they were using before the integration. Aperio online integrations can use different interfaces (for example, RS485 or IP). The locks are connected to AEOS via communication hubs that allow control of up to 16 locks each. Improved and efficient management Offline Aperio integration meets the important OSS-SO industry standard for offline access control, so customers have the freedom to choose the best devices to connect to AEOS. Facility managers can connect both online and offline Aperio devices interchangeably. These multiple integration options allow AEOS users to select the most appropriate locks - whether Aperio wireless or wired - for their specific requirements at each door. “ASSA ABLOY’s Aperio wireless locks enable a complete access control solution using wireless technology,” says Christian Nagel, Nedap channel manager. “It enables us to offer a system with a high level of flexibility.” Facility management Staff and visitors open each door for which they’re authorised with their individually programmed MIFARE credential The AEOS control panel provides a powerful set of functions. It displays events for any Aperio device, including door and battery status, as well as tamper detection. The AEOS software enables full control and efficient management and eliminates unproductive tasks, including the need to duplicate data entry. At Ghent’s Hospital Maria Middelares, Aperio locks combine with AEOS to protect staff, visitors, patients and confidential data, as well as medicines and valuable equipment. Around 700 doors are equipped with Aperio offline locks. They are connected to AEOS, which controls every door, credential and user from a one interface, saving facility managers time and money. Staff and visitors open each door for which they’re authorised with their individually programmed MIFARE credential. Electronic security system Similarly, at Rotterdam’s 16,000-capacity Ahoy Arena, offline integration between Aperio and AEOS offered an affordable way to incorporate mechanically locked doors into an existing electronic security system. Facility managers at Ahoy extended access control without having to change card readers or control panels. The Aperio–AEOS integration at InHolland University of Applied Sciences is online, giving security managers real-time control over their multi-site premises. More than 500 Aperio wireless door devices are deployed at 7 separate InHolland campus locations. These battery-powered locks provide tested and trusted protection for the university’s most important areas, including offices and exam storage rooms. “I am very satisfied with the implementation and operation of the Aperio solution,” says Frans Bruggeman, Facility Services Consultant at InHolland.

We are several weeks into 2021, and it is already shaping up to be an eventful year. The happenings and trends from 2020 will likely carry over into the new year, but in a fast-moving industry such as ours, there will also be additional trends to watch. Looking toward the year ahead, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What will be the biggest security trends in 2021?

As an industry, we often speak in buzzwords. In addition to being catchy and easy to remember, these new and trendy industry terms can also reflect the state of the security market’s technology. In short, the latest buzzwords provide a kind of shorthand description of where the industry is - and where it’s going. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What new buzzword(s) rose to prominence in the security industry in 2020? (And how do they reflect industry trends?)

What a year 2020 was for the security industry! There were vast challenges that could not have been foreseen at the beginning of the year. It is safe to say that the events of 2020 defied all industry prognosticators. However, is that any reason not to hope our expectations looking ahead to 2021 will be much closer to reality? Can we possibly benefit from looking ahead and trying to plan for the challenges of the year ahead? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What will be the security industry’s biggest challenge in 2021?