Security training - Security beat

Attendance has been growing steadily year-over-year for ISC West, and the 2018 show exceeded 30,000 total industry visitors for the first time. So it’s safe to expect ISC West 2019, April 10-12 at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas, will be bigger than ever. Preregistration for the 2019 show is on track to bring even more visitors than last year. “This is a show for everyone, for converged security,” says Mary Beth Shaughnessy, Event Director for Reed Exhibitions. “We bring a l...

ISC West in Las Vegas is the first of several major security trade shows planned for 2019 as part of the Reed Exhibitions ISC Security Events portfolio. Next up will be Expo Seguridad México in May in Mexico City, followed in June by ISC Brasil in Sao Paolo, and ISC East this fall in New York. Expo Seguridad México, May 7-9, will serve the important Mexican market for security goods and services. In Mexico City alone, a large population translates into plenty of buildings and fac...

Keynote speakers will kick off ISC West Day 1 and Day 2. Keynote sessions are open to anyone, and ISC West organisers look for speakers with broad-based appeal, either from the government or related to security strategies, standards and measures. Timely and newsworthy topics are included as a means of educating attendees on the best way to protect their own facilities. On the first day of the exhibition, April 10 at 8:30 a.m., the Keynote Speaker will be William Bryan of the Department of Home...

As digital transformation accelerates and touches more aspects of business operations, ASIS International is working to provide educational opportunities that security practitioners need to stay on top of those rapid developments. It’s a mission that will drive the ASIS Europe 2019 meeting, ‘From Risk to Resilience,’ this month (March 27-29) in Rotterdam. “What makes the event special is how it covers the full spectrum of security risks that organisations face, and in pa...

Security integrators are often tasked with a multitude of responsibilities which could include a variety of installation, integration or design tasks made up of sprinkler systems, fire alarms, access control, HVAC, video surveillance systems and networks; and then pile on maintenance, training and analytics. Traditionally, most security integrators have installation backgrounds but are now expected to be IT savvy, too. Even the most proficient IT professionals may not fully grasp the complexit...

The last day of Global Security Exchange (GSX) in Las Vegas proved to be the calm after the storm. But a slower third day could not undermine a largely successful 2018 show for exhibitors and attendees. Sometimes the success of a trade show isn’t measured by numbers of attendees (which were reportedly down again this year). Sometimes it’s the individual successes that make an impression. “Just learning about this made the whole trip worthwhile,” said one GSX attendee at...

ISC West, like any large trade show, can be daunting for attendees. At big shows, there can be hundreds of physical security manufacturers and dealers vying for your attention. As the scope of physical security expands from video surveillance and access control to include smart building integrations, cyber security and the Internet of Things (IoT), there is an increasing amount of information to take in from education sessions and panels. With ISC West approaching April 9-12 in Las Vegas, we pr...

Newly modernised halls with lots of daylight will house hundreds of exhibitions and conference events at the upcoming Security Essen 2018 at Messe Essen, Germany. A new layout and hall numbering system will be unfamiliar to past attendees but promises to simplify the experience as it brings together attendees and exhibitors. European physical security market Security Essen is an international trade fair, but the emphasis is more on German, Austrian and Swiss companies. In all, Security Essen w...

GSX 2018 is both a new event for the security industry and the continuation of a 63-year tradition. Global Security Exchange (GSX) is the new branding for ASIS International’s annual seminar and exhibits, which have been held since 1955. In recent years, the ASIS event has joined forces with other organisations to expand its scope and to appeal to a broader audience. Partners include ISSA (Information Systems Security Association) and Infragard, a public-private partnership between U.S. b...

When an active assailant strikes, it’s over fast, and most of the damage happens before help arrives. Responding appropriately can save lives, and it takes training and practice to know what to do as a tragedy unfolds: Where can I hide? Can I get out? Where do I run? If you hear shots or see someone with a knife, your training empowers the best response, and thorough and repetitive training avoids being paralysed by panic. Standards on workplace violence ASIS International is a member of...

Wireless locks offer specific advantages for access control end users and integrators, and some of their value has yet to be realised in the market. Wireless locks expand the range of applications for electronic locks to complement traditional wired systems. They offer flexibility and scalability. They save on integrators’ labour costs. They even provide opportunities for integrators to earn recurring monthly revenue (RMR). A recent Allegion panel discussion highlighted the value, opportu...

A complex set of biological, psychological, sociological, contextual and environmental factors are involved when a perpetrator decides to commit an act of workplace violence. In many cases, the perpetrator doesn’t really want to become violent; rather, they are seeking to achieve an outcome and mistakenly believe violence is their only option. An underused approach to preventing workplace violence is to consider the issue from the perspective of the instigator, to seek to understand their...

One factor aggravating concerns about workplace violence in corporate America is the easy availability of firearms. In many states, citizens, including employees, have the right to carry firearms onto a company’s property even though firearms are prohibited in the workplace. In effect, an employee prone to violence may have a firearm as near as their vehicle in the company parking lot. Currently, 23 states in the U.S. have so-called “parking lot storage” laws, which enable em...

ISC West in Las Vegas kicked off with a bang on Wednesday, reflecting a healthy physical security industry with an overall upbeat outlook on the future. Driving the optimism is a pending new wave of product innovation, propelled largely by developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning. Some of that new wave is evident at ISC West, but much of the talk still centres on what’s to come. Attendees flocked to the first day of the show to check out the newest technologies, and t...

Cybersecurity talk currently dominates many events in the physical security industry. And it’s about time, given that we are all playing catch-up in a scary cybersecurity environment where threats are constant and constantly evolving. I heard an interesting discussion about cybersecurity recently among consultants attending MercTech4, a conference in Miami hosted by Mercury Security and its OEM partners. The broad-ranging discussion touched on multiple aspects of cybersecurity, including...

Mike Taylor has been involved in security industry sales for more than 20 years, on the front line of industry changes and watching how they impact customers. Among the changes is a shift in the nature of the sales function itself. As Director of Sales, Americas, for Milestone Systems, Mike Taylor currently oversees a team that brings to market the full suite of Milestone open platform solutions. We sat down at Milestone Community Days (MIPS) earlier this year to discuss the technologies and tr...

A downside of our thriving economic times is a shortage of skilled personnel to work in the physical security marketplace. Strong economic growth translates into a low unemployment rate, and greater competition among employers to attract the best talent. The field of cybersecurity, in particular, is seeing a serious talent shortage, but any physical security company can also attest to our own challenges finding and keeping the best talent; not to mention the obvious - that cybersecurity is now...

The massacre in Las Vegas is both sadly familiar and terrifyingly novel. Because of the recent series of violent attacks on innocent people gathered in public places, high body counts are no longer unheard-of, although the 59 dead after the Las Vegas tragedy sets a depressing new record. These news stories have become so grimly commonplace as to dull our collective sensitivity to their shock. However, the modus operandi of the latest attack, apparently by a “lone wolf” – caref...

An expanding outreach and programming targeted especially to international visitors are among the ways ASIS International is seeking to attract more global attendance than ever to its 63rd Annual Seminar and Exhibits, which will take place between 25-28 September in Dallas, Texas. In addition to returning, long-time international visitors, ASIS International is looking to expand global attendance. One initiative is the International Buyer Program (IBP), a joint government/industry effort, whic...

With global events putting security at the forefront of everyone’s minds, IFSEC International 2017 was a chance for the industry to come out in force. Over 600 exhibitors and numerous seminars kept visitors informed on the latest innovations in security products, solutions and best practice. Despite the challenging heatwave, exhibitors were raring to go for the three mercifully air-conditioned days of the exhibition. SourceSecurity.com took to the show floor to check out what exhibitors we...

Exhibitors at this year’s IFSEC are thinking outside the box in terms of how they communicate their value proposition and how they interface with customers. In the process, some are rethinking how big trade shows like IFSEC fit with their goals. Panasonic's approach to the 'race to the bottom' Thomas Lausten, MOBOTIX new CEO How Gallagher benefits from IFSEC without exhibiting Panasonic Systems Communications Europe Panasonic Systems Communications Europe is one of several compani...

Has there ever been a better time for a security trade show in Europe? Shifting threats such as terrorism and a volatile political climate serve as reminders every day of the importance of security in our lives, and even the role of technology. IFSEC opened in London on Tuesday at the ExCeL centre, covering every aspect of security, from access control and video surveillance to home automation and perimeter security. Amid sweltering heat, attendees came to find the latest-and-greatest innovatio...

Axis Communications, the global provider of intelligent surveillance technology, yesterday held the official launch of the new Axis Experience Centre in Luton. The event was a chance for Axis’ partners to meet with the senior management team and explore how the new centre operates, all the while celebrating the company’s 20th anniversary over a glass of champagne. The centre was officially opened by Axis Communications co-founder Martin Gren, along with Bodil Sonesson, the comp...

ONVIF will be eight years old in the next several weeks. It has been interesting to watch the open industry forum’s impact on physical security since it began in 2008 with a goal to develop a global standard for the interface of IP-based physical security products. ONVIF’s influence has accelerated just in the last year, with the number of ONVIF-conformant products in the market growing from about 5,000 a year ago to more than 7,000 today – more than a 40 percent increase. ON...

I have been unpacking from last week’s ASIS show in Orlando. It was a good show, except if you compare it to last spring’s ISC West in Las Vegas, which was especially well attended and generated a lot of excitement in the market. ASIS was definitely smaller, lower key and less crowded. And there were no big product announcements. But there was still plenty of technology on display. In particular, I saw the show reflecting several ongoing trends in the market. Impact of M&As Me...

No doubt about it, the ASIS International show is smaller than in years past. And there is (the usual) grumbling about slow attendee traffic (and the also predictable counter-arguments about “the quality of the leads.”) Some of the security and safety technology being featured was introduced earlier at ISC West, but there is still plenty to see in the exhibit hall. Growth of mobile credentials Mobile credentials are a hot topic again, and Lenel has joined the growing number of comp...

There are many challenges currently facing the security marketplace, and I asked several industry players recently to reflect on those challenges. Their comments highlight familiar subjects to us all: The need for education. The challenge to meet customer expectations. The dilemma of combining old technologies with new ones. Security education and training Education is a big issue, especially as it relates to the transition to IP systems. “I think there are a number of integrators who...

The largest global event of 2016 – and the year’s biggest security challenge – will no doubt be the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Around 15,000 athletes from 206 countries are expected to compete at the Olympic games, August 5-21, 2016, and about 7.5 million tickets will be issued. In our age of terrorism, organisers of any event on the scale of the Rio Olympics must consider the possibility of an attack or other security breach during the more than two...

It seems every company is seeking to re-invent itself in our changing market. A case in point is AMAG, which has long been associated with access control. Today, AMAG’s proposition to the market is much broader than that, now also encompassing Symmetry CONNECT, a policy-based platform providing safety, security and risk management capabilities enabling organisations to manage their enterprise security functions. This spring, AMAG is introducing Symmetry GUEST, a new identity management sys...

ISC West was hopping on its first day, with crowded aisles, packed booths and plenty of news to share. Much of the news consists of product announcements resulting from the rapid pace of technology development in the physical security market. It was enough to cause sensory overload. Educating integrators and end users about security technology Technology is moving so fast that it’s understandable integrators, not to mention end users, might struggle to digest it all and apply it to their...