Surveillance software

Synectics has released its latest ‘Tech Note’ to help business and organisations explore how video analytics can transform their security and surveillance operations. The free ‘Tech Note’ highlights how operators can maximise intelligence and analytics from real-time video data. It draws on Synectics deep experience in the design and deployment of advanced surveillance solutions for highly regulated and specialised industries around the world. Martyn Rowe, Head of Product Management at Synectics, said: “Analytics is a dominant trend in the surveillance industry right now, particularly in the current climate of COVID-19. In addition to providing organisations with valuable real-time intelligence, applying analytics to a wide range of connected and integrated data sets can help businesses better understand and serve their customers. It can be a potent business tool, particularly for critical security or safety applications.” Video content analytics Rowe continued: “Our customers ask us questions about the benefits of video analytics and which technology might be best suited for their particular needs. These range from technical queries concerning technical implementation and the most appropriate mechanism for detecting fraud, theft, and suspicious activity, and integrating analytics with surveillance and data management solutions. This paper is a useful tool to help these businesses navigate that journey.” The Tech Note is the latest in a portfolio of free resources developed by Synectics The ‘Tech Note’ looks at how to implement video content analytics in security, safety, and operational efficiency strategies. Key topics include implementation methods, hardware and software requirements and how to benefit from analytics technology. Left object detection Analytics capabilities covered in the document include facial recognition, virtual tripwires, motion detection, left object detection, loitering detection, heat maps, footfall and headcount analysis, and traffic monitoring. Another specific focus is how command and control software can help operators integrate not only analytics but also use alarm and workflow programmes to automate critical processes and activities in response to captured data. The Tech Note is the latest in a portfolio of free resources developed by Synectics.

DigiCert, Inc., the world’s provider of TLS/SSL, IoT and other PKI solutions, announced its new DigiCert Automation Gateway. Automation Gateway launches with integration into DigiCert CertCentral® in Q4. This new automation approach is designed to accelerate the adoption of automated certificate issuance, renewal, reissuance and revocation by tackling some of the common concerns with existing offerings. Automation Gateway will provide organisations the confidence to widely deploy automation protocols within their company networks to provide greater agility. Acquiring and deploying certificates Automation Gateway lives on-premises in an enterprise network to securely monitor, automate and process certificate lifecycle events through a controllable proxied connection. It is a communication bridge between DigiCert’s various management and automation tools, such as ACME, to simplify acquiring and deploying certificates. Deployment of this offering is a significant milestone in DigiCert’s vision to promote and enable crypto-agility and shorter certificate lifecycles. Automation is key in managing security events and responding to new threats. Increased web security “DigiCert is dedicated to creating robust management and automation tools that enterprises can use to simplify their security processes and increase web security. With the constant increase in threats, enterprises need agility in how they deploy and manage certificates throughout their organisation,” said Jeremy Rowley, Chief of Product at DigiCert. "Many enterprises are wary of fully adopting automated PKI solutions because of the inherent risk of needing to open their network ports to the public internet. Automation Gateway removes that risk with trusted, automated controllers and proxies.” Automation Gateway also offers failover to provide uninterrupted uptime and prevent outages. The gateway automatically replaces missing, expired or revoked certificates on connected devices. Using the gateway, any number of internal servers can be automatically updated. With smart meshed interaction, if one node goes dark in the network, devices may still acquire certificates and continue to function securely. Automation of certificate replacement Previous industry events, such as the transition from SHA-1 to SHA-2, demonstrate the need for a more agile web PKI. In addition, CA/B Forum requirements specify that a certificate must be replaced within 24 hours for key compromise and similar events, and five days if information changes or there is a technical gap in certificate contents. Automation is critical in meeting these requirements. Continued Rowley, “Automation Gateway in CertCentral will offer an intuitive experience, with smart software that remembers organisational security preferences and eliminates the manual configuration currently required for ACME certbot and other clients in use today." CertCentral Automation Tools integration When released later, Automation Gateway will join CertCentral Automation Tools to provide a completely automated certificate management solution. Currently, CertCentral Automation Tools feature the following benefits: Automation and discovery across multiple servers for larger-scale networks The ability to utilise agents for easy to manage, scalable ACME deployments for OV and EV, with DV coming soon Seamless integration with OEM solutions such as F5, Citrix NetScaler, A10 as well as popular server orchestration and management platforms such as Chef, Puppet, ServiceNow and more Customisable automation through APIs to integrate DigiCert tools and a customer’s system Auto-renew configuration via CertCentral console

ISS - Intelligent Security Systems, a supplier of intelligent Video Management System (VMS) and analytics for myriad security and business intelligence applications, has added SecurOS™ Hand Sanitiser to the company’s robust offering of COVID-19 Return to Work solutions. The new analytics, built on Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and imaging technology from Intel®, is designed to detect if an individual has not properly cleansed their hands in a designated area where hand washing and/or hand sanitisation is mandated. Initially developed for use in the food service industry, the demand for hand sanitiser analytics is trending rapidly to meet emerging compliance requirements in a post-COVID-19 world. “One of the most basic ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 involves hand washing and sanitization. Like many drugs that were developed for other ailments that are now being used to combat COVID-19, our SecurOS Hand Sanitizer analytics was initially in development for another purpose, but seems most appropriate now as an intelligent and autonomous solution to help prevent the spread of this deadly virus,” said Aluisio Figueiredo, CEO of Intelligent Security Systems. Market demand for hand sanitiser Market demand for SecurOS Hand Sanitiser has already been generated from numerous hospitals, medical offices, industrial facilities, commercial and residential buildings, and public and government facilities across the country to help establish safe “return to work” procedures. The ISS SecurOS Hand Sanitiser solution integrates Intel Realsense cameras with ISS’ SecurOS analytics platform to identify and analyse postures and movements of the skeletal body form. The combination of image depth metadata from Realsense and the ISS NN analytics, tracks the movement of hands in the act of washing/sanitising. The metadata is further processed by the SecurOS™ platform which defines actions as combinations of elementary movements. Risk mitigation precautions For example, the elementary movement “person bends her arm more than 90 degrees” may be part of the complex action “person answers a phone call” - which itself includes several alternative descriptions each consisting of multiple movements. In the same manner, the SecurOS platform can define set of actions indicating that a person is washing their hands at a basin/sink or standing in front of a free-standing sanitising liquid dispenser and rubbing their hands together in an appropriate manner and for the requisite amount of time. The ISS SecurOS platform vocabulary is built using natural language and is similar in this aspect to IBM’s Watson. The SecurOS™ Hand Sanitiser solution, combined with other risk mitigation precautions and mandates, can lessen the impact of the current pandemic and help avoid the potential of a second wave of COVID-19 infection and help safely re-open schools, businesses and facilities.

ProLabs ProTune™ Tuning and Coding system offers a powerful solution to resolve network issues that require fast and immediate responses. Controlling and maintaining inventory levels to meet network emergencies involves holding spare transceivers and will directly impact one’s bottom line. The ProTune™ coding and tuning system consists of an appliance and a powerful cloud-based platform that codes or tunes ProLabs transceivers in one simple step. Transceivers and form factors support The ProTune™ systems not only supports SFP, SFP+, and XFP transceivers, but also QSFP+ and QSFP28 form factors. The ProTune™ coding and tuning system from ProLabs offers network operators the solution for immediate network needs, while reducing the inventory requirements for spares. The ProTune™ appliance is the perfect addition to one’s ‘emergency kit’ for quickly and immediately responding to network outages, reconfiguration and new customer turn-ups. Compatible with existing systems and architectures: Field program optics to be compatible with OEM platforms. Supports SFP/SFP+/XFP/QSFP+/QSFP28 transceiver form factors. Locally powered by USB connection – no AC connection required. Soft carrying case included; rugged case available upon request at an additional cost. Reduces inventory and requirements for spares Tunes SFP+ and XFP tunable optics for spares from any platform and channel. Also supports programming existing optics in inventory to support multiple platforms. Supports Tunable 10G DWDM XFPs and SFP+s for spares for any platform and any channel, and tunable DWDM SFP+s can even support 1G DWDM applications. The full featured ProTune™ software package is a cloud-based application, ensuring network operators information that’s always up to date. The ProTune™ software features Automatically syncs with the cloud to ensure all data is current. Tracks transceiver history. Manages access IDs across the organisation. Allows for remote access of transceivers in the field by ProLabs tech support. In addition to the cloud-based application, the ProTune™ appliance includes an Off-Line Tuning feature (available upon request), which: Offers the capability to remotely tune all ProLabs SFP+ and XFP tunable optics without connecting to the cloud. Provides wavelength agile support to host devices that do not support tunable optics natively. The powerful ProTune™ coding and tuning system puts one in charge.

LenelS2 and FLIR Systems, Inc. announces that they had signed an agreement to integrate select FLIR thermal cameras with LenelS2’s OnGuard® access control system. The integrated, non-contact solution joins the Carrier Healthy Buildings Program suite of offerings to support reopening and to assist in slowing the spread of COVID-19 and possibly other viruses in the workplace through thermal screening. FLIR is a pioneer company specialising in the design and production of thermal imaging cameras, components and imaging sensors. LenelS2, a provider of advanced security systems and services, is a part of Carrier Global Corporation, a provider of innovative heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies. Site-specific screening protocols LenelS2 will offer integrated thermal imaging screening and access control solutions to quickly identify individuals with elevated skin temperature and apply customisable access control parameters to allow or deny entry. The strategic collaboration will leverage the FLIR EST™ line of non-contact thermal screening cameras, including the A500-EST and A700-EST, by integrating with the LenelS2 OnGuard access control system. The collaboration with FLIR will help drive our end users’ access control decisions in support of healthy, safe workspaces" “As organisations implement site-specific screening protocols, integrating access control systems with thermal imaging solutions is an important part of a comprehensive approach,” said Jeff Stanek, President, LenelS2. “The collaboration with FLIR will help drive our end users’ access control decisions in support of healthy, safe workspaces.” FLIR designed the A500-EST and A700-EST as non-contact screening tools that can serve as a first line of defence against potential health risks. Access control parameters These cameras are part of FLIR’s A-Series camera offering and are U.S. FDA 510(k) registered. Through onboard edge-computing with advanced measurement tools or when combined with customised elevated skin temperature screening software, these cameras provide rapid, frictionless screening stations that communicate with the OnGuard system to automatically process and apply customisable access control parameters. “Having a set of processes including temperature checks is critical for organisations as they work to maintain their operations or begin to return employees safely back to work,” said Rickard Lindvall, Vice President and General Manager, Solutions Business, FLIR. “The FLIR and LenelS2 brands complement each other perfectly to provide our customers best-of-breed solutions they can confidently deploy.”

Pivot3, the provider of intelligent hyperconverged infrastructure solutions for mission-critical video, announces significant automation and intelligence enhancements to its Acuity software platform to address the system administration, maintenance and availability challenges often faced in large-scale video surveillance deployments. The new intelligent system health and best practices analysis features provide significant reductions in total cost of ownership, ensure 24 x 7 system uptime in large multi-petabyte environments, and enable customers to automate end-to-end system life-cycle management processes, all while ensuring high-availability. Managing large deployments “Customers who have safety and security responsibilities are increasingly required to manage large deployments of servers and storage due to the number and resolution of cameras, the increasing use of video analytics and other leading edge security applications,” said Ben Bolles, vice president of product management, Pivot3. “The sheer scale of these deployments presents new management challenges for security personnel to keep systems up-to-date and operating at peak performance and efficiency. Pivot3 is meeting this growing challenge with expanded automation and intelligence capabilities to provide customers with peace of mind, knowing their system is operating at its utmost level of resilience and performance.” System health monitoring At the core of Pivot3’s Acuity software platform is the Pivot3 Intelligence Engine At the core of Pivot3’s Acuity software platform is the Pivot3 Intelligence Engine. The Intelligence Engine comprises many automated system management capabilities including performance optimisation, data protection, auto-healing, system health monitoring and analytics that are shared to Pivot3’s Support Cloud. This automates traditionally time-consuming systems administration and maintenance tasks to reduce operating expenses and allows organisations to expand and improve their physical security posture with fewer specialised IT skills. Video evidence recording Pivot3’s Intelligence Engine now includes system-level upgrade orchestration and health and best practices analyser features optimised for large-scale environments. The Upgrade Manager is designed to simplify performing end-to-end system updates by automating mundane system administration tasks, resulting in improved life-cycle management of large-scale systems and a reduction in the specialised skills required to run these sophisticated deployments. The Health and Best Practices Analyser automatically verifies system health and detects anomalies, both system-wide and for individual appliances. To lower the risks and liabilities associated with video evidence recording and access, the system also ensures that best practices to deliver 24 X 7 system uptime and availability are observed. Pivot3’s new Intelligence Engine capabilities are in version 10.8 of the Acuity software platform available in Q3 2020.

Returning to work after the global pandemic will not be business as usual, and security systems are an important asset when it comes to helping to keep occupants and buildings safe. 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. 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. “While the ‘new normal’ is still being defined, we believe there will be a greater focus on creating healthier environments while also complying with new regulations,” says Marcus Logan, Global Offering Leader, Honeywell Commercial Security. “Temperature, humidity, energy efficiency, security, safety, comfort, productivity, and demonstrating compliance with regulations are all a part of a healthy building.” For example, social distancing is a new concept for the workplace. How do you make that happen in an open work setting, in breakrooms, elevator lobbies and meeting spaces? Optimised systems create healthier environments Anxious employees will need reassurance about returning to the workplace Building owners will need to look at how they can optimise their systems – or deploy new ones – to create a healthier environment. Building technologies, like those provided by Honeywell's Healthy Buildings solutions, provide building owners with more control over critical factors to encourage sustained compliance with changing building standards, safety guidelines, government-issued regulations, and a company's risk management policies. These solutions also provide transparency for occupants into a building's status, says Logan. Hygiene will be a critical issue: People will want to know that the spaces are ready for their return. Increased cleaning procedures and schedules will evolve, and a way will be needed to demonstrate the procedures are effective and that they have been strictly adhered to. Identifying ways to measure effectiveness of sanitisation and track compliance to the procedures will be a key challenge to solve. This is a space that will evolve significantly in the coming months and years, says Logan. Access control and video analytics Contact tracing is a new requirement in some businesses, and security technology – like access control and video analytics with advanced reporting – can help. Access control technology integrated with video analytics can be used to trace occupant movements within a facility. These technologies capture data that can be used with advanced reporting to provide a digital footprint of where a person has been within a facility and if they may have been exposed to someone identified as being infected with a contagious virus. Building owners can then proactively notify exposed individuals evolve to self-quarantine and minimise further spread of an infection. Video analytics can help to predict where and when occupants encounter each other Anxious employees will need reassurance about returning to the workplace. They will not only seek confidence that the building is optimised for a healthier environment but also that processes are in place to quickly identify and respond to potential issues. Transparency and visibility into how the building works and the health of the environment will help to reassure occupants returning to the workplace. “One way to do this is to share building analytics with occupants – to help them understand factors about the indoor air quality or occupancy density,” says Logan. Controlled health, safety and security Honeywell’s solutions provide building owners with more control over critical health, safety and security factors to encourage sustained compliance with changing building standards, safety guidelines, government-issued regulations and a company’s risk management policies, Logan adds. Visibility into how the building works and the health of the environment will help to reassure occupants returning to the workplace Every day there is new information coming from the medical and scientific community about COVID-19, and the building industry is just starting to learn what it all means. Logan warns that there is no single solution that will keep every environment healthy and safe. A good strategy features deploying a combination of solutions, optimising systems and being vigilant to make sure that companies are sustaining compliance to new and changing regulations, says Logan. “Today more than ever we must be mindful of the changing culture of how buildings are managed by making apparent the need to be mindful of health and well-being in all aspects of our lives,” says Logan. Honeywell has developed outcome-based solutions that allow building owners to transparently address building quality factors while supporting their business continuity needs in the uncertain environment. “We’re giving them the data they need to confidently reassure their employees to accelerate their business operations,” he adds.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought about an unprecedented crisis for businesses and individuals. It has also created a new normal, notwithstanding the disruption to our lives, ultimately changing life as we knew it. However, our resilience as humans will ensure that we survive and become better, stronger, and more determined than ever before. As I mentioned, both businesses and individuals have struggled significantly to balance the need for safety versus survival. But at AxxonSoft, we remain committed to keeping our people safe, while ensuring that our support and commitment to our clients are not compromised. Ensuring business continuity At AxxonSoft, our vision has always been to ensure business continuity through enhanced safety and video surveillance offerings. Adhering to the COVID-19 regulations, we are prescribing to social distancing to slow the spread of the virus. As such, we are utilising this time to ensure that our service offering is optimised to afford our clients the ability to repurpose and extend their remote working viabilities. As an essential service provider, we have ensured that we are providing the right tools to our clients to comply with regulations. Our video analytics and face recognition services have no reliance on on-site control rooms and, therefore, clients’ security solutions and personal safety are not compromised. Innovation reimagined During these precarious times, our focus remains on support and service. Our development team continues to work tirelessly to ensure that you can use our software during the lockdown and have accelerated innovation to this end. While we must maintain social distancing, we can and will still be of service to our community Therefore, we are proud to present version 4.11 of the Intellect PSIM, which offers our clients a neural network-based analytical tracker which recognises specific types of objects, such as humans and vehicles. We have also equipped this version with video wall management interface, automatic object tracking and a web reporting subsystem. Behavioural analytics generates data by detecting specific postures, like crouching, shooting or any potentially dangerous scenario. Our surveillance software operates on a three-pronged approach: calibration, detection and measurement, offering a comprehensive bird’s-eye view to clients. This upgrade also upholds mandated social distancing measures and keeps any face-to-face meetings to a minimal. The silver lining is that you can even use this technology when the pandemic is over. Now that’s what I call experiencing the next with AxxonSoft! Finding solutions to the challenges Our specialist technology and frontline technical support staff will ensure that your business is protected during and post-lockdown. We will continue to ensure that we provide solutions to the new challenges that the coronavirus brings, ensuring that our clients can emerge stronger and more responsive to any changes in the future. Our surveillance software operates on a three-pronged approach: calibration, detection and measurement While we must maintain social distancing, we can and will still be of service to our community. After all, change is not just about technology but about mastering mindsets. The COVID-19 disaster has demanded that businesses embrace tech disruptions as early as possible and apply technology in imaginative ways to define the new world of work. Until next time, stay safe!

Artificial Intelligence. You’ve heard the words in just about every facet of our lives, just two words, and they’re quite possibly the most moving, life-changing words employed in everyday conversations. So what exactly is AI, who currently uses it and should be using it? What is AI? AI is a powerful way of collecting, qualifying and quantifying data toward a meaningful conclusion to help us reach decisions more quickly or automate processes which could be considered mundane or repetitive. AI in its previous state was known as “machine learning” or “machine processing” which has evolved into “deep learning” or, here in the present, Artificial Intelligence. AI as it applies to the security and surveillance industry provides us the ability to discover and process meaningful information more quickly than at any other time in modern history. Flashback - VCR tapes, blurred images, fast-forward, rewind and repeat. This process became digital, though continued to be very time-consuming. Today’s surveillance video management systems have automated many of these processes with features like “museum search” seeking an object removed from a camera view or “motion detection” to create alerts when objects move through a selected viewpoint. These features are often confused with AI, and are really supportive analytics of the Artificial Intelligence, not AI themselves. Machine Learning Fully appreciating AI means employment of a machine or series of machines to collect, process and produce information obtained from basic video features or analytics. What the machines learn depends on what is asked of them. The truth is, the only way the AI can become meaningful is if there is enough information learned to provide the results desired. If there isn’t enough info, then we must dig deeper for information or learn more, properly described as “deep-learning” AI. Translated, this means that we need to learn more on a deeper level in order to obtain the collaborative combined information necessary to produce the desired result. Deep learning AI Deep learning AI can afford us the ability to understand more about person characteristic traits & behaviors. Applying this information can then further be applied to understand how to interpret patterns of behavior with the end goal of predictable behavior. This prediction requires some degree of human interpretation so that we are able to position ourselves to disrupt patterns of negative behavior or simply look for persons of interest based on these patterns of behavior. These same patterns evolve into intelligence which over time increases the machine’s ability to more accurately predict patterns that could allow for actions to be taken as a result. This intelligence which is now actionable could translate to life safety such as stopping a production manufacturing process, if a person were to move into an area where they shouldn’t be which might put them in danger. Useful applications of intelligence  Informative knowledge or intelligence gathered could be useful in retail applications as well by simply collecting traffic patterns as patrons enter a showroom. This is often displayed in the form of heat mapping of the most commonly traveled paths or determining choke points that detract from a shopper’s experience within the retail establishment. It could also mean relocating signage to more heavily traveled foot-paths to gain the highest possible exposure to communicating a sale or similar notice, perhaps lending itself to driving higher interest to a sale or product capability. Some of this signage or direction could even translate to increased revenues by realigning the customer engagement and purchasing points. Actionable Intelligence From a surveillance perspective, AI could be retranslated to actionable intelligence by providing behavioral data to allow law enforcement to engage individuals with malicious intent earlier, thus preventing crimes in whole or in part based on previously learned data. The data collection points now begin to depart from a more benign, passive role into an actionable role. As a result, new questions are being asked regarding the cameras intended purpose or role of its viewpoint such as detection, observation, recognition or identification. Detecting human presence By way of example, a camera or data collector may need to detect human presence, as well as positively identify who the person is. So the analytic trip line is crossed or motion box activated or counter-flow is detected which then creates an alert for a guard or observer to take action. Further up the food chain, a supervisor is also notified and the facial characteristics are captured. These remain camera analytics, but now we feed this collected facial information to a graphic processing unit (GPU) which could be employed to compare captured characteristics with pre-loaded facial characteristics. When the two sources are compared and a match produced, an alert could be generated which results in an intervention or other similar action with the effort of preventing a further action. This process- detect, disrupt, deter or detain could be considered life-saving by predictably displaying possible outcomes in advance of the intended actions. The next level is deep-learning AI which employs the same characteristics to determine where else within the CCTV ecosystem the individual may have been previously by comparatively analyzing other collected video data. This becomes deep-learning AI when the GPU machine is able to learn from user-tagged positive identification, which the machine learns and begins to further reprocess its own data to further understand where else the person of interest (POI) may have existed on the ecosystem and more correctly improve its own predictive capabilities, thus becoming faster at displaying alerts and better at the discovery of previously archived video data. The future In conclusion, the future of these “predictables” wholly rests in the hands of the purchasing end-user. Our job is to help everyone understand the capabilities and theirs is to continue to make the investment so that the research perpetuates upon itself. Just think where we’d be if purchasers didn’t invest in the smartphone?    

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

Many venues are using access control, video surveillance systems, sensors, and additional hardware solutions as part of a broader security strategy. By utilising so many disparate systems, corporate security teams are left with information “silos” that create inefficiencies and hamper communication. This abundance of hardware has left teams with too much data or too many tools, to manage effectively. Armored Things offers a software solution. The company’s “spatial intelligence platform” currently collects more data than other security intelligence solutions, utilising a broader range of sources and fusing data together rather than integrating it. The platform currently focuses on taking in data from WiFi, access control, and video surveillance systems and applying machine learning to deliver customers features such as real-time predictive analytics to prevent incidents like bottlenecks or overcrowding. Spatial Intelligence is an approach to physical security that enables users to collect, manage, and interpret data in a single platform. Combine machine learning with data The term can best be used to describe how digital transformation has affected physical security. Spatial Intelligence in its infancy looked like video surveillance data combined with machine learning to produce video analytics. The spatial intelligence solutions of today can combine machine learning with data of any source, type, and size to deliver value across a large organisation, not just the security team, says the company. Armored Things’ Spatial Intelligence platform unifies data from information silos to support data-driven decisions around operations and security. By fusing data from multiple sources, we can produce more consistent and useful insights for our customers” A suite of analytics, reporting and visualisation tools helps customers gain a real-time understanding of people and flow in their space. By removing the guesswork of everyday decisions, the product enables customers to make data-driven decisions at a moment’s notice, according to the company. Armored Things is more than a data management tool. “By fusing data from multiple sources (rather than only cameras or only WiFi), we can produce more consistent, accurate, and useful insights for our customers,” says Kevin Davis, Chief Security Officer at Armored Things. "Being able to collect the data is the first step, but turning it into actionable intelligence is where Armored Things excels.” IP cameras and other IoT-enabled devices The range of data sources includes IP cameras and other IoT-enabled devices and even outside data sources like bus schedules and weather reports. Armored Things has built a team of public safety and technical experts with the mission to keep people safe where they live, work, and play. By leveraging emerging technology to enhance physical security, the company built the software-centric Spatial Intelligence Platform for large organisations to enhance the safety and operations of their space. Schools and education facilities are among the customers that can benefit. The leadership at Armored Things cares deeply about school safety, so the recent epidemic of campus violence has definitely been a large topic of conversation, according to the company. “By delivering our products to a greater number of customers, Armored Things hopes to continue making schools a safe place to learn and gather,” says Davis. Recently, there was a significant bottleneck lasting nearly 30 minutes at the Syracuse-Clemson football game. Unifying data into one platform Digital transformation is disrupting the way our customers think about physical security,” Using Armored Things technology and providing real-time data to security and operations personnel could have identified the bottleneck as it began to form. This would have notified relevant personnel, who could have taken steps to mitigate the problem before it turned into a security risk. Keeping the security infrastructure simple is imperative to success. Integrating a software solution into the security strategy shouldn’t complicate existing operations, says the company. “Armored Things Spatial Intelligence Platform can bring your security and operations into focus by unifying all of your data into one platform for ease of use,” says Davis. For this reason, the team chose to integrate not only with customers’ existing security infrastructure but with non-traditional data sources (e.g. WiFi, event schedules, ticketing) as well. “By combining and analysing a more diverse dataset, Armored Things can help our customers make better decisions with deeper data-driven insights,” says Davis. "Digital transformation is disrupting the way our customers think about physical security,” says Davis. “As a team, our aim is to help our customers adapt to the digital age, as they transition from hardware to software-centric security solutions. Fostering organisational change is difficult, and our team hopes to make the transition process easier for our customers.”

Gunshot detection today is part of more physical security systems than ever before, and many manufacturers are developing interfaces to the latest gunshot detection technologies. Genetec has integrated ShotSpotter gunshot detection technology into its unified IP security platform, Security Center. Thanks to this integration, police departments and security professionals will be able to receive more actionable information, gain rapid access and detailed location insights when a gunshot situation occurs. Cloud-based analysis software ShotSpotter uses wide-area acoustic surveillance that automatically gets activated when gunfire occurs ShotSpotter uses wide-area acoustic surveillance that automatically gets activated when gunfire occurs, providing comprehensive outdoor coverage on campuses and in complex urban geographies. ShotSpotter sensors and cloud-based analysis software triangulate and pinpoint the precise location of each round fired within seconds, the number of shots fired and provide an immediate gunfire alert with an audio clip. Detailed incident data is immediately sent to SST’s Incident Review Center (IRC), a secure data processing and alert validation facility, where acoustics experts analyse the data and qualify the incident in real-time 24/7. Once validated, an alert is sent directly into Genetec’s Security Center, all in under a minute. Once the alarm is triggered within Security Center upon gunshot detection, operators can quickly access video and other related data surrounding the location of a gunshot alert, and immediately visualise it on Security Center maps, leveraging the dynamic visualisation capabilities of the Security Center Plan Manager. Genetec has integrated ShotSpotter gunshot detection technology into its unified IP security platform Gunshot identification software Stanley Security has announced a partnership with Shooter Detection Systems LLC (SDS), gunshot detection solutions provider. As an authorised dealer, STANLEY Security is now certified to sell, install and service SDS products and services. SDS’s Guardian Indoor Active Shooter Detection System combines acoustic gunshot identification software with infrared gunfire flash detection for a fully automated gunshot detection and alerting solution. The Guardian System immediately detects gunshots and simultaneously alerts building occupants The Guardian System immediately detects gunshots and simultaneously alerts building occupants and first responders within one second and with zero false alerts. Johnson Controls has announced that its exacqVision video management system now integrates with Databuoy Corp.’s ShotPoint acoustic gunshot detection and localisation system to speed response time and heighten the decision-making process for local responders during active shooter situations. Integrated security systems Johnson Controls has also released the Detect360 Active Shooter Response (ASR) system, combining reliable gunshot detection with notification technology to provide immediate warning when a gunshot is fired within a building. By providing early notification and precise location of the shooter, the ASR system gives occupants time to find safety and allows police and security personnel to mitigate the threat up to 60 percent faster. Detect360 ASR gives first responders information as it develops at the scene, including shot location, number of shots, location of the shooter in near real-time and the ability to remotely monitor the situation through integrated security systems. It also collects forensic information that can later be used by law enforcement. The system supports multiple integration options, including video feeds from existing CCTV and intrusion systems, mass notification systems, access control systems and panic button/manual initiation systems. Detect360 ASR gives first responders information as it develops at the scene Public safety access points Listed as one of the most important new technologies debuted at CES 2019 by the Wall Street Journal and NBC News, Safe Zone also showcased its Safe Zone Gunfire Detector (GFD) at ISC West 2019. Priced at $149 per unit, the Safe Zone Gunfire Detector combines infrared and sound detection technologies with immediate cloud-based data analysis that can analyse more than 3,000 data points of each loud noise that exceeds ambient levels by a certain threshold. The system determines the location of shots fired, the number of shots, and the type Utilising the data from multiple detectors simultaneously, the system determines the location of shots fired, the number of shots, and the type and calibre of gun being used. Within 10 seconds of the trigger pull, an alert is sent to Public Safety Access Points in the appropriate dispatch center, giving local 911 dispatchers all critical information on their computers. Reseller recruitment programme Shot Tracer has launched a reseller recruitment programme with a highly attractive on-boarding proposition for qualified dealers. Qualifying resellers can receive a Gunshot Simulator Kit valued at $1,000 when they commit to becoming a Shot Tracer dealer. Shot Tracer’s Eagle Gunshot Detection System easily integrates with virtually any security, alarm, surveillance and access system via contact closure – or wirelessly via IP integration. In fact, Shot Tracer gunshot detection sensors are as easy to install as a smoke detector, so there’s virtually no learning curve for installing dealers. The new Shot Tracer Reseller Recruitment Program includes an exclusive offer for installing dealers to receive a free Gunshot Simulator Kit, valued at over $1000, which is essential for demonstrating Shot Tracer Eagle Gunshot Detection sensors. Terms and conditions apply for qualifying resellers.

iSpace Environments, a Minneapolis-based commercial furniture and technology dealership, is now using Carousel Digital Signage software to promote its services and amplify its message throughout its showroom as part of a technology upgrade and renovation. A longtime Carousel Digital Signage reseller, iSpace provides furnishing and technology design and integration services to clients in the corporate, higher education, healthcare, and automobile retail sectors. As organisations re-open following the COVID-19 pandemic, iSpace is helping clients reconfigure their workspaces to comply with the new health and safety regulations. Their interior transformation adheres to these compliance standards and demonstrates how furniture and technology can create safe, comfortable work environments. Content creation and management Showing the technology creates awareness of what AV technology offers for workplace design" iSpace is now using Carousel Cloud software to communicate health and safety guidelines, welcome messaging, visitor information, and examples of how clients can apply digital signage to their own environments. All visual messaging is distributed to flat panel televisions and video walls throughout the building, leveraging Carousel Cloud’s interoperability with Apple TV devices to simplify and centralise media playout. iSpace’s AV experts demonstrate the software’s capabilities during tours, including multi-display support, Apple TV interoperability, and ease of use including simplified content creation and management. Communicate competitive advantage “Showing the technology creates awareness of what AV technology offers for workplace design,” said Nate Pesch, Technology Sales Manager at iSpace Environments. “Our customers aren’t always aware of our technology-related products and services, and Carousel Cloud helps us communicate our competitive advantage.” Pesch confirms that the digital signage content they show to visitors often opens the conversation to broader possibilities. “The Carousel content always looks visually impressive and provides an opportunity to share our expertise around technology integration,” he said. “We have many examples of becoming a one-stop shop for customers.” Standalone server infrastructure Those conversations then lead to Carousel Cloud’s benefit in workspace communications. Carousel Cloud gives users the flexibility of being able to update content at any time and from anywhere - a benefit that Pesch says is increasingly critical during as business operations continue to change. He also points to the cost-reducing benefits of Carousel Cloud, which eliminates the traditional expense of a standalone server infrastructure. Instead, Carousel Cloud software is deployed on the organisation’s existing IT infrastructure and can use common Apple TV devices or BrightSign media players (including the BSN.cloud platform) on the playout side. Use built-in templates One organisation’s safety protocol may different from another, but everybody wants to feel safe" “Carousel software is easy to learn, so an organisation lacking in-house design resources can use built-in templates to create content,” said Pesch. “That’s important these days as many content managers are working from home. With Carousel Cloud, content managers can make changes remotely. We can also show how easy it is to use these templates across different aspect ratios, as we display the content on portrait screens, landscape screens, and video walls in our showroom and meeting spaces. It’s very powerful.” iSpace Environments, which has remained open through the pandemic as an essential business, is seeing an increase in traffic as organisations consider how life in the workplace will change. With organisations across the globe updating facilities in accordance with new regulations, many customers are aiming to create environments that communicate how safety is their top priority. Organisation’s safety protocol “We’re helping people get back to business any way we can, whether it’s with screen dividers on desks, furniture reconfigurations, or digital signage to communicate the proper safety measures,” said Pesch. “Businesses and schools need to show that they’re thinking about safety, and digital signage is one way to communicate that they’re doing something about it. One organisation’s safety protocol may different from another, but everybody wants to feel safe. Digital signage is one of the most effective ways to communicate these messages.”

Commenced in 2016, the large business club was built with smart infrastructure and modern amenities, in the futuristic town of Kolkata, to provide leisure-cum-business conducive atmosphere to their members and visitors. The contemporary building of business club is spread over 10 acres area and serves as a cultural, commercial, and business hub in the region. Having a beautiful landscape, it attained tremendous popularity due to its high-end specifications, green landscape, wedding lawn, tennis court, cafeteria, business centre to name a few. Missing real-time video surveillance With a consistently large volume of patrons visiting the business club for various events, security is the vital component of the successful operations at the site. The customer has been relying heavily on analogue video surveillance to secure its facilities and workforce. Due to its limited scalability, there was no way to do real-time surveillance throughout the premises. Moreover, every incident recorded by the video cameras required time-consuming manual investigation, therefore, causing delay in decision-making.   Aiming to advancing the surveillance solution, the customer wanted to make an investment to maintain a watchful eye, manage threats/incidents proactively along with integrate existing and new system into the unified interface. Videonetics Unified Video Computing Platform Intelligent Video Analytics (IVA) is helping operators detect vehicles wrongly parked in ‘restricted’ or ‘no parking’ zones After a thorough evaluation of various solution offered by various companies, it was Videonetics that came out on top. Thanks to Videonetics Unified Video Computing Platform (UVCP™) that blends Intelligent Video Management Software (VMS), Intelligent Video Analytics and seamless integration of existing analogue system into one user-friendly solution, able to grow effortlessly with customers’ need over time.   Incident response management Videonetics Intelligent VMS is managing 100+ cameras including PTZ network camera, dome cameras, fixed cameras, and bullet cameras, installed throughout the interior as well as exterior of the premises. In addition, 32 legacy analogue cameras are also integrated into the unified solution, eventually providing centralised control of the cameras to the security operators. The in-built failover and redundancy features of Intelligent VMS ensure the operators to always have access to live and recorded video. This means if any incident occurs, they can always have evidence of it. Zero Blind Spot at Entrance The Intelligent Video Analytics (IVA) is helping operators to detect vehicles which are wrongly parked in ‘restricted’ or ‘no parking’ zones, at the outside of premise. For the perimeter security at entry & exit gates, the PTZ camera tracking helps in detecting unusual behaviour of the person and provides alert to security operators for faster action. At the entrance, face capture has been installed to detect a person in the scene and locates his/her face, which is saved in the database, indexed and time stamped. In addition, vehicle capture is deployed to track and record license plates of vehicles along with time and date, entering the premise. Zone monitoring Operators will be notified if a person stays beyond a certain duration in a user-marked zone The business club needed a solution that could help it identify theft, intrusion and trespassing throughout its facilities. In the first phase of the project, Videonetics along with stakeholders of business club and system integrator identified sensitive areas, that requiring immediate security system. To monitor suspicious activities, zone monitoring has been enabled at the fence of tennis court, lawn, emergency gates and open field area. Operators will be notified if a person stays beyond a certain duration in a user-marked zone. To combat unauthorised entry in generator room, operators gets alert if any intrusion happens in a marked area. Similarly, unusual activities are also being monitored in this area through loitering detection. Trespassing detection Operators can handle alarms and manage events, reducing manual checks of cases and helping to expedite investigations At the peripheries of the business club, trespassing detection has been deployed to detect if any person intrudes into a premise. The system is well capable to trace trajectory of the trespasser and prevent incident before it occurs. The authorities wanted to have alert in case any mob formation happens at the field area, known as forbidden region, of the club. Crowd formation detection has been deployed that estimates density of people in a scene and generated an alert as soon as the density in any defined area crosses a certain limit. Empowering with mobile application The ease of use of Videonetics unified solution has been instrumental to the business club. The operators and senior authorities are efficiently accessing videos anytime and anywhere, thru an intuitive interface of IVMS web and mobile applications. At the time of incidents, operators can handle alarms and manage events, therefore, reducing manual checks of cases and helping to expedite investigations.   After various phases of implementation, installation, and testing, the Videonetics unified solution went into live operation. Since upgrading to Videonetics unified solution, the business club has been able to better handle incidents of thefts/intrusion and apprehend suspects. Therefore, the level of security has been lifted by allowing the early detection of incidents and monitoring the premises round-the-clock, even in the harsh environmental condition. Furthermore, the added layer of security has been significant in business club’s efforts to attract more members and sustain business relations with existing members. Detecting patterns Now the operators use the information being collected in the unified interface to better understand the environment. They are successfully detecting patterns on how visitors/members access and move through the club. Thus, using these insights to develop strategies that maximise the use of space and keeps everyone safe. The open architecture of Videonetics unified solution allows customer to integrate with third-party systems such as access control, emergency system and much more. “To go from conventional to a professional and scalable surveillance system was a huge improvement for our client. It has enhanced our client’s reputation for providing safe and secure environment to visitors, employees, and members. Commendation to Videonetics for providing their unified video computing platform that empowered security operators by improving their efficiency in monitoring the premise and handling threats swiftly. I deeply appreciate their dedication and untiring efforts for making it a reality”, said Gaurav Das, Director, Webdesk Technologies Private Limited.

Rural communities have struggled for a long time to maintain access to quality healthcare services. There is a lack or limited number of clinics in rural areas. Ziqitza Health Care Limited signed to implement "Madhya Pradesh Emergency Medical Ambulance and Healthcare Services" for the government. This mobile clinic would travel in rural areas, covering every small village. These are called Madhya Pradesh Mobile Units (MMU). As the ambulance is on move all the time, attendance capturing of doctors and nurses was a problem. Above that, vibrations from a moving vehicle led to difficulty in installation of an attendance marking device. Furthermore, provision of LAN connection not being possible in a moving vehicle, device connectivity posed as another problem. Moreover, keeping track of 144 ambulances all together with their doctors and nurses was a difficult task for the government of Madhya Pradesh. Real-time data transfer These devices also allow keeping track of each of these ambulances having more than 700 users After comprehensive discussion, Matrix offered flexible and reliable devices and software to the government of Madhya Pradesh for MMU (Madhya Pradesh Mobile Units) in rural areas. Around 144 devices were installed in the ambulance in a way that they could withstand the vibrations of a moving vehicle. Matrix Time-Attendance solution enabled them to capture accurate attendance of doctors and nurses. These devices also allow keeping track of each of these ambulances having more than 700 users. These products have auto push technology which transfers data to the server in real-time. For real-time data transfer, they used a USB data dongle with 3G/4G connectivity. The result was the improved efficiency through real-time attendance data. Products offered COSEC DOOR FOT (144 units) - Fingerprint and card based door controller for Time-Attendance application COSEC CENTRA ME (1 units) - Application Server Platform with 500 users and expandable up to 1,000 users COSEC ME TAM (1 unit) - Time-Attendance Software COSEC USER1OO (3 units) - 100 Users Licence

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

Shoppers in England are being told they need to cover up and wear a face covering when shopping from the 24th July, or they could face a fine of up to £100. But in many ways the responsibility to enforce this and keep the public safe is once again falling on battle wearied retailers, facilities managers, and operators of public spaces. Videcon is a British-based developer, designer, and provider of security solutions for businesses across the UK and the company has jumped to repurpose its deep learning, artificially intelligent software solutions in direct response to the Government’s announcement on Monday 13th July. Body temperature screening camera Thermi-screen, Videcon’s mass body temperature screening camera, can already pinpoint individuals in a shopping queue, or public space, containing up to 40 people, who may have an elevated temperature with ±0.3°C accuracy, but now it can also identify anyone not wearing a face covering. When triggered, the system automatically sends an alert to any designated controller or person in authority. Says Videcon’s managing director, Matt Rushall, “The message that members of the public must wear face coverings is out there but retailers and managers of public spaces are now finding, as an added burden, that they are being asked by the police and authorities to support them in upholding the law. Retailers have a duty to protect their customers and with Police, resources stretched to the limit at the moment, any technology that helps to manage enforcing the law and can make life easier and safer for all, is to be welcomed.” Crowd control camera systems Videcon is a pioneer in its field and the company already uses facial recognition and mask detection software Videcon is a pioneer in its field and the company already uses facial recognition and mask detection software in its Thermi-scan door access control panels but this is the first time deep learning AI technology has been embedded in crowd control camera systems of this type. Matt Rushall continued, “Our technology has been used by banks, airports, pharma companies and major retailers around the world and I am very excited at this new development. Thermi-Screen is an effective solution to help identify those with potentials symptoms, and our new capability for mask detection will be hugely beneficial to retailers and for the safety of staff and shoppers.” In addition to the new face coverings and mask detection feature, Videcon enhanced the system’s privacy settings which can now pixelate individuals and replace exact temperature readings with simple normal/elevated temperature messaging. Deep learning technologies This advanced privacy setting secures compliance with GDPR and ensures the maximum level of individual’s protection of information. The system comprises of a camera, a network video recorder, and a temperature calibrator. Using two camera lenses simultaneously, the system takes temperature readings from the forehead and upper region of the eye orbit. Algorithms and deep learning technologies then compare readings with other environmental factors like room temperature and direct sunlight. The accuracy of Thermi-Screen eliminates any false readings, such as a person carrying and sipping a hot drink and its fast response time reduces the need for single file detection accelerating the movement of people through a designated screening area or providing screening in public open spaces. Thermi-Screen is an effective solution to help identify those with potentials symptoms, and the new capability for mask detection will be hugely beneficial to retailers and for the safety of staff and shoppers.

Schools and heritage sites present their own unique difficulties for security and access control. But what about a school that is also a heritage site of exceptional value? This was the challenge facing security administrators at the Colegio Diocesano Santo Domingo in Orihuela, Spain. The Colegio Diocesano is more than just a school. Its historic buildings date to the 1500s, a heritage site as well as a place of learning - with a museum which requires the protection of the same access system. Hence, the brief for a new access system required minimal disruption on two fronts. The college buildings are a Resource of Cultural Interest and on Spain’s heritage registry: they must not be damaged. School leaders also required little disturbance of everyday school learning. Wireless access control was the obvious answer. Wireless access control devices The school chose SMARTair Wireless Online management for their new keyless access system SMARTair wireless access control devices now control access through 300 doors around the school. A mix of battery-powered escutcheons and weather-proof escutcheons, knob cylinders and wired wall readers (including for lifts), are connected to SMARTair’s intuitive software by a network of 38 wireless communication hubs. The school chose SMARTair Wireless Online management for their new keyless access system. This powerful management option enables real-time security control to limit free access to and around the site, even if the school data network is down. Automated emails inform security staff of any incidents, keeping students, staff, equipment, and precious heritage safe. Issue access credentials  “The main benefit is the ease of real-time key management - from any place and at any time - via the wireless online management system,” says IT Manager, Francisco Fernández Soriano. “This increases security for children and for staff, because no unauthorised people can enter the school.” SMARTair locks and readers provide a streamlined way to manage access. Student and staff carry credentials programmed to allow access to specific authorised areas. SMARTair TS1000 software makes it easy to issue and cancel access credentials for temporary visitors such as parents. Installation and integration The system was installed without a hitch and also without any disruption to classes" “In addition to the main entrances and classrooms, access to private spaces such as lifts, offices, staff rooms, the church, the museum, the library and the IT room is constantly monitored,” he adds. “Thanks to our SMARTair devices installed at more than 300 doors, the security team can find out who has accessed which space and when, at any time.” Installation of the school’s new SMARTair system demanded minimal work. Some school doors date to the 16th century, so major alterations to door hardware were not possible. “The system was installed without a hitch and also without any disruption to classes,” confirms Fernández Soriano. Because SMARTair is a modular system, scalability is built in. They can extend or fine-tune their access system when they choose. Indeed, SMARTair’s “Phase II” is already under discussion. Education management software SMARTair software also easily slotted into the school’s existing management workflows. The Colegio Diocesano has used iinventi education management software for the past five years. Integration with SMARTair software was simple: access control, the library and canteen are managed from an integrated system. “SMARTair gives the school’s security team the answers they need,” concludes school director, Reverend José María Fernández-Corredor.

Traditionally, dealer-installers and/or integrators provide the front line of support to end user customers after a sale. Because integrators assemble and provide the “solution” – often using products from multiple manufacturers – they are most familiar with the total system and can troubleshoot any problems. However, manufacturers may be better equipped to deal with specific problems after a sale and also to provide a variety of resources to end-users. It’s a delicate balance, and the best approach may be dependent on the product or even the market. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What is the role of manufacturers in providing support to end user customers after the sale?

While unpacking our bags from a trade show, it is interesting to consider the dominant themes and trends we heard and saw at the show. So it is with the recently concluded Global Security Exchange (GSX) show in Chicago, presented by ASIS International. Amid all the product promotion, training sessions, networking and tired feet at the show, what really stood out? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What was the big news at the GSX 2019 trade show in Chicago?

The manufacturers behind today’s security technologies are a varied bunch. There are large manufacturers with deep pockets and plenty of resources. And there are smaller manufacturers who are nimble, can react faster to changing market conditions and to whom each customer represents a hard-fought win. There are also plenty of manufacturers in the middle ground. But what impact does the size of a company have on the quality of its products? We took the question to this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: Is there a correlation between the size of a manufacturer and the quality of its products – for better or worse?