Video analytics

The three new Wisenet Q cameras recently introduced by Hanwha Techwin offer cost-effective, real-life practical solutions for a diverse range of applications. Wisenet QNP-6230RH 2 megapixel IR PTZ camera: Designed for city centres, large public areas and a broad range of other outdoor video surveillance applications, the Wisenet QNP-6230RH has a IR viewable length of 100 metres. It is also equipped with built-in Gyro sensors which offers accurate image stabilisation that comes into effect when a camera is disturbed by wind or vibrations, resulting in more stable images. Wisenet QNF-8010 6 megapixel mini fisheye camera: Just 99mm wide and 40% smaller than its predecessor, the Wisenet QNF-8010 is ideal for small to medium sized applications where aesthetics are important, such as banking, offices and retail. The camera offers 4 display modes including single fisheye, single panorama, double panorama and quad view mode, whilst built-in people counting and heatmap offers retailers the opportunity to monitor store efficiency in terms of the relationship of footfall data with actual sales. Wisenet QNV-6023R 2 megapixel mobile IR camera: Introduced to provide a robust solution for monitoring activity on buses, trains, trucks and other forms of transport, the Wisenet Q QNV-6023R is equipped with improved audio noise reduction software to reduce the effect of vibrations and to improve the performance of a built-in microphone. For applications where the camera’s IR illumination cannot be used, the Wisenet QNV-6023R features enhanced low light functionality. Launched at the same time, the Wisenet QNV-6024RM comes with a rugged M12 connector. enabling safe and reliable communication. Despite being keenly priced, there has been no compromise on the feature sets" “Despite being keenly priced, there has been no compromise on the feature sets or build quality of any of these cameras,” said Uri Guterman, Head of Product & Marketing for Hanwha Techwin Europe. “Each has been developed as a direct result of listening to our customers who can be assured that during 2020 and beyond, we will continue to develop many other exciting new products and solutions which reflect evolving market requirements.” Wide range of Intelligent Video Analytics The Wisenet QNP-6230RH, QNV-6023R and QNV-6024RM feature a wide range of Intelligent Video Analytics (IVA), including tampering, directional detection, defocus detection, virtual line, enter/exit, appear/disappear, and motion detection. Other features shared by all three of the new cameras include: Wide Dynamic Range (WDR), which performs at up to 120dB, to produce clear images from scenes containing a challenging mix of bright and dark areas. An SD/SDHC/SDXC memory slot which allows video or data to be stored at the edge should there be disruption to the network. Video evidence, which might have been potentially lost, can be retrieved when the network connection has been restored. A choice of H.265, H.264 or MJPEG compression, with the cameras’ bandwidth friendly credentials enhanced by WiseStream II, a complementary compression technology which dynamically controls encoding, balancing quality and compression, according to movement in the image. Bandwidth efficiency is improved by up to 99% compared to current H.264 technology when WiseStream II is combined with H.265 compression. As such, WiseStream II reduces the total cost of ownership of a video surveillance system by minimising the storage and bandwidth requirements of high definition cameras.

Genetec Inc., a technology provider of unified solutions for enhanced security, operations and intelligence, announces its first ever attendance at BETT, the global meeting place for education buyers that attracts over 34,000 attendees. It will be exhibiting at the London ExCel on Stand NM65 from 22-25 January 2020. At the show Genetec will be exhibiting its technologies on an interactive stand that ensures visitors can get a true feel for the solutions and their capabilities. Representatives from Genetec will be on hand to explain the solution capabilities, and how the best-of-breed cameras, readers, sensors and analytics can meet each user’s specific requirements. More advanced access control Genetec already works with educational institutions around the globe Recognised by IHS Markit as the world’s leading Video Management System (VMS) vendor, Genetec already works with educational institutions around the globe including the University of Hull, Cornell University and the Hilton Central school district in New York. The company is able to solve some of the most pertinent issues schools and universities face as facilities grow in size and complexity and they become responsible for more students. For example, its support for wireless locks and more advanced access control helps educators to enhance security while also contributing to simplified operations and an improved staff and student experience. Complexity of managing campuses “BETT is the leading trade show for those working in the education sector,” said Nick Smith, Regional Sales Manager for Genetec UK&I. “It’s a chance to connect directly with end-users, and we’re keen to show those attendees the scope and flexibility of our solutions. We’ve never attended before but as education is such a key market for us, this was an opportunity we could not pass up.” “Education is changing all the time, and the complexity of managing campuses is only growing. Combining a plethora of technologies and integrating them effectively is a challenge many face, and our comprehensive solutions can add real value – over and above simply providing security products. Our analytics can help users identify trends and implement courses of action to better manage campus operations – from traffic flow through to students accessing their dormitories, cutting through the complexity and driving return on investment.”

Pivot3, a provider of intelligent infrastructure solutions, announced the addition of new artificial intelligence (AI) and automation features to its Acuity software to address the data protection challenges often faced in large-scale hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) deployments. These capabilities provide unprecedented resilience for large multi-petabyte environments, allowing customers who experience catastrophic hardware failures to quickly recover while ensuring high-availability with auto-healing, quick node rebuild and intelligent monitoring and analytics. “Customers are increasingly required to manage massive amounts of data generated by video surveillance, both for long term retention and for analysis with video analytics,” said Ben Bolles, Vice President of Product Management, Pivot3. Business Policy Management Pivot3 uses AI and machine learning to understand application performance" “The sheer scale of the infrastructure needed to support these use cases presents new resilience challenges, and organisations are increasingly concerned about capturing, protecting and capitalising on this mission-critical data. Pivot3 is meeting this growing challenge with new automation and intelligence capabilities to provide customers with peace of mind, knowing their system is resilient, secure and always available.” At the core of Pivot3’s Acuity software platform is the Pivot3 Intelligence Engine. The Intelligence Engine comprises many advanced data- and performance-management capabilities, including its market leading Business Policy Management feature. This enables customers to map business objectives to resource management through simple policies. Pivot3 uses AI and machine learning to understand application performance, protection and security requirements and to make real-time system changes so SLAs are met. The Intelligence Engine also monitors system health and performs predictive maintenance to ensure maximum system availability. Improved system health This automates time consuming systems administration and maintenance tasks to reduce operating expenses and to allow organisations to scale without adding additional IT resources. Pivot3’s Intelligence Engine now includes a suite of new auto-healing capabilities. Designed to automate human decisions and tasks, the new features replace manual recovery processes by automatically adding a node back to a cluster once it has recovered from a failure. Pivot3 has also introduced a quick node rebuild feature to reduce repair times up to 90 percent and to eliminate the need for a time-consuming full node rebuild. New AI and machine learning techniques analyse phone-home data and alert the customer This significantly lowers the risk of a second failure. Other enhancements to the Intelligence Engine include intelligent automation, AI and analytics for proactive system health, configuration optimisation and support. These additional system analytics and diagnostics provide customers with improved system health and performance and the ability to automatically share information to Pivot3’s Support Cloud. AI and machine learning Proactive system monitoring flags events in real-time with on-alarm dispatch to Pivot3 Support and provides daily status reports. New AI and machine learning techniques analyse phone-home data and alert the customer to options if a system is not in compliance with best practices. “With the real-time system monitoring, Pivot3 Support now alerts my team to unforeseen failures and provides remediation,” said Jeremiah Francis, Director of Information Technology at Financial Advocates. “Additionally, receiving daily system health and configuration status reports allows us to ensure our system is running at peak performance; we can now more easily resolve potential points of failure and optimise for success.”

Exabeam, the Smarter SIEM company, has announced a multi-year agreement to run Exabeam SaaS Cloud, a hosted cloud version of its Exabeam Security Management Platform (SMP), on Google Cloud. The company has also been named a Google Cloud security partner, and this expanded relationship will help Exabeam customers significantly accelerate cloud adoption, while delivering scalability and quick time to value. As a hosted cloud offering, Exabeam SaaS Cloud provides the full functionality of the Exabeam SMP, including a data lake, behavioural analytics, case management, and security orchestration and incident response automation. Organisations can directly ingest data from dozens of popular cloud-based services, eliminating the need to route cloud data to on-premises data centres. Security information and event management As more customers understand the benefits of migrating workloads securely to the cloud, adoption is accelerating” Behavioural analytics improve detection by identifying advanced threats, while response playbooks increase security operations centre (SOC) productivity through incident remediation automation using pre-built connectors to IT and security applications, regardless of where the applications are deployed. In addition to running natively on Google Cloud, where its cloud compute and storage capabilities will reside, Exabeam can also protect data hosted with other cloud providers. By offering Exabeam Cloud Connectors to reliably collect logs from over 30 cloud services into Exabeam Data Lake, Exabeam Advanced Analytics, and any other security information and event management (SIEM) solution, users can significantly enhance their cloud security. Improve data security “As more customers understand the benefits of migrating workloads securely to the cloud, adoption is accelerating,” explained Shahar Ben-Hador, Vice President, Product Management, Exabeam. “Combining Google Cloud’s capabilities with Exabeam’s market-leading security platform will give our customers the confidence that a move to the cloud can be scalable, efficient, easy to deploy and most importantly, secure.” “We’re delighted that Exabeam has chosen to expand their footprint on Google Cloud and to welcome them as a key partner,” said Manvinder Singh, director, Partnership at Google Cloud. “Customers can deploy Exabeam on Google Cloud to get an enhanced view of the security of their core infrastructure and to identify advanced threats, further helping improve data security.”

Imagine a home surveillance camera monitoring an elderly parent and anticipating potential concerns while respecting their privacy. Imagine another camera predicting a home burglary based on suspicious behaviors, allowing time to notify the homeowner who can in turn notify the police before the event occurs—or an entire network of cameras working together to keep an eye on neighborhood safety. Artificial Intelligence vision chips A new gen of AI vision chips are pushing advanced capabilities such as behavior analysis and higher-level security There's a new generation of artificial intelligence (AI) vision chips that are pushing advanced capabilities such as behavior analysis and higher-level security to the edge (directly on devices) for a customisable user experience—one that rivals the abilities of the consumer electronics devices we use every day. Once considered nothing more than “the eyes” of a security system, home monitoring cameras of 2020 will leverage AI-vision processors for high-performance computer vision at low power consumption and affordable cost—at the edge—for greater privacy and ease of use as well as to enable behavior analysis for predictive and preemptive monitoring. Advanced home monitoring cameras With this shift, camera makers and home monitoring service providers alike will be able to develop new edge-based use cases for home monitoring and enable consumers to customise devices to meet their individual needs. The result will be increased user engagement with home monitoring devices—mirroring that of cellphones and smart watches and creating an overlap between the home monitoring and consumer electronics markets. A quick step back reminds us that accomplishing these goals would have been cost prohibitive just a couple of years ago. Face recognition, behavior analysis, intelligent analytics, and decision-making at this level were extremely expensive to perform in the cloud. Additionally, the lag time associated with sending data to faraway servers for decoding and then processing made it impossible to achieve real-time results. Cloud-based home security devices The constraints of cloud processing certainly have not held the industry back, however. Home monitoring, a market just seven years young, has become a ubiquitous category of home security and home monitoring devices. Consumers can choose to install a single camera or doorbell that sends alerts to their phone, a family of devices and a monthly manufacturer’s plan, or a high-end professional monitoring solution. While the majority of these devices do indeed rely on the cloud for processing, camera makers have been pushing for edge-based processing since around 2016. For them, the benefit has always been clear: the opportunity to perform intelligent analytics processing in real-time on the device. But until now, the balance between computer vision performance and power consumption was lacking and camera companies weren’t able to make the leap. So instead, they have focused on improving designs and the cloud-centric model has prevailed. Hybrid security systems Even with improvements, false alerts result in unnecessary notifications and video recording Even with improvements, false alerts (like tree branches swaying in the wind or cats walking past a front door) result in unnecessary notifications and video recording— cameras remain active which, in the case of battery powered cameras, means using up valuable battery life. Hybrid models do exist. Typically, they provide rudimentary motion detection on the camera itself and then send video to the cloud for decoding and analysis to suppress false alerts. Hybrids provide higher-level results for things like people and cars, but their approach comes at a cost for both the consumer and the manufacturer. Advanced cloud analytics Advanced cloud analytics are more expensive than newly possible edge-based alternatives, and consumers have to pay for subscriptions. In addition, because of processing delays and other issues, things like rain or lighting changes (or even bugs on the camera) can still trigger unnecessary alerts. And the more alerts a user receives, the more they tend to ignore them—there are simply too many. In fact, it is estimated that users only pay attention to 5% of their notifications. This means that when a package is stolen or a car is burglarised, users often miss the real-time notification—only to find out about the incident after the fact. All of this will soon change with AI-based behavior analysis, predictive security, and real-time meaningful alerts. Predictive monitoring while safeguarding user privacy These days, consumers are putting more emphasis on privacy and have legitimate concerns about being recorded while in their homes. Soon, with AI advancements at the chip level, families will be able to select user apps that provide monitoring without the need to stream video to a company server, or they’ll have access to apps that record activity but obscure faces. Devices will have the ability to only send alerts according to specific criteria. If, for example, an elderly parent being monitored seems particularly unsteady one day or seems especially inactive, an application could alert the responsible family member and suggest that they check in. By analysing the elderly parent’s behavior, the application could also predict a potential fall and trigger an audio alert for the person and also the family. AI-based behavior analysis Ability to analyse massive amounts of data locally and identify trends is a key advantage of AI at the edge The ability to analyse massive amounts of data locally and identify trends or perform searches is a key advantage of AI at the edge, for both individuals and neighborhoods. For example, an individual might be curious as to what animal is wreaking havoc in their backyard every night. In this case, they could download a “small animal detector” app to their camera which would trigger an alert when a critter enters their yard. The animal could be scared off via an alarm and—armed with video proof—animal control would have useful data for setting a trap. Edge cameras A newly emerging category of “neighborhood watch” applications is already connecting neighbors for significantly improved monitoring and safety. As edge cameras become more commonplace, this category will become increasingly effective. The idea is that if, for example, one neighbor captures a package thief, and then the entire network of neighbors will receive a notification and a synopsis video showing the theft. Or if, say, there is a rash of car break-ins and one neighbor captures video of a red sedan casing their home around the time of a recent incident, an AI vision-based camera could be queried for helpful information: Residential monitoring and security The camera could be asked for a summary of the dates and times that it has recorded that particular red car. A case could be made if incident times match those of the vehicle’s recent appearances in the neighborhood. Even better, if that particular red car was to reappear and seems (by AI behavior analysis) to be suspicious, alerts could be sent proactively to networked residents and police could be notified immediately. Home monitoring in 2020 will bring positive change for users when it comes to monitoring and security, but it will also bring some fun. Consumers will, for example, be able to download apps that do things like monitor pet activity. They might query their device for a summary of their pet’s “unusual activity” and then use those clips to create cute, shareable videos. Who doesn’t love a video of a dog dragging a toilet paper roll around the house? AI at the Edge for home access control Home access control via biometrics is one of many new edge-based use cases that will bring convenience to home monitoring Home access control via biometrics is one of many new edge-based use cases that will bring convenience to home monitoring, and it’s an application that is expected to take off soon. With smart biometrics, cameras will be able to recognise residents and then unlock their smart front door locks automatically if desired, eliminating the need for keys. And if, for example, an unauthorised person tries to trick the system by presenting a photograph of a registered family member’s face, the camera could use “3D liveness detection” to spot the fake and deny access. With these and other advances, professional monitoring service providers will have the opportunity to bring a new generation of access control panels to market. Leveraging computer vision and deep neural networks Ultimately, what camera makers strive for is customer engagement and customer loyalty. These new use cases—thanks to AI at the edge—will make home monitoring devices more useful and more engaging to consumers. Leveraging computer vision and deep neural networks, new cameras will be able to filter out and block false alerts, predict incidents, and send real-time notifications only when there is something that the consumer is truly interested in seeing. AI and computer vision at the edge will enable a new generation of cameras that provide not only a higher level of security but that will fundamentally change the way consumers rely on and interact with their home monitoring devices.

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

Video surveillance is commonly associated with security. But in most cases, it's used to record incidents and assist in investigations after the fact rather than prevent undesirable events. Artificial intelligence–powered video analytics is a highly promising trend that fundamentally changes the way things work. Extracting manageable data from a video stream can help recognise risky situations early on, minimising damage and, ideally, completely avoid emergencies. At the same time, AI significantly expands the areas of application of video surveillance beyond security systems. AI significantly expands the areas of application of video surveillance beyond security systems However, the hype around this new, trendy technology prevents the potential user from choosing quality solutions in a wide variety of products. This often leads to over-expectation, followed by a complete let-down. Can AI-powered video analytics really be the key to a technological breakthrough in video surveillance? We'll take a look at what the technology can do, what it can't, and where it can go from here. Technological breakthrough or just another bubble? It's often said that the video management software (VMS) market is becoming increasingly commoditised and widely available. A lot of products with similar features (or, at least, similar promises from the manufacturer) make it hard to choose. As a result, vendor names and reputations are turning into one of their primary selling points. Manufacturers have two choices available: get wrapped up in a price war and rely on cutting expenses, or offer a product that's truly innovative and revolutionary. Manufacturers have two choices available: get wrapped up in a price war, or offer a product that's truly innovative and revolutionary VMS developers who choose the second route are gravitating towards creating products that use artificial intelligence based on neural networks and deep learning. Emerging two or three years ago, the AI video analytics market is experiencing a boom in growth. This new tech wave has stirred the still, stagnant backwaters of the VMS world and gave small, ambitious developers something to be optimistic about. It seems they now have a chance to emerge as market leaders in the next few years. However, the hype around this popular trend is raising reasonable concerns among experienced security industry professionals. These concerns come from clients looking for a solution to their problems, and from suppliers building a long-term development strategy. This largely resembles another tech bubble, like the one built up around pre-AI video analytics and burst when it became clear that the sensational promises around it were pure marketing hype (and rather unscrupulously so). However, there are a lot of factors that indicate that AI-powered video surveillance systems aren't another bubble. The three factors The first — and the main one — comes from systems already in place on customers' sites. They fulfill the same promises made during the previous bubble by hotheads in a rush to teach the computer to analyse events in real time using a classical algorithmic approach. The second is the fact that this new technology has seen investment from not only software and cloud startups, but also established VMS developers. Even giants like Intel, which has presented a full line of neural network accelerator hardware and a set of software tools that streamlines working with them, specifically in the field of computer vision. This new technology has seen investment from not only software and cloud startups, but also established VMS developers The third factor lies in artificial intelligence's abilities. AI plays chess, drives cars, and works wonders in many other fields. Why shouldn't it be applied to video monitoring and analysis? What AI can do Just what can artificial intelligence do in video surveillance systems at this stage of development? It can't quite analyse a sequence of events and understand the "logic" of what's happening in the cameras' field of view. At least not yet. But it's probable that AI will learn to do this in the next few years. But neural network analytics can already detect, classify, and track objects very well, providing high accuracy even in busy scenes. Artificial intelligence can be used in the real world to: Detect smoke and flames for early fire warning at open areas (forest, open warehouse, parking lot, etc.) Distinguish people/vehicles from animals and other moving objects, e.g. to protect the perimeter of a nature park from poachers Distinguish a person in a helmet and protective clothing from a person without them to prevent accidents at a dangerous production facility or construction site Count objects of a specific type, e.g. cars in a parking lot, people in the sales floor, wares moving on a conveyor belt, etc. in non-security-related solutions Those are just a few examples. After training a neural network, it can tackle other, similar tasks, too. Generally, a neural network trained in specific conditions isn't replicable. In other words, it won't work as well under different conditions. On the other hand, developers have learned how to quickly train AI for the needs of a specific project. The most important requirement is having enough video footage. Somewhat apart from that is the use of neural networks in facial and automatic number-plate recognition. This is an example of reproducible neural networks (train once, deploy everywhere), which makes them more appealing commercially. If non-reproducible neural networks have only recently become economically feasible due to the rapid evolution of specialised hardware (aforementioned Intel's product, for example), then the use of AI in facial recognition and ANPR has been well established for a long time. The use of AI in facial recognition and ANPR has been well established for a long time Another kind of AI analytics that we'll explore is behaviour analytics. This function, probably more than any other, is bringing video surveillance systems closer to understanding what's happening on camera. Its potential is vast. How behaviour analytics works From a technical point of view, behaviour analytics combines artificial intelligence with a classic algorithmic approach. A neural network trained on a multitude of scenarios can determine the position of the bodies, heads, and limbs of humans in the camera's field of view. The algorithm outputs an array of data containing descriptions of their poses. Conditions can be set for data to detect a specific pose, such as raised hands, prostrated or crouching persons. Developers can use this to quickly create new detection tools to identify potentially dangerous behavior specified by a government or business client. There's no need for additional training of the neural network. How behaviour analytics can be deployed Someone crouched down next to an ATM could be a technician, CIT guard, or burglar. Bank security should be notified in any of the cases. A person in shooter position, together with a bank employee or cashier with their hands raised could indicate a robbery. The system can be configured to automatically send alerts with a surveillance snapshot to the police so they can assess the threat and take action if needed. It's vital that the police receive the alert, even if the employee is unable to activate the alarm. In many cases, attention should be directed to a prostrate individual. This could be somebody who needs immediate help, or it could be someone sleeping in an inappropriate public place, for example, a 24/7 ATM space. Behavioural analytics can also be used to ensure workplace safety. For example, tracking whether employees are holding the handrails when using the stairs at a manufacturing facility or a construction site. What now? Behaviour analytics can be deployed wherever your clients' imagination takes them. With this feature, practically any pose that indicates potentially dangerous behaviour can be detected. Timely response to an alarm helps avoid material damages or, in other situations, casualties. Practically any pose that indicates potentially dangerous behaviour can be detected An area of potential development for behaviour analytics is the ability to analyse a sequence of poses by the same person or a combination of poses and relative positions of several individuals. That will be the next level of evolution in AI's use in video surveillance: moving from "detecting" to "understanding" behaviour in real time. In its most basic form, this type of analytics can be deployed to detect deviations from the search procedure in correctional facilities when a person being inspected must assume a pre-defined sequence of poses. A more advanced form allows it to detect any kind of abnormal behaviour, such as a brawl breaking out in a public space. Ideally, behaviour analytics can predict dangerous situations based on nearly imperceptible cues gleaned from collected statistics and a Big Data analysis. At the moment, this sounds like pure fantasy, but what seemed like whimsy not too long ago is now a reality with AI. It's already beaten humans in chess and the game of Go (Weiqi). Will artificial intelligence be able to outplay humans at charades one day? It's entirely possible that we'll soon see for ourselves.

Across the security industry, power supplies are too often an afterthought and the first item in an access control system to be value-engineered. However, when the power supply fails on a high-end access control device, the system becomes a very expensive paperweight. Fortunately, there are now power supply units available that can enhance system reliability by providing remote diagnostics and real-time reporting and analytics. There is also a mistaken perception that all power supplies are the same, says David Corbin, Director of ASSA ABLOY’S Power Management Strategic Business Unit. Access control and security applications Power supplies today are more important than ever for access control and security applications The fact is, a properly designed unit for today’s market must have a wide input range, a myriad of features, interface to network, have adequate transient protection, good surge capability and a demonstrated quality level for mission critical reliability, he says. “Power supplies today are more important than ever for access control and security applications,” says Corbin. “From heavy snowstorms in the Midwest and East Coast to the two million Californians that experienced unprecedented power outages, extreme weather conditions have created chaos for millions over the past few months. These events have resulted in students being locked out of schools, hospitals darkening and electronic keypads or card readers shutting down. With events like these on the rise, and an increased reliance on the technology we use to get in and out of the spaces we occupy, power supplies are critical for keeping systems up and running and people safe and secure.” ASSA ABLOY's LifeSafety Power’s FPO Intelligent Power Supplies and Helix Redundant Power Systems Installing right power supplies ASSA ABLOY has a range of products within the power supplies category, including LifeSafety Power’s FPO Intelligent Power Supplies and Helix Redundant Power Systems. ASSA ABLOY’s acquisition of LifeSafety Power in September expanded the company’s offering of smart integrated access control power solutions for OEMs, integrators and end-users. Other ASSA ABLOY power supply products include Securitron AQ Series Switching Power Supplies, and eco-friendly, linear, plug-in and solar power supplies, as well as Power over Ethernet (PoE). Access control is crucial to security and life safety, says Corbin. And without power, any protective system is useless. When the right power supplies are installed correctly, the system will have built-in backup power that will be triggered during an outage. Dependable power supplies, with regularly replaced and appropriately sized backup batteries, are critical to keeping occupants safe in an emergency event. Other ASSA ABLOY power supply products include Securitron AQ Series Switching Power Supplies Periodic testing of the battery When it comes to extreme weather conditions, the result of a power outage can lead to hazardous situations for employees, patients, residents and students, he says. Buildings that require power to gain access can leave people stranded outside or locked inside. “When access controls are disabled, intruders can easily enter buildings without notice, affording the opportunity for interruptions to power distribution, water supplies and other necessary public utilities,” says Corbin. Preparation for the next big power outage should include the sizing of power supplies to the system requirement with a reasonable safety factor for foreseeable system expansion and a battery set that is sized for operating the system for a period of time greater than the planned requirement, he says. Using a ‘smart’ power supply provides early warning of an impending failure; and consistent, periodic testing of the battery set keeps the system in peak operating condition. Predictive maintenance of access control Predictive analytics and data harvesting can help with predictive maintenance of access control Redundancy ensures that power remains available in the event of a failure, regardless of whether it is a blackout situation or a failure of the power supply itself, says Corbin. “In critical power installations where redundancy is vital, the system must have a properly sized and maintained backup battery,” says Corbin. “Additionally, further redundancy can be achieved via products like our Helix systems that provide for seamless switching between two different power supplies in the event of an electrical failure of one of the power supplies.” Corbin also notes there is a growing want and need for more data and analytics in the access control field. End users increasingly expect access control systems to be able to integrate with building information systems. Predictive analytics and data harvesting can help with predictive maintenance of access control and building systems. For example, intelligent power supplies can identify problems before they happen – such as performing periodic, automated battery tests and then notifying a central monitoring location and/or a facility manager of a battery that needs replacement. Lock operation can also be monitored on a real-time basis for failure or impending failure of a secured door opening, he says.

In the banking world, the threat of unwanted intrusions into premises leading to loss of property and even risk to life is always present. Small wonder then that banking institutions take so much care over their security systems and also over their choice of suppliers for those products. In the retail banking sector, requirements for intrusion detection and related security measures are necessarily more stringent and more specialised than in most other areas of business and commerce. Data capture form to appear here! The banks clearly need to work with suppliers whose integrity is beyond question. They should also be looking for organisations that can offer expert advice, gained through their knowledge of design and manufacturing security products. Systems need specialist installer partners in order to provide a seamless solution. Systems need specialist installer partners in order to provide a seamless solution The special requirements of the banking sector These supplier organisations must also fully understand the special requirements of the banking sector and, ideally, should be able to demonstrate proven experience in that sector. They must also be willing and able to work with the bank as a partner, to find better ways of addressing old threats and to develop effective measures to counter new ones. Video is a big component of providing security, and variable lighting conditions pose a persistent challenge in video surveillance applications such as large banks and financial institutions. Typically, these venues include an abundance of windows. The resulting excessive light can damage video image quality, by flooding the image plane of the surveillance camera. Dramatic differences between light and dark areas complicate the ability of video cameras to view someone standing in the shadows. A contrasting lack of windows at teller stations can result in dim lighting, equally damaging video image quality, in critical surveillance areas where clear, detailed images are needed the most. Stark contrasts between white and black levels in video images can obliterate faces and finer details of a subject when in a darker area. Particularly, this happens when a person is amid dark internal lighting, with his/her back to the sun. Data capture form to appear here! A new network architecture When upgrading a bank’s digital security system, a new network architecture needs to be created. Usually, this means switching from DVRs to NVR servers. As a result, network switches attach to the camera allowing for easier future system expansion. Along with the newly gained scalability, throughput performance on servers can achieve significantly higher levels. Servers, networking and workstations provide enterprise-quality performance for all financial projects, regardless of size. Servers, networking and workstations provide enterprise-quality performance for all financial projects Implementing a complete video solution with high-performance servers, modern networking protocols and powerful workstations is now possible in financial institutions, even for small projects. Servers, networking and workstations provide enterprise-quality performance for all financial projects, regardless of size. Software is also part of the solution. A new software platform helps banks and credit unions simplify, modernise, and automate security, surveillance and fraud investigations across their enterprise. The platform eases the daily challenges security investigators face. It simplifies and reduces the time to access live and recorded video through an intuitive interface, empowering users to quickly find the data needed to eliminate risks while increasing productivity. With an enhanced user experience, investigators can reduce training time, align investigation workflow, streamline video sharing, and focus on more critical tasks. The fraud and security challenges banks contend with can be overwhelming, but prompt action is necessary to limit the damage that can greatly affect customers, employees, and the brand. When an incident occurs, investigators must turn to innovative security tools to be able to swiftly locate and analyse data. But these solutions are typically complex to use and manage. Investigators must turn to innovative security tools to be able to swiftly locate and analyse data Changing work environments The changing work environment of financial institutions is impacting security needs. A credit union in Australia operates an innovative, modern working environment that utilises flexible workspaces in place of traditional desks. Staff are not allocated a specific desk but instead choose where they wish to sit each day. To facilitate the operation of the flexible work environment and provide employees with storage for their personal effects (work-related material is stored elsewhere), the credit union uses banks of brightly colored lockers that are managed by electronic access control. Using Gallagher’s smartcard, multi-technology T20 and T10 readers on each locker bank, staff badge their access card to open their allocated locker. With the readers communicating with Gallagher’s Command Center software management platform, the credit union has a simple-to-operate, customisable system that enables staff to carry just one card on site. Read part one and part three of our banking security mini series.

Honeywell Commercial Security is among the companies working to develop security systems that are more proactive than reactive. “Our biggest opportunity moving forward is the ability to have security solutions that do a better job of detecting and predicting threats,” says Tim Baker, Global Marketing Director, Honeywell Commercial Security. Greater use of analytics and intelligence can reduce human error and simplify processes by providing a more unified view for greater situational awareness. Artificial intelligence and deep learning “We’re reaching a maturity level in terms of algorithms and hardware to drive new capabilities in a cost-effective way,” he says. Baker sees a continuing interest in artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning in the physical security market, used in video analytics and also for intrusion and access control. "We have challenged ourselves to move from reactive solutions to develop a set of proactive solutions that determine potential security threats before they happen,” he says. An overarching theme is the need to focus operator attention on “what matters” rather than requiring operators to keep track of the growing number of sensors in newer systems. A remaining hurdle is to streamline the deployment of analytics systems, which can require expensive customisation during the commissioning phase.  Credential-enabled access control reader The reader can support any card format and also enables “frictionless” access control That’s where Honeywell is investing and focusing its attention, seeking when possible to “pre-teach” algorithms based on data gleaned from a large installed base. Fortunately, there will be plenty of data from a growing variety of sites to build from. Honeywell offers a full ecosystem built around enterprise security needs and a second ecosystem built around the needs of small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).  In the enterprise space, the trend is toward smarter edge devices, such as Honeywell’s OmniAssure Touch, a mobile credential-enabled access control reader. The reader can support any card format and also enables “frictionless” access control. A user can gain access by touching the reader, with no need to take his or her smart phone (which has the credential) out of their pocket. The reader is fully backwards compatible, which is a Honeywell hallmark. Honeywell’s OmniAssure Touch can support any card format and also enables “frictionless” access control. Designed to be cloud-enabled On the enterprise software side, Honeywell has invested in further development of their Pro-Watch access control system and MAXPRO VMS (video management system), tying them together into a single security console, along with intrusion and other systems such as human resources (HR) data. For the SMB market, Honeywell is building and expanding their MAXPRO Cloud system. As existing hardware has evolved to be cloud-enabled, the company has also been introducing new control products that are designed from the ground up to be cloud-enabled. Honeywell’s biggest vertical markets include banking, healthcare, gaming, energy infrastructure and airports The new MAXPRO Intrusion system, which can be configured over the cloud, will be introduced in the first quarter. MAXPRO Access, to be introduced in late November, can be deployed using an embedded web interface, a cloud interface, or as an on-premise solution. On the NVR side, an embedded NVR works alongside Honeywell’s new 30 Series video cameras, providing secure and encrypted end-to-end connection. Networked security system A challenge for Honeywell is to keep up with broader trends happening in the industry, whether geopolitical (e.g., relations between China and the United States) or regulatory such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Baker acknowledges an industry-wide increase in awareness about cyber security, driven largely by the enterprise market. IT departments are getting more involved in the purchasing decision; indeed, the chief information officer (CIO) is often the ultimate decision-maker. In response, Honeywell is emphasising “cyber security by design” from the beginning to the end of a project. Also, they are using white-hat hackers to test products before they are released into a live environment. “We are doing everything we can to make sure products are cyber secure,” says Baker. Honeywell’s biggest vertical markets include banking, pharmaceutical, healthcare, gaming, energy infrastructure and airports. NDAA-compliant video cameras Compliance is a common thread throughout the verticals. Honeywell sells to the government mostly in the access control and intrusion space and built around their Vindicator networked security system. (They also introduced the line of NDAA-compliant video cameras, made in Taiwan, at the recent GSX show.)

PACOM Systems, which designs, develops, and manufactures security platforms for enterprise multi-site and campus environments, announces that Hancock Whitney Corporation continues to roll out the PACOM GMS security management platform to their growing number of bank financial centers and ATMs. Hancock Whitney Corporation operates bank offices and financial centers in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas, offering comprehensive financial products and services, including traditional and online banking; commercial and small business banking; private banking; trust and investment services; healthcare banking; certain insurance services; and mortgage services. Multi-site security management platform GMS meets end-user demands for a multi-site security system with multiple integrations PACOM’s relationship began with Hancock Bank in Mississippi and, after Hancock’s acquisition of Louisiana-based Whitney Bank in 2011, blossomed further still. Currently, the PACOM GMS software platform manages card access and intrusion monitoring at 258 locations and growing. Hancock Whitney does all its own 24/7/365 alarm monitoring from a central location in Gulfport, Mississippi. There are also two company data centers monitored and protected by PACOM GMS. GMS is a robust multi-site security management platform, providing integration between access control, intrusion, video, intercom and virtually any building management or security solution. Designed to manage thousands of locations simultaneously through a single interface, while providing industry-leading availability and redundancy. GMS meets end-user demands for a multi-site security system with multiple integrations. Third-party monitoring companies “One of the biggest advantages of the PACOM system,” commented Al Tapper, CPP, Manager, Bank Protective Services for Hancock Whitney Corporation, “is it’s all-inclusive with integrated card access and alarms. We have our entire company on a single, integrated platform. We do our own alarm monitoring, which is a big plus because we can immediately verify what is going on in any of our financial centers.” One of our banking acquisitions had two third-party monitoring companies" Tapper continued, “One of our banking acquisitions had two third-party monitoring companies. It was one false alarm after another. That’s dangerous, and it can be quite expensive. With PACOM and self-monitoring, we avoid that. The PACOM system also helps with disaster recovery. We can see what’s going on in our financial centers and know if our alarms are working.” Central monitoring station Hancock Whitney has launched another phase to their company-wide security platform: video integration. When an alarm goes off in any branch, the central monitoring station will automatically be able to see events associated with that alarm. Eventually, all branches and ATMs will have video monitoring with a number of integrated cameras at each location. The system currently provides access to more than 5,000 card holders with varying levels of access privileges. Alarm protocols are in place for each location, with Tapper and his team managing and monitoring the system. “PACOM helps us adapt the system to our changing needs; and when we provide feedback, PACOM listens and will consistently respond directly to that feedback, said Tapper.”

BI-City Tokyo is located in Nur-Sultan (Astana), the capital city of Kazakhstan. It is a high-end residential complex of BI Group – a construction holding company in the Kazakhstan real estate market. At present, three apartment buildings with public areas and more than 400 apartment units have been completed. Aiming to create modern high-end intelligent buildings and residential areas, the BI Group wanted to upgrade the existing analogue video intercom system of BI-City Tokyo. Analogue intercom system The original analogue intercom system in this community is outdated and cannot meet the diverse security requirements of high-end residential areas. First, the original analogue intercom does not support retaining images and leaving messages. Second, this system only supports access cards to open doors, which is inconvenient for residents in case they forgot their card. Third, the original system cannot add IP cameras to monitor public areas such as children's playground, fitness areas, etc. Fourth, the cold winter temperature in Nur-Sultan requires high-performance equipment capable of operating in extreme environments. Cold winter temperature requires high-performance equipment capable of operating in extreme environments Faced with the abovementioned challenges, BI Group was also looking for a trustworthy brand that can provide not only modern smart system but also technical support and reliable after-sales service. Meeting all the above requirements, Dahua smart residential solution was chosen to be the security solution provider of BI-City Tokyo. Access ANPR Camera The complete solution deployed more than 300 pieces of Dahua equipment, including Indoor Monitor, Apartment Outdoor Station, IP Camera, Access ANPR Camera, Video Recorder, etc. The solution supports two-way audio intercom, real-time video and messaging feature. In addition, a variety of door opening methods were also implemented: door opening via remote calling, door opening using access card, and remote door opening via APP. Additionally, all the equipment can be visualised and integrated in the Dahua DSS platform for centralised management, operation and maintenance. Moreover, the temperature in Nur-Sultan can reach up to negative 40 degrees in winter season. This requires high-performance outdoor devices featuring dust and water resistance, and explosion-roof capability. In response to this pressing challenge, Dahua apartment outdoor station VTO1210C-X-S1 and access ANPR camera ITC237-PW1B-IRZ that support wide working temperature were installed at the entrance of the apartment building for a more effective visitor and vehicle management. Built-in intelligent video analytics When a visitor arrives at the entrance of the apartment building and dials a resident’s room number through the Dahua apartment outdoor station, the camera installed at the entrance will synchronise the video with the visitor’s image captured in the resident’s indoor monitor. Once the visitor’s identity is confirmed, the resident just needs to press the button on the indoor monitor to open the door remotely. With Dahua app, users can even answer calls and open doors remotely when they are out for work or travelling. As for vehicles, Dahua access ANPR camera ITC237-PW1B-IRZ is designed for extreme temperature environments (temperature range of -40°C to +60°C). With built-in intelligent video analytics, the camera has the ability to detect and recognise moving vehicle's plate number within low speed. IR Mini-Bullet Network Camera The camera uses a set of optical features to balance light throughout the sceneFor both approaching and departing vehicles, the access ANPR camera takes a snapshot of the number plate and vehicle overview picture, as well as records corresponding surveillance videos. By setting a whitelist, the camera can automatically control the barrier or gate to open if a plate number recorded in the whitelist has been recognised. The public areas including children's playground, fitness areas, as well as the lobby are covered by 2MP IR Mini Dome Network Camera IPC-HDBW4231E-ASE, 2MP and 3MP IR Mini-Bullet Network Camera. The Starlight Ultra-low Light Technology of IPC-HDBW4231E-ASE offers light sensitivity, capturing colour details under low light condition up to 0.002lux. The camera uses a set of optical features to balance light throughout the scene, resulting in clear images in dark environments. Smart residential solution Dahua smart residential solution provides an integrated management platform for the management personnel of BI-City Tokyo. It assists in the remote and visual management of the property and improves the services and facilities they offer. Security guard at the entrance is not needed anymore to manage entering and exiting vehicles, which saves labour costs, reduces the waiting time of vehicles and improves traffic efficiency. In addition, the all-round monitoring of the public areas within BI-City Tokyo greatly improves the safety level of the entire community. The video intercom system of the building provides a variety of convenient door opening methods, enhancing the resident’s living experience. "We adopted analog solution in the first phase. From the second phase, we replaced all of analogue system with Dahua’s IP video intercom solution. We hope that Dahua will help us complete the solution planning of the three, four, five, and six phases”, said Arman, General Manager of BI Group.

Established in 1976, Meghna Group of Industries (MGI) is a conglomerate in Bangladesh. MGI operates out of a large campus in Dhaka that houses its head office, 45 different manufacturing plants, and maintenance workshops, all under one roof. MGI has a turnover of over USD 3 billion, and an employee strength of over 30,000. Being an established and trusted group, it required operations to be suitably monitored, in order to ensure uninterrupted production, adherence to quality standards, and timely delivery of supplies to customers. So far, it had been monitored by manned security, with accompanying risks ranging from damage to assets, misuse of equipment, thefts, leakage of confidential information, employees’ safety, poor record keeping for vehicles entering or exiting the premises, and more. Providing investigation-friendly monitoring software Enabling IVA at various locations has helped in the monitoring of infrastructure Designing of the solution started with a joint site survey by Videonetics, MGI IT heads, and the system integrator. After extensive research, Videonetics developed a unified solution encompassing Intelligent Video Management Software (IVMS), Intelligent Video Analytics (IVA), and a customised ANPR system to read and capture licence plates in Bengali language. Key aspects of the solution included the following: Videonetics’s IVMS has been deployed to help in viewing and recording feeds from over 500 cameras installed in multiple factory locations. This is enabled over IP network in an efficient and elegant way. In addition, the solution provides investigation-friendly monitoring software at the front-end, while relegating all the complexity of the server software to the back-end. Enabling IVA at various locations has helped in the monitoring of infrastructure, vehicles, people, crowds and objects, for automatic detection and analysis of events of interest. Manned security to address safety The operators get a bird’s eye view of various sites from their centralised location, enabling them to respond quickly and effectively when an incident occurs. The solution has been installed on Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® which makes the overall system more secure and maintainable. Videonetics’s Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system has been customised to read license plates in Bengali. Regardless of the lighting conditions, the Bengali ANPR accurately captures with timestamp the licence plate of any vehicle as it appears in the camera’s field of view (FoV). The new implementation enables security operators to be deployed at the unified interface In addition, the system is integrated with the IVMS at the command and control centre, for viewing and analysing vehicular movements, and taking action, if required. THE IMPACT Prior to the installation of Videonetics’s solution, MGI used to rely on manned security to address safety, security and operational risks. However, the new implementation enables security operators to be deployed at the unified interface, for monitoring multiple sites such as assembly plant, warehouse, process, dispatch area, vehicle movement, and so on. Personal protection equipment detection So now, MGI operators can handle incidents of thefts, potential break-ins, unauthorised intrusions, and conduct investigations, without having to leave their desks. This has helped MGI in maximising resources and significantly reducing costs. But the biggest benefit has been to be able to provide a safer environment to its employees, and to secure its workplaces with optimisation in day-to-day operations. The open architecture of the solution allows MGI to continue adding, in a single interface, more AI & DL powered applications such as personal protection equipment detection, facial recognition, fire & smoke detection, workers slip/ fall detection, workers head count, vehicle movement management, to name a few. This makes it possible for the company to address all its security concerns with a holistic approach.

Use of iTrak solution by casino operators in both Macau and Las Vegas for reporting, security and loss prevention expands Omnigo’s global footprint. Omnigo’s security system “One of the major benefits of penetrating a market like Macau with Omnigo’s security system is that casinos can draw from a shared database of banned patrons, advantaged players, and VIP guests from Day One of implementation,” said Mark Kornegay, CRO of Omnigo Software. He adds, “Sharing data across properties enhances security and surveillance for everyone by allowing casino operators to exchange critical information with each other and with law enforcement.” Omnigo’s iTrak allows casino operators to protect their staff, patrons, property and assets while streamlining reporting iTrak security solution Omnigo’s iTrak allows casino operators to protect their staff, patrons, property and assets while streamlining reporting and data analysis. Casinos can function more efficiently using iTrak thanks to its simplified reporting and notification process. The system also empowers casino employees to leverage data-driven security intelligence to address incidents in real-time, track persons of interest and mitigate risk and exposure to liability. Various modules within iTrak include Facial Recognition, Visitor Management, Lost and Found and more. Security and risk management system In addition to the Macau expansion, Omnigo’s casino portfolio also includes 100% of the Las Vegas Strip casinos and 65% of the Canadian gaming market. Each casino uses iTrak, Omnigo’s security and risk management system for incident reporting, property surveillance and security and loss prevention. “It’s a true testimony that these casino operators have put their full confidence into Omnigo’s offerings to keep their properties safe. With that level of trust, we’re able to prioritise innovation and bring the latest technology like facial recognition software and advanced data analytics to market faster for our customers, both large and small,” Kornegay added.

The new year comes with new opportunities for the security industry, but what technologies will dominate our discussions in 2020? Topics such as artificial intelligence (AI) and HCI (hyperconverged infrastructure) became familiar in conversations during 2019, and they are likely to dominate our thoughts again in the new year. But other buzzwords are also gaining steam, such as “blockchain” and “frictionless access control.” Connectivity and the cloud will also be timely technology topics as the industry evolves. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What technology buzz will dominate the security industry in 2020?

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?

Video analytics are undergoing a fundamental change in the market as machine learning enhances their accuracy while expanding their capabilities. But what are those expanded capabilities and how are they impacting the operation of security and video systems? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What new video analytics are having an impact in the market and how?