German facility manager turns to interoperable access control

Editor / Provider: HID Global | Updated: 6/19/2013 | Article type: Commercial Markets

Munich-based Design Offices, a provider of temporary office space rents in Germany has recently deployed an interoperable and scalable access control system consisting of HID Global IP-based card reader and multi-layered security readers. For the project, Design Office partnered with Swiss system integrator, Performance Buildings. Performance Buildings currently operates in Switzerland, Germany and in the USA.

As part of their technology offering for tenants, Performance Buildings and Design Offices were looking for a technology solution provider that met their standards for a secure office access system that was interoperable, convenient, customizable, future-proofed, and at the same time easy to use and delivered cost benefits.

“We're not just offering rooms, we're offering end-users of the office space– tenants or temporary ‘on-demand' end-users of the office space, a secure environment where they can work, meet, hold conferences and provide training sessions in a location where they feel comfortable, and for us, which includes offering all the technological solutions they need in today's modern world,” said Phill Handy, Managing Director from Design Offices.

“So, for example, we wanted to be able to offer 24-hour access to rooms, automated check-in and check-out services but without having to provide staff or all the paper-based procedures,” Handy explained.“We also wanted people to be able to book rooms on the move, so it was critical that easy-to-use online options were available.”

Performance Buildings in Germany selected HID Global products because it was the only company with the ability to support their cutting-edge IT architecture and provide the flexibility that they required. The core solution implemented was an IP-based card reader that meets the demands of open architecture, IP-centric environments and provides fully distributed intelligence and decision making right to the door, leveraging the IT infrastructure to the maximum extent possible.

“The addition of the IP-based card reader provides the access intelligence to do much more than open doors with cards,” said Vishal Mallick, CEO, Performance Buildings. “The fact that it is open and IP-based allows us to integrate the card reader device into our IT-centric architecture and use authenticated credentials to drive lighting, climate and audio visual systems today, as well as room bookings and facility management task allocation in the future.”

In addition, the access control system provided tenants flexibility in using a range of new and existing access card technologies, such as contactless proximity cards and smart cards, or more advanced technology such as NFC smartphones to access the office building and rooms. Office visitors could also be provided access to office workspaces via Performance Buildings touch screen that was enabled by HID Global's IP-card readers to open doors. Furthermore, the IP-based card readers also allowed for cost efficiencies, as the initial investment outlay was reduced through the reader's use of PoE. Finally, HID Global's open architecture based OPIN application program interface (API) was highly cost-effective and required relatively little effort to create a robust integrated solution with the IP-based readers or controllers.

“With its (IP-based card reader) API, it could be easily integrated into our software and installed,” explained Mallick. “Also, HID Global's multi-layer security readers allow us to have one standardized product for the vast majority of buildings due to its interoperability with a range of legacy and existing smart cards in our facility.”

With a robust system that powered Design Offices' shared workspaces, Performance Buildings reported that it had seen a ROI within six-months of their deployment in Munich and improved efficiencies by reducing paperwork thereafter. As the company continues to expand, the use of HID Global solutions will continue to broaden. “We're going to take their combined solutions with us when we move to Dusseldorf, Berlin and Hamburg and we're doing this because it allows us to be more efficient while providing our clients – existing tenants or temporary clients ‘on-demand' with the security, privacy and ease of use that they've been looking for,” said Handy.

Argentinean highway toll booths operator identifies vehicles with smarts

Editor / Provider: Axis Communications | Updated: 6/18/2013 | Article type: Infrastructure

Four Aumar-operated toll plazas along the 647 kilometer corridor of highways in the province of Buenos Aires in Argentina recently deployed eight Axis Communications network cameras with Neurallabs ALPR to help identify about 16,000 vehicles that are exempt from tolls or qualify for special rates. The system was designed by system integrator Telectronica.

In July 2011, a new concession was created for highway linking Routes 2, 11, 63, 56, and 74. Within this corridor there are four tollbooths: Samborombón, La Huella, Gral Madariaga, and Mar Chiquita. The Concession Agreement stipulates that users residing within a 10 kilometer radius of a toll plaza are exempt from tolls, and there is a different rate for those who live in certain parts of the coast.

At first, different technologies such as ID cards or RFID tags were considered to meet this need. However, these options involve high investment costs that are difficult to recuperate. It was therefore decided to test ALPR technology with different types and brands of cameras. After several tests, Neurallabs ALPR was completed with Axis network cameras, with image control and shutter control software. Initially eight sets were installed: four at the La Huella toll plaza, two at the Madariaga plaza, and two at the Mar Chiquita plaza.

With the implementation of ALPR technology and Axis IP cameras, Aumar succeeded in automating vehicle identification for most residents within the zone in question, and the system achieved an extremely high recognition rate. Furthermore, the solution allowed the concessionaire to improve both its auditing processes and security.

“At first we were a little skeptical regarding recognition rates and processing speed after everything was integrated into the toll collection system; we even thought that cars might have to stop for the system to recognize and authorize them,” said Claudio Reynaga, System Administrator, Aumar. “But the numbers show us that the recognition rates are excellent, and users can go through the plazas without stopping, just as if there was a free-flow type system in place.”

Following these excellent results, AUMAR evaluated the use of the same technology for other applications. “ALPR technology is very interesting to us and allows us to think of many applications: for example, to measure average vehicle speed between toll stations, or using it as a backup in electronic toll lanes when the device tag is not recognized but the license plate is,” said Reynaga.

British brewery migrates to scalable access control system

Editor / Provider: Grosvenor Technology | Updated: 6/18/2013 | Article type: Commercial Markets

Robinsons Brewery, an independent family brewer in UK, recently upgraded its ageing access control system at facilities in Stockport and Bedbury to Grosvenor Technology's scalable network access control system consisting of HID cards and network door controllers. The new access control system was installed by Advance Security UK.

The original access control system at Robinsons' Unicorn Brewery in Stockport and Packaging Center at Bredbury was rapidly becoming obsolete when, with the assistance of their electrical contractors Piggott & Whitfield, they approached Advance Security to help update the system. Advance Security immediately recognized that the flexibility of the Janus technology was the ideal solution for the project. However, before they could even start the upgrade, the original system failed and Robinsons had problems with a new batch of cards, as Des Collins, Robinson's Health, Safety and Security Advisor explains:

“We had a batch of cards from our existing supplier that was delivered without the magnetic strip being programmed. When we couldn't get a response from the suppliers Grosvenor stepped in and designed an encoder that allowed us to program the cards ourselves, saving us time and money...Advance also made some temporary repairs to the system to keep us going during the upgrade – all free of charge.”

A phased approach has been adopted that allows the system to be upgraded with minimum disruption and to accommodate available budgets. The access control system also allows Robinsons to upgrade existing swipe card readers to proximity readers. Dual function HID proximity cards that also include the magstripe technology, work on both systems.

Robinsons has realized additional savings by using Grosvenor's Ethernet version door controllers. These are installed directly onto the brewer's existing LAN without the need for extensive new wiring. Each IDC can control two doors/locks and interface to a wide range of industry standard card readers and lock mechanisms. Every card profile associated with a specific IDC is downloaded to the controller to ensure uninterrupted access to the buildings in the event of a network or power failure. Each new version of access control software maintains backwards compatibility with previous versions of controllers, maintaining a client's investment with existing access control hardware that may have been installed over the last 15 years.

Seeing your face everywhere

Editor / Provider: Christine Chien, a&s International | Updated: 6/12/2013 | Article type: Tech Corner

Seeing the noninvasive, face-capturing benefits, different verticals are incorporating face recognition into their settings, acting as access control devices or identification tools. In each different setting, users must be perfectly aware of their environments and the dynamics surrounding it. Users need to know that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution. Each environment requires its own customized settings and calibrations in order to guarantee maximum accuracy and security.

Most of the time, a correct selection, planning, installation and configuration of the cameras in a given scenario drastically reduce the sources of failure, said Carles Fernández Tena, R&D Project Manager of Herta Security. Common failures are also caused by incorrectly operating the system, such as the wrong adjustments of parameters and thresholds, or enrolling subjects with low-quality images. “In this regard, some sophisticated facial recognition systems currently incorporate automatic quality control modules and self-healing techniques to detect and rectify such misuses,” Fernández further explained.

The biggest problems are related to the lack of knowledge from users which can create frustration and anxiety, turning what could be a quick process into a time-consuming task. “The use of graphic aids, including video animations, can drastically improve the overall experience,” said Marc Spiegel, Regional Head of APAC at Vision-Box.

Matters of privacy can be an area of high concern for some users; this accentuates the importance of educating users on how biometric templates are stored, as they are often misled and think their data are open to theft. “Sometimes, users fear their biometric information will be stolen, but chances of that are unlikely because their raw data is actually configured to a digital code and saved in the database, instead of just the raw data,” asserted Raj Venkat, VP of Cards and Credentials at Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies.

City Surveillance
Employing facial recognition alleviates the work load of operators by simply sending out an alarm once a wanted criminal or target has been identified from the crowd. India's safe city project intends to cover several of its cities extensively by surveillance systems that can recognize faces and detect wanted criminals or terrorists, and flag off a centralized control room. Other surveillance systems put up by the police, other agencies and third parties, such as hotels and retail multiplexes, will be integrated as “databases.”

Even though the Tsarnaev brothers, responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing, were actually in the FBI database, the facial recognition software failed to recognize the perpetrators due to the poor picture quality of their faces that were mostly angled away. With rising awareness and installations of HD cameras, facial recognition for similar situations in the future will prove to be much more successful.

Law enforcement agencies can further take advantage of mobile devices, such as handhelds or smartphones, performing recognition on-the-go to further facilitate accuracy improvements and calibrations.

Event Security
Large-scale, open events — often sports-related — are prone to terrorist attacks; employing the right level of security measures is crucial. The capacious area increases the difficulty for the human eye to make out specific targets among the sea of faces. By utilizing facial recognition, security guards will be able to locate those on the blacklist or VIP list at an accelerated rate.

The upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup, scheduled to take place in Brazil, portrays the scenario perfectly. The country was determined to make the tournament “one of the most protected sports events in history,” shelling out US$900 million for the event. With the hefty fund, the country bought US military robots, Israeli-made drones, high-tech surveillance, and facial recognition glasses that can capture up to 400 images per second to be stored in a database of up to 13 million faces. The system is designed to match known criminals and terrorists. Currently, the guards are already being trained to properly operate these devices.

Airports and Border Control
Not only are facial biometrics used as part of the identifying process for national IDs and biometric passports, they are used in airports and border control as well. Now, biometric recognition is incorporated into solutions that are “designed to automate the secure and fast flow of passengers through restricted areas such as security and border checkpoints,” said Jim Slevin, Aviation Business Unit Manager at Human Recognition Systems (HRS). Recently, HRS deployed its system at Edinburgh Airport to assess the flow of passenger traffic through its security screening area to help address the bottleneck queues, though it was initially used as a performance measurement tool that anonymously measures how long people spend in queues and dwell areas of the airport.

“The same solutions when designed sympathetically can offer benefits for both security and passenger differentiation — the ability to identify and tailor journeys on an individual traveler basis,” Slevin added. Facial biometrics are used in airports to facilitate the passenger's check-in to departure experience. After recognizing passengers who are enrolled in the service, texts will be sent to the passenger and guide them through the process of self check-in and baggage drop-off, all the way until the passenger arrives at the correct departure terminal and goes through the gates. Enrolled passengers are often frequent flyers who are offered this opportunity as a part of the perks, in a sense, treated like VIPs by being able to avoid long wait time.

Other e-gates allow for integrated or a combination of facial, fingerprint and iris recognition, and can be used at any country entry/exit point, Spiegel added.

Retail, Banking and Gaming
Operators will be able to analyze their customers based on their facial expression. Retailers will be able to register and create a watch list for shoplifters or VIPs. Shoplifters will be immediately escorted out of the stores when they are identified, while VIPs will be treated with the greatest shopping experience that can be provided. “As soon as you walk into Macy's and get to a certain area, they already know what you like and your buying preferences. I think there will be a lot of great technologies introduced in the next five years!” said Mizan Rahman, founder and CEO of M2SYS.

Banks will be able to use facial recognition for identifying criminals in order to prevent robberies. Customers can also be identified for better services and accessing ATMs and safety deposit boxes. As for online transactions, Facebanx has developed a new online facial recognition solution that will enable banks, payment processors, and insurance and ID verification companies to dramatically reduce fraud and ID theft. Users simply need to add their face to their account via the camera from their electronic device, such as a mobile phone or laptop webcam. Each individual's face is recorded by a video stream (rather than stills), and the technology compares the multiple images taken throughout the recording to confirm the person is real and not a spoof by a photo.

In the gaming sector, a few years back, certain Canadian and Singaporean casinos started to use facial recognition to track down and identify gamblers who have put themselves on a self-exclusion list. The facial recognition software instantly scans photographs taken by a dedicated camera as visitors pass by a security desk, looking for matches with pictures of gamblers who have put themselves on the self-exclusion list. If a match is found, a silent alarm goes off, the matching photos pop up on a computer screen, and security guards compare them. Once the guard verifies the match between the visitor and the image on the screen, they will ask for the identification of the individual before escorting him or her from the facility. For those who have not been placed on the list, their photographs are instantly discarded. The cameras with facial recognition are also used for identifying VIPs, cheaters, as well as authorized personnel in the cashiers and vaults.

Automobiles
Facial recognition for automobiles has been heavily researched and tested so it can be incorporated into onboard cameras in order to track the driver's pupils and facial orientation to detect head movement, eye direction and blinking patterns. If the system senses the driver is about to fall asleep, it will issue an alert for drivers to pull over to the side of the road. For driver convenience, BMWs use facial recognition to adjust to each driver's customized settings, such as steering wheel height, seat position, mirrors, and even turn on his or her favorite radio station. However, there are some problems to tackle, such as where to best position the camera to capture the face again immediately after being obstructed by the driver's hands and steering wheel. Adapting to changing lighting conditions is no small feat either, since cameras have to be able to continuously capture the driver's face even as she drives through a tunnel, into the sunset or after dark.

Biometrics face off

Editor / Provider: Christine Chien, a&s International | Updated: 6/11/2013 | Article type: Tech Corner

According to MarketsandMarkets research, global biometrics market revenues are anticipated to reach US$20 billion by 2018. Increasing security requirements for public security such as border control management, national identity cards, e-passports, Internet and network access, and financial transactions are acting as growth drivers. As of now, fingerprint is the most commonly adopted form of biometrics, but face recognition will most likely become its successor in the years to come.

The global biometrics market is expected to grow at an estimated CAGR of 22.9 percent, as compared to the facial recognition market growth of 27.7 percent during the period of 2013 to 2018. Over the next six years, facial recognition is predicted to become highly pervasive, ubiquitous across its ecosystem, and penetrating the market to a huge extent, according to MarketsandMarkets.

Facial recognition, one of the oldest forms of biometrics, had been slow to gain widespread adoption due to the problems in accuracy and reliability often found in its algorithms. However, the dynamics revolving around the use of facial recognition is changing, as government officials and commercial sectors are starting to realize the convenience in using facial biometrics for various purposes. Its appeal stems from the contactless, noninvasive nature when capturing and recognizing an individual, but also from its similarity to how humans recognize each other — through the face.

Because of its enhanced accuracy, flexibility of being used in all environments, and the public's higher tolerance for it, the speed of adoption shall only accelerate.

Main Purposes
For one-to-one identification, face images are used in combination with video surveillance in a controlled situation. Ideal sources of controlled environment for image capture include motor vehicle agencies, visa and passport agencies, mug shots, background checks, and surveillance cameras placed at “choke points.”

For one-to-many identification, facial recognition algorithms have experienced noticeable improvements through continuous attempts to address commonly associated problems in uncontrolled environments.

“Facial biometrics is one of the most promising technologies to be widely adopted and more generally affordable in the short future, given that capturing of samples can be done at relatively long distances and without any participation on the subject's part,” said Gary Lee, International Business Development Manager at Herta Security. With the ability to operate from afar, facial recognition is used to conduct passive recognition where no real cooperation is needed from subjects to detect and collect their faces in a real-time surveillance video — and start the match against databases of unwanted personnel or the “blacklist.” Areas with large crowds, heavy traffic and high throughput will be more effective if a separate mode of recognition can be incorporated into the surveillance solutions to further ensure maximum accuracy.

When it comes down to identifying an individual against an entire or multiple databases, facial recognition drastically enhances the chances of locating a match. Database will continue to expand, not only because of the likes of the FBI's billion-dollar next-generation identity program, but with the help of social media and retail sites where users upload images for a virtual makeover. This allows operators to access dozens of photos of individuals from varying angles and settings. The growing computational powers ameliorate the process of scanning these massive databases.

Challenges and Limitations
As with all technology, using biometric devices and solutions has challenges and limitations, whether it is due to the algorithm itself or operational errors. Carles Fernández Tena, R&D Project Manager of Herta Security, mentioned some improvements on the way. “One will be the ability to process very high-resolution imagery in real time. This will result in higher image quality for identification, more opportunities for matching the short apparition of a subject against the database, increased bandwidth capacity for processing either a greater number of channels or larger frames with the same resources, and the development of more sophisticated algorithms that are not currently possible due to the existing computational limitations.”

Some other problems include the cost of employing facial recognition devices or software. The technology in search applications usually faces more challenging conditions such as lower resolutions, variability in pose and expression, changing illumination and larger occlusions, which result in higher costs. “Depending on the reliability and functionalities of access control systems, their price range is typically between hundreds and a few thousands of dollars,” Lee stated. According to Alf Chang, Senior Consultant at a&s, current cameras can detect faces up to six or seven meters. Identifying individuals from a long distance can be problematic if the cameras do not have high enough resolution. If users wish to detect or identify individuals from farther away, they must invest in cameras with higher resolutions.

2-D vs. 3-D
3-D recognition is the newest form of facial recognition to have emerged over recent years; however, the debate on its use continues to exist. By employing 3-D recognition, it is able to address some of the common problems faced by regular 2-D recognition, such as lighting and facial angle, and provides additional information to facial analysis. In turn, this could lead to more accurate recognition.

"The basic idea with 3-D facial recognition is that a biometric template based on unique geometry of a person's face can be readily stored on a database, for access control, and compared with a ‘live' analysis to identify the person in question,” said Anna Stebleva, VP of Business Development at Artec Group. “3-D facial recognition is fast, contactless and accurate, and this combination of features caters fully to the needs of the access control market today.”

As of now, 3-D facial recognition is still in the research stage for the most part. “Very few applications are actually incorporating the use of 3-D facial recognition. Capturing and storage of 3-D templates are more complicated than with 2-D technology. It is also an expensive approach for access control or any other applications, so it still remains a technology in search of a true application event,” according to Jim Slevin, Aviation Business Unit Manager at Human Recognition Systems, who thinks 3-D can be extraneous for regular access control and one-to-one verification, but remains attractive for forensics and postevent analysis of surveillance footage.

“The main limitation of 3-D technology is the very high cost and limited working range of the sensors required to make it accurate enough,” Fernández said. “This breaks with some of the traditionally attractive characteristics of 2-D facial biometrics: long-distance operability, multiple identifications in crowds, and relatively cheap deployments in distributed architectures, given that cameras have become a commodity.”

Some also believe that 2-D and 3-D can coexist. “In uncontrolled environments, 3-D can address some of the problems. 2-D, with some of the advancements we've had, like something as simple as IR-based images, has already advanced a lot and are already doing well,” said Mizan Rahman, founder and CEO of M2SYS. “We may not need to replace all of the 2-D systems, and they will continue to exist in some capacity. 3-D is more effective because it is not constrained by end-user training; 3-D systems are able to handle unexpected environmental conditions.”

Assa Abloy/HID partners with Oberthur to enhance NFC-enabled SIM card security

Editor / Provider: HID Global | Updated: 6/10/2013 | Article type: Security 50

Oberthur Technologies, one of the world's largest providers of security and identification solutions and services based on smart card technologies,announced its partnership with HID Global that provides Oberthur Technologies the ability to support the use of Seos digital keys on NFC-enabled smartphones. The partnership enables the Seos digital keys applet to be embedded in Oberthur Technologies NFC SIM cards, making it possible to use NFC smartphones for a wide range of applications that typically reside on smart cards.

Oberthur Technologies′ dragonFly product family is a new generation of NFC SIM cards that are faster than ever and include best-in-class certifications (Common Criteria EAL4+, MasterCard, Visa, MIFARE DESFire) and integrated anti-virus protection. The solution supports key applications driving NFC deployments such as transport, payment and access control. It also supports applications that facilitate a more convenient user experience, such as the use of a mobile phone for hotel check-in and hotel room access.

The Seos applet is part of an ecosystem of interoperable products and services for issuing, delivering and revoking digital keys on NFC-enabled mobile devices that can be used to open doors to homes, hotels, offices, hospitals, universities and commercial buildings. Seos includes standards-based smart card technology with state-of-the-art cryptography for maximum interoperability and security, and the Seos Trusted Service Manager securely manages Seos digital keys on NFC mobile devices.

“Oberthur Technologies' dragonFly NFC SIM cards and its secure elements in general are interoperable with Seos from HID Global and fully meet the expectation of our customers in term of access control for mobile,” said Jerome Ajdenbaum, Telecom Business Unit Marketing Director at Oberthur Technologies.

“Our partnership with Oberthur Technologies reflects HID Global's dedication to continually expand our mobile access ecosystem in order to deliver the broadest range of secure, convenient and flexible solutions to customers,” said Debra Spitler, VP of Mobile Access Solutions at HID Global. “HID Global is looking forward to working with a best-in-class SIM provider such as Oberthur Technologies to uncover new and exciting opportunities in the mobile access space.”

Student dorm at Cambridge uni upgrades to networked access control

Editor / Provider: Salto Systems | Updated: 6/5/2013 | Article type: Residential & Consumer

Cambridge University's Jesus College recently installed a networked electronic access control solution from Salto Systems, consisting of 4K Mifare cards, electronic cylinders, locks to secure one of the largest blocks of en-suite undergraduate accommodation. The college has 93 external buildings to protect, and is upgrading keyed locks with stand alone wire free electronic access control in progressive phases. The locks are being supplied and installed by AC Leigh. Like other colleges at the university, Jesus College, is an independent self-governing body, with its own constitution, endowments and income. 

The project involves the renovation and insertion of en-suite bathrooms within historic Chapel Court, one of the largest collegiate courts in Cambridge. The six (red brick) staircases on the north-eastern wing were built in 1885 and the remaining staircases in 1928 - both wings are Grade II Listed buildings in UK- also created special demands for the installation of the access control system needed to provide control over entry to the building.

The electronic cylinders has been specially designed and developed for use with doors where normal escutcheons cannot be fitted or are not allowed i.e. antique doors in historic or listed buildings. The replaced keyed locks with stand alone wire free electronic access control from Salto are controlled by 4K Mifare cards that are student ID and room cards as well as being used for print, library and restaurant functions. The data-on-card system used at the college can manage many thousands or even millions of individual doors and users if necessary, enabling users to be removed and added instantly, access rights to be modified quickly, audit trail events to be retrieved from the lock remotely, said Rex Palmer, London Area Sales Manager, Salto.

“Having previously used a master mechanical keyed system, we had ongoing problems with students loosing keys giving us the expense of having to replace keys and locks on a regular basis,” said Grahame Appleby, Head Porter at Jesus College. With the new system the needs to replace locks was eliminated.

 “The first building we updated was our student accommodation at North Court with smart handle sets,” said Appleby. “This was followed by the library building with more door units and now we've just completed Chapel Court with electronic cylinders.The next phase will be the college owned houses in Jesus Lane, which are being converted into student accommodation that will be fitted with hard wired wall readers and more stand alone cylinders on the external doors and all the individual student bedrooms within the properties."

Ultrathin HDDs for laptop, tablet and mobile applications

Editor / Provider: asmag.com | Updated: 6/3/2013 | Article type: Component

Seagate Technology announced that it is now shipping its thinnest hard-disk drive (HDD) ever to OEM partners — the Seagate Laptop Ultrathin HDD. Just 5 mm thin, the drive was designed to be integrated into ultrathin, lightweight mobile computing devices and tablets, all while delivering high-capacity storage at an affordable price.

Mobile computing device and tablet manufacturers now have another option, aside from flash memory and solid-state drives (SSDs), if they are looking for stable on-the-move data recording.

“When we originally demonstrated this solution last September, we knew we had a truly innovative product that would empower our partners to reimagine mobile applications,” said Steve Luczo, Chairman, CEO and President of Seagate Technology. “The strong support from our OEM partners indicates we have delivered on our vision and look forward to a new wave of innovative solutions enabled by this revolutionary product.”

The 2.5-inch drive is just 5 mm thin and weighs a mere 3.3 oz, making it about as thin as four stacked credit cards and lighter than a deck of poker cards. It delivers up to 500 GB of capacity in 25-percent less space than its 7-mm predecessor, freeing up valuable real estate within portable devices to accommodate additional designed-in features such as longer-life batteries and better air circulation. An affordable alternative to SSD storage, Laptop Ultrathin HDD helps blur the line between mobile computing devices and tablets by enabling new emerging applications like convertible, detachable and hybrid storage.

“The new Seagate Laptop Ultrathin truly raises the bar, enabling us to finally create high-capacity, thin and light laptops that consumers crave at mass-market price points they can afford,” said S.Y. Shian, Corporate VP and GM of Asus' notebook business unit. “The drive's capacity, coupled with its ultraslim, lightweight footprint, empowers our engineers to think outside of the box and create truly groundbreaking, innovative system designs; it's a win-win for both us and the consumer.”

Delivering the best cost per GB and per millimeter in the industry for ultrathin applications, the svelte high-capacity drive can support more than 100,000 photos, 125,000 songs or 62 hours of HD film. The Laptop Ultrathin incorporates a 6-Gbps SATA interface for fast data transfer rates and comes with the industry standard SATA connector for easy integration into existing laptops, supported by both hard drive and SSD storage. SED encryption and a G-sensor (for write head protection upon detecting sudden drops) are available on the 500-GB capacity version.

The Seagate Laptop Ultrathin has an MSRP of US$89.

Industry Support
“Dell's heritage is built on empowering our customers to do more with their technology investments, with our unbeatable back-end expertise and cost-effective, tailored solutions that empower end users and IT administrators alike,” said Kirk Schell, VP of PC Product Group at Dell. “Our partnership with Seagate on HDD technology enables us to provide our customers with reliable, leading-edge, thin and light ultrabook and laptop designs with long battery life and uncompromised storage capacity.”

“Portable devices have a voracious appetite for data, yet at the same time, owners demand thinner and lighter systems. Seagate has solved both by productizing the Laptop Ultrathin HDD,” said Richard Doherty, Research Director for the Envisioneering Group. “Slimmer than a pencil, this revolutionary new drive gives freedom [and flexibility] to designers and convenience to consumers and businesses alike.”

“Our primary focus is to create IT solutions that deliver value. With consumers' ever-increasing demand for high-capacity mobile computing devices, coupled with today's data-intensive applications, technologies such as Seagate's 5-mm HDD are crucial for meeting end users' expectations,” said Wentao Yang, VP of Global Procurement at Lenovo. “And this new drive delivers on all fronts — not only enabling higher performance in many applications but also delivering high-capacity storage and providing consumers with a premium computing experience.”

Abu Dhabi seaport and industrial zone set sail to advanced access management

Editor / Provider: CEM Systems | Updated: 5/31/2013 | Article type: Infrastructure

The Khalifia Port and Industrial Zone (KPIZ) in Abu Dhabi recently deployed CEM Systems, a Tyco Security Products company, access control and gate management system to secure its perimeters. The access control system consists of 700 card readers and fingerprint readers, portable card readers, and more than 300 PoE door interface units (DIU), were installed by Tyco Fire & Security in United Arab Emirates.

Khalifa Port was officially opened in December 2012. The port is crucial to the Abu Dhabi Ports Company megaproject which includes Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi. Featuring the latest technology and designed to accommodate the world's largest ships. Upon completion of all construction phases, the port will be at an estimated size equivalent to two-thirds of Singapore.

“This was an exciting yet challenging project for CEM who delivered not one but two systems for the port; the access control system and a highly customized gate management system, providing high level integration to multiple port security systems to ensure the monitoring and control of vehicles coming onsite,” said Philip Verner, Regional Sales Director, EMEA, CEM.

The gate management solution integrates with a number of third party systems all interfaced to ensure multiple checks are made before a vehicle can enter site. The driver first swipes their card then passive or active long range RFID tags are used on trucks and light vehicles and then finally ALPR recognition is utilized and the gate opens. “Khalifa Port required a highly secure and flexible access control system, which could be used for more than just access control” said Craig Menzies, Security Division Manager, UAE, Tyco Fire & Security.

The multi-technology IP card readers installed at the port are IP 66 rated to protect against dust and water. The reader features a keypad for additional PIN code security, and features an internal database for offline card validation. The database holds up to 200,000 card holder records internally and up to 8,000 records offline. This means that should communication be temporarily lost at the seaport, staff can still validate cards throughout the port at all times.

Fingerprint readers will also be installed on critical doors/areas throughout the port. For high security areas users will be prompted for three identity checks (card, PIN and biometric verification) using one device. Being such a large and expansive site, the port required mobile security. The portable reader is ideal for roaming security. The reader can be used at remote port sites or temporary entrances which have no power during the construction phases. 

PoE DIUs was chosen by the port authorities to ensure cabling was kept to a minimum. The DIU utilizes PoE technology to power readers and heavy duty maglocks on two doors. This created sizable cost savings on the project as it eliminated the need to fit mains power supplies/ fused spurs above each door. The security management system was also used to its maximum efficiency taking advantage of software applications such as alarm event display, visual image pass ID badging system and visitor management module. 

Los Angeles water facility secures perimeter with virtual fence

Editor / Provider: Honeywell Security | Updated: 5/30/2013 | Article type: Infrastructure

Located in the foothills of Los Angeles County, California, Rowland Water District, deployed a virtual fence utilizing video analytics to secure its service yard and facilities from theft. Local systems integrator, Secure Site Solutions (SSS), integrated the facility's video surveillance, access control, and intrusion to form a comprehensive new perimeter security system. The virtual fence system composes of 16 Honeywell Security analog cameras, VCA, DVR and an access control system.

The facility found its remote and isolated location attractive to thieves looking to steal vehicle batteries, scrap metal, tools and fuel. “We found intruders were cutting through the fence around the service yard that surrounded the wildlife refuge, and trying to detect people in that area isn't easy,” said Ken Deck, GM at Rowland. “The challenge we faced to secure the perimeter was finding a solution that was easy to use, affordable and required few adjustments to our day-to-day procedures.”

The district's previous security system supported access control, intrusion and video surveillance, but each of those systems worked independently of each other. There was no collaboration between the intrusion and video surveillance to monitor events, or proactive notification to alert law enforcement an event was taking place. “There were instances when we wouldn't know if equipment had been damaged or stolen from the service yard for a couple of days,” Deck said.

Rowland's newly integrated system uses eight high resolution D/N fixed cameras with video analytics embedded inside, DVRs, and an additional eight cameras for video verification to construct a virtual perimeter around the facility.To establish the fully integrated security system, SSS tied the DVR into Honeywell's access control platform and intrusion system. In configuring the video surveillance system, SSS chose fixed cameras to ensure they were always watching their assigned fields of view. “With PTZ cameras there is always a chance the camera will not be parked when it's needed and it misses an event,” said Michael Cowell, President at SSS.

The installation and configuration of the district's video analytics solution took one month to complete. “We found the installation to be quick and straightforward,” said Cowell. “The piece that normally takes the longest is configuring the analytical rule.”

Benefits from the fully integrated security system include a reduction in false alarms and improved law enforcement response times. By consolidating the multiple systems onto a single platform, they now work seamlessly together and are managed through a single user interface – increasing operational efficiency. Video verification of events has also eliminated the need for district staff to verify alarm events in-person –increasing personal safety.

“We can arm the entire security system at once by using our access cards, instead of having to arm each of them individually,” said Deck. “This allows our off-hours service personnel to enter the yard while the perimeter protection system is armed without triggering a false alarm.”

Compared to using traditional perimeter protection systems, the district also saved money by choosing video analytics. “By using video analytics we were able to secure the district's full perimeter with only a few cameras,” Cowell said. “Compared to a traditional perimeter protection system, we would have had to install dozens of sensors, trench for and install underground conduit and run wire.”