Tips for choosing a video door phone system

Editor / Provider: Messe Frankfurt New Era Business Media | Updated: 12/3/2013 | Article type: Tech Corner

Introduction
Demand for video door phone systems has built up over the years due to the increased convenience and security it offers. With the continuous evolution of smart buildings and smart homes, video door phones has increasingly digitized to integrate with other systems. However, users do not fully understand what a digital door phone system offers or how to choose a product whose features match their needs, many users do not even know what their needs are.

Secutech recommends the following six key points when purchasing a video door phone system.

Is it digital?
A video door phone system is one of the key components in the “smart home” concept. The video door phone must be digital in order to integrate with other systems in a smart home; advanced features may even require an Internet connection.

A digital video door phone system must have the following attributes: video compression, audio processing and network transmission. Video and audio must be compressed to minimize bandwidth usage and latency; they must also be based on industry standards to ensure compatibility.

One clear indicator to determine whether a video door phone is digital is with an RJ45 connector: if it has one, it is likely that the video door phone is digital, as analogs do not need to transfer data over an ethernet. Another indicator is whether it has a network settings interface.

Is it visually appealing?
Since video door phones are an integral part of a user's everyday life, it should be visually appealing. Aside from good looks, a video door phone should also be have an ergonomic design and a user-friendly inter-face.

How durable is it?
Buyers should be certain if the video door phone is built with impact-resistant materials. The core function of a video door phones is security, so it must be durable enough to withstand a certain level of vandalism. It would be a good idea to check its IP ratings and see if it can handle the weather in its intended region.

Does the manufacturer have a good reputation?
Although brand reputation does not necessarily represent a product's quality or reliability, it is likely that a brand with a number of credentials would produces reliable products. Most video door phones are made in China, Italy and Japan; in addition to technology and quality, buyers looking for suitable video door phones should also factor in brand reputation to avoid any misfortunates.

Does it integrate well with other systems?
Aside from basic features like making video calls and unlocking doors, a video door phone has the potential to integrate video surveillance, alarms, access control and other systems in a smart home. Buyers should check its compatibility with other systems, as well as which standards it supports.

Have you tested it?
Above all, the basic features of a video door phone—video calling and intercom—should perform well. Before any purchase, buyers should test the system for clear video and audio and evaluate signal-to-noise ratio, distortion and other factors that affect video and audio quality.

To browse live product demo of video door phone system from Asian top suppliers, register your visit to secutech now.

2013 Security50 access control(2-2): Product trends from mechanical to electronic

Editor / Provider: Jill Lai, a&s International | Updated: 11/26/2013 | Article type: Hot Topics

Product Trends
Industry experts feel that a number of technologies are maturing and will likely continue to grow incrementally in market share. These include, in addition to the shift from mechanical to electronic locks that has been in progress over the past decade, NFC, biometrics, and PoE and wireless systems. Furthermore, the development of open standards will surely have an impact on the access control landscape. Standardization is definitely in the books, with both ONVIF and PSIA announcing actions in this direction. ONVIF announced a specification to enable interoperability between clients and devices of physical access control in August. Meanwhile, in September, PSIA announced the launching of a Physical-Logical Access Interoperability Working Group to synchronize the two spheres.

Mechanical to Electronic
The shift from mechanical locks to electronic access control continues to drive the market.

Electronic access control systems have overcome the shortcomings of traditional mechanical access control systems. However, this convenience in access control also comes with new threats, such as intrusions via forged documents, tailgating, and identity theft.

This technological shift is reflected in Assa Abloy's strategy. “We've put a lot of emphasis in the last years on our electrical mechanical business. Consequently, we're grown dramatically in that area of the business in the last few years, and it now represents some 26 percent of our overall business in EMEA,” noted Bone.

“That's a market area that is growing, much faster, compared to the traditional mechanical area. For the existing established markets in Western Europe, there may be a lot less green field construction, but there is a lot of refurbishments going on. In Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia, there are a lot of new construction projects that we are benefiting from,” added Bone.

NFC
A definite trend, mobile device enabled applications continue to seep Security solutions at high-risk locations need to evolve and persevere in a digital era. into the access control product offerings in the market. The proliferation of smart devices will continue to popularize NFC and mobile technology.

While NFC technology has been around for a decade, it is in 2012 that the industry laid the foundation for mobile access control deployment on NFC-enabled mobile devices. However, industry experts have noted that is unlikely that NFC-enabled smartphones will completely replace physical smart cards in the near future; instead, mobile access control solutions will coexist with cards. Nevertheless, a key benefit of NFC-enabled mobile access control is the ability to fuse logical and physical access control through embedding credentials in a smartphone.

In line with this trend, several manufacturers are boarding the NFC ship accordingly. TDSi, for example, is rolling out NFC compatible readers in 2014. “It is very clear that many end users want to use their mobile device for security access and the whole industry needs to take note of this,” said Davies.

Universities are likely to be early adopters of NFC-enabled access control. Unlike hotels where there is high turnover of guests staying for a relatively short period of time, universities are more of a closed environment, in that you know how many students there are and who they are. Hence, despite the large population, you can allocate access rights to each student for a term/semester and there will be relatively few changes thereafter, mentioned a source from Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies.

Wireless Locks
Wireless locks are also being deployed in the US residential market and manufacturers are optimistic about the future of wireless locks for homes. Wireless locks offer increased situational awareness and better management ability, noted an access control provider.

The retrofit fit market is offering plenty of opportunities for wireless access control. It is estimated that up to 70% of electronic locking systems now incorporate wireless products, which reduce installation time by up to 50 percent, and system costs by up to 25%. Verticals like healthcare can also benefit greatly from wireless solutions because of the importance of access control to sensitive data and locations cannot be compromised even if budgets are tight.

In line with this trend, Assa Abloy is seeing high double-digit growth for its wireless lock with radio technology. The combination of wireless and radio technology enables the end user to easily integrate security doors into an access control system at a reasonable price. Once integrated, access authorizations are manageable online and in real time.

Biometrics
According to a report by ASD Reports, the global biometrics market is expected to reach $10 billion by 2014.

The government sector is leading the adoption of biometric applications used in national identity, electronic passport, or border control projects. Large enterprises and healthcare facilities have also adopted biometric technology for logical and physical access control applications to better secure their assets. In the near future, it is anticipated that social networking sites will use biometrics for authentication.

Mobile devices are starting to incorporate biometrics for access control as well — Apple's iPhone 5s is an example. Hence, mobile-based biometrics is also forecasted to perform well in the next five years, with both the FBI and UK police force expected to be equipped with mobile-based identity solutions.

Finally, access control cards are also beginning to include biometric and other multifactor authentication information to enhance identity validation.

Currently, fingerprint is the most commonly adopted form of biometrics, but face recognition will most likely become its successor in the years to come. Increased implementations of face recognition technology stem from its enhanced accuracy, as well as its contactless, noninvasive nature when capturing and recognizing an individual.

Logical and Physical Convergence
With the number of devices connected to the Internet surpassing the 5 billion milestone in 2010 and expected to reach 22 billion by 2020, fusing physical and logical access control becomes a necessity if security is to be maintained sufficiently.

With the growing popularity of online banking, logical access control is now an important infrastructure for banks and financial institutions. For instance, in the U.K. alone, online banking losses rose from $37.6 million in 2005 to almost $96.7 million in 2009. Meanwhile, phishing attacks, where customers are led to fake bank websites via an email that appears legitimate rose from 1,700 to 51,000 in the same period. Moreover, these threats could originate from any corner of the world with an internet connection. The recent arrest of eight men in connection with a reported $2 million robbery at a UK bank was allegedly accomplished by compromising both the bank's physical and logical security. Consequently, enterprises should note that rimes are highly organized and evolving rapidly, making it crucial that logical and physical security are prioritized equally.

Regulation and standardization will make convergence a reality. In the current market, unfortunately, proprietary systems are impeding complete integration. Furthermore, the access control industry is not as tightly regulated, in contrast to the intruder and fire industries. However, with the announcement of an access control standard by ONVIF and PSIA, will likely change that.

Clear Skies Ahead
To conclude, 2013 has been a solid year for access control companies and the year ahead promises to be more or less stable. The industry will continue to expand on current marketing strategies, while promoting the uptake of new technology. Furthermore, access control hardware is becoming a commodity. "This is on one side driven by initiatives for open standards (PSIA, IEC, OSDP, SOAA), and on the other side by pressure on prices from the market. Following this development, we can conclude that, in the near future, the difference will be in software. This includes not only server software applications, but also software functionalities on the controller level,” said Arjun Bouter, Sales Director of Nedap Security Management.

2013 Security50 access control(2-1): Standardization hits industry

2013 Top Security50

2013 Security50 access control(2-1): Standardization hits industry

Editor / Provider: Jill Lai, a&s International | Updated: 11/25/2013 | Article type: Hot Topics

The access control industry is doing well and the market continues to present opportunities. In line with the above perspective, IMS Research, an IHS company, forecasted that the global access control market will reach US$2.3 billion by the end of 2013, from $2.1 billion in 2011.

Access Control Market
The access control market continues to be reflective of the global economy, with regional performances following the footsteps of national economic performances. Nevertheless, the industry as a whole is seeing good performance in a weak economy.

Globally, “IMS Research projects a CAGR of 6.5 % (7.2 % if you include electronic locks) for the access control global market between 2011 and 2016,” said Jason Ouellette, Director of Product Management of Software House at Tyco Security Products. Regionally,“these figures vary from a 3.2% (7.5% with electronic locks) CAGR for EMEA, up to a 5.9% (6.6% with electronic locks) CAGR for the Americas, jumping to a 9.7 % (15.5% with electronic locks) CAGR for the APAC region. We are forecasting a stronger growth rate than IMS projections for access control in each of the respective regions today, without electronic locks,” added Ouellette.

Regions
In terms of market size, the U.S. is the largest market for electronic access control products. The Freedonia Group listed access control as the fastest product segment within the US security industry, increasing at 9 percent annually to $5.6 billion in 2016. "Americas is doing well. The U.S. especially, has bounced back after several difficult years,” said Chris Bone, VP of Access Control for EMEA at Assa Abloy."

In Latin and South America, the market is seeing some resurgence. Colombia is growing and with the roll out of the Olympics, Brazil is likely to be relieved of the recent political and economic tensions, as the country works to complete preparations ahead of the global event. There are obviously some areas of trouble and we do not anticipate a steep growth, but there should be a rebound in the Brazilian market in the next 12 to 18 months,” echoed Matt Barnette, Executive VP of Sales & Marketing at AMAG Technology.

As expected, emerging markets continued to grow faster than the developed markets. “From HID Global's perspective, the emerging regions such as Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa are experiencing stronger revenue growth than the traditional markets in Europe, said Harm Radstaak, MD of EMEA at HID Global.

“The key driver in the Middle East and South East Asian markets is the integration of security products with building management systems. In the UK market however, whilst this integration is important, the feedback we have is that customers are especially looking for value for money and return on investment,” said John Davis, MD of TDSi.

Market Drivers
The economy is challenging, but the significance of access control remained and even increased as the year went by.

Firstly, the volume of data that corporations and governments hold has dramatically increased over the years and the need to control access to them, be it the system or the location that houses these data is crucial.

Secondly, the shift from mechanical locks to electronic locks continues to take shape in 2013, providing vendors with plenty of opportunities to upgrade existing systems. Electronic locks provide records of transaction details, such as whom and when the system was accessed, to provide a much more accountable security system.

Thirdly, the integration of access control systems with video surveillance and/or intrusion alarm systems is now possible with IP-based systems. This integration is also increasingly expected by end users, thereby spurring demand.

Finally, socioeconomic factors include new regulations regarding access to information and a general heightening of security concerns amongst the general public. These factors have required end users from all verticals to upgrade or install new access control systems.

Verticals
Commercial Sector
Activity is brewing in the commercial sector, although the drivers differ amongst the various regions. “Canadian growth is really more related towards the oil and gas revenue, which has been a significant growth driver up in the Canadian market. In the U.S., commercial construction has largely rebounded,” said Barnette.

“There is quite a bit of activity in the corporate sector. For example, we are seeing a lot of smaller and mid-sized projects that are driven by tenant improvement type work on companies that may be consolidating space or moving to new spaces,” continued Barnette.

Similarly, the commercial sector remains solid for Napco. The company considers the commercial sector “less volatile” and generates approximately 80 percent of annual revenues from commercial/industrial products and services.

On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, the corporate sector has also offered plenty of business opportunities. “We have focused a lot of attention in the retrofit market in Europe,” said Barnette.

Governments
Despite budget cuts, the government sector can continue to expect modest growth in 2013.

In the U.S., the access control market in this sector is expected to grow 3.5 percent in 2013 to reach approximately $198 million, up from $191 million in 2012, according to IMS. This anticipated growth is an increase from the 1.8 percent enjoyed in 2012, based on 2011 revenues of $188 million.

A number of government initiatives are said to be driving the current growth — the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD12), the Federal Information Processing Standard Publication 201-2 (FIPS 201-2), and the Global Entry Program. The HSPD12 mandates a standard for a secure and reliable form of identification to be used by all federal employees and contractors. The FIPS 201-2 demotes the Cardholder Unique Identifier as an authentication device and will help drive the market for high-assurance readers in the government space. Meanwhile, the Global Entry Program allows expedited clearance for preapproved, low-risk travelers, and will drive the demand for biometric applications, such as iris and face recognition.

Finally, the US government is also expected to continue to adopt new technology to protect critical infrastructure. Hence, market opportunities for access control suppliers remain in face of government budget cuts because the security solutions at high-risk locations need to evolve and persevere in a digital era.

In Europe and in the U.K., in particular, government buildings are starting to set targets on the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. While governments have not specifically mandated emission reduction policies, access control companies are seeing a trend in this, especially in face of rising energy costs in many European countries. For instance, TDSi began integrating access control with building management, video surveillance, and intruder alarms about seven years ago.

Regulated Industries
One of the key drivers of access control adoption in the market is government regulations. Following the government sector, continued regulations in health, safety, and privacy issues in the healthcare, education, and oil and gas sectors are also driving sales.

“The US healthcare industry has been growing significantly for the last 10-plus years. For instance, instead of having campus complexes of hospitals, there are smaller facilities which are distributed within the communities, as the industry changes its footprint to be closer to the customer base,” said Barnette.

Moreover, the education sector is increasing security spending, especially in the access control sector, as a consequence of recent shootings. Globally, airports and seaports will continue to upgrade their security as terrorism and cross-border concerns heighten.

2013 Top Security50

FLIR thermal imaging cameras chosen for perimeter protection of solar parks

Editor / Provider: FLIR | Updated: 11/25/2013 | Article type: Infrastructure

OMEGA GROUP, based in Sevilla, Spain, offers a comprehensive range of surveillance and security services, including the installation and maintenance of systems and equipment for intrusion and fire detection, CCTV, access control, etc. One of the company's main areas of expertise is perimeter protection of solar parks. As an increasingly important provider of electricity across the globe, solar parks need to be effectively secured. The threats these installations face are the same as for any other energy producing facility: vandalism, sabotage and terrorism.

Based on a proven track record for perimeter protection projects across Spain, Omega Seguridad has also been able to offer its expertise to solar park projects in other European countries like Portugal, France, Italy and Romania.

Solar park surveillance project in Romania.
For a new solar park, located in Sebis, Arad, Romenia, Omega Seguridad installed 22 thermal imaging cameras for perimeter surveillance purposes. The new park is the country's largest and also one of the largest parks in Europe. The park has been developed by Bester Generación, a leader in the renewable energy market, specialized in the promotion, construction, operation and maintenance of infrastructures for the production of clean energy. It stretches across 200 hectares and includes some 72,000 photovoltaic panels, amounting to 15 MW of power. The new solar park is said to ensure the need of energy for around 100,000 people.

The total perimeter, including two separate confined areas of approximately 2,1 km, could be covered with a total number of 22 cameras. On average, this amounts to approximately 1 thermal camera per 190 meters.

SR series
For this particular project, Omega Seguridad relied on FLIR's SR series of surveillance cameras, offering high quality thermal imaging in any night- or daytime environmental conditions. More specifically they chiefly used the SR-313 camera with 35 mm lens and 320 x 240 resolution, next to the SR-324 camera with 19 mm lens and 320 x 240 resolution. The SR-Series of security cameras provide high contrast imagery optimized to get the most out of video analytics software.

Surveillance technologies
Omega Seguridad usually offers two options for perimeter protection to its customers:CCTV cameras and thermal imaging cameras. Although traditional CCTV systems are effective for security and surveillance applications, they are not able to see in total darkness. As a result, they have to be complemented with additional lighting, which again allows the cameras to look at night for a certain distance.

Antonio Millan Fernandez, project manager at Omega Seguridad, explains why his company always makes an extra effort to convince the customer to choose thermal imaging cameras: “Thermal cameras can see much farther than traditional CCTV cameras and therefore you need less of them. So in short: less cameras, less issues.”

Smaller investment for thermal imaging
Although a thermal camera is still more expensive than a visual video camera, the investment cost for perimeter surveillance will still be lower, since you need fewer camera units. Fewer cameras also means that there will be less required investments for all camera-related equipment (meaning: all equipment that is needed to get the camera operating properly and to get the video signal onto the control room screen).

All these added costs need to be made per camera unit. By reducing the number of required cameras, thermal imaging allows customers to make significant savings with the camera-related equipment and civil works. On top of that, thermal imaging cameras need no lighting equipment whatsoever and will operate with the same accuracy during night and day. Last but not least, Omega Seguridad calculated that the overall power consumption of a project with traditional CCTV systems is about 50% higher than the power consumption of a project with thermal cameras. This is a considerable saving on the electricity bill of the end user.

“For distances between 60 and 120 meters that would require 2 conventional cameras, but only one thermal camera, the cost of equipment involved on both systems would be equivalent,” comments Enrique Delgado Torres, engineer and project manager at Omega Seguridad. “For distances between 120 and 180 meters where 3 conventional cameras would be required, the equipment associated to the thermal system becomes more economical. Longer distances will make the advantage bigger.” “The more bends and curves a perimeter has, the more camera positions you will need to have a sufficiently good view,” comments Vicente Nanclares Ocio, director of the engineering department. “Luckily for us, solar parks generally tend to have straight shapes so this allows thermal cameras to see even farther than 180 meters.”

Better performance with thermal imaging The lower overall investment is not the only reason why Omega Seguridad prefers thermal imaging for the Sebis project in Romania. Thermal cameras also have a higher accuracy and they generate fewer false alarms, which ultimately results in less frustration and less workload for the control room operator. “Obviously, we no longer experience lightrelated false alarms,” comments Vicente Nanclares Ocio. “Sometimes, car headlights can set off false alarms, but since thermal cameras are unaffected by light, they are also not disturbed by it.”

“Thermal cameras also allow us to see better through fog. Sometimes, the fog can be so dense that traditional CCTV cameras are unable to see through it.”

Houston club adopts Safran Morpho's 3D facial recognition for secure access

Editor / Provider: Safran Morpho | Updated: 11/20/2013 | Article type: Security 50

Safran Morpho, through its subsidiary MorphoTrak, provides 3D facial recognition technology for secure access at The Marque, the most exclusive membership club in Houston, Texas.

The Marque business social club selected the Morpho 3D Face Reader, to provide a highly secure, convenient biometric solution that allows members-only access to certain areas of the club. With Morpho 3D Face Readers, access control is fast, with a quick glance at the reader and members are instantly recognized, unlocking doors to the exclusive areas.

Analyzing the three-dimensional structure of the user's face, the Morpho 3D Face Reader achieves highly accurate, reliable and quick matching while ensuring high throughput. The system is also used in data centers, communications facilities, casinos, laboratories and corporate headquarters; anywhere a high level of convenience and security is needed.

The Marque is an exclusive retreat where members entertain clients, conduct business meetings, or simply relax in luxury.

2013 Security50: Double-digit growth strategy

Editor / Provider: Jill Lai, a&s International | Updated: 11/12/2013 | Article type: Hot Topics

In the uncertain global market, some companies sustained doubledigit growth in 2012, which was worth noticing. The top 12 companies for revenue growth were Infinova with 113.5 % growth; Avigilon (67 %); Dahua Technology (60 %); TKH Group (51.1 %); DynaColor (50 %); Hikvision (35.6 %); HDPRO(29.8 %); Synectics (28.7 %); Safran (28 %); Suprema (24.5 %); Tyco Security Products (23.2 %) and Optex (22.8 %).

IP Video Surveillance Remains Strong
In general, major IP video surveillance suppliers still enjoyed growth in the double digits for 2012. The companies represented are Avigilon, GeoVision, VIVOTEK, Milestone Systems, Axis Communications and Mobotix.

Recovery of Asian Companies
We also observed that these Asian manufacturers in China, Taiwan, and Korea were able to catch up with IP-based technologies in 2012. These companies, such as EverFocus, DynaColor, Hunt, and ITX, started to enjoy higher sales compared to previous years.

Biometrics in High Demand
The strong growth for biometric products in the worldwide market drove the growth of Safran and Suprema. Suprema's profit was “topped by newly-launched technologies such as face recognition and surging demand on its identification solution from government sectors,” it wrote in its financial report.

Penetration in Verticals and Emerging Markets
Major growth strategies are usually mergers and acquisitions, proprietary technology development, market expansion to emerging countries, and penetration of certain verticals.

Avigilon continues to deepen its penetration in casinos, by establishing a specific business development team in Canada and the U.S. It will continue to explore other verticals, such as retail, transportation, banking, and government.

Synectics Network Systems, a division of Synectics, focused on critical infrastructure protection and gaming. It benefited from continued strength in the US gaming market, particularly in the first half, and from solid growth within most of its core customer sectors in the U.K. and the Middle East.

Although 2012 growth in emerging countries didn't reach the high expectation that some experts predicted, the global expansion strategy to emerging countries still remained a crucial growth factor for many multinationals. Tyco International continued its expansion into China, India, Latin America, and the Middle East. Axis also expects to increase its market share in emerging countries from 25 % to 40 % in the next 5 years.

2013 Top Security50

American Dynamics enhances VideoEdge VMS for high-traffic security users

Editor / Provider: Tyco American Dynamics | Updated: 11/5/2013 | Article type: Security 50

American Dynamics, part of the Security Products business unit of Tyco , introduced the latest version of its VideoEdge VMS which includes critical new features to help prevent crime and more effectively monitor active, high-traffic environments.

Through analysis of the challenges facing security professionals in active environments, American Dynamics identified critical features that are important to ensure the safety of patrons and employees, while securing company property. Loss prevention professionals in retail require reliable video analytics and integration with Point of Sale systems that provide real-time access to intelligence to help pinpoint suspicious transactions backed up by indisputable video.

VideoEdge provides these results in seconds, allowing retailers to run exception reports and visualize the data to realize a sharp decrease in theft. In addition, no matter what specific challenges customers face, VideoEdge is easy to install with low maintenance for a better user experience. It also builds upon its unification with access control with a 'Swipe and Show' feature that provides an essential layer of security for places like large buildings with open turnstile architecture, oil refineries, water supply plants, nuclear plants, and other critical infrastructures requiring visual authentication of personnel. “VideoEdge is built on a robust foundation that provides the most security-critical features like analytics and security unification while ensuring continuity with worry free video failover.” said Shahar Ze'evi, Senior Product Manager for American Dynamics.

Using the victor unified client, operators get access to live and recorded video quickly and can manage “investigator mode” while monitoring live events. Victor is the only VMS client in the industry to have the UL 1076 certification, the standard for proprietary burglar alarm systems and a 'must have' for many security-critical customers with an operation center managing multiple unified video, burglar, and access control systems.

A prelude to 2013 a&s Security 50

Editor / Provider: JILL LAI, a&s International | Updated: 11/8/2013 | Article type: Hot Topics

We proudly present the winners for 2013 Security 50, who stayed focused and agile to weather the uncertain economy and harsh market competition. Lingering uncertainty in global economy has hindered the progress of many industries since the recession in 2008. Compared to consumer electronics, the security industry still grows steadily. The fragmented market nature and disparate security demands in different industries and geographic regions, on the other hand, provide a parachute to the security market, preventing itself from being severely influenced by the mega trends. However, we noticed that government budget constraint in many countries and the gloomy European economy have caused some related industries or companies to experience downturn.

The Security 50 seeks different strategies to meet the challenges in the market. Some strengthened their territories in the non-government sectors. Those who used to target high-end markets have shifted to the small- to middle-end markets for increased market awareness. Some focused on their penetration in certain vertical markets to stay competitive. Although IP-based video surveillance remains strong, the companies face fierce competition over the price and challenges of differentiating products and services.

The rise of Chinese enterprises has become much more obvious, also shown in the 2013 security 50 ranking. It is hard to overlook the improvement of Chinese products and enterprises during these years. Following the steps of Lenovo and Alibaba, more and more Chinese companies have emerged in the global markets.

Finally, although we observed fewer mergers and acquisition from last year and early this year, quite interestingly, the investments from venture capitals take up major parts. This fully demonstrates the overall confidence toward physical security from global investors. Looking toward 2014, besides video surveillance, the access control and alarm industry will also start to escalate their growth drive. A promising future can be expected.

a&s sister publication asmag.com is unveiling the complete 2013 ranking and coverage in next week, on a dedicated microsite. Be sure to check out this year's solution providers and their viewpoints!

Application-specific features of VMS

Editor / Provider: The Editorial Department, a&s International | Updated: 11/1/2013 | Article type: Tech Corner

Vertical markets often have very specific needs to ensure a secure environment. Although some features and functions are seen across industries, it is important to understand the environment and business processes of verticals to ensure a VMS can meet the potential unique needs of organizations working in these sectors.

To meet the unique requirements of verticals, Dvtel offers solutions that can be easily customized to customer needs. “We provide solutions with many features and capabilities that, in the majority of cases, provide what the customer is looking for and doesn't require further dedicated software development. Our software infrastructure is built in such a way that writing a new integration and even customizing the UI is easy. The advantage of this approach is that many applications and integrations that were developed to meet a specific customer's needs, are also relevant to others,” said Ilan Krugliak, Product Manager at Dvtel.

 An open platform, user-friendly interface, and easy to integrate are definitely factors for VMS providers to increase market share. “To serve diverse vertical markets, such as city-wide surveillance, education, transportation, retail, gaming, parking-and-law enforcement, and more, we built systems with an open API, that allows customers to ‘connect' and ‘integrate' both legacy hardware (cameras and access control devices) and a vast list of hardware from vendors and partners who manufacture cameras, access control devices, intercom devices, and more,” said Jimmy Palatsoukas, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Genetec.

Top Verticals
There is plenty of technology that will challenge VMS: analytics, HD cameras, biometrics, access control, and more. As VMS develops, customers will expect more than the basics, and will look to see how usable different VMSs are.

Retail
Retailers today are using security solutions for asset protection, loss prevention, and business intelligence to stay competitive. Like many industries, the retail industry faces challenges such as tense competition, decreasing margins, and external/internal losses caused by shrinkage.

Comprehensive and user-friendly VMS solutions enable users to be one step ahead by facilitating seamless integration with POS, RFID, video analytics, time and attendance, access control, and other data systems. Through the integration of POS and VMS, the centralized reports allow the company to search, identify, and eliminate theft across the entire organization. The integrated POS data can be further adopted for immediate inventory checks, markdown management, cause of shrinkage, and employee training which saves time and cost in counting, calculating, ordering, and checking cash-register accuracy.

“We offer seamless integration with POS devices. Store owners can track transaction data in real-time with live view or review later in playback mode,” said Shawn Ho, Product Director at NUUO. “Certain event keywords can also be set to alert when suspicious transactions occur. There are also central management functions like alarms, trigger location display, and video wall display options making monitoring multiple sites effortless. For larger chains, our VMS solution offers additional benefits like megapixel recording for clear images and unlimited video wall displays.”

Banking
Conditions in today's economy attract more unwanted attention to vaults and ATM transactions. Billions of dollars are lost each year to ATM skimming, cash trapping, cash harvesting, and fraudulent crimes.

Financial institutions are certainly in dire need for more up-to-date security solutions. March Networks has developed and offered specific applications for the banking market for years, and has deep expertise as a result. “Our VMS supports that strategy and provides tools that allow our customers to efficiently investigate, cut losses and save time,” said Ely Maspero, VMS Product Line Manager at March Networks. “The intelligent software helps banks reduce time and investigation, detect fraudulent activity faster, strengthen case evidence, and reduce losses from fraud. In the banking vertical, our solutions include intelligent video software applications that enable banks to search on correlated video, ATM or teller transaction data, license plate numbers, facial images, and colors to conduct investigations quickly and efficiently. It also allows banks to use advanced search and case management software to gather all case evidence and export it easily to a DVD or USB memory stick and searches on all that data across any number of banking branches and other sites from a central location.”

Education
Campus safety continues to be top of the mind following the devastating Sandy Hook shooting. Video surveillance and mass notification are the most commonly funded and deployed systems. However, one of the challenges is the education market does not always have full control over its own funding. Therefore, it is essential for manufacturers and system integrators to address the unique requirements of each school. Offering flexible and robust solutions to adapt to different requirements while making the most out of existing infrastructure is the practical and efficient approach.

Alerting an entire campus in an emergency situation is also a challenge. Being able to receive instant alerts on mobile phones when loitering, intrusion, or other definable events occur is very crucial. “Our VMS solution allows users to set up zone boundaries and track up to hundreds of people and objects. The image fusion technology can stitch up multiple cameras from different angles into one unified single view with angle corrections, making monitoring hallways or courtyards ideal,” Ho said.

Besides the effectiveness of a mass notification system, communication between campus security and law enforcement is crucial as well so that in case a critical incident occurs, first responders are able to deal with it quickly and effectively. “We power numerous schools, school districts, and college campuses in the U.S. and worldwide,” said Gadi Piran, President of OnSSI. “Our VMS add-on enables sharing of video and alerts from the school or school district with local police and public safety agencies, adding a layer of security; in addition, the VMS, at every given price point and version, provides a high value, which is a major consideration in cash-strapped schools and colleges.”

Future Development
As requirements vary greatly from different regions to vertical segments, it is never an easy feat to develop features and apply them to various regions and verticals. Some of our interviewees shared with us how they seek out the opportunities and challenges they face. “As always, time to market is of the essence — we need to keep up with the competition, we need to be aligned with new technologies and provide a quality product in short development cycles,” said Krugliak. “An additional challenge is keeping the product simple. Many times, at the expense of including more features, the product becomes complicated. The installation and setup process that comprises the overall deployment experience must remain simple, and the user experience that is often tied to the user interface, must also remain simple.”

Increase Visibility
Finding strong channel partners or established branch offices is one of the approaches that drives VMS adoption internationally. VMS providers benefit from regional branches interacting with local integrators not only for language benefits, but also for cultural understanding. “We plan on setting up branch offices in different regions in order to foster a deeper connection with our local customers,” Ho said. “As a VMS solution provider, the ability to integrate with different third party solutions and form alliances with other global partners is the key to worldwide visibility. We are also focusing on gaining visibility through training programs. Customers can receive official NUUO training and certification through our own education managers or NUUO Certified Trainers worldwide.”

Dvtel will continue its POS focus to expand its footprint in the retail market. “We will explore going after and develop POS integrations to be able to penetrate the retail market. We also plan to further develop our monitoring application,” said Krugliak. “In addition, we will focus on enhancing our search capabilities in order to ease up the process of ‘finding what the customer is really looking for.' That is providing information and insight rather than simple data.”

Whether through solid channel partnership, vertical-specific approaches, or instant support, a good starting point for VMS vendors to increase their visibility worldwide is the need to offer a true open platform. Customers, as well as partners, prefer ease of use, flexible offerings with upgrade paths, scalability, and timely support for different camera brands and models. An open platform is a sure way to secure long-term partners that are able to sustain growth.

Morpho check-in eID combines smartphone, biometric and NFC technology

Editor / Provider: Morpho (Safran) | Updated: 10/30/2013 | Article type: Security 50

At this year's Vodafone Innovation Days, Morpho unveiled the "My ID, My Life" demonstration. The eID-based breakthrough combines smartphone, biometric and NFC technology to offer a simpler airline check-in experience.

Vodafone Innovation Days are a major date for the customers, partners and suppliers of mobile telecoms operator Vodafone Germany. This year's event, held from October 8 to 10 in Düsseldorf, centered on the theme "Vodafone Solutions For Life". And since making users' lives easier was the very reason behind Morpho's "My ID, My Life", it was the perfect occasion to test it out.

Onboard revolution
This highly innovative solution is set to revolutionize airport boarding as we know it by uploading passengers' electronic identity, or eID, onto NFC smartphones. "Airlines want to make things easier for their passengers, and have more fluid traffic in the airport at critical points," says Michael Menne, Global Account Marketing Manager Vodafone at Morpho. "At Morpho, we already have expertise in biometrics and smartcards (we've been supplying Vodafone since 2008) needed to meet this demand for newly-developed eID applications."

Just enroll and board
The first step is to create an eID. This activates the technology before it is used for the first time. A person's eID is derived from their identity information and facial biometric data, and then securely uploaded to their smartphone's SIM card. After this has been completed, the person can check in online by just scanning their face with their smartphone. If the eID is a biometric match, they are redirected to the airline application. The user can even pre-check their bags in online if they have an RFID baggage label.

Three pillars
Once at the airport, the passenger heads directly to the bag drop-off area, where they use their smartphone at an NFC kiosk. In just a matter of seconds, their face is scanned by the kiosk camera, their eID is checked, and their identity authenticated.

They can then drop off their bags, with the receipt sent directly to their smartphone. Finally, at the boarding gate, an NFC- and camera-equipped smartgate automatically performs one last identity check. If successful, the passenger is free to board. As Michael Menne puts it, "This example demonstrates just how useful Morpho's eID solutions are for simplifying the boarding process, without compromising on security or privacy. We believe that the trust of our future users will be built on three key pillars: an eID based on reliable data, totally secure data, and an effective authentication system."