Tyco Kantech Intevo Compact latest addition integrates with platform portfolio

Editor / Provider: Tyco Security | Updated: 11/14/2013 | Article type: Security 50

Tyco Security Products, the world's largest pure-play fire protection & Security Company, introduces the Kantech Intevo Compact. This new addition to its line of easy to deploy integrated security platforms is designed to unify access control, IP video and intrusion for small to medium size enterprises.

Measuring at 5.4 x 19 x 21.5 cm and weighing in at 1.7 kilograms, the Intevo Compact is compatible with all Kantech controllers and can connect up to 16 American Dynamics' Illustra Series IP cameras without the cost of an additional license. The Intevo Compact supports H.264, MPEG-4, MJPEG formats and a variety of IP cameras, including megapixel cameras. Featuring a 1TB hard drive, the Intevo Compact is a cost-effective solution for both small and medium businesses, with the ability to handle up to 256 doors and 10,000 card users.

The Intevo platform enables end users to integrate with intrusion panels, monitor access control and connect these events with video information in a plug-and-play and easy to manage solution.

Intevo Compact comes preloaded with Kantech's EntraPass Corporate Edition security management software, including connectivity with the EntraPass Go mobile application and EntraPass Web. The Intevo Compact also seamlessly integrates into a single solution the PowerSeries and MAXSYS alarm panels from DSC as well as a full line of American Dynamics video recording platforms, including the VideoEdge NVR, Intellex digital video management systems, HDVR and ADTVR.

Built on Windows 7 Embedded OS, the plug-and-play design of the Intevo Compact is simple to configure, saving time and money. The Intevo Compact offers a customised dashboard for system management. Via EntraPass Go, it is also compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android mobile devices. Other key features include 4 USB 2.0 ports, 1 RS-232 serial port and dual display outputs for VGA, DVI and HDMI.

2013 Security50 video trend(9-3): Integration of video and access control

Editor / Provider: Jill Lai, a&s International | Updated: 11/14/2013 | Article type: Hot Topics

Demand from end users for the integration of video and access control became more marked this year. To fulfill customer needs for higher security, video surveillance manufacturers take different approaches — either through acquiring access control technologies or partnering with access control manufacturers.

“The physical access control market is primed to make the shift to open IP technology and Axis is now entering this market by introducing a network door controller with built-in Web-based software. Axis' latest network door controller is a complement to Axis' existing portfolio of network video products and will work for businesses of any size, including SMBs. Bringing product innovation to the physical access control market is a natural step in Axis' development as there is a strong connection between access control and video surveillance,” said Johan Paulsson, CTO, Axis Communications.

“2014 will bring the full, seamless integration of RedCloud access control and the Avigilon solution. Integrating access control with HD video surveillance provides added security benefits for organizations but it can also prove challenging to integrate. In 2014, access control by Avigilon will make it easy for end users to purchase either a fully functional surveillance system or just select products that suit their needs,” said Ian Povey, Director of Product Marketing and Management, AVIGILON.

“We anticipate that the ability to integrate systems — such as video surveillance with access control — will continue to play a key role in driving growth for the security industry. System integration allows for smarter and broader control. In large part due to the proliferation of mobile devices, by integrating systems end users have more visibility into their life safety and lifestyle systems,”David Gottlieb, Director of Marketing Communications, Honeywell Security.

2013 Top Security50

Home automation with a side of security, please

Editor / Provider: The Editorial Department, a&s International | Updated: 11/12/2013 | Article type: Tech Corner

Connected homes (also known as smart homes) are no longer just about controlling a few basic appliances around the house. As technology matures and consumer demands get higher, those in the connected home game are integrating extended functions to satisfy customer requirements. Despite the growing number of integrated systems, understanding what the main purpose of a system is will help end users select the most suitable system to fit their needs, instead of simply choosing the one with all the bells and whistles.

As the market for connected homes continues to grow, more and more companies from all security backgrounds are looking to steal a piece of the connected home pie. Security players with backgrounds in alarms and intercoms have joined home automation players in trying to produce a more comprehensive connected home product. Gone are the days when turning on the lights and shutting off an alarm was sufficient. Now, in order to stay in the game, home control systems need to do more than just a handful of simple tasks. Nowadays, people not only want to control everything in their homes, they want to do it from one panel, be it fixed or mobile. In order to stay competitive, manufacturers are now integrating all types of home control functions; however, bigger isn't always better.

The Three Faces of Home Control
Trying to create the most all-inclusive home control system is not limited to any one sector of the security industry. The alarm, home automation, and intercom sectors are all trying to show that they are more than just what their industry specialty suggests. Alarm companies are now incorporating audio-visual controls, home automation companies are adding video surveillance, and intercom companies are adding basic alarm functions. While each of these sectors continues to integrate functions typically outside of their namesake, each sector is still bringing its own strengths to the market.

Not Just an Alarm System
The goal of integration in the intrusion industry is beginning to gain realistic momentum with the growing trend of combining home automation and home security systems on a single platform. In 2012 the residential sector accounted for 40.7 percent of the $2.7 billion of the global intruder alarm market, which is forecasted to be one of the fastest-growing verticals with a five-year CAGR of 5.3 percent from 2012 to 2017, according to IMS, an IHS company.

The main purpose of a home security system is protecting the home from unwanted visitors, making intruder alarms the most basic element of home security systems. However, over time the demands and requirements of homeowners have evolved. As the world has become more connected, homeowners now want more than just an alarm system—they want energy saving and home management functions too. As a result, home automation functions have been integrated into many traditional home security systems in order to stay competitive, transforming plain old alarm systems into more comprehensive connected home systems.

“While the trend to integrate is becoming popular in single-family homes, its progress in the commercial sector continues to be slow,” reports IMS, an IHS company. A lack of unified legislation across each technology platform interested in integrated solutions is the reason researchers gives for the slow uptake in the commercial sector. They advise manufacturers to continue focusing on the residential market “while integration in commercial applications remains sluggish, as the industry as a whole awaits standardization.”

A California-based subsidiary of Nortek with a background in traditional security and access control, Linear has developed a platform that integrates both security and automation. The main function of the Linear home control platform is security, according to Duane Paulson, Senior VP of Product and Market Development of Linear. The platform includes a system CPU, touchscreen interface, Z-Wave radio for automation, cellular radio for communications with a central station, and narrow-based RF for communication with security sensors. Additionally, a wide range of wireless peripherals including thermostats, panic buttons, keyfobs, glass break detectors, and wireless carbon monoxide detectors can be integrated into their system and can be remotely monitored, managed, and controlled via the Internet.

Despite integration with home automation functions, the primary function of an alarm-based system is still security. Automation in this type of system is often times connected to the alarms—if an alarm is triggered certain home appliances like lights may be automated to respond. “Automation systems have the potential to make security system management more efficient. With more extensive programming, automation allows triggers to set off flashing lights and do other things should a certain security status change unexpectedly. It also allows remote access and management, so a single person a can keep an eye on multiple apartment complexes or a summer home 24/7, 365, and actually alert authorities if something is not right,” notes Paulson. Therefore, the integration of automation to an alarm-based system is secondary to the primary function of security.

Another important consideration for those looking for an alarm-based system is choosing between a wired versus wireless solution. Opinions vary vastly on this issue. While the reliability of wired systems is undisputed, the unreliability of wireless systems is grossly over exaggerated, according to many industry insiders. To this point, cost plays an important role in which type is executed.

Expanding Home Automation Functionality
By 2018 annual home automation device shipments are expected to exceed 351 million, growing at a CAGR of 78 percent, according to ABI Research. ABI also found that in 2012, 1.5 million home automation systems were installed in the U.S.

End users interested in home automation systems are usually looking to invest in the convenience, comfort, and energy savings it provides—security is not usually highlighted during the initial stages of choosing this type of system. Lighting control, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), audio-visual, and shading are basic functions of a home automation system, while security is merely an extended function. These functions are exactly the main focus of Crestron's home control system, as pointed out by Phoebe Chu, Assistant Marketing & Communications Director of Crestron Asia. With a background in advanced control and automation systems, Crestron places a heavy focus on lifestyle and convenience for the home user. Through their system, lights can be turned on and off, HVAC can be automatically triggered with occupancy sensors, equipment can set to automatically turn off when a room remains idle, and shades and projector screens can be set to automatically lower when a Blu-ray player is turned on.

Similarly, convenience and ease of installation are the main concerns for Legrand and their home control system. Legrand's home system consolidates products from their complete line of innovative home networking, intercom, camera, audio, and lighting control systems, according to Tom Cunningham, Director of Product Marketing at Legrand Home Systems. In addition to these basic functions, extended functions such as internet radio, digital music, and HVAC can also be added.

Honeywell Security Group will be offering a “lifestyle-only” type of home control system. David Gottlieb, Global Marketing Communications Leader for Honeywell Security Group explained that their system is for homeowners interested in automation. Honeywell's system will provide complete control over features, such as lights, locks, thermostats, and video cameras, and is designed to appeal to customers who are not yet interested in buying a security system.

Another growing trend in home automation is energy management. Automatically turning off lights and reducing HVAC usage in unoccupied spaces are ways that Crestron's system saves energy. The system not only tracks all lighting loads, but also provides a bar graph showing real-time and historical energy consumption, which can be viewed by group or individual room, by day, week, month, or year and compared to previous time periods. Legrand suggests using motion sensors for lighting control and scheduling daily events to reduce power consumption.

Legrand's target market sector for home automation-based systems are single-family homes and semi-custom houses, as pointed out by Cunningham. This target sector is echoed by other industry specialists as well. Although many companies are trying to come out with more cost-friendly home automation solutions, the fact remains that automating one's home is a costly task. Because of this, home automation systems continue to be more of a high-end product, still slightly out of reach for the average Joe.

Video Door Phones Get Facelift
IMS, an IHS company, also reported that worldwide unit shipments of video door phones are forecast to grow by 7.5 percent during the next five years. Several technological advances and benefits are helping to drive the transition from audio to video door phones, with global growth in this market being bolstered by Asia. One of the drivers for this growth is increased integration with building automation. It pointed out that expansion will be driven by the increasing rate of urbanization, as lower and middle-class populations move to the cities. This move will result in the need for cheap mass housing such as high-rise apartments, which lend themselves well to audio and video door phones.

Communications is the main focus of intercom-based systems like video door phones. Unlike alarm- and home automation-based systems, intercom-based video door phones do not integrate as many automation functions. Industry experts note that the lack of automation into video door phones is due to the lack of demand for it. One expert pointed out that because video door phones are most often used in residential complexes and high-rise apartments, places that have security guards onsite, the need to integrate security is not a necessity. Additionally, integrating automation functions into existing video door phone systems often requires costly additional cabling and wiring.

However, some companies that come from an intercom background like the Spanish-based Fermax have begun pairing their video door systems with TFT touchscreens for a sleeker, more modern feel. While the majority of intercom-based systems still lack the kind of integration with lighting control, entertainment, HVAC, and alarms that other systems have, Fermax has integrated some automation functions into their latest lineup of video door phones.

Users Come First
As the connected home market continues to grow, companies manufacturing home control systems will continue to expand their systems based on consumer demands and market trends. While the idea of an all inclusive home control system seems like the perfect solution, it is important that consumers consider their personal needs first and foremost. One important consideration is cost. An all-in-one system sounds like a great solution in theory, but in reality this type of system is going to be hard on the wallet. Instead, carefully considering what functions are really needed and understanding the underlying purpose for the system can help consumers make more informed decisions and prevent them from falling into the “bigger is better” trap.

Synectics re-enforces position in Middle East

Editor / Provider: Synectics | Updated: 11/11/2013 | Article type: Security 50

Synectics has announced major developments in its Middle East activity. The global specialist in integrated end-to-end surveillance control systems has launched a new Dubai office, appointed a new Business Development Manager and has confirmed new business wins including a major power plant project in Oman.

The trio of announcements reflects a period of significant growth for the business in the Middle East, with particular success in the oil and gas and high security sectors.

In addition to delivering integrated surveillance solutions for a significant Oman power plant, Synectics has supplied COEX Thermal camera stations to protect Phase II of the Abu Dhabi Inter Refineries Pipelines project (IRP II), which will see over 900km of pipeline connect refineries and distribution terminals.

Rohit Prakesh, an experienced Business Development Manager with specific Middle East surveillance and security project management expertise, has joined the Synectics team in Dubai Investment Park.

Paul Webb, Managing Director of Synectic Systems mentioned: “Projects in the Middle East have their own distinct set of security needs when it comes to surveillance. Huge scale projects with large sections that are unmanned or positioned in harsh – and often hazardous - environments rely on turnkey surveillance solutions that must deliver in terms of image reliability and remote access. They also require surveillance solutions that integrate seamlessly with a wide range of site-critical third party security and operational systems. It's a brief entirely suited to our expertise.”

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.

HID Global and Tyco Security Products' Software House joined FICAM solutions for PACS

Editor / Provider: HID Global | Updated: 10/31/2013 | Article type: Security 50

HID Global and Tyco Security Products, part of Tyco, announced that the companies have joined forces to deliver the industry's first fully FICAM-compliant solutions for end-to-end physical access control systems (PACS). The complete offering comprises each company's federal identity solutions, providing added value through increased security, cost efficiencies and interoperability. The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) introduced the new FICAM testing requirements earlier this year as part of a realignment of its Approved Products List (APL) with the FICAM roadmap for standardization and a consistent approach to deploying and managing appropriate identity assurance, credentialing, and access control services.

The GSA test program included subjecting the system components to dozens of attacks to ensure that the system is not prone denial of service, credential spoofing, or other types of unauthorized access. The FICAM testing program ensures that products conform with existing APL approval procedures, and integrate other vendors' products to create a complete end-to-end high assurance solution that government agencies can procure. End-to-end systems are tested both as individual components as well as holistically to ensure that agencies meet all of the requirements in FIPS 201 and SP 800-116.

“FICAM testing is by far the most comprehensive testing that we have seen,” stated Bob Fontana, vice president of engineering, Federal Identity Solutions with HID Global. “HID Global is excited to be part of the first FICAM-compliant system approved by the GSA and available to the U.S. Government. The government has raised the bar in standardization and HID Global has met this challenge, offering federal agencies improved security solutions.”

The HID Global and Tyco Security Products PACS solution includes: HID Global's pivCLASS Registration Engine, pivCLASS Certificate Manager, pivCLASS Reader Services, pivCLASS Authentication Module (PAM), pivCLASS IDPublisher, and pivCLASS RK40/RKCL40 readers, as well as Tyco Security Products' Software House CCURE 9000 security and event management system.

The pivCLASS Registration Engine seamlessly integrates with Tyco's Software House CCURE 9000 for PIV and PIV-I card validation, provisioning, and de-provisioning when a certificate is no longer valid. Credentials presented at the door are cryptographically challenged by the pivCLASS PAM. If the card is authentic and valid, the card identifier is passed to the Software House iSTAR controller, which performs the authorization check before admitting the cardholder. A special messaging interface ensures that all invalid transactions are captured and forwarded to the CCURE 9000 PACS event monitor.

“The successful testing of Software House's CCURE 9000 for FICAM end-to-end compliance, together with HID Global's pivCLASS Government Solutions portfolio, assures U.S. Federal agencies that they are procuring FICAM solutions that will meet all of the FIPS 201processing standards,” said Stafford Mahfouz, Manager of Government programs for Software House, Tyco Security Products.

Munich 'Palais an der Oper' plays safe with Bosch

Editor / Provider: Bosch Security Systems | Updated: 10/30/2013 | Article type: Residential & Consumer

During a major reconstruction, one of the most prestigious real estates in Munich was equipped with safety and security systems from Bosch. The company implemented a comprehensive security solution in the “Palais an der Oper”, formerly known as the “Residenzpost”, which had been one of Munich's main post offices. Bosch will also be responsible for ongoing maintenance of these systems.

The “Palais an der Oper” leaves a strong imprint on historic Max-Joseph square in Munich, being neighbored by the opera house and the former royal castle. In the course of a major redevelopment, the building underwent complete reconstruction, while the heritage-protected facade with its characteristic arcades designed by Leo von Klenze was completely preserved. Stuttgart based LBBW Immobilien GmbH and Accumulata Immobilien Development GmbH, Munich, have then sold the “Palais an der Oper” to a group of private investors – details were not disclosed. Since completion in June 2013, the “Palais an der Oper” is home of exclusive shops and restaurants, upmarket offices and luxurious apartments.

Fire protection in the "Palais" is guaranteed by the Modular Fire Panel 5000 Series from Bosch, while a Dynacord sound and evacuation system eases smooth evacuation of the staircases in case of fire. Further, Bosch installed access control and intrusion detection systems as well as a BOS indoor radio. Day and night cameras operated via the Video Management System BVMS are used to monitor the entire site.

Bosch was also awarded some contracts with individual business renters within the “Palais an der Oper”. Due to the luxury ambience of the shops these required sophisticated planning to ensure safety without sacrificing optics. For such demanding environments, Bosch offers its Smoke Detector 500 Series which can seamlessly integrate into ceilings and also adapt to the ceiling's color.

Exacq and IQinVision protect Indianapolis-based Community Health Network

Editor / Provider: IQinVision | Updated: 10/30/2013 | Article type: Commercial Markets

IQinVision announced that Indianapolis-based Community Health Network has installed an exacqVision-IQinVision combined solution to meet their video surveillance needs. Koorsen Security Technology provided complete design and installation services for the project.

Established in 1956, Community Health Network is a leading not-for-profit health system offering convenient access to expert physicians, advanced treatments and leading-edge technology, all focused on getting patients well and back to their lives. With caring and compassion, Community's five hospitals comprised of more than 90 buildings continually strive to improve the health and well-being of all of their patients.

exacqVision Hybrid Servers and IQinVision HD megapixel cameras were installed to enable the Community Health Network Information Technologies department to monitor their Data Center to ensure continuous operations of their IT infrastructure. exacqVision VMS software was installed on two exacqVision Hybrid servers to manage a mix of IQinVision megapixel cameras located throughout the Data Center and connected office building, as well as existing analog cameras. The exacqVision client software is installed on a video wall in the Network Operations Center and in several other locations located through the facility. Video is continually monitored and if an incident is reported the staff will search for the video recorded on the server to investigate and support their findings.

“We selected exacqVision Hybrid Servers and Video Management Software because we needed a trustworthy video surveillance system to monitor our Data Center facility 24x7x365 and provide clear real-time video as well as easy to access recorded events,” said Chris Stewart, Manager, Data Centers and Server Technologies. “The exacqVision Hybrid Servers also needed to operate seamlessly with existing analog cameras and integrate with the new IQinVision IP megapixel cameras. A major benefit was the flexibility of the client workstations to be easily integrated into our Network Operations Center for continuous video monitoring. exacqVision met our requirements and provides excellent performance.”

To date, Community Health has installed a mix of 42 IQeye Alliance dome and Sentinel cameras, ranging from 1 to 5MP in resolution. Going forward, Stewart plans to replace his analog cameras with the newer, IQeye megapixel cameras as the analog cameras fail. “We're happy with the IQeye cameras, if we had the budget we'd replace all the analog cameras now. The clarity of the megapixel cameras is so much better, it really is night and day.” Stewart has the high-performing IQeye cameras providing surveillance video for all his important, high value assets and locations. “The IQeyes, they do the job well,” he concluded.

Six “musts” for selecting and installing VMS

Editor / Provider: The Editorial Department, a&s International | Updated: 10/23/2013 | Article type: Tech Corner

When it comes to configuring surveillance solutions, it all comes down to two important factors—openness and customization. Over the years, video management software (VMS) has emerged as a business-enabling technology where a more open platform allows the integration of other value-adding system combinations such as POS, RFID, video analytics, time and attendance, access control, and more. The ease of use, improved algorithms, and data libraries are improving its reliability. The result is that the value of video is increased both in real time and when viewing recorded video.

According to Jumbi Edulbehram, VP of Business Development at Next Level Security Systems, the decision-making process can be varied and complex when considering VMS solutions. These factors include price, ease of use, integration, features, and intelligence.

Cost
One of the most important considerations when purchasing and installing VMS is total cost of ownership. For total cost of ownership, some key points should be taken into account: cost of installation, cost of maintenance, and time to deploy and conduct the system setup.

User-Friendliness
Another critical requirement is that the VMS should be simple and easy to use. As video surveillance systems become more complex, people using surveillance systems not only include security personnel, but also administrative and IT staff. Different users will have unique needs when accessing video. “It's important that everyone involved – from the head of security to workstation operators – can quickly find their way around the system and know how to configure it,” said Alan Ataev, Global Sales Director at AxxonSoft. For instance, there is a security customer who has certain wants and needs, as well as a business user and administrator, and their demands differ. Being able to have an interface that communicates with these different groups is important.

Gadi Piran, President of OnSSI agrees. “The VMS's interface needs to be as intuitive as possible, and should not require technical savvy to operate. Users should not be required to memorize codes or commands, and the system should display all, and only, the actions available at the current time for each individual camera.”

Ease of deployment
Deploying VMS can be a complicated task. “System integrators have to be educated on networking, hardware, operating systems, and edge devices to name a few,” Krugliak said. “The fewer tasks the installer is required to perform, the more automatic the setup procedure will be and therefore, the sooner the system installer can complete the project.”

Fully-supported hardware list should be as many as possible. It is always preferable to go with an open VMS solution capable of integrating a great variety of third party IP cameras and encoders. This ensures end users have greater freedom to select best of breed hardware. “We can already see today that the world [of] security [industry] is heading for network solutions in a big way,” Ataev said. “Right now, we have 1,300 models of IP cameras integrated with AxxonSoft products, and this number is constantly growing.” An open platform not only enables the user to optimize the system to do the job at hand, it also reduces long-term costs as it is possible to change components without a forklift upgrade.

Customization & Scalability
Video is just one component in the overall security operation. The VMS may need to integrate with other systems, including access control, video content analytics, license plate recognition, facial recognition, fence detection systems, fire alarm systems, and others. In addition, users should be able to customize the software to meet their unique needs. Whether or not SDK is extensive enough in order to enable customers to develop integrations or to customize the user interface to meet their needs becomes crucial.

The VMS architecture and how it fits within the network environment also needs to be considered. “A VMS solution that can adapt to any network and scale to thousands of cameras as the system evolves over time ensures customers are future proofed and can grow their system as required,” Palatsoukas said. For some verticals with a large camera count system, such as airports, the VMS should allow for growth with more locations, more recording servers, more cameras, and more users, without paying a penalty for going from one system size to another. For instance, an airport video surveillance system is typically composed of several hundred or thousands of cameras. The large camera count also comes with a large number of users, alarms, and workflows, which all in turn needs to be supported by the VMS. In this case, a suitable VMS needs to have the appropriate scalable architecture in order to support this infrastructure.

High Availability and Redundancy
In addition to the number of hardware components, the number of clients on a server can take a toll on the system. “It is crucial to ensure that the VMS has built-in capabilities to ensure that video is recorded and can be reviewed at all times,” Palatsoukas said.

A built-in mechanism in the VMS to offer continuous system access, uninterrupted video streaming, health monitoring, and system self-check is especially crucial for verticals that cannot afford the downtime. “High availability is of the utmost importance for a security system that is used to minimize threats and protect assets,” added Palatsoukas. “An offline system can result in revenue losses through operations stoppage and theft, hence making it very important to minimize downtime. The embedded high availability features are tailored specifically for the VMS, minimizing configuration and management time. They are also less expensive than third-party solutions.”

For critical use, such as casinos or banks, redundancy is a key concern as storage itself might take 30 to 40 percent of the total surveillance system price. A smart redundancy feature saves storage space and money since only triggered event footage is stored as backup. “In casino and city surveillance, smart redundancy is important as there will be enormous amounts of information and simple 1-1 redundancy is very wasteful,” said Patrick Lim, Director of Sales and Marketing at Ademco Far East (an Ademco Security Group Company). “Smart redundancy can reduce up to 50 percent of additional cost, which is ideal in controlling the budget and space needed.”

Intelligence and Automation
Security has traditionally been used to protect assets in a passive fashion. However, VMS allows video surveillance to go beyond traditional security by gathering business intelligence and driving decisions. A system with intelligent video analytics can combine multiple video analytic events using rules dependency to trigger an alarm and to minimize false alarms. “The system must be able to intelligently generate and distribute valid alerts in a variety of forms – video, text, audio, data and other – so that operators are no longer required to view live video from dozens, hundreds, and thousands of cameras,” Piran said.

Automation is important for remote sites as combining different security and non-security systems under a set of rules requires automated security. For instance, when reviewing the VMS, it is important that users seek out an automated platform that will deliver the video intelligence necessary to help security personnel rapidly detect, act on, and investigate security breaches and other threats.

Automation can include lighting, access control, door management, and more. It can also include more complicated tasks such as automated system health monitoring. “Automated system health monitoring is a critical feature to help users manage geographically distributed video operations, while enhancing system uptime and reliability to ensure video is being captured and is available for review at all times,” said Debjit Das, VP of Global Marketing, Video and Situation Intelligence Solutions, Verint Systems.

A large project may have multiple security systems scattered on multiple sites, creating a lot of complexity for the operator who might have to connect to multiple applications on different computers. “Being able to watch live and playback video, receive events, and run reports from multiple sites with one application makes operations easier for the users, who can concentrate on identifying and analyzing security threats,” Palatsoukas said.

The automation feature is important for remote sites. “Software features such as smart tracking of personnel, activities and events become very important, as they may have very limited security manpower at sites looking at cameras over a very large area,” added Lim.

User-centric mindset Picking the wrong VMS solution can be catastrophic and the consequence is not as simple as replacing a surveillance camera. Knowing the capability of VMS, project complexity, and user needs will help integrators at the start and avoid a mismatch scenario.

Homework for Integrators
Integrators might start by outlining end-user needs. Steven Lowrance, Applications Engineering Manager at Aronson Security Group offers some of the following tips. Below are some of the questions that help integrators better understanding a situation and system requirements:
1. How many cameras will there be? 
2. Is there a need for specialty cameras or brands (thermal, IR, covert, etc)? 
3. Where are those cameras located?
4. What is the recording schedule? 
5. Will the system be used for live viewing or more for forensic use after an event? 
6. Do users need advanced applications such as video analytics? 
7. How many users will view the cameras? 
8. Is permission restriction necessary to the business? 
9. Is centralized administration of users and devices important? 
10.Does the business have a server operating system requirement or restriction? 
11.Is integration with other systems a requirement?

Axis IP cameras ensure safety at Russian Sheremetyevo Int'l Airport

Editor / Provider: Axis Communications | Updated: 10/15/2013 | Article type: Infrastructure

Sheremetyevo International Airport is Russia's largest and busiest airport based on the number of regular international flights operating there. Sheremetyevo is recognized as the best airport in Europe, in terms of the quality of passenger service, based on 2012 results of the reputable ASQ (Airport Service Quality) program run by Airports Council International (ACI).Sheremetyevo Airport is the country's largest aviation transport complex in terms of area (six passenger terminals covering a total area of approximately 124 acres). More than 26 million passengers use the airport each year.

Sheremetyevo closely monitors the level of security to ensure that the airport is run efficiently. There are now more than one hundred modern systems installed at the airport to provide security and manage business processes, and to monitor quality assurance, operations and human resources. To this end, the video surveillance system plays a significant role since, used in conjunction with a multilevel automatic luggage inspection system, it enables programming the settings in order to detect potentially dangerous items.

Video surveillance, security and more
Sheremetyevo is developing a single transport network infrastructure with the capacity to accommodate large volumes of traffic and the possibility of further upgrading its video systems. To achieve this aim, the airport has carefully selected the specific IP solutions it requires for its video surveillance infrastructure. Ever since the airport first began using video surveillance, it has served not only as a security system, but also as a means for controlling operations such as check-in, boarding, luggage loading control, etc., at all stages of aircraft servicing.

In this way, a comprehensive infrastructure has been created: IP cameras generate a single video stream, which is then processed by two systems (security and operational) according to required tasks and algorithms. A large archive with a rapid search functions, video analysis capabilities, and integration of the video system with other elements of the security infrastructure is important.

The ability to monitor the various technical processes relating to passengers and aircraft services, in real time and using various mobile platforms is a very valuable feature of the surveillance system.

Mission
Ensuring the safety of passengers and visitors is Sheremetyevo Airport's number one priority, which is why it devotes significant energy and resources to developing a video surveillance security system. In doing so, it is essential to be able to integrate new equipment into the existing infrastructure.

In addition to enhancing security functions, the airport is also developing an integrated surveillance system for monitoring passengers and operational processes aboard aircraft.

Solution
The existence of a sophisticated network infrastructure makes it essential to develop a video surveillance security system. The most important features required are integration capabilities, image quality, simplicity of servicing the equipment, and further scalability. Based on these requirements, Axis cameras were chosen in conjunction with the system integrators.

Currently, there are approximately 200 Axis cameras installed at the airport terminals, namely consisting of the following models: AXIS 209FD, AXIS 211, AXIS 215 PTZ, AXIS 216FD, AXIS P1343, AXIS M3203, AXIS M3204 and AXIS Q6032.

Result
To meet the security requirements of a modern airport, a reliable system that operates 24/7 was installed and is used both in security systems and operational process control systems. In essence, currently there are two independent systems operating at the airport, a security and an operations processing system, which operate simultaneously using a single camera system.