Technology Tightens Mining Safety

Editor / Provider: Tevin Wang | Updated: 7/31/2012 | Article type: Commercial Markets

The fact that mining sites are in remote locations creates significant challenges for service delivery. Long distances, combined with high risks associated with the industry, leave mining security and safety a lot of room for improvement.

The first step in managing site security issues is to identify and assess all risk factors applicable to the individual site. “When assessing sites for a solution fit, we take the approach of understanding how the site operates from a who-where-when- why point of view,” said Evan Morgans, Strategic Program Manager at Gallagher. “Covering of all aspects of who is allowed to access a specific area at what times, and most importantly, why that person is going to an area which is tied to licenses, inductions and competencies held by the person.” Whether that person going to an area holds the necessary licenses, inductions and competencies required.

Dave Erchull, VP of Global Risk Partners, agreed. “Security needs also change as the mine evolves. Increased production means more gold and silver may be stored on site. Even new construction, additions to the mining property, and the opening of new ore deposits can have an impact on security practices. Yet, rarely does a mine consider new security practices as a high priority.”

“The key to reducing the security risk is to look at how the mine is keeping the product safe, controlling access to the product, maintaining good camera coverage and installing an adequate alarm system,” Erchull added. “Solutions must be customized based on several factors including mine site, the product, what level of refining is done on site and [in] remoteness.”

Perimeter Security
“From a security point of view, there is a lot of additional security on mines around gold rooms and diamond sorting rooms, or high value products,” Morgans said. It is done in consultation with the site and risk analysis, by comparing the cost benefits of a given solution and the damage that could incur from a possible loss of products. “Depending on the physical environment, we install perimeter security solutions around these locations where it can deter, detect or delay intruders attempting access.”

Although perimeter fencing is important, mines are often open and outsiders are often allowed in. Moreover, perimeter fencing is often impractical due to the large and difficult landscape of mine sites. “North American mines have very lax perimeter security, which allows criminals to enter the property and get close to areas where the precious metals are stored and loaded,” Erchull warns. “The prospect of several million dollars of gold can tempt many hardened criminals. The threat isn't only to the mine's product. An armed robbery that takes place during the work day is a threat to the employees.”

“We recommend doing perimeter security with a combination of technologies including electrified fences and various sensors that can detect changes in wire tension, wires being cut, or a fence panel being lifted out or tilted,” said Morgans.

Video surveillance combining video, audio, thermal images with access control can be integrated with perimeter security. “By associating thermal camera with intrusion algorithm to a powerful PTZ dome lets operators get a more reliable monitoring of large areas while [the] PTZ feature keeps [an] alerted area under surveillance,” said Andrea Sorri, Director of Government, City Surveillance and Critical Infrastructure Development, Axis Communications.

Geo-fencing areas can be first created with different security layers. For instance, anyone entering the outdoor area of the mine, the so-called “green area” is watched by cameras. In that area the focus is on a general surveillance whereby faces must be clearly identifiable. In the pre-sorting area where the precious materials are already present, recording should be linked to the access control system, which means that the recording only starts when someone enters the area. The access data of the person is subsequently linked with the video image so that the security personnel always have the personal data as well as the image on hand.

HID Global Achieves ATEX Certification That Enables Process Automation and Identification

Editor / Provider: HID Global | Updated: 7/25/2012 | Article type: Security 50

HID Global announced it has achieved ATEX Certification for its complete IN Tag portfolio of industrial radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, including the company's new high frequency IN Tag 200 OM and 500 OM transponders that are designed to perform exceptionally well when mounted on metal assets. The company's entire line of industrial Glass Tags has also earned ATEX certification. The certification enables process automation and identification for both metal and non-metal assets, ensuring safe tag use in potentially explosive environments.

ATEX* certification validates that HID Global RFID tags operate without danger of directly causing or contributing to an explosion when used in flammable gas environments. These environments include offshore drilling platforms, petrochemical plants, mines, flourmills and other process industries in which there is a mixture of gases, vapors, mists or dust in the air that can ignite at specific temperatures or under certain operating conditions. ATEX certification also validates that the company's RFID tags perform while maintaining surface temperatures low enough to prevent the risk of ignition.

“HID Global's RFID tag products help end customers optimize data accuracy, achieve compliance and optimize critical systems and meet the demands in a broad spectrum of industries and applications,” said Richard Aufreiter, director of product management for Identification Technologies with HID Global. “HID tags are vital components in our customers' identification systems, and many customers have emphasized ATEX certification as an important feature in their applications since it reduces development time and expense as customers pursue certification for their broader systems.”

HID Global's ATEX Certified RFID Tags
- New IN Tag 200 OM and 500 OM: Designed for exceptional performance when mounted on metal assets, the discs enable the use of high frequency (13.56 MHz) anti-collision technology with 1024-bit EEPROM.
- The entire field-proven IN Tag family: Water-, chemical- and shock-resistant disc tags available in low frequency, high frequency and UHF. IN Tag discs come in a variety of sizes to match needs for mounting and read range performance.
- Complete Industrial Glass Tag portfolio: Manufactured with HID patented direct-bonding technology, embeddable Glass Tags deliver exceptional size-to-performance ratios in both low frequency and high frequency applications.

For customers who do not require explosion protection in their applications, ATEX certification offers an additional endorsement of Genuine HID quality, reliability and trust. HID Global will continue to pursue certification for a targeted set of its RFID industrial tags and products, and is expecting additional HID transponders to achieve certification soon.

*ATEX: From the French Appareils destines a etre utilises en ATmospheres Explosives. Translates as ‘equipment cleared for explosive environments'.

IP-Based Storage for Mission-Critical Applications

Editor / Provider: Submitted by Anixter | Updated: 7/26/2012 | Article type: Tech Corner

Network video is the leading driver of the growth in the video surveillance security market. It's not only altering the fundamental infrastructure of security systems, but it is also spurring innovation in tangential area, such as marketing, behavioral analytics and traffic management. Servers, storage and workstation technologies are therefore key components of an IP-based physical security solution. However, many organizations seek to leverage existing assets or idle capacity to meet their video surveillance needs instead of creating a tailored solution to meet the organization's needs. Even though analog video solutions put together over the years in a disparate way might pass for minimally sufficient, the data-intensive nature of network video technologies make this approach problematic. With the prediction that more than 70 percent of all network cameras will have megapixel resolution by 2015, an integrated and holistic approach to building an IP-based video surveillance solution is needed today.

Evidence indicates that the use of manufacturers' minimum specifications as a one-size-fits-all solution is creating systems that struggle to address customers' application requirements for video surveillance and other business functions. Given the forecast that nearly half of all video security systems will run off network cameras by 2014, nonstandard systems will begin to underperform as systems scale.

This White paper pays special attention to the future of network video and servers, storage and client workstations needed to ensure mission-critical video surveillance remains available and high performing.

Trending: Integration and Open
The shift toward integration and open-architecture platforms for IP-based physical security is placing greater importance on facilities, security and IT professionals to collaborate in making key hardware decision. Research shows that an increasing part of physical security will run on the IT network:
- 26.4 percent of cameras were IP-based in 2010. (IMS Research)
- Conservation projections put that figure at 48.9 percent in 2014, which means that nearly half of video security systems will run off of network cameras. (IMS Research)
- More than 70 percent of network cameras shipments will be megapixel resolution by 2015. (IMS Research) 

Discussing all the other significant advancement in video technology, the move toward network cameras and high-resolution alone will drive IP-based physical security planner to seek out integrated server, storage and workstation solutions than can handle the immense increase in bandwidth and processing needs. New technologies such as edge storage are inherently integrative, which allows users to fill in the gaps for out-of-network mobile applications or network failures. In some instances, companies are leveraging third-party data centers to host cloud-effective solution for smaller applications today. From the shift to open and redundant architecture hardware, to the emphasis on total cost of ownership and return on investment, market trends all point to a more integrated IP-based physical security vision.

Benefits of Integration
An integrated network video solution is more robust, scalable and cost effective than an analog system. With improved reliability, redundancy and flexibility of an open-architecture solution, which can exceed any appliance or commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solution, a truly integrated IP-based physical security solution can also take advantage of today's best technology, such as higher camera counts, resolutions, access control integration, more intuitive and powerful user interfaces and multiple analytics.

A purpose-built IP-based physical security solution can also result in both short-and long-term cost savings. By removing the necessity to maintain separate networks, organizations can experience a reduction in capital, maintenance, manpower and equipment costs. When properly planned and executed, an integrated IP-based physical security solution will result in less downtime, which lowers the total cost of ownership.

Market Challenges
Of course, as with any complex technology, there are always significant challenges. Complexity can also be a hindrance to a clear migration path, with maintaining legacy infrastructure, long-term organization strategy and cost which is always top-of-mind. Interoperability limitations also present obstacles, with en users concerned about being too dependent on any single manufacturer, managing the multiple communication protocols and dependence on support, especially for highly sophisticated IP-based physical security solutions.

For those looking for a defined migration strategy to network video, the path is muddled as well. Today there are countless manufacturers that purport to have a clear migration path toward an open architecture platform. However, there is simply no one clear migration path to network video that applies to all applications. Even though organizations such as ONVIF are working toward industry standards, the lack of interoperability in many video system products is a serious concern for planners and integrators, which is especially true when it comes to mission-critical functions. Supporting high-resolution cameras from multiple manufacturers requires significant storage and server capabilities to handle the increased bandwidth.

Best Practices: Purpose-Built, Video-Optimized
When designing or migrating toward a new IP-based physical security solution, the best servers are purpose-built and optimized for video applications. Servers need mission-critical drives with high I/O capabilities and near unconstrained workload capacity. Server configuration is vital and should include memory, storage and processor specifications that ensure optimum scalability for video. Servers should have the capacity to accommodate future growth, including the ability to record higher frame rates without dropping frames, higher resolutions and cost-effectively store video data for longer periods.

Another vital consideration is external storage, typically needed for greater than 30 TB requirements. The storage needs in a typical network video solution can be immense, with potentially hundreds or more high-resolution cameras capturing as many as thirty frames per second, operating 24×7.

The most common mistake made is to look at streaming video as just another form of data. The case for purpose-built video storage over traditional data solutions focuses on five key areas:
- Massive database size need
- I/O-intensive operations
- Intolerances of system latencies
- Constant bit-rate streaming
- Demanding operating environments , such as temperature, vibration, bit-error rate and more

Because of the intrinsic nature of streaming video, each of these five areas requires a purpose-built approach that takes into account unique needs, capabilities and system demands. There are many external storage options available, including direct attached storage (DAS), network attached storage (NAS), iSCSl, Fibre Channel and storage area networks (SAN).

An emerging trend is edge or on-board storage, which stores audio and video recordings within cameras, typically using an SD card. Edge storage is particularly beneficial for mobile security or applications that experience network connection interruptions. Edge storage is an excellent complimentary enhancement to central storage to facilitate comprehensive and seamless video coverage building additional redundancy in the solution.

Weakest Link
One often overlooked piece is the client viewing station. Many times an existing workstation or standard PC specification meant for employees is used as the client viewing station, which vary in configuration based on their originally intended purpose. However, the highly demanding needs of video requires a workstation built for continuous 24/7 performance, 365 days a year.

Purpose-built workstations for video feature higher level cooling systems, 450 watt and greater power supplies, dual Ethernet adapters (for management), server-grade processors and expanded display capabilities. Today's high-resolution graphics adapters draw from the power source, increasing impact when installing multiple adapters. The primary demands on client viewing stations are compression and process-intensive decoding in order to properly render video. And, as compression algorithms continue to evolve, the demand on workstation performance will only grow exponentially. Keeping that in mind, video processing workstations should be as future-proof as possible, with the ability to expand and scale up to support future compression algorithms.

At the end of the day the client viewing stations represents the user experience and should not be cut short only to reduce the quality and effectiveness of the entire network video station.

Going Forward
With rapid achievements in network video technology, consultants, integrators and end users are challenged with migrating away from disparate legacy systems to a more integrated, holistic approach. Migrating to a network video solution requires servers, storage and workstations that can scale and support future technologies, meet specific application challenges and allow for the development of a long-term technology continuum. By going beyond single-manufacturer systems and embracing open-architecture solutions, organizations can better meet their application requirements and provide flexibility throughout the network. Given the forecast the nearly half of all video security systems will run off network cameras by 2014, nonstandard systems will begin to underperform as systems scale. Choosing servers, storage and workstations that perform seamlessly with the network will ensure mission-critical video surveillance systems remain available and high performing.

Cloud Video in Demand?

Editor / Provider: a&s International | Updated: 7/11/2012 | Article type: Tech Corner

The cloud is a tantalizing opportunity for video surveillance. By doing away with hard disk drives (HDDs) and storing everything to the cloud, gone is the most costly and failure-prone part of a video system. IMS Research estimated the global market for video surveillance as a service (VSaaS) was worth more than US$500 million in 2011, up 25 percent from 2010. It predicts the VSaaS market could surpass $1 billion by 2014, yielding rich rewards for service providers.

Business Models
Cloud surveillance is being offered by dealers, telcos, alarm-monitoring companies and even manufacturers. Viewing is the main purpose, rather than total security, with crucial differences between each offering.

UK distributor Norbain launched a VSaaS service aimed at the small surveillance installation market of one to six cameras, or the residential and SMB market. “It is designed to be installed by a professional installer with professional equipment, but the live/playback/monitoring is to be carried out by the end user in most cases,” said Andrew Pigram, Technical Director at Norbain. “It's to make sure your camera selection is correct. Users know that alarms or any triggers are correctly positioned, so you don't get many false alarms or recorded footage with nothing on it.” Telcos have the advantage of bandwidth, making hosted monitoring a natural extension of their services. Cox Communications launched a trial security service in Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona, which has seen “good” early results. “Cox Home Security is supported by wireless and broadband infrastructure,” said Todd Smith, Director of Media Relations for Cox Communications. “Our solution includes the option of video components and broader home automation. This is a natural fit for us given our communications -- video, broadband, phone – relationship with customers already and allows them to stay connected to their homes when away.”

Manufacturers have the technical expertise and security background to distinguish their VSaaS offerings. “We previously were not a hosted video service provider, but we are now. We saw it as a natural fit for our business,” said John Smith, Senior Customer Marketing Manager at Honeywell. “We are a step below central monitoring for 24/7 monitoring. Our system is an automated system with smart analytics or sensors to detect people where they aren't supposed to be.”

Honeywell's offering has potential to be the one of the largest. It is available in North America, including the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and will be rolled out to EMEA in 2013, Smith said. An APAC offering is in development, which could make it a global cloud offering. “Honeywell is in a good position for access control, intrusion, video and full ID badging,” he said. “We hope to offer all services in the cloud.”

Pros and Cons
While VSaaS looks promising, the level of support differs greatly between offerings. Most telco packages only cover cheap webcams and merely host the video, not watch it. In the event of a fire or other emergency, the homeowner or shopkeeper will not be notified. Real-time security notification is still the trump card of central monitoring stations. However, security dealers and manufacturers offer more robust surveillance equipment and correct placement, ensuring a consistent viewing experience compared to a telco.

Who Wants Hosted Video?
Defining a target audience for VSaaS greatly affects how the final product looks. VSaaS holds far more mass-market appeal than enterprise-grade PSIM, requiring the user interface to be as intuitive and friendly as possible.

The residential market holds potential in the U.K. “The upper end of the residential market have intruder alarms in 50 percent of homes,” Pigram said. “So there's opportunity to add surveillance to those properties. It's not just for verification of alarms, but to give users information, such as of their pets left in the house and to see if they're all right.”

Most people are understandably squeamish about surveillance in their homes, which is why Honeywell focuses on business owners. “We sell it primarily in a commercial space; retail; quick service such as fast food and convenience stores; office buildings; professional buildings for doctors and chiropractors; and light manufacturing,” Smith said.

Honeywell examined market needs and found commercial users were maintaining their equipment more reactively. “With traditional video, a lot of people would go back and look back into their system, but the DVR failed, wasn't recording or the camera went out,” Smith said. “With the service, we found out customers needed to be notified when equipment wasn't working. They can know when a camera went offline, as the system can send notifications to the dealer and users.”

Business owners with multiple locations are a key target for VSaaS, which allows them to store video to the cloud, rather than buying a recorder for each shop. “You may have a chain of muffler stores, where the business owner with eight locations wants to check each location,” Smith said. “We provide a single login for the user. … We want to make it light upfront so it's not a heavy investment in equipment for the user, to lower the barrier of entry and capture RMR from these types of services.”

The target VSaaS customer will not be a large retailer or have a big security budget, but wants to view video remotely at an affordable rate. “VSaaS is OK for SME and residential customers with one to four cameras; not for corporate, but we're not seeing that market going to VSaaS,” Pigram said. “I'm less concerned in selling VSaaS to an existing market, as we're selling services to brand-new customers.”

Benefits
VSaaS is not intended to replace alarm monitoring centers, but delivers viewing anytime, anywhere. It reduces capital outlay for DVRs and NVRs, and saves maintenance cost on spinning HDDs, Pigram said. Efficiency is being touted in some offerings, but the energy savings do not equate to a payback for the service provider.

However, the mobile “always-on” world is driving uptake. “Some of the things driving hosted video for residential are consumer electronics with tablets and smartphones,” Pigram said. “The customer is happy because they can utilize something they've bought, and we're happy because we don't need to provide a viewing platform. It reduces capital outlay and clutter in the house. The end user does not need to buy a DVR and monitor.”

The cloud's visibility and availability on mobile devices benefits VSaaS. "The biggest thing I've seen driving adoption is perception," Smith said. "Social media drives services. You see content being delivered in the cloud."

Costa Rica Judiciary Relies on Milestone Protection

Editor / Provider: Milestone Systems | Updated: 6/28/2012 | Article type: Security 50

Milestone XProtect open platform IP video management software (VMS) has been implemented in more than 30 government judicial buildings in Costa Rica. The new surveillance system is the foundation for defense against violence for judicial employees to be less vulnerable to the risk of attacks in the office.

With an increase in reported violent crimes throughout Costa Rica, the prosecution of more offenders has resulted in a correlated increase of threats directed toward judicial employees in government offices around the country. Controlling all legal matters in the Central American country, more than 10,000 employees work in 31 buildings ranging in size from 1,312 – 81,200 square feet. They had previously been left vulnerable with out-of-date analog surveillance systems.

To help protect the employees and property of the Costa Rica judicial system, the government agency has implemented a highly effective solution to control the entire video monitoring infrastructure with high image quality, reliability and the ability to integrate with technology from leading security manufacturers and suppliers. Milestone XProtect Enterprise VMS was implemented for a full-scale surveillance improvement throughout the nation's government buildings.

For the new system, two types of IP network cameras were installed: the SNC-RS86N pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) day/night outdoor rapid dome camera with 36x zoom capability and H.264 data compression, and the SNC-DH180 network 720p HD vandal-resistant, fixed mini-dome camera with view-DR technology and IR illuminator – both manufactured by Sony.

Milestone XProtect Enterprise software operates through the Wide Area Network (WAN) of the organization to the monitoring centers with client stations, where administration and supervisors are located. Each building has its own local monitoring center running through a client station. In total, the system has around 30 operators.

"XProtect Enterprise has allowed government security personnel to perform intelligence work remotely, increasing the effectiveness of our human resources," states Carlos Solano, Project Development Manager at Sonivision, Costa Rica, the Milestone partner who implemented the solution. The Milestone solution offers an advanced surveillance system with top-of-the-line technology and open architecture, providing coverage of all surveillance needs through managing high-resolution, high-definition IP cameras, which would not have been possible with analog technology. Milestone XProtect Enterprise can access the video in both real time and recorded information - simultaneously.

"Milestone XProtect Enterprise has a very intuitive user interface that allows access to remote viewing of different points of interest simultaneously, as well as recordings. With the intelligent search tools we can look for evidence easily that can be quickly exported and used as evidence," stated German Rojas Monje, Security Director, Judiciary System of Costa Rica. "In addition to its powerful remote surveillance, the XProtect Smart Client interface has improved our ability to view and record events that take place both inside and outside the buildings. This has improved security and allowed us to strengthen our position against possible threats."

When the first stage of implementation was finished, operators of the system and the IT personnel who provide technical support were trained in two stages: basic training for both types of users, and one focused solely on the IT personnel in recommended practices for maintaining the XProtect Enterprise software and Sony cameras.

Solano continued: "All of the end users are in agreement – due to its graphic design and intuitive interface, it is a significant improvement for the government's security. Whether running through scheduled monitoring routines or exporting and generating video evidence, Milestone's ease of use is significantly more helpful in protecting those who serve in the justice department."

Milestone No. 1 in VMS Market Share, Again

Editor / Provider: Milestone Systems | Updated: 6/15/2012 | Article type: Security 50

Milestone Systems, the open platform company in IP video management software (VMS), maintains its position as the number one vendor for total VMS global market share in the latest report from IMS Research.

IMS Research, recently acquired by IHS Inc, has just published the ninth edition of its report: World Market for CCTV and Video Surveillance Equipment. The results are based on data from 2011. It contains comprehensive information on all suppliers providing analog and digital video surveillance components such as cameras, recording solutions, video encoders and more.

"Milestone Systems has retained the number one global position in the VMS software category in 2011. In addition to maintaining its position as the leading vendor of VMS, Milestone also grew faster than the total VMS market in 2011, recording 22 percent year-over-year revenue growth versus approximately 17 percent market growth last year," says Gary Wong, Senior Analyst at IMS Research.

The 2012 edition of this report from IMS Research forecasts that despite the weak and uncertain economic climate, the world market for video surveillance equipment will grow in excess of 12 percent in 2012. The sales of network surveillance cameras are forecast to increase from approximately 40 percent of global security camera sales revenue in 2011 to approximately 60 percent in 2016. This further illustrates the continuing progress of IP technology taking over the traditional CCTV approach to video monitoring.

"The on-going trend from analogue to network video surveillance remains unchanged, however IMS Research has moved forward its forecast for the tipping point (where network video surveillance equipment sales revenue overtake sales of analogue video surveillance equipment) by one year to 2013. This is due to acceleration in the demand for network video surveillance," states Gary Wong.

Milestone Systems has repeatedly achieved the top VMS provider ranking in market analyses over many years and is recognized in the industry for its success in leading the expansion of open platform video surveillance software. The open platform software-only business model allows installers and customers the widest choice in hardware and value-adding integrations with other systems for the most flexible solutions and highest return on investments over time.

Lars Thinggaard, President and CEO at Milestone Systems, says: "Through our ambitious strategy and execution, Milestone continues with great progress for our company and the industry as a whole. We consistently listen to market demands and explore new ways of using open platform video management software as the core of security installations. Milestone is well positioned to further reap market share, with additional offices opened around the world to service our ecosystem of partners and customers."

New LED Illuminators Range From Videotec

Editor / Provider: Submitted by Videotec | Updated: 6/14/2012 | Article type: Tech Corner

In the night video surveillance, a perfect lighting is vitally important to get a clear vision and outstanding image quality.

Videotec has created a new and complete range of LED illuminators for cctv night monitoring, using the best quality components and the latest technology. That's why the GEKO lights give full warranty of their optimal performance, high efficiency, maximum durability and cost-effectiveness.

The GEKO series of LED illuminators provides excellent lighting for night video monitoring for SD and Megapixel cameras, for distances up to 240 meters.

The GEKO lights can be used in any environment, having been tested to comply with IP66/IP67 standards. Their best operating level is guaranteed in a wide temperature range, from -50°C to 60°C, and still maintaining their long term reliability.

The wide number of models available can serve almost any kind of lighting need and deliver an optimal coverage of the area with beams widths up to 60°.

The GEKO illuminators mount the latest generation of SMD LEDs. The Surface Mounted LED technology offers benefits such as longer lamp lifespan, higher reliability and lower power consumption.

Each model is supplied with a bracket for an easy wall mounting.

These illuminators incorporate a circuit that allows them to be powered directly from a 12Vdc/24Vac or 24Vdc supply. The bigger IRN models also accept a 230Vac power input directly, without the need for an additional power supply, thus reducing installation costs.

An adjustable built-in sensor is available for automatic activation and deactivation according to the light level on the scene.

Their unique and innovative architecture has been designed with detailed care to facilitate the optimal heat dissipation and to protect internal components, while increasing their efficiency and lifetime, and drastically reducing maintenance costs.

The GEKO's average life expectancy is of 11 years. The Videotec's advanced production capability and these illuminators long lifetime allow a low power energy reducing therefore the pollution from their manufacturing. This makes the GEKOs the best environmentally friendly choice.

The GEKO illuminators have been designed for hi-security surveillance applications such as military sites, perimeter monitoring, airports, prisons, harbors, as well as residential, commercial and urban monitoring.

Secutech Int'l 2012: Industry Perspectives from Taiwan (Part 2)

Editor / Provider: a&s International | Updated: 6/19/2012 | Article type: Hot Topics

With a strong presence at Secutech in Taipei this year (April 18 to 20), Taiwanese exhibitors capitalized on home court advantage by demonstrating the latest products/solutions along with R&D prowess. As dark clouds of uncertain world economy continue to linger, hardware and software developers were eager and determined to promote more cost-effective but tailored solutions with good quality and reliability.

HI SHARP ELECTRONICS
Our new o fferings are complete HD-SDI solutions, including panoramic cameras with embedded defog function along with 1,080p resolution at 30 fps and mobile DVRs.

Our commitment to customers is to provide creative products, quality assurance and good service. Our main focus now is on HD-SDI products, and we are getting good feedback — mostly from Europe. The Southeast Asian market will be our next region of expansion in the near future. HD-SDI is just at an early adopting stage, and we believe that SDI will gain more market share with lower overall cost. We will continue promoting HD-SDI solutions and pursuing to be the No.1 provider in HD-SDI products by 2015.

Our marketing strategy is to promote new, creative products to current partners and keep finding new partners through word-of-mouth recommendations.

MERIT LILIN
We are showcasing our latest NVR series with touch screen capability. Mouse clicking and joystick moving are very “last-decade,” so we hope this new series will “touch” customers' heart.

Also, we are collaborating with Taiwanese e-learning platform design company, Mao-Lin Digital Technology. By integrating our video/audio capability with the intuitive e-learning platform, cram school students can enjoy learning even if they cannot be physically in the classroom. To meet this unique requirement from the education vertical, our WDR and HD features are quite a perfect fit.

Another unique feature is that Mao-Lin has put a QR code into video footage to prevent end users from copying or recording the video. If students try to record with their smartphone without authorization, notifications will be sent to the corresponding school or teacher.

PLUSTEK
We are demonstrating our latest hybrid recording solutions at Secutech. Our slim series features a fanless design with low power consumption, making them fit in tight corners and run silently while requiring less power than traditional DVRs and PC-based NVRs. The series is especially suitable for ATMs, transportation and traffic/city surveillance. The most challenging part was to keep everything small in size without sacrificing functionality while retaining great efficiencies in heat emissions and low power consumption. In working with numerous network camera models, the key is to maintain great relationships with camera manufacturers. Since we do not manufacture cameras ourselves, our camera partners are more willing to share their APIs.

With the overcast in Europe and North America, we are looking for more system integrators in emerging countries, such as India. To avoid price competition, we always focus on projects instead of unit-selling. By proactively attending road shows and sharing dealer/ integrator partnerships with our camera partners, we believe we are stamping a strong impression on many key local players.

QNAP SYSTEMS
On display are our full lineup of 2- to 8-drive VioStor NVR models along with the latest VS-12100U-RP Pro VioStor NVR series available in 40, 48, 56 and 64 channels with Intel quad-core Xeon E3 processors — a wide range of options to suit various needs. We feel that the current NVR market is saturated with embedded models, so we will focus more on providing high-quality NAS and CMS solutions. Our greatest strengths are our hardware reliability, heat dissipation performance, fail-over design and easy-to-use setup. We are confident that end users can complete system setup within our six steps.

While keeping steady growth in the European and North American markets, we are optimistic about the potential in Russia, South Africa and India. We have local companies with 24/7 support to meet customers' various requirements in time.

UTECHZONE
Utechzone was founded in 1992, with automated machine vision as core technology. One of our highlighted products on the show ground is the Eye Key for access control. It features the latest pupil-tracking technology, which automatically detects where the user is focusing on. Users can enter the password/code by looking at the numbers on the screen in the right sequence and unlock the door/lock, eliminating the hassles with lost or stolen keys. Applications include credit card authorizations, ATMs, bank vaults and laboratories. Our target markets at the moment are Japan and China.

VIVOTEK
We are showcasing our latest smart-stream, region-of-interest camera feature, supreme series with WDR, fisheye camera with PTZ, vari-focal features for retail applications, and a 10-megapixel trial run.

We are also demonstrating our first 5-megapixel solution, the FD8372, which has a viewing resolution of 1,080p at 30 fps. It is equipped with a smart focus system for easy installation and maintenance. Lenses with built-in stepping motors are implemented for installers to remotely control the focal length and precisely adjust the camera focus. We are very excited about the launch and are confident that many applications, such as stadiums, parking lots and industrial warehouses, will benefit from it.

ZAVIO
Our highlight this year is the latest D5210 dome camera, featuring 2 megapixels, 1,080p full HD, vari-focal auto-iris lens, removable IR-cut filter and IR LEDs. It is designed for 24/7 indoor surveillance with vivid image quality. The LEDs' working distance is up to 15 meters. The D5210 also offers PoE, micro SD local storage support and free bundled 32-channel NVR software.

Targeting home and SMB applications, our R&D is dedicated to making sure an intuitive user experience while maintaining stable and superb product quality. Whether in Europe, North America or emerging countries, we are seeing constant demand for quality products at affordable prices. We will keep focusing on meeting such demand and put forward products that best address customer needs.

Vivotek Going Vertical

Editor / Provider: Vivotek | Updated: 6/5/2012 | Article type: Security 50

Vivotek continues to invest tremendously in the transportation vertical market to continue strengthening its worldwide marketshare in 2012.

In Q1, Vivotek delivered a speech during Annual Urban Transport tradeshow, while in Q2, Vivotek exhibited at the Annual Modern Railway show. Vivotek was one of the top sponsors for both events held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Through participation in these events, Vivotek has established strong contacts with various transit authorities, urban planning professionals, and key industry players throughout Asia. Market leaders from a wide range of organizations, corporations, government entities, and many more expressed strong interest in Vivotek‘s mobile dome series, a compact, 2-Megapixel network camera product line geared toward transportation applications such as buses, trains, and other vehicles.

"We are pleased to receive such positive feedback and compliments on our mobile dome models, which we are confident that will bring great benefits to the transportation vertical market," said William Ku, Director the of Brand Business Division at Vivotek. "Vivotek takes pride in delivering high-performance products and the best solutions for members of the security industry."

The Vivotek mobile dome series currently includes MD7530, MD7560, and MD8562.

All mobile domes from Vivotek feature full EN50155 compliance & IP67-rated design, which enables the cameras to withstand shock, vibration, humidity, dust, and temperature fluctuations, maintaining stable and reliable video during vehicle movement. Furthermore, the vandal-proof metal housing effectively provides robust protection from vandalism. The tamper detection function is available on all mobile dome models as well.

Findings from IMS Research's latest report suggest the network camera market for trains and trams is forecasted to grow at over 20 percent over the next five years. The transition from analog to network video surveillance equipment is also reportedly forecasted to grow more than 7 percent in the train and tram sector.

Vivotek has recently successfully complete transportation projects in Brazil, China, Czech Republic, France, Hong Kong and Spain.

Vivotek will be exhibiting at the Transport Security Expo 2012 show in Olympia, London from November 14 to November 15 this (booth number A24). Live demonstration of Vivotek mobile domes and their applications in transportation will be available.

Icantek, KMT, Micro Digital and Nextchip Share Viewpoint of Market Strategies

Editor / Provider: Hayden Hsu | Updated: 6/4/2012 | Article type: Hot Topics

ICANTEK
The latest on display is our 2.3-megapixel, full HD (1,080p, 30 fps) camera, and we will launch our 3-megapixel model by the end of the second quarter and 5-megapixel by the end of the year. We feel that the economy is back on full swing, and we are expected to grow 100 to 200 percent this year. Today, our largest markets are in Europe (especially Spain and Eastern Europe), the U.S. and South America, and the Middle East (especially Qatar) and Russia have very high potential.

Our biggest challenge now is to continue to deliver proven and high-quality products at more competitive price points. While we work mostly with system integrators today, we are actively looking for distributors with good logistics and support networks. For the mid- to low-end market segments, we will work on smart and easy mobile apps for SMB and SOHO users.

KMT
Our overseas sales have grown 30 percent over the last year, thanks to our long-distance microwave and PIR sensors. With better recognition around the world, we are now adding wireless sensors to our portfolio. This year, we will devote more efforts and resources to Japan, to cater to their taste. In a closed market like Japan, it takes time for customers to test and accept products from foreign suppliers. One of our priorities now is to control cost while maintaining product performance and reliability. Our biggest clients are alarm-monitoring stations, and affordable reliability helps them cut down unnecessary dispatches and costs significantly (personnel and insurance).

For 2012, we expect to grow about 30 percent; in this economy, this is huge. We will focus on earthquake recovery projects, such as apartments, offices and buildings, in Japan, and strengthen our wireless offerings. We will also work on integrating our sensors with other electronics or appliances like TVs and refrigerators, for better home automation and energy management.

MICRO DIGITAL
We have both IP and SDI products. Although SDI is not very well-known and widespread at the moment, it will grow very rapidly very soon. For us, we expect the sales of IP versus SDI to be 1:1 in three years (analog to zilch). Our latest, unique feature is the UTC remote controller up the coaxial. Remote control of the on-screen display, focus and focal length is very convenient for installers; it saves cost, improves safety (no need to climb up and down) and does not require a portable monitor for on-site adjustments.

Our 16-channel SDI DVR transmits at 7 fps per channel now, and we are working to deliver 30 fps per channel in six months. SDI solutions are ready now; customers just need time to understand and adopt the technology. Our key markets are Russia, France and Italy, and we are looking to grow the Middle East, Africa and Asia. We will increase our sales revenue by 100 percent this year, and our biggest challenge is ourselves. We need to continue to provide even better products and technical support, and work with more stable and capable partners. Globally, we expect SDI to account for 20 percent of the market share in five years.

NEXTCHIP
Our key strengths lie in CCDs, ISPs, AFEs and vertical drivers. The latest on display is the high-performance 960H analog CCD ISP NVP2190, with a digital image stabilizer (for anti-vibration) and smart noise reduction and motion detection. Alongside is the 8-channel 960H DVR video decoder NVP1918.

About 10 percent of our sales come from HD (including IP and SDI); the rest is from analog products. SDI cameras are mostly OK this year; we could use more SDI DVR manufacturers, though. Japan is a promising market for SDI, but the average testing period of 1.5 to two years is making it difficult for quicker adoption of the latest technology. The U.S., Brazil and India are also our target markets.

Our No. 1 priority now is to develop more affordable, mid- to low-end HD products (both IP and SDI), as more manufacturing facilities move to developing countries for more competitive pricing, better customization/localization and lower customs levies. We will continue to work with technology partners like Grain Media and Hisilicon and sales partners with very capable FAEs.