13 December 2013

ievo signs first US biometric distributor on UKTI trip overseas

North East of England based biometric manufacturer, ievo ltd took the opportunity to join UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) on its recent Market Visit to the USA combining UKTI activities with a business meeting in Mexico with one of the biggest security distributors in the region. ievo managing director, Shaun Oakes, was contacted by UKTI Lead International Trade Adviser Simon Crosby to join the Market Visit to Los Angeles in October 2013. The trip was marked by two events organised by UKTI, a presentation on conducting business in the US and a reception held by ex-pat lawyers on different legislations and best practice for US markets and industries. After the trip Shaun Oakes commented: “With the recent ievo rebrand and launch we are now driving up biometric security interest in export markets outside of the UK where we have experienced a 100% growth rate year on year. As we now want to expand ievo into global markets taking this trip with the UKTI aided the shift from UK to understanding export legislation and business practice.” Shaun Oakes combined the trip with a visit to Mexico to sign a distributor contract with Siasa, one of Mexico’s largest biometric distributors. He explained:  “The Mexican market is prime for our biometric fingerprint readers because of the high growth they are currently experiencing due to the free trade agreements with the UK and EU. This means that for access control, there are fewer issues regarding data protection legislation.” Simon Crosby added: “The UK has strong links with the USA and with so much in common it’s an important market for us, offering plenty of opportunities for North East firms to do business. “We’re delighted to have been able to support ievo and hope its success will inspire others to follow in its footsteps. UKTI is committed to helping companies realise their global potential and earlier this month almost 680 delegates took part in Export Week events across the North East. “We will continue to build on that success with the help of our new Exporting is GREAT campaign that will be targeting almost three million people nationally to generate 3,000 appointments with UKTI’s International Trade Advisers (ITAs) and drive £1.2bn in export revenue. And with businesses earning £100,000 on average in additional sales within 18 months of working with UKTI, there is significant incentive for firms to contact us.” If you are interested in any of the ievo biometric scanners, please contact info@ievoreader.com or call 0191 296 3623. www.ievoreader.com

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ESET named ‘Best Endpoint Security Vendor’ at Reseller Hot 50 awards

ESET®, the global leader in proactive digital protection with a record of 10 years consecutive VB100 awards for its award-winning ESET NOD32® technology, has been named ‘Best Endpoint Security Vendor’ at the Reseller Hot 50 awards held in Dubai, UAE on the 4th of December, 2013. Reseller Middle East, a leading channel focused publication in the Middle East, recognized ESET as the leading provider of antivirus and endpoint security solutions with its market leading technologies and expertly enabled regional channel community. Pradeesh VS, General Manager at ESET, who accepted the award said, “It is an honour to receive the award as this title is not only acknowledgement of the capabilities of our solutions but also of our deep commitment to our channel partners in the region. Our focus on both the business and home segments has meant identifying, training and supporting partners with very different skills sets but we continue to do so extremely effectively. This award is testimony of our dedication to both our customers and partners and is a excellent close to what has been a very good business year.” Through 2013, ESET maintained its strong position in both the home user and business user segments. The company’s high performance, advanced security solutions that boast extremely low computing resource utilization resulted in continued growth in the consumer segment. The company also recently launched the ESET Technology Alliance partnership program. The aim of this initiative is to better protect businesses with a range of complimentary IT security solutions that seamlessly integrate with ESET products. This strengthens ESET’s solutions portfolio by allowing the company to add best-in-class solutions from niche security specialists. Now in its second year, the Reseller Hot 50 awards attracted key stakeholders of the region’s IT channel. According to the magazine, ‘winners were recognized for their relentless efforts in providing optimal value to their customer while simultaneously ensuring profitability for themselves and their partners’. For more information visit www.esetme.com.

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Global government surveillance reform – A UK perspective

  Global government surveillance reform – A UK perspective Earlier this year, US NSA whistleblower, Edward Snowden, released sensitive information via UK based newspaper, The Guardian. In response, the CEOs of AOL, Apple, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo wrote an open letter to Washington, dated 09 Dec 2013.  They have come together to call for a global surveillance reform; but just what is the relevance in the UK? The letter reads: Dear Mr. President and Members of Congress, We understand that governments have a duty to protect their citizens. But this summer’s revelations highlighted the urgent need to reform government surveillance practices worldwide. The balance in many countries has tipped too far in favor of the state and away from the rights of the individual — rights that are enshrined in our Constitution. This undermines the freedoms we all cherish. It’s time for a change. For our part, we are focused on keeping users’ data secure — deploying the latest encryption technology to prevent unauthorized surveillance on our networks and by pushing back on government requests to ensure that they are legal and reasonable in scope. We urge the US to take the lead and make reforms that ensure that government surveillance efforts are clearly restricted by law, proportionate to the risks, transparent and subject to independent oversight. To see the full set of principles we support, visit ReformGovernmentSurveillance.com. Sincerely, AOL, Apple, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter, Yahoo The principles supported by AOL, Apple, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo are: Limiting governments’ authority to collect users’ information Oversight and accountability Transparency about government demands Respecting the free flow of information Avoiding conflicts among governments Many of the issues raised in this letter the outlined principles are negated in the UK as all activities by British Intelligence agencies are carefully controlled by a law known as The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA). This Act sets provisions for the interception of communications, the acquisition and disclosure of data relating to communications, the carrying out of surveillance, and the use of covert human intelligence sources. It also monitors the acquisition of the means by which electronic data, protected by encryption or passwords, may be decrypted or accessed by the Security Service (MI5), the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).  It is also equally applicable to all government departments. The British Government has an independent surveillance commissioner who oversees the application of these control measures. In essence, he polices the spies, ensuring the Act is enforced. A former intelligence officer, who has worked with MI6 and GCHQ, spoke to SecurityNewsDesk on this topic, saying, “The application of RIPA is taken extremely seriously, and all of the agencies have detailed procedures in place to ensure the rules are followed meticulously. “When it comes to potentially losing an opportunity because the necessary permissions have not been signed off then the opportunity is lost.  However, procedures are now very slick to ensure this rarely, if ever happens”. When asked about the huge amounts of data collected by the government, he added, “It is all just press sensationalism.  When you walk down the street your eyes and brain are sucking in every sight, sound, and smell available, but it is only when your brain is triggered that it actually process something you are interested in and makes it a conscious thought.  It’s the same in the intelligence industry; there is so much data that it is of zero use and passes unseen unless there is something to bring that piece to your attention, and then you can only do something about it if the right legal permissions are in place.” So it would appear that there are checks and balances in place in the UK.  Perhaps RIPA is the answer to the concerns raised in the letter to the US President, and while the collective Internet CEO’s have called for the “US to take the lead and make reforms”, perhaps the UK have beaten them to it and found the appropriate solution. What do you think? Email your opinions to kirsty@securitynewsdesk.com or comment below.

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Case study: Hikvision helps London borough build extensive CCTV solution

Many people know that England has the most intensive CCTV system in the world. In the security world, at this point, it’s fairly common knowledge. In fact, it is estimated that there is one camera for every 32 people in the UK. However, what is not commonly known is that the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London has the largest “town center” CCTV scheme in the entire country. This Hammersmith Town Hall project represents a blending of public and commercial CCTV systems that ultimately compose a very large and thorough CCTV system; one that covers public space areas and public space partners to represent the entire civic community. “Public space partners can be defined as private companies that have a vested interest in the wellbeing of the community and the CCTV system that protects it,” explained John Baldwin, Managing Director at Chroma Vision Limited, the System Integrator of this project. “For example, the Chelsea Football Club is part of this CCTV solution, so public administrators are able to view Chelsea F.C.’s cameras.” This overall solution has been a steady work in progress. Yet, when it came time to choose a DVR and platform software manufacturer, Chroma Vision Limited presented Hikvision and the CCTV administrators were impressed. Gradual Improvement In fact, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham’s current CCTV system is the culmination of gradual improvement. Roughly 10 years ago, Hammersmith and Fulham began switching out existing VCR units to new DVR models. However, the council’s first attempt did not go as smoothly as it would have liked. Two years after the initial DVR units were installed, a change was in order. “Initially, the council in charge of this transition chose a different manufacturer. Simply put, this manufacturer was not as dependable and the support was not there.  As such, Hikvision was chosen because it represents a robust DVR manufacturer that supplies a networked DVR solution capable of recording all of the councils existing CCTV cameras as well as providing 100% expansion capacity. The recorders had to record high quality 4CIF images at a minimum of 12fps and allow the client to install their own Hard Drives and be license free at the point of review,” related Mr. Baldwin. Specifically, Hikvision’s DS-9116HFI-ST Standalone DVR was chosen for this job. For this specific solution, aforementioned features such as 4CIF resolution real-time recording and excellent HD storage capacity were integral towards the overall success of this project; but interestingly, it was not only physical requirements such as these that sold Hammersmith and Fulham – it was also Hikvision’s product support. This support brought confidence, and it enabled both Hammersmith and Fulham officials to build a growing, and mutually beneficial, relationship with Chroma Vision Limited. And from this growing relationship, Hikvision’s iVMS-4200 Video Management Software was also introduced. This software acts as the backbone of this overall solution. iVMS-4200 VMS works as a common platform for the DVRs and other hardware (such as cameras) that connect the police department, managers, and other administrators to the overall network. This software allows all of these individuals – set in various locations throughout West London – to use PCs to access the system. Importantly, any image deemed of interest can immediately be sent to special monitors in the central control room. These highlighted monitors, called “Monitor Walls,” allow officials in these control rooms to more easily, and efficiently, identify any potential threat and properly respond to it. Features such as multi-level user management, configurable live-view screen and multiple-screen live view options, as well as allowing all Hikvision devices to be connectable provide the necessary flexibility and individuality that helps this particular solution ultimately succeed. The Next Stage Since installing Hikvision DVRs and video management software, West London review stations have been able to route 80% of all incidents immediately to the local police department. This, in turn, has allowed CCTV operators to continue to provide active monitoring of the cameras and increase overall efficiency. In fact, in one recent case, due to this video information sharing, police were able to apprehend a murder suspect only 30 minutes after the infraction. This represents a massive improvement. Before the installation of this CCTV system, it generally took anywhere from three to seven days to achieve the same result. As earlier noted, this solution is a work in process. However, based upon this success, London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham officials and Chroma Vision Limited have further cemented their relationship. Already, Hikvision cameras are being installed to phase out existing hardware that has become obsolete. And this process is anticipated to accelerate. For more information visit www.hikvision.com.

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Sicura Systems announces management buyout in conjunction with ACT

Sicura Systems has announced it has undergone a management buyout in conjunction with Access Control Technology (ACT), the Dublin based manufacturer of access control products. This follows the demise of Sicura Systems’s parent company, Vital Services Group.
Founded in 2005, Sicura Systems has developed a niche reputation for supplying mission critical security systems to an impressive portfolio of customers, including Formula 1, Network Rail, tunnel operators, and more. Furthermore, the launch of its own hardware and software products, including network video recorder VIQUEST and the DIGI range of software, has seen the company establish a global network of distribution partners.

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Security system control more appealing with new Advisor Advanced mobile app from UTC

UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp., is giving exciting new levels of control to home and small business security system users with its new Advisor Advanced mobile app. Adding greatly to the user-appeal of both security and home automation systems, the Advisor Advanced mobile app gives customers an easy way to control what happens on their premises. It can be used to check the status of the Advisor Advanced intrusion system from any remote location. With the promise of much greater convenience and peace of mind for busy users, it can be used to remotely arm and disarm the system – for example either after they have left the premises or before they re-enter. And the new Advisor Advanced mobile app can communicate with multiple panels and be set up to allow the user to control other building functions as well, including opening doors and gates or adjusting heating and lighting. “This new smartphone app will really show customers how to get more value from their security investment,” says Mark Staples, manager, pre-sales, UTC Fire & Security UK Ltd. “It’s an exciting product to use and by giving customers easy finger-tip control it will add to the appeal of owning an advanced security system.” The smartphone app can now be downloaded from Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.advisor.advanced.pro To learn more, visit www.utcfssecurityproducts.co.uk

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