Sentry360: Working every day towards market leadership
Sentry360: Working every day towards market leadership Read More »
Could thermal imaging enhance security productivity? Enhancing the productivity of security personnel: the role of advanced imaging technology By Alex Schneider, Business Development Director (Imaging and Security), Acal BFi Security is a labour-intensive business. Ultimately, when a security threat needs to be investigated, deterred or prevented, human operators are normally required to attend the scene in person; for this most crucial element of a building’s or a space’s security system, human resources are absolutely necessary. In many other elements of a security system, however, machines can supplement, enhance or even replace the work of human operators, helping to increase their efficiency and productivity. High-performance video analytics, for instance, can cut the number of operators required to perform surveillance, and reduce the number of false alarms requiring a patrol call-out. Of course, the deployment of new technology costs money, and companies constantly face the dilemma of whether to bear the immediate cost of a capital investment for a return that will be enjoyed in the future. Now, however, thanks to recent advances in the technology of semiconductor components, an attractive security technology – the thermal imaging camera – has become markedly more affordable than it was in the past. Surely this is the opportunity that the security industry needs to dramatically increase its productivity, doing more with less, and doing it better as well? What is a productive security system? In fact, the application of the concept of productivity in the security industry is not as simple as it is in other industries. For a car manufacturer, productivity is easy to understand: if it improves factory operations so that its output rises to 1,100 cars a day, while employing the same number of workers which previously produced only 1,000 cars a day, it has improved productivity by 10%. But how can the ‘output’ of a security installation be increased? In fact, the output of a security installation such as a perimeter fencing system should be a negative: the total absence of intrusion events, because intruders have either been detected and their attempts thwarted, or because potential intruders were deterred by defences before ever embarking on an attempt. So the most ‘productive’ perimeter installation is one that achieves the objective – zero successful intrusions – with the smallest staff. Without a wholesale reinvention of the work of the security guard, the best way to increase staff productivity is to increase the effectiveness of the tools the workers use. And one of the most promising way to do this today is to replace conventional ‘visible’ (CCTV) cameras with the latest thermal imaging technology. Better prevention of intrusion A thermal camera increases a security system’s output – that is, it cuts the number of successful intrusion events – because it enables the earlier and more reliable detection of potential intruders. This is an inherent result of the differences between the nature of the infra-red (IR) radiation sensed by a thermal camera and the visible light radiation sensed by a CCTV camera. A thermal camera can detect IR emissions through leaves, fabric and other objects that obstruct visible light. So a potential intruder hiding from a CCTV camera behind bushes, for instance, will be seen by a thermal camera (see Figure 1). The thermal camera is also able to render meaningful images of intruders at a longer distance than a visible camera can. Providing fewer places to hide and earlier detection of intruders, the thermal imaging system will deter more intrusion attempts from being launched, and enable the earlier interception of those which do take place. A thermal camera also works perfectly in weather conditions that disable a visible camera: fog, smoke, haze, rain and snow are much less of an impediment to the operation of a thermal camera. So many intrusion events that would have been masked by these phenomena will be reliably detected by a thermal imaging camera. Doing more with less The thermal imaging system, then, produces a higher ‘output’ – and it can do so with fewer staff. That’s because thermal cameras complement today’s video analytics software far better than visible cameras do. Thermal cameras have very favourable characteristics: the image is stable and consistent at all times of day and night. By contrast, a visible camera’s output is strongly affected as the lighting changes from bright sunshine, to overcast conditions in daylight, and to artificial light at night. the outlines of potential intruders are clear, and unobscured by partial obstructions such as leaves on trees that break up the outline displayed by a visible camera the image is reliable. It is very difficult to fool a thermal camera, while camouflage techniques are used successfully by intruders to avoid detection by eye. This means that a video analytics system using images from a thermal camera will achieve far more reliable recognition of potential intruders’ body shapes. Crucially, it will then produce fewer false alarms. This means that operators can with confidence reduce or redeploy the personnel who are traditionally employed to continuously monitor CCTV display screens, and benefit from the reduction in the amount of time wasted by patrol staff on fruitless call-outs. Falling investment cost The technology of thermal imaging, then, might be highly effective. But is it not also esoteric and expensive, putting it out of the financial reach of all but the most lavishly resourced security operations? Not so. The semiconductor industry has performed the magic of increasing its products’ performance while reducing their price. So, where once a single thermal imaging camera would have cost more than £10,000/$15,000, units are now available at a cost of just £2,000/$3,000 (see Figure 2). These thermal cameras offer superior performance and longer range than visible cameras costing a typical £300/$450, so that security operators can often install one thermal camera where previously multiple visible cameras would have been required (plus high-power lighting for operation at night). As a result, the economics of surveillance have shifted, and the combination of the lower unit cost, superior performance and analytics compatibility have swung
Could thermal imaging enhance security productivity? Read More »
There are many in the security industry that are drawing comparisons between a Video Management System (VMS) and Physical Security Information Management (PSIM) technology believing them to be one and the same. Yet to do so is largely because of a lack of understanding of the roles that they play and each of the system’s functionality. A ‘typical’ video surveillance solution comprises cameras, a network infrastructure, a storage solution, and software for ‘managing’ the system – i.e. to view live and recorded video. A browser can be used to view live video from a camera, but for handling recording and other video functionality in the system, a VMS is required, installed on the same or separate PC. True integration PSIM integration provides a number of benefits to companies, including enhanced reliability and fail over, increased control, improved situation awareness and management reporting. A PSIM solution can go beyond security applications which gives it scalability, adaptability into the future and hence a positive ROI. PSIM, is not limited to video, it provides a single integrated ‘dashboard’ for a number of disparate systems on a single platform. Building management systems, electronic security, CCTV, fire safety devices and ANPR for instance can be monitored and controlled. Whilst VMS systems can integrate these systems the level of control tends to focus on CCTV and functionality is lacking for the third party interfaces as these are classed as secondary systems. Furthermore if you lose the VMS all integration is lost. The PSIM software operates as a standalone platform over LAN or WAN networks for remote and local sites with workstations that have automatic redundancy transferring control to any operating security control room on the network. This offers the end user flexibility when closing down sites or buildings for off-peak or out of normal working hours or in the unlikely event of any system failures. A true PSIM system is product agnostic and treats all interfaces as equal with common control so training and operation of the system is intuitive and user friendly whilst offering high levels of interfaced functionality. PSIM and VMS of course have complementary roles: PSIM depends on video supplied by a VMS system, but a PSIM system cannot record video, nor is it a substitute for a VMS. It doesn’t manage video at all as such – it manages incidents. ISM’s PSIM solution, Genesys, allows the integration of multiple systems from multiple manufacturers – all from one holistic integrated security system. Most importantly, it features Migrating 3+ technology, a patented automatic failover technology that adds higher levels of automatic configurable redundancy and power. Control is effectively distributed across multiple workstations: It takes power to your PC and multiplies it by the number of PCs on your network. This means that if one PC fails, control is migrated to another PC seamlessly, with no interruption or downtime. Genesys is therefore not restricted in its performance by the size or capability of a server, nor does it require the expense of moving to server farms or utilising clustering software. Genesys is a ‘true’ PSIM system built around intuitive software that combines a range of industry leading features and benefits including an enhanced graphical user experience and 3-D modelling and a comprehensive event management database. Events and alarms are presented to the operator clearly as and when they happen. The clue, in many ways, is in the name: VMS is effectively limited to the management of video. For true integration of multiple technologies, however, PSIM provides the answer.
Debunking the PSIM vs VMS myths Read More »
Vectra Networks expands into EMEA Recently named tech-startup-of-the-year sees enterprise security gap drive 596 percent YoY growth as it expands operations to support global customer base Vectra® Networks, an innovator in real-time detection of in-progress cyber-attacks, has announced the completion of its initial European business expansion following 12 months of accelerated sales growth and adoption of its innovative Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) solution. Vectra has established a dedicated European presence, with a local headquarters based in Pfaffikon, Switzerland, a logistics hub in Amsterdam and a dedicated European leadership team. Vectra Networks has redefined security with its software platform that instantly identifies cyber attacks while they are happening, as well as what the attacker is doing. Vectra software prioritises attacks that pose the greatest business risk, enabling organisations to quickly decide where to focus their time and resources. Vectra uses data science, machine learning and behavioural analysis to detect attacks on every device, application and operating system. The company has achieved strong financial and sales performance, and key business achievements over the past year, earning recognition from prestigious industry groups, publications, analyst firms and awards programmes. The company has also seen growth in its channel activities, signing new resellers to support its European expansion. Business highlights for the year include: Customer deployments passed 120 worldwide Vectra Networks established sales and technical teams for the UK, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with a dedicated European management team Appointment of Gerard Bauer as vice president for EMEA, bringing deep experience gained through senior roles at Riverbed Technologies and NetApp Included in the list of Cool Vendors in Security Intelligence, 2015 report by Gartner Won the Gold Award for Tech Start Up of the Year alongside three other American Business Awards recognising product and technology innovation Vectra Networks also recently published its second edition of the Post-Intrusion Report that showed a surge in indicators of cyber attackers spreading throughout networks “Vectra Networks is a promising next step toward a more secure infrastructure. It automatically triages threat detections, and intuitively guides security professionals to the most urgent, highest-risk infections. Any organisation that wants to increase its overall level of cyber security would be well served to take a closer look at Vectra Networks.” said Tony Palmer, senior lab analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group. Customers that use Vectra Networks’ software include leading Internet services such as Pinterest, enterprise technology vendors including Riverbed, healthcare provider Jackson Health System, and utility operator Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association. “Solutions such as firewalls, intrusion prevention system (IPS) and intrusion detection systems (IDS) guard you only so far. Once a hacker has gotten in, we as users are often blind to what’s happening. The Vectra Networks solution enables me to see the end-to-end process of how attacks happen from initial inception through to the end game and then take decisive action. It is the missing link in our security strategy.” said Connie Barrera, CISO of Jackson Health System. The company recently introduced its scalable architecture enabled by the new S-series sensor. Vectra is the industry’s first threat detection platform that extends automated real-time cybersecurity scanning and visibility into all corners of an organisation, including previous blind spots such as remote sites and internal network segments. “We’re delivering a disruptive new approach to network security, automating threat management and simplifying the detection of threats before they result in the loss or destruction of data. The last year has uniquely positioned us to capture an even greater share of the global security and APT market and our expansion into EMEA will ensure that we can effectively support customers globally.” said Gerard Bauer, vice president of EMEA at Vectra Networks. [su_button url=”http://www.vectranetworks.com/” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#df2027″ color=”#ffffff” size=”10″ radius=”0″ icon=”icon: arrow-circle-right”]Click here for more on Vectra Networks[/su_button]
Vectra Networks expands into EMEA Read More »
Catalyst Alliance expands Dimension Data/EMC partnership. New strategic collaboration simplifies and accelerates transition to hybrid cloud for mid-size enterprise organisations Dimension Data and EMC announced the Catalyst Alliance, a strategic market development initiative designed to speed the adoption of hybrid cloud as a platform for transformation for the mid-size enterprise. Through the Catalyst Alliance both organisations will make investments to develop and jointly market and sell solutions that allow clients to realise value from business strategies based on hybrid cloud and enable them to adopt new technology while managing risk. Through the new initiative, Dimension Data and EMC plan to deliver clients comprehensive solutions that span private cloud on or off premises, public and hybrid cloud including advanced managed services for storage. Catalyst Alliance solutions feature flexible consumption based pricing models on storage, cloud and managed services. To ensure client success, a dedicated team of sales, technical and marketing specialists from Dimension Data and EMC will align client workloads and applications to the best solutions. “For many organisations, ‘hybrid cloud’ is a consequence of uncoordinated cloud investments rather than a strategy for getting more from their cloud investments,” noted Rick Villars, Vice President of Datacenter & Cloud Research at IDC. “Partnerships like Dimension Data and EMC’s Catalyst Alliance that facilitate companies’ cloud time-to-value while reducing the risk of disruption in IT operations will help companies move from beyond simply having a hybrid set of clouds to enacting a sound, diversified cloud strategy.” Stephen Smith, Chief Technology Officer, Lennar Corporation explained: “Among the vendors that we deal with there is a complex web of partnerships and alliances. As a company, we like to see companies working together that create additional value for Lennar. The partnership between EMC and Dimension Data is a great example of a partnership that delivers additional value.” Steve Nola, Dimension Data’s Group Executive for IT-as-a-Service, said: “The Catalyst Alliance will help clients realise the benefits of hybrid cloud that will be used to serve core business applications anywhere in the world. We like EMC’s commitment to disruptive innovation to help clients navigate IT transformation. By combining EMC’s technology leadership with Dimension Data’s extensive services portfolio and global reach, clients are able to accelerate their growth, creating value for their customers and financial returns for their shareholders.” Jay Snyder, Senior Vice President, Global Alliances at EMC Corporation, said: “Customers are being challenged with changing business models and more technology choices than ever before. This disruption is creating transformational opportunity. Businesses across all industries are swiftly moving to reinvent themselves for a new Digital Age, where technology is used to grow, innovate, enhance customer relationships and make employees more productive. This alliance will enable those transformations both through scale and speed.” Luciano Dalla Riva, General Manager at SEC Servizi said: “The combined expertise of Dimension Data and EMC, with their vast global footprint, provides our organisation with the ability to accelerate our journey to the cloud. We will continue to look to both organisations as our trusted advisors.” Ways to Connect Dimension Data on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter EMC Corporation on Twitter (@EMCCorp and @EMC_News), LinkedIn and Facebook [su_button url=”http://www.dimensiondata.com/Global/Solutions/Cloud/” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#df2027″ color=”#ffffff” size=”10″ radius=”0″ icon=”icon: arrow-circle-right”]For more on Cloud Computing click here[/su_button]
Catalyst Alliance expands Dimension Data/EMC partnership Read More »