Latest News Archives - Page 19 of 19 - Security Buyer Magazine

SIA aiding the industry

Security Buyer talks exclusively with Don Erickson, CEO, Security Industry Association (SIA) to discover his perspective on the covid-19 pandemic and the future security landscape. SIA provides training and advice, how are you helping guide members during this time? In the very early days of the pandemic, SIA quickly pivoted to delivering a substantial amount of online content to help guide members during this unprecedented period. We have accelerated the development of online courses and published research that has helped members to increase their sales, onboard employees, harden their products and systems, stay abreast of federal financial assistance available to businesses; all while also facilitating introductions for our members to potential channel partners through innovative programs. SIA has launched SIAcademy LIVE! e-learning programs, which cover specialised topics like how to do business with the government, how to optimise challenging parts of your integration business, cybersecurity training for physical security pros and even technical training on video and access control systems. With the shift to remote working, do you think e-learning and digital training will continue post-covid? There is no question that business owners have gained a deeper appreciation for the cost efficiencies associated with virtual learning and that digital transformation of many education programs has occurred more quickly than expected. When possible, security professionals will return to valuable in-person experiences and learning environments at events such as ISC West, of which SIA is the premier sponsor and leads the development of its conference program known as SIA Education@ISC. In-person instruction and workshops offered at ISC West and virtual learning opportunities offered by SIA will continue together. As individuals seek professional advancement, they will place greater emphasis on blended content delivery offered through both in-person opportunities such as ISC West workshops and virtual courses including the online SIA Cornerstones Learning Series and Security Project Management (SPM) courses. How do you think the industry has tackled the Covid-19 crisis? This industry never wavered in its determination to fulfil the mission of protecting people, property and assets during the pandemic period. In my more than 15 years at SIA, I have not witnessed a more cohesive mobilisation of business earlier behind a single cause than when more than 500 business leaders worked together earlier this year to secure “essential worker” status. The proliferation of new products introduced in the past year, many of which were recognised during the virtual SIA New Product Showcase (NPS) program, demonstrated that innovation by SIA manufacturer members never slowed down and continued to drive industry financial health. During this pandemic and period of racial unrest, our industry consistently recognised the heroes among us—first responders, teachers, members of the military and health care professionals. Read more on the Security Buyer website.

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The future of ONVIF

Latest News / Ghyslaine Cordrey

Security Buyer talks exclusively to the new Chairman of ONVIF Steering Committee, Leo Levit, about how his experience and background with contribute to the future of ONVIF The future of ONVIF Leo Levit has spent many years in the technology innovation and product management fields. Beginning with a master’s degree in Electronic Engineering, his professional career has included multiple positions in several multinational companies such as Ericsson and Sony. During Leo’s 20+ year career, he has contributed to technology adoption in the telecommunication, security and video analytics fields. Leo is currently the Director of System Integration at Axis Communications AB. Could you explain a bit about your background and what that brings to ONVIF? My career in the industry began at the age of 18, when I worked for an integrator – setting the stage for my continued interest in security technology. Since then, I’ve served in leadership and business management roles within the technology field and am currently Director of Systems Integration at Axis Communications, which speaks directly to matters of interoperability and technology development and innovation. Prior to this role I was Global Product Manager of Analytics Solutions at Axis. I look forward to combining my technical background, along with my experience in product management, marketing, and sales with my interest in leadership, in this new role with ONVIF. As the new Chairman for ONVIF, do you have any plans for the organisation? My focus for ONVIF in the near term is to continue our momentum of developing profiles and solutions that support our members and our industry. These solutions need to not only address current needs but also reflect the changing landscape of our industry and the influences from the larger technology sector that ultimately impact our safety and security technologies and solutions. Looking further down the road, we will continue our ongoing evaluation of how our strategy can and should adapt to ensure that ONVIF will continue to be relevant and meet global demands for interoperability. As technology has advanced dramatically this past year, do you think interoperability will play a bigger role? I strongly believe interoperability has a critical role today and will be even more important in the future. For example, in the past year, many organisations have been tasked with adding bespoke solutions to satisfy pandemic safety measures, including crowd management, social distancing and face mask detection technologies. Open platforms can help organisations in creating a more holistic, intelligent and sustainable system that is flexible and based on changing user needs. As the economy continues to shift and move, the aging ‘build once and maintain forever’ mindset becomes even more impractical, with interoperability key to security and safety technology’s expanding role as a tool to manage broader operational and business processes. These trends have paved the way for these mainstream use cases to be realised, opening up opportunities to reach more vertical markets and new use cases, aided by cloud, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and video analytics. ONVIF, as such, isn’t the whole solution, but it does offer opportunities for the integrator community to help solve those issues brought on by the pandemic. Read more on the Security Buyer website.

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Health & Wellbeing connects with High Security

Latest News / Ghyslaine Cordrey

Vincent Dupart, CEO, STid talks to Security Buyer about the latest trends in the access control industry and the future landscape of technology The access control market is taking a decisive turn towards contactless identification to protect people even more. STid, leading developer of high security contactless identification solutions, designs identification products and solutions for high security access control and Automatic Vehicle Identification. Vincent Dupart, STid’s CEO shares his vision about the latest trends within the Access Control market. How has Covid-19 changed the access control landscape? The health situation is seriously disrupting our lifestyle. We’re all aware of the need to mitigate the risk of infection. it’s up to us to offer innovative solutions that address public health issues! We must turn the changes brought about by this situation into new challenges. The potential of the smartphone, an already essential item of our daily lives, offers new perspectives and creates new uses. What are the benefits of contactless access control? Not only do contactless technologies reduce the risk of contagion but they add value both for users and for companies looking for secure solutions that allow simplified and secure management of their access control. The smartphone, our greatest personal device, becomes the access control key thanks to its operational effectiveness, flexibility, efficient access and intuitiveness. Solutions such as STid Mobile ID offer new keys to access control. STid Mobile ID digitalises all your access credentials or cards into one single mobile application. The system manages physical employee access and visitor access. When the smartphone is switched-on and even during phone calls, it becomes a means of identification that uses several different modes. For companies, one virtual card is between two and five times cheaper than a physical card. No more consumables, printing and personalisation costs, recycling expenses or costs incurred when cards are lost or damaged. The solution offers economies of scale and higher operational efficiency, all in an eco-friendly package. Could you explain what ‘instinctive security’ means? STid’s success is based on our ability to combine two contradictory needs: the requirement for flawless security from Security Departments and the necessity for a seamless user experience by removing identification restraints. With STid, access control becomes instinctive and guarantees data protection. For example, with STid Mobile ID we offer new modes of identification to allow users contactless entry choices and simplicity. STid’s innovative solutions ensure that access control is no longer seen as a constraint. STid Mobile ID is now compatible with SIRI on iOS to effortlessly open doors. With a simple “Hey Siri, open the door!”, you can pair your iPhone’s voice command with STid Mobile ID to achieve perfect contactless access! An efficient way to merge high security and health protection measures. All our access control solutions are futureproofed and can easily adapt and evolve to our end-customer needs. How do you ensure innovation in a continuously evolving market? STid’s vision is to create products and solutions that grow with ever-changing security needs. With COVID-19, the “unexpected” has abruptly changed customer’s needs. STid is especially well-positioned to address these new challenges. We rise to such challenges on a daily basis and our high security Architect Reader range exceeds expectations. Our readers can evolve by simply adding Biometric, QR-Code and Multi-technology modules to meet current demands for additional functionality and safety. Read more on the Security Buyer website.

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The association on the front line

Latest News / Ghyslaine Cordrey

Security Buyer catches up with Simon Pears, Chair, International Professional Security Association (IPSA) to discuss front line security and the future landscape The International Professional Security Association (IPSA) is a membership association for individuals and companies working in the security and fire sector. The Association was formed over 60 years ago to ensure professionalism in the management of security operations. IPSA as an established and recognised worldwide professional organisation, provides, in accordance with growing demand, a specialised unrivalled service to industry/commerce. IPSA offers membership to those employed in the security sector and to those companies who supply services or materials used in connection with Fire & Security activities. IPSA aims to support front line officers & technicians by promoting their essential role to the wider industry and to government departments, as well as establishing and encouraging the science and professional practice of industrial and commercial security and all operations and expedients connected therewith while fostering ethical and professional standards of work. Security Buyer sits down with Simon Pears, Chair of IPSA. Simon Pears is a Chartered Security Professional (CSyP), which he gained in December 2013 – that is, one of the earlier holders of that certification – and has been an IPSA board member since 2012. How do you think the Coronavirus pandemic has impacted the industry, and how have you been guiding your members? Our members are essential workers…you only have to check to see the impact. These men and women have done an amazing job. We owe them our gratitude. Which is why we completely changed our business model to offer security professionals working on the frontline free membership of IPSA. Security has shown itself to be a highly resilient service throughout the pandemic and we need to remember this once the pandemic is over. Our front line teams have been operating everyday to ensure businesses can trade and security roles in keeping people safe and secure has never been more important. We need to make sure this is not forgotten once people start to resume their normal activities. With COVID-19, have you been able to deliver training and learning virtually? In the Front-line Forum this issue became one of the questions asked by Matt Card, Acctive Security Systems. As a result, we carried out research and produced a report outing relevant information pertaining to the front-line. We have significantly expanded our sharing via social media and making sure front line teams keep the focus and we fully expect that when restrictions are lifted, virtual sessions will remain as it has been proven to be successful and efficient. You have become the voice for front line security operatives, how is this an important aspect of the sector? For the first time it is not a case of theory and research…we are doing the doing. The front-line is represented by the FLF (Front-line Forum and they are the voice. At IPSA we work towards the professionalising and developing people on the frontline. We do this by listening to the things that are important to the people that actually do the job. We listen to them, not the theory or ideology of what should be, but what is. We want to be trusted as the voice of the front-line. We are offering the opportunity to become a member of an established trade association with all the professional benefits of certification and the use of a post-nominal to signify you belong to a professional trade association – completely free of charge to the front-line. To ensure we stay aligned and relevant, the Chair of the FLF, who is a front line security officer, is part of the IPSA Management Board. This is a true difference with IPSA. Read more on the Security Buyer website.

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