IDIS: “Our fifth appearance at IFSEC will be extra special as we will be celebrating our 20th anniversary”
Ahead of IDIS’s fifth appearance at industry trade show IFSEC, Security News Desk caught up with IDIS Europe Senior Sales Manager, Jamie Barnfield, about what visitors can expect on the company’s stand this year, as well as its latest developments and upcoming anniversary celebrations.
Last year at IFSEC you launched the ‘world’s most extensive H.265 line’, what are you showcasing this year and what should visitors be most looking forward to seeing?
This year visitors to the IDIS stand G700 can expect to find out why “it’s not the same, it’s IDIS”. We will showcase an even more extensive H.265 line-up that includes our new 12MP Super Fisheye camera, a new iteration of the incredibly popular 5MP version that features dual-side and super smooth dewarping. In addition, we’ll be unveiling our most powerful NVR the DR-8364D, which has been shortlisted in the PSI Magazine Premier Awards 2017 finals and features 900Mbps throughput, dual PSU for redundancy, IDIS Smart Failover technology, and world-leading compression technology, IDIS Intelligent Codec that provides hybrid H.265/H.264 performance and when combined with MAT delivers up to 90% savings on storage and bandwidth.
Other innovations include IDIS LightMaster, a premier low-light camera that provides enhanced visibility when compared to standard industry offerings using pioneering defogging and light-enhancing settings through IDIS Center™, totally cost-free video management software (VMS) that brings cutting edge technology, intuitive controls and analytics together.
We’ll also be unveiling IDIS Smart UX Controls v2.0, recognised as a 2017 Benchmark Magazine Innovation Awards Finalist as well as a PSI Magazine Premier Awards 2017 finalist, this is a new and improved offering over the decorated first iteration of IDIS Smart UX controls, adding “Quick Controls” to its super smooth “Rubberband” and “Slingshot” PTZ tracking, allowing for intuitive control and rapid dewarping.
And of course, visitors to IDIS stand G700 can expect to see our flagship DirectIP™ offering, a true plug-and-play solution that eliminates the complexity of installing and operating networked surveillance systems as well as our full DirectCX line-up, which is an advanced HD-TVI range that allows customers to leverage coax while still benefiting from high performance full-HD.
What is the purpose of your presence at the show? What are you hoping to achieve?
This will be our fifth appearance at IFSEC and it will be extra special as we will be celebrating our 20th anniversary. For the past two decades, our focus at IDIS has been to constantly improve upon common industry offerings, finding new and innovative ways to provide our customers with a Total Solution that is differentiating us from our competitors. We continue to do so through enhancing ease of use, ensuring higher performance functionality, while guaranteeing an industry-leading low total cost of ownership and in doing so demonstrate to customers how “it’s not the same, it’s IDIS”. 
IFSEC also brings the entire security buying chain under one roof, so it gives us the ability to introduce our entire Total Solution to a wide range of visitors from distributors, integrators, consultants and end users as well as inviting existing customers to come see our latest innovations. In addition, the show attracts media from across world allowing us to communicate with the market exactly what IDIS can do and offer.
At Intersec in January you recognised customers and media partners by presenting awards at the show. Is there anything particularly special that customers can look forward to this year?
Absolutely, we very much want our customers and partners to be part of our 20th anniversary celebrations. We have organised a press briefing during the show where we will explain the history of IDIS and why the company has been at the forefront of surveillance for the last two decades. During the event, we will indeed award both customers across Europe and our media partners for their collaboration and partnership approach that have made the last twenty years such a success that has seen IDIS grow into the largest video surveillance manufacturer in South Korea.
Is there anything at IFSEC that you are particularly looking forward to seeing – other products/brands/technology that has particularly impressed you?
IFSEC is always a great networking opportunity. We now integrate with a range of other manufacturers and software solutions such as Gallagher, Genetec, Lenel, Maxxess, Milestone and Redvision to name but a few. So IFSEC also provides me and the IDIS team to visit our partners and see all their latest innovations and look at how we can work together moving forward.
In addition, there are some interesting presentations that I will be hoping to catch and I’m also a big fan of drones, so I’ll be sure to drop by the Drone Zone!
What are the latest developments in surveillance technology more widely and where do you think the industry is headed?
Analytics are definitely becoming more and more important and as such make a security buy less of a grudge purchase as it gives not just security operatives useful insights, but benefits other departments particularly in the retail sector. This is exactly why we are launching VA in the Box, which is becoming incredibly popular with our retail customers. As with all IDIS products, its plug-and-play, so easy and quick to install and provides people counting, queue management, heatmaps and analytical reporting allowing retailers to learn more about their customers, behaviours and needs.
The same can be said with ANPR, which why IDIS teamed up with specialist imaging software company 4Sight Imaging to develop a simple plug-and-play solution that has industry leading levels of accuracy over a wide range of operating conditions. IDIS ANPR/LPR is also powered by self-configuring adaptive modelling technologies to ensure extremely high performance and reliability, meaning that as conditions or weather changes integrators do not have to constantly reconfigure the system, making it both cost-effective for installers, while ensuring a low total cost of ownership for end users.
I think we are also likely to see concerns around IoT and cyber security remain hot topics on the security agenda. It’s important that organisations look to security technologies that make hacking much more difficult. IDIS devices, such as NVRs, use a proprietary embedded Linux – i.e. not off-the-shelf – on which only authorised network modules can run, and IDIS does not allow any third-party apps to run inside our cameras. Since we leverage proprietary protocols, this makes them very difficult to exploit. IDIS has also developed proprietary file structures, whereas some manufacturers use Windows or off-the-shelf Linux, another example of how we harden network resilience. Even a common network module, such as our HTTP/HTTPS server, is a proprietary implementation, which will make many known attacks ineffective.
IDIS also uses industry standard SSL/TLS when communicating across a network as well as the encryption of login details, IP filtering, IEEE 801.1x and TLS/SMTP. In addition, many security professionals have concerns that manufacturers can access an end user’s system. With IDIS technology, users’ passwords are encrypted. For example, if an administrative account password for an NVR is lost, then there is no way to reset it, even by IDIS engineers who designed the system. Unlike other manufacturers, IDIS does not use ‘back doors’. These ‘back doors’ are typically used to gain access and provide remote customer support. However, they can also spur fears of espionage. There are recovery options with IDIS systems, but these need to be set up by the installer when the system is implemented. So, for the sake of network security, IDIS cannot access any of its own installed systems.
Finally, with so many vendors/companies setting up their own roadshows and special customer events, do you think trade shows can continue to thrive in the medium- to long-term? Being a South Korean company with perhaps limited access to frequent contact to European customers, how important are European trade shows for the brand?
Yes, as it’s these exhibitions that firstly bring a huge number of the security buying chain under one roof and gives manufacturers the space to show their entire line up, which is much more difficult at local roadshows and special events. Plus, Europe is a very strategic region for IDIS and we have distribution and integration partnerships set up in most major European countries.
And indeed, when we exhibit at shows like IFSEC, Intersec and ISC West our headquarters executive, product planning and R&D teams will come out to meet with local customers and understand their evolving needs and this helps drive our product roadmap. This is particularly is pertinent as 46% of IDIS employees are engaged in R&D with the company annually reinvesting 10% of turnover into R&D. So, as well as R&D being a major focus to ensure we continue to drive innovation in the industry, it also helps deepen relationships with the teams from headquarters with our local customers.
Having said that, there are also benefits to executing local events and we are continuing to do more of these type events across all our strategic regions including the UK, Germany, the US and Middle East as there is often more of an opportunity to develop customer intimacy that can be garnered at local events rather than at more hectic and major exhibitions. However, both types of events make up part of the strategic IDIS marketing and public relations mix.
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