For those who follow our Twitter feed – go see @SecNewsDesk straight after reading this if you don’t – you will have seen our new daily countdowns.
Every morning we have been publishing a countdown of the top three stories on SecurityNewsDesk.com from the day before. On a daily, and also weekly, basis you can now see what has been grabbing the industry’s attention.
Over the last seven days, one topic that has garnered attention and stoked debate has been the British Security Industry Association’s new report into CCTV camera numbers in the UK. The report claims there are between 4 million and 5.9 million CCTV surveillance cameras across Britain, a figure accounting for all cameras regardless of whether they are public-facing or not.
Camera numbers has been a topic of great debate for years and many different reports have come back with wildly different figures. Previous estimates have ranged from 1.85 million to 4.2 million, but they have tended to focus solely on public-facing cameras.
The BSIA claims this latest research is the most comprehensive report into camera numbers in the UK to date, conducted using more complex methodology than previous studies. However, with such a wide range of estimates then there always remains scope for continued discussion.
Last Friday, SecurityNewsDesk were lucky enough to be invited to Amsterdam to see Panasonic announce the acquisition of cloud-based video solutions provider Cameramanager.com. High up in the Rembrandt Tower, the awaiting media heard how Panasonic were excited about entering ‘the cloud’ and expanding its services across Europe.
Cameramanager.com manages 40,000 total cameras and has customers across Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Brazil, Latvia, Russia and Turkey. For Panasonic, it is an exciting time as it attempts to make its cloud-based product portfolio more appealing and looks to forge a place in the increasingly demanding area of cloud services.
In potentially graver news, a study released by Plimsoll into the financial health of the UK’s largest 1,000 security companies issued what could be seen as a stark warning to the industry.
The research claimed that one in five of them require an urgent survival plan if they are to continue to trade and avoid being forced out of the market. With the study identifying 201 of the 1,000 largest firms as operating “under financial pressure”, it shows how even the biggest companies are facing an uncertain future due to the international financial climate.
It also leads you to ponder how many smaller businesses across Britain are facing a bleak time ahead. The increasingly competitive security market is going through a period of great change and times are tough for companies of all sizes. The next few years are going to be make-or-break for scores of businesses.
And finally, yesterday the BSIA held their annual lunch at which they handed out their Security Personnel Awards, Apprentice Installer Awards, along with special awards to six cash-in-transit couriers for outstanding courage. Security Media salutes all the winners, and all those nominated, for their hard work and achievements over the last 12 months.
