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noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 23:00:00 +0000

How To Beat Your Limited Public Safety Budget

“You know how it is, budgets are tight.”

If I had $3.2million for every time I heard that phrase coming from a law enforcement executive, I’d have a heck of a lot more money in the bank than I do today. Budgets are tight everywhere, and it doesn’t really look like it’s going to let up any time soon. Realistically, we’re probably looking at several more years of this sort of economic struggle. I’ve heard the optimistic and naïve say that we’ll be clear of this in 12 months, and I’ve heard the doomsday crowd preach that it will never turn around. Then again, they are also saying that the whole world is going to end in 2012, so I guess a
weak economy is the least of our problems.

With foreclosures on the rise, unemployment creeping up, and inflation knocking on our door, law enforcement and public safety budgets are feeling the crunch. Tax revenues are down, and with gas at four bucks a gallon, it costs more and more to keep those patrol cars on the road. Obviously, this isn’t the time to spend precious resources on fancy doodads like surveillance cameras, license plate recognition systems, and gunshot detection, right?

Wrong.

(You knew I was going to go there.)

To the Monday morning city council member, the solution to the budget crunch is to simplify and get back to basics: a cop with a badge and a gun in a car on the move. It’s cheap, simple, and effective, right? Not so much. Let’s break that all down. If you add up salary and benefits, overtime equipment and maintenance, liability and other insurances, facilities, supplies, and every other consumable that an officer goes through, that officer will easily cost the city government $125k per year or more. Sometimes, a lot more. Let's look at a 25,000 resident suburban town on the east coast with about 140 sworn officers. They are spending tens of millions of dollars a year on law enforcement, and they have one of the highest homicide rates per capita of any city in the nation. 95% of the crime in the city is centralized in 2 square miles. You could, quite literally, put an officer at every major intersection and most of the minor intersections. Of course, the citizens are screaming for more cops, more cars, and a bigger presence on Monday, and yelling for lower taxes on Tuesday. What to do, what to do….

I’m going to tell you what this town is doing. Six officers are retiring this year, and they will not be replaced. It’s reasonable to believe that three or four more will leave due to basic attrition, and these will not be replaced. The savings that are realized here, plus a nice injection of grant money, has given this city about $1.6million in “found money”. With this money, they are deploying gunshot detection across their high crime area, backed by integrated wireless surveillance cameras, and fixed license plate recognition cameras on the major entrances and exits to the area, as well as along major thoroughfares. Additionally, fixed license plate recognition cameras are being deployed at the city limits on the interstate and two state highways that feed the town. Finally, several of the pooled patrol cars will be fitted with mobile license plate recognition cameras. To tie this all together, these solutions will be seamlessly integrated together into a single interface that will make officer’s jobs easier.

Let’s get in to a little detail about what is going on here.

Gunshot detection systems are made up of a network of microphones. Simply put, these microphones are constantly listening for the sound of gunshots. When a gunshot is detected, the system measures the intensity of the sound across the microphones that picked it up and triangulates the location of the gunshot. A properly installed system can be very accurate at pinpointing the location of the shot. This process happens in milliseconds, and the gunshot detection server can use this data to trigger defined alarms. Usually this will be to send latitude/longitude info to dispatch, and possibly also to patrol mobile data terminals. In general, dispatch will know that someone is shooting long before the 911 calls start coming in, and it will report the location of the shots with much greater accuracy than the scared/drunk/crazy person who is calling the police.

License plate recognition (LPR) systems have been around since the late 70s, but the technological advances of the last few years have really driven down prices while adding functionality and usability. LPR systems are made up of several components. In most systems you have two cameras – a standard resolution IR camera and a higher resolution color camera. The IR camera is usually focused in such a way that most of the viewing area will be dominated by the license plate in question. The high resolution camera will give a situational awareness view that will give a view of the entire vehicle. The images from these cameras are processed in a way very similar to Object Character Recognition, or OCR. This processing is often handled by a small appliance computer attached to the camera, but some of the newer cameras have miniaturized this function to reside within the camera itself. Once the image is processed and the LPR system knows the license number, this information is run against databases of plates of interest. This can be the NCIC database, Amber Alerts, custom defined hotlists, or any other applicable database. Once a match is made, an alert is sent. In the case of mobile cameras, this alert is sent to the mobile data terminal, and possibly to dispatch as well, depending on the nature of the alert. With fixed cameras, this can be sent to dispatch, to nearby mobile data terminals, and to various other public safety facilities. This whole process takes less than a second, and it is not unusual for fixed LPR cameras on a busy thoroughfare to read and check 3000 plates an hour. For mobile cameras, many users are reporting 5000 plate reads per shift. Compare that to the 30-50 that most officers are able to input by hand.

Complimenting both these systems is the wireless surveillance cameras. These will be both covert and overt PTZ cameras communicating via a wireless mesh network, and in some cases, via WiMax. The real magic here is the level of integration. Most surveillance systems are reactive in nature. For most departments, when an incident occurs, they will go back through the archived video to glean forensic evidence. A well integrated solution can take surveillance to a whole new level. Let’s see how this all plays out…

It’s 2:30AM. The concrete of the city still holds the heat of the summer day, but the breeze carries the chill of the rain that will come tomorrow. This shabby park used to be filled with the happy laughter of children, but those kids grew up, and either wised up and left town, or turned to crime and violence. A shocking number of them bled and died right here in this park. If you know how to read it, the graffiti that covers every surface will tell you who is in charge, who used to be in charge, and who will be in charge next year. It will tell you where to find just about any vice you can think of. The rusty swings hang at an odd angle, blowing slightly in the damp wind. The grass has been replaced by weeds, and the streetlights reflecting off the dew gives the park a silvery, lunar glow. Here and there you can see the paths where thugs strutted and vagabonds shuffled across the park, knocking the fine droplets of water from the stems and stalks, and leaving trails like animals through an unkempt field. Some of these trails are made by predators, and some by prey. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell which is which.

The only part of this park that is still regularly used is the basketball court. You can’t really call it basketball, though. It’s really just something to do before the fight breaks out. The fight always breaks out. It’s been getting progressively worse. A couple years ago, it was some pushing and shoving, maybe a couple punches were thrown, but it was manageable. Now, more and more of the guys playing ball are wearing gang colors, and it’s not unusual to see the players pulling guns out of their waistbands and handing them off to their girlfriends before they take the court. These girls don’t mind, though. They’re carrying guns too.

The game is especially rough tonight. Most of the guys out here are wearing different shades of red. There’s a group in matching red bandanas on the bleachers, another with dark red t-shirts milling around the water fountain, and several of the guys on the court are wearing light red, almost pink, shirts.

An eight year old luxury car that had seen better days pulls up next to the court, and everyone stops what they are doing and begins to gather up. Out steps a tough looking man, early 30s, expensive clothes and the eyes of a hunter. This man carries himself like a man who expects respect, and if it is not given freely, he will take it. Everyone knows him. Everyone fears him.

The crowd gathers around him like the ghetto messiah. If he’s out here tonight, it must mean something big. The man is not happy. He’s been wronged, and by someone who he thought was a friend.

Chaos.

The crowd explodes. The timid run, or at least try to. The aggressive fight, hoping to claw their way up the ladder a few rungs. Within moments, it becomes a life or death struggle. Shots ring out. One…two…three four…five. Car alarms and barking dogs. A screen door slams. Screams, running feet. Squealing tires and a poorly maintained engine struggling to tear the car in half. Angry shouts. One two…three shots more. Breaking glass. A basketball rolls across the wet ground and bounces to a stop against a curb. At center court, a 17 year old boy is clinging to life. He used to say that he wanted to be a lawyer.

Less than 30 seconds have passed since the first .38 caliber bullet tore through the night. Already, every patrol car in the city has a shots fired notification flashing on their data terminal, showing them that five shots were fired on the basketball court, and three more about a half block away. The instant the first shot was fired, the 6 cameras in the park automatically adjusted to look at the shot, recording the entire event from multiple angles. The 4 cameras nearby automatically moved to get a good view of the perimeter of the park, recording everyone who was running from the area, as well as and vehicles. Officers on patrol have instant access to these video feeds, and know exactly what they are about to face. Officers in dispatch see that there is at least one serious injury, and emergency medical personnel are notified. Within 90 seconds, officers in dispatch have identified the shooter entering a green full size sedan. License plate recognition cameras pick up the plates info on this car, and instantly report the owners name and address, any outstanding issues with the car, and upload this data to officers on patrol with mobile LPR cameras on their vehicles. At the two minute mark, an LPR camera 8 blocks away alerts patrol that the green sedan has passed by. A moment later, a patrol car passing the opposite direction with a mobile LPR camera matches the plate, alerting the officer. The officer pursues the green sedan, and within 10 minutes of the shooting, a suspect is in custody, and a gun matching the description of the gun used I the shooting has been recovered from the green sedan.

Electronic crime fighting tools are force multipliers. Well planned and engineered solutions allow officers available to work incredibly efficiently. Even if this city had doubled their staffing budgets, the likelihood of catching the suspect in such a short period of time would be slim. The video evidence will also be invaluable during the trial process.

Let’s look past the quick political fix and get some real solutions going here, folks. Sure, “more officers on the streets” sounds great on stump speeches, and surveillance systems sound like big brother, but you can’t argue with the results!

You may have noticed that I did not mention any brand names throughout this article. If you are interested in getting more info on details, please contact me at hal@securityflash.net.

noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:51:00 +0000

Here's a Market Segment I had never considered....

CCTV 'should be installed in slaughterhouses to ensure animal welfare'
Every abattoir in Britain should have closed-circuit television cameras installed to ensure the highest health, hygiene and animal welfare standards, the food watchdog has said. Tim Smith, chief executive of the Food Standards Agency, said he intended to develop a detailed plan for the industry within six months.
The agency was set up almost ten years ago in the aftermath of the BSE scandal, but there are still concerns about standards in the meat industry.
“I do believe we have to get tougher with the weaker points in the meat supply chain,” Mr Smith said.
The agency, which includes the Meat Hygiene Service, has been embarrassed by a recent European Union veterinary inspection report that exposed poor hygiene at UK abattoirs and meat-cutting plants.

noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 14:30:00 +0000

Hal's Asymmetrical Keys to Success and Failure in the Security World, Part Deux.

To read Part One of this epic article, please click here. "Epic" may be pushing it a bit, no?

Last time around, we chatted a bit about five different Keys to Success in the Security World. This time, we're going to discuss the flip-side, the seedy underbelly, the Keys to Failure.

Hal's Key to Failure #1: Ignore the Engineering Firms and Consultants.

As the amount of security funding going to the public sector continues to climb, Engineering and Consulting firms are becoming more and more important. These third party groups are often given great amounts of power and control over the direction and initiation of security projects, recommending, specifying, and even acting as decision makers in the whole process. You may have an amazing relationship with the final end user, but that end user may very well have no influence on the project whatsoever.

How do you develop ties with the Engineers and Consultants? It really isn't that difficult, you just need to understand what they need. Engineers and Consultants are hired based on their reputation and the impression that they know it all and they've seen it twice. If you can provide these firms with the knowledge and tools to feel comfortable presenting your product as a solution, they probably will. Give them demo product, show them how it works, answer questions. You might even consider taking them on a tour of a customer site. Remember, these folks are going to but their reputations and their livelihoods on the line for you, and they might just ask a lot of you, but the payoff can be huge.

I was recently speaking to a friend in the industry who missed out on a very substantial opportunity because he ignored the Engineers and Consultants. He had a great relationship with the end user, and already had a small installation base on site. What he didn't foresee was that the engineering firm that was designing the overall security plan didn't know anything about his gear, but was intimate with his competition. Their recommendation? Integrate his small existing installation into the new gigantic installation of his competitor's product. You need to know all the players in the game!

Hal's Key to Failure #2: Sell to the Month/Quarter/Year.

We all know the realities of business. You need to keep the doors open, and keep the lights on, and you need to make money to do that. There are quotas to make, schedules to keep, and mouths to feed.

While reality states that you need to have cash flow, let's not be penny wise and pound foolish. While most security companies, be in manufacturer, integrator, installer, or other, all rely on small profitable projects to keep the company going, it can often be those huge projects that allow you to take your company to the next level. Here's the catch: if you are asking someone to write you a huge check, it's going to take a while to talk them in to it. Keep these folks close, and encourage your staff to do the same. If an organization would approach these opportunities with the heart of a teacher as opposed to the heart of a shark, they would find that they are landing those really substantial projects that allow you to advance your company in huge ways. If you let the $20 million project fall by the wayside so you can chase the $20 thousand project and make your month, you're going to spend the rest of your life begging for $20 thousand project.

I was involved in a large wireless video project a few years ago. This was a multi-million dollar project in a Top 50 city. The sales cycle on this monster was almost 26 months. Definitely not selling to the quarter! The payoff? Huge.

Hal's Key to Failure #3: Change Management Philosophies Regularly.

I touched on this subject in Part One of this article. To sum it up, you need to make a plan that makes sense, and follow it long enough to let it work. If you are continually changing directions, you'll never get anywhere. There are too many security companies out there today that are languishing and stagnant because they just won't pick a path and stick to it. Too many decision makers lack the content of character to stand behind what they believe.

Look at some of the famous historical figures that succeeded simply by sticking to a direction they believed in. Thomas Edison wanted to make electric light so cheap that “only the wealthy would burn candles.” The Model T was hardly changed during it's entire production period, and was using technology that was out of date by 20 years by the time Ford ceased production. Charles Goodyear was convinced he could make rubber usable, even in hot environments.

The blending of Security and IT has a lot of people scared, and they are making decisions out of fear. That, combined with the explosive growth in the security market, has driven many companies to make decisions that aren't just ill conceived, but down right idiotic. Don't make the same mistake!

Hal's Key to Failure #4: Manage By Intimidation

This is another one of those things that is true in all industries, not just security. Managing by intimidation is not a long term plan for success. Telling your crew that the top performer gets a Cadillac, second place gets a set of steak knives, and everyone else is fired is going to end poorly.

Hal's Key to Failure #5: Rely on Your History but Forget to Move Forward.

I can not stress the importance of reputation enough. Many very good security companies have the ability to leverage their stellar history to continue the growth of the company. That reputation makes the phones ring!

Don't get so proud of your history that you forget to keep moving forward. I can name at least three major security manufactures who were key players 10 years ago, but stopped moving forward, and are dead or dying today. You can't expect to continue to sell the same product forever. The whiz bang camera of 2000 is nothing like the whiz bang camera of 2010. How many “Innovators” of 25 years ago are “Legacy Providers” today? How many of today's “Legacy Providers” will still exist in 2035?

If all you have to show for yourself is ancient history, and you're relying on momentum instead of building a new motor, get ready to get left behind.

Hal's Key to Failure #6: Build Security Solutions That Intentionally Put You At Odds With Your Customer.

I see this far too often. Hardware solutions with low upfront cost, but they require that you only use their hardware to expand, and expansion costs an arm and a leg. Service contracts that nickel and dime end users to death. Return policies that make it cheaper to just buy one of your competitors products than to work with you. The list goes on and on.

This is really just customer service, folks. If you find yourself trying to think up a really good scheme that forces your customers to fork over money without you really providing any value, please resign your position and go home. Proprietary solutions may have been just fine when there were only a handful of manufacturers out there, but you're going to have a hard time passing that today. In the highly competitive security world, there are a dozen other companies waiting to take your place when you screw up, and that number isn't getting any smaller. If you can't own up to the fact that you might just have shipped a defective product, then one of your competitors is going to offer to buyback the kit you installed, and they're going to make a small fortune putting in something else.

Security customers and users are getting more sophisticated every day. They are educating themselves on the market, and they already know your weaknesses. Unless you find a way to work with them as a partner, you'll never get anywhere.

I'm sure there are dozens of other practices that will send your company into a death spiral. I didn't touch on the danger of building a one-size-fits-all solution. I completely ignored the risks of tying yourself to a single vertical. Please add any noteworthy risks to the “Flashback” section below, or email me at Hal@Securityflash.net.

Until next time.....

noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:41:00 +0000

Hal's Asymmetrical Keys to Success and Failure in the Security World, Part One.

I wanted this article to be symmetrical, I really did. There is something inherently satisfying about symmetrical pattern. From architecture to art to “Vitruvian Man” to the faces most people will find attractive, symmetry plays an overwhelming role in our lives. It's arguable that several dominant world religions are based on a desire to find symmetry in daily events, but that discussion will inevitably take me well beyond my limit for flaming email.

As I was saying, I wanted this article to be symmetrical. I wanted to have X number of “Keys to Success”, and X number of “Keys to Failure”. Unfortunately, I find myself with “Keys to Success = X” and “Keys to Failure =X+1”. C'est la vie.

I've spent the last decade or so in the Security and Technology world. Through the dot com boom, the dot com bust, the post-9/11 security boom, and the convergent contraction that we are now seeing, several practices have floated to the surface of the successful and not so successful security companies out there. I'm going to talk specifically about the physical security arena right now, but these concepts are equally applicable across many disciplines.

Since I'm in a positive state of mind today, we'll start off by talking a bit about Hal's Keys for Success.

Hal's Key to Success #1: Take Care of your Customers.

You would think that this one is fairly self explanatory. You would think that, by now, people would understand that you need to take care of your customers if you expect them to take care of you. You would think that Security professionals would understand that most of their customers would rather not be beat about the head and neck with a blunt object. You may think all of this and more, but you would be wrong.

If you've been around the security industry for any amount of time, you already know the organizations who have built their reputations on good customer service. These are the people who go the extra mile. Companies who shoot for 100% accuracy, but are willing to take responsibility when they miss that target. Integrators who properly spec a solution based on what is best for the customer, even if it doesn't bring a 74% margin.

You also know the companies who have continued to drag along despite of, or ceased to exist because of, their bad customer service. We've heard the horror stories. Companies who have installed motion sensors overlooking outdoor swimming pools, a constant source of motion, and then just turn the sensitivity down to zero, and still charge the customer. Manufacturers who develop solutions that force customers to only buy their product, and then sell it as an Open Platform. Integrators who offer multi-year service contracts with 4 hour turn around, but only use subcontractors who work 8-5, Monday through Friday.

Like just about every other industry, the success of Security entities hinges on the quality of their customer service. It doesn't matter how good your gear is, or how reasonable your pricing, or how skilled your staff is if all of your customers hate you. These are basics, folks, I'm not telling you anything new. Yet, security companies are failing at customer service every day! They'll blame it on the down economy forcing them to be more protectionist of their interests, but I'm just not buying it. I think many companies are using a down economy as an excuse to revert to bad habits in the way they handle their relationships.

I challenge you to at least try to be customer focused for three months, and see if it changes the dynamic of your business and your day to day life. When a customer asks you for a little more, assume that your answer will be an enthusiastic “Yes!” If you lost 2 points of margin, and gain a solid relationship with a long term customer, is it not worth it? Only you can answer that.

Now, I'm not saying you should give your company away. I'm just saying that I think that too many security companies have taken Sun Tzu a little too seriously. Remember, your goal isn't to pillage your customers, or at least it shouldn't be. You are here to serve your customers, not the other way around!

Hal's Key to Success #2: Pay Attention to the Big Customers, Even When They Aren't in a Purchasing Cycle.

Let's say you work for a large Access Control company. You're in sales, and you have a territory to grow and a number to meet. In your territory is a large prospect company: Joe Bob's House of Really Expensive Thingamajigs. Joe Bob owns and operates a huge Thingamajig Plant, a mammoth Thingamajig Warehouse, and an almost imponderable network of Thingamajig Retailers. He has thousands of employees, and has a capability to spend hundreds of millions of dollars if he can be shown ROI. Internal theft is low, quality control is exemplary, and the whole operation runs like a well oiled machine. Joe Bob uses an aging access control solution, designed and installed by a now defunct company. The problem, at least for you, is that this ancient access control system just refuses to die. The thing just keeps kicking! You've met with Joe Bob a few times, sent him a modest gift at Christmas, had lunch once or twice, and you've built solid rapport. Since he has such massive buying power, you choose to stay close to Joe Bob, even though he doesn't have any sort of access control project in the pipeline. You make sure to always bring your product into the conversations, but Joe Bob just has no reason to buy. You stop by once a month, maybe grab a sandwich, bring a couple dozen donuts in for the office. This goes on for several months, maybe a year. Then you get the call from the boss. He wants to know why you've spent valuable time and money on this chump Joe Bob when he never buys anything. You explain the situation, and the fact that Joe Bob's old system is going to need to be replaced eventually, and you'll probably make half of your yearly number when it does. Your boss's reply? If it ain't happening this quarter, he doesn't care.

So, you take Joe Bob off your calender, maybe cut it down to two or three times a year. You stop in a few months later, and Joe Bob's secretary asks if you have an appointment. She used to just wave you right in. Four months after this, you see eight of your competitor's installer vans in Joe Bob's parking lot. Joe Bob's old system finally gave up the ghost, but you weren't around to help. You leave voice mails for Joe Bob, but he never calls you back, and your emails remain unanswered. You hear through the grapevine that Joe Bob paid your competitor more than you would have charged him, and that he didn't call you because he thought you would be too busy to help him.

This may seem outlandish to you, but I've seen it happen. Millions or dollars of business are thrown away for the price of a couple of taco platters and 2 hours a month. Of course, your boss blames you for losing the business, even though he barred you from maintaining the relationship! Let's remember to invest in the future. If you want to see huge purchase orders, you're going to need to invest in the people who can send you those purchase orders!

Hal's Key to Success #3: Carefully Consider Your Market Approach, and Give it Time to Succeed.

Mad Scientist Management. We've all seen it, and we may have even experienced it first hand: upper management that just can't leave well enough alone. The Pointy Haired Boss saw an article about Security and IT convergence, so he fires the sales staff and hires only people with an IT background. Hilarity ensues. Six months later, when the pipeline is at $0, he fires all the IT folks and starts looking for Security folks. Unfortunately, the company already has a reputation for being bi-polar and everyone knows that they're broke. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.

So what's the solution? Try this on for size. The Point Haired Boss sees an article about Security and IT Convergence. He evaluates the sales staff and determines that they are great at their jobs, but they are not up to speed on IP, and they don't know the first thing about IT standards. Pointy decides to beef up the sales engineering team, and host bi-weekly web conferences for the field sales to get them acclimated to the new direction. The reps are able to maintain their current pipeline, and enhance it with their new knowledge and tools. In six months, the pipe has grown, and new opportunities are flowing in.

Everyone knows that “change is the only constant”. We must be able to adjust and adapt to our environment. We must also have a patience and courage to stand my our decisions long enough to see them through. I wonder if Mad Science Managers are really just acting out of fear and lack of information, going where the wind blows them.

Hal's Key to Success #4: Let's Not Ignore the Big Opportunities Just Because They Start Small.

How many times have you seen someone throw away a lead just because it didn't have an immediate payoff? “I'm not going to drive to the other side of town during rush hour for a $800 sale. Ignore it.”

I personally know a gentleman who sold over 6000 channels of video into a large school system. The first phase of the project was two cameras watching some vending machines that were being vandalized. This school system didn't purchase anything beyond these two cameras for over two years, but he stayed close and maintained that relationship. He won millions of dollars of business because he looked at the big picture.

I'm not asking you to ignore reality. You need to concentrate on the business that keeps the doors open and the lights on. Just don't forget to till the soil a little bit in your long term projects.

Hal's Key to Success #5: Make Sure You've Got the Show and the Go.

It's going to be hard to convince people that your video management system is any good if the GUI looks like Windows 3.1. If your installers show up wearing flip flops and stained t-shirts, it's going to be hard to convince anyone that they know what they're doing. You may build the most bespoken camera on the market, a true work of art, but it better have good image quality and stand up to the test of time. Remember, the luxury car that the CEO you're meeting with is probably just a dressed up version of a cheaper car, but that executive paid twice as much because it looked better.

On the other hand, no security company survives on looks alone. You've got to have the foundation in place. With the almost explosive expansion of the security market in the last 10 years, numerous security companies have shown up on the scene with glossy cut sheets and snappy websites, but a horrible product. They got a couple of quick hits based on slick marketing, but they couldn't deliver. The unlucky disappeared, and the lucky got bought for $60 million plus by huge IT companies hoping to cash in on the security boom.

The security industry is not unique. You need to provide a quality product or service, and you need to communicate your value effectively. You need to keep up with the market as it evolves, and you need to take care of your customers.

I'm sure there are several more keys to success that I haven't mentioned. Please feel free to add your comments in the “Flashback” section below, or shoot me an email at hal@securityflash.net

Next time around, let's talk about Keys to Failure – those dirty little practices that may be tempting, but are going to come back and bite you in the end.

noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:50:00 +0000

Elbit in Preliminary Talks to buy Verint's Security Division.

Defense contractor Elbit Systems shares rose 0.8%. The business section of Yediot Achronot reported that Elbit is in preliminary talks to buy the security division of Verint Systems for $700 million to $800 million. Verint is the Melville, N.Y., provider of information-capture and -analysis solutions.

noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:43:00 +0000

When will people learn that these "Public/Private Partnerships" just don't work?

Minehead CCTV partnership is looking for volunteers to operate the town’s CCTV cameras in a bid to reduce crime and disorder.

The partnership, which includes Minehead Town Council, West Somerset Council and Avon and Somerset Police, is looking for local people to become police volunteers at the CCTV office, based in the town’s police station.

noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:21:00 +0000

Acadian partners with Secure-i for white-labeled hosted video surveillance

I'm still not sure about the hosted video thing. I guess time will tell....

Hosted video security services company Secure-i has partnered with Lafayette, La.-based monitoring company Acadian Monitoring Services to provide dealer- or Acadian-branded, IP-based hosted video surveillance and storage solutions for security integrators, alarm dealers and their customers.

According to Secure-i COO Eugene Szatkowski the partnership had been brewing for a while. “As far back as ESX last year, we had been talking with Acadian as well as other central stations, trying to introduce the use of hosted video and essentially the ultimate goal—which we are well on the way to now—is integrating our hosted video with central station software packages like Immix—which is what Acadian uses,” Szatkowski said. “The way this whole thing came about was we talked with SureView and they said, ‘We’d love to integrate your service with Immix, but we need one of major partners to say, “we want this,”’ and we had already been in communication with Kenny [Savoie, director of operations] at Acadian. Kenny went to Matt [Krebs, EVP of sales] over at SureView and said, ‘We’re signing with Secure-i. Let’s get started with this integration.’”

Asked why they decided to go with the hosted video surveillance and storage solution from Secure-i, Savoie said the fit was a natural one and gave Acadian dealers more value. “There were very few of their level that’re out there right now that offer everything they offer. It’s easy to install and it’s priced right,” Savoie said. “These are real value-added services we can offer to our dealers. Their solution is not right for everybody, but there is a slick little vertical that it’s perfect for—retail shops that want a couple cameras, or even residential use and they don’t want to spend the whole deal on DVRs and the whole nine yards, it’s really a sweet package—and now our dealers can resell this to the end user and we can brand it to the dealer, too.”

Szatkowski said the white-labeled video package from Secure-i adds revenue for Acadian and its dealers. “We’re doing a second initiative with Acadian. Their partners right now sell DVRs to anyone who needs video and Acadian makes no money on that. So what Secure-i has done is built a white-labeled portal so Acadian dealers can sell Acadian-hosted video. So in the interim of us working with SureView to build in an integration with Immix, Acadian can now tell its dealers, ‘Stop selling DVRs … sell this hosted video that’s branded Acadian and we’ll monitor it.’ And Acadian starts to make recurring revenue off all the video their dealers sell.”

noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:17:00 +0000

Smart Credentials optimize access control security.

Schlage contactless smart credentials utilize MIFARE EV1 technology, are encrypted with AES 128-bit diversified keys, and include mutual authentication and message authentication code. Designed on open architecture platform, units comply with ISO 14443 standards and provide up to 48 Kbps baud rate data transfer between credential and reader. They include memory options of 2, 4, and 8 KB and applications can be added to support system expansion.

Read More...

noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 18:37:00 +0000

Feeling safe yet?

DHS Misses Target For Smart Card ID System

Poor management, insufficient funding, and deficient IT systems are blamed for a three-year delay by the Department of Homeland Security in issuing smart cards to 250,000 employees and contractors.

noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 18:33:00 +0000

OK, so here's the problem: I have found two spelling and punctuation errors already, and I haven't finished the first page. Trust level waning....

University of Missouri upgrades access control system to provide enhanced security, emergency management

The University of Missouri has upgraded access control and security software in its Residential Life Buildings complex -- twenty-four on-campus buildings where 6.700 students live; the security system -- Matrix System's Frontier -- offers many features which campuses and other public facilities will find useful.

noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 18:30:00 +0000

From the "If it works, I'll be suitably impressed" file.

Introduction of Face Recognition Access Control System will replace Existing Security Needs

Beginning with the technologically advanced security system, there is a growing need of face recognition access control system occurring in various public and private sectors where access of several resources needs to be controlled. Face Recognition Solution is now offering the various sectors with the highly secured access control system.

Face Recognition Solution is the biometric solutions provider firm. Prioritizing customer satisfaction the most this firm offers the clients with the biometric systems which could meet their expectations.

The current research in the field of biometrics says that, Face recognition access control system proposed by Face Recognition System is based on recognizing the biological features of the organisms that can not be exchanged thus it will reduce the threats in future to the maximum that are being impose by the existing security systems. Face Recognition Solution's top most executive when interviewed confirmed that, "the company has already started implementing this highly secured system to various campuses and the consequences are satisfactory". The company is ready to take the real time challenges going on in the market and offering a free trial to those companies that are not receiving the stated benefits.

Face Recognition Solution is also guarantying the clients with the huge storage capacity of the system and a total security to the resources which needs a control in access, which is far better than what people are receiving at the present date with their existing systems. According to the one of the support experts of this firm, "it is hard to make understand the people about the face recognition access control system, the best solution is try our solution and get the best result by limiting the access of several resources".

For more information regarding the company and its solutions visit the official website athttp://www.facerecognitionsolution.com and further details on face recognition access control can be found at http://www.facerecognitionsolution.com/access-control-sy ...

noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:10:00 +0000

Schlage integrates Mercury Security for wireless access control

Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies revealed that its Schlage wireless panel interface module now integrates to Mercury Security access control panels via RS485.

Read More....

noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:08:00 +0000

ASSA Abloy has the magic doors.

At IFSEC 2009, ASSA Abloyl aunched Hi-O, a new concept for electronic door solutions that improves and simplifies the installation, service and upgrade of access control systems and allows end users to create the first truly "intelligent doors". SourceSecurity.com spoke with Matt Thomas, Managing Director of Abloy UK, and Ian Compton, Director of Sales for UK, IE and Nordics for HID Global, to find out more about Hi-O and how this will change the access control industry.

Read More....

noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:35:00 +0000

Researchers reveal the camera of the future

So yeah, these guys are a lot smarter than me....

Read it.

noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:30:00 +0000

CIBER Selected for Integrated Port Security Project at Georgia Port Authority.

This dovetails nicely with my recent article on Keys for Success and Failure. Something tells me that CIBER did a lot of things right to win this project, and they understand the value of the long term relationship over the one night stand. But I could be wrong.....

Read it.

noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:25:00 +0000

Exacq Announces Webserver 2.0 for exacqVision Video Management Software

There has always been a debate on this: Thin Client access vs. Thick Client. Is thin secure enough? Is thick too much work? What do you think?

Read it.

noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:22:00 +0000

Networking for Video Surveillance: IP addressing

If there is one thing that many Security Integrators seem to be struggling with, it's the IT side of IP Video. Here's a good article on the IP addressing side of your shiny new video network....

READ IT.

noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:29:00 +0000

From the "Is Nothing Sacred" file:

Cottingham church has lead stolen four times in a year

An East Yorkshire church which has had lead stolen from its roof four times in a year has been told it must pay for future thefts itself.

St Mary's Church in Cottingham has had security lighting, a CCTV system and razor wire installed but this has not deterred thieves.

Now the insurers say they are no longer willing to pay for the damage.

Rector of St Mary's, Father Paul Smith, appealed to local people to be vigilant in order to avoid further thefts.

Keep Reading....

noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:27:00 +0000

Huntsville, Alabama PD recommending CCTV.

The conventional ways to keep about a burglar are well known: lock your doors and windows, keep your lights on, and keep your valuables out of sight.

But through the scientific methods of crime prevention through environmental design, homeowners and business owners going through renovations, expansions or building new structures can work to prevent crime even in the subtlest of ways.

Crime prevention through environmental design is based on several basic principles, all designed to deter, detect, delay and deny criminal activity.

Keep Reading....

noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:25:00 +0000

Cameras of the Future: Heart Researchers Create Revolutionary Photographic Technique

Scientists at the University of Oxford have developed a revolutionary way of capturing a high-resolution still image alongside very high-speed video -- a new technology that is attractive for science, industry and consumer sectors alike.

Keep Reading....

noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:23:00 +0000

CCTV to assist police in hostage-robbery case

Police are preparing to view CCTV footage as part of an investigation into a bank hostage drama.

Four armed men entered the Absa bank in theCape Town city centre on Saturday and held staff hostage.

While police tried to find the suspects in a helicopter hovering above the bank onAdderley Street, the employees huddled together outside. The bank was was targeted by robbers posing as customers. After entering the bank, they demanded the safe custody safe be opened.

The police’s Ezra October said they are still investigating.

“A case of bank robbery is being investigated, and the suspects are still at large,” he said.

Police are appealing to anyone with information to come forward.

noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:40:00 +0000

Bill aims to close loophole in video peeping law

Colorado lawmakers may toughen penalties for some video surveillance crimes that are currently being prosecuted under audio eavesdropping laws.

Keep Reading....

noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:39:00 +0000

Kalamazoo police release picture of suspected burglar

And for once, the image quality isn't trash....

Keep Reading....

noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:37:00 +0000

IMS Research: How to Win Video Surveillance Business in the Middle East

The Middle East market for video surveillance equipment will grow by over 10 percent in 2010 and the region is forecast to continue to grow strongly towards 2013 when compared with other regional markets, according to industry analysts at IMS Research.

The IMS Research report, “Middle East Market for CCTV and Video Surveillance – 2010 edition”, finds that the Middle East represents a significant growth opportunity for manufacturers of video surveillance equipment due to the emerging nature of the market.

At the Intersec 2010 trade show Axis Communications, Sony and Panasonic System Networks announced strong double digit growth figures for the Middle East region in 2009. So how are these companies achieving rapid growth in the Middle East? For video surveillance companies thinking about entering this market the following points are critical:

Keep Reading....

noreply@blogger.com (Hal Bennick) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:36:00 +0000

Pivot3® Honored with Frost & Sullivan’s Video Surveillance Leadership Award

Pivot3 has been awarded the 2010 North American Video Surveillance Storage Growth Leadership Award from Frost & Sullivan. This honor demonstrates Pivot3’s strength in the external storage market for surveillance with its award-winning Pivot3 Serverless Computing™ product line.

The Excellence Awards are presented annually to companies that are predicted to encourage significant growth in their respective industries, have identified emerging trends before they became the standard in the marketplace, and have created advanced technologies that will catalyze industries in the near future.

Keep Reading.....