April 23, 2026
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Home Articles posted by a&s Adria (Page 128)

Uniview otvorio podružnicu u Ujedinjenim Arapskim Emiratima

Uniview, globalni ponuđač IP videonadzorne opreme, zvanično je otvorio podružnicu u Ujedinjenim Arapskim Emiratima. Ured smješten u Jumeirah Lakes Towersu u Dubaiju rezultat je snažne posvećenosti i rasta kompanije na tržištu te zemlje.

Uniview je od osnivanja 2011. godine do sada kročio u više od 200 zemalja. Prvi međunarodni ured je otvorio 2018. u Južnoj Koreji, a zatim u UAE-u. Kompanija je 2020. ostvarila prihode od prodaje u iznosu od 830 miliona dolara, što je trostruki rast u pet godina zahvaljujući proširenoj paleti proizvoda: IP kamera, mrežnih snimača, uređaja za pohranu podataka, kontrolu pristupa i pametne domove te pametnih kancelarijskih proizvoda.

“Od istraživanja međunarodnog tržišta 2014. godine Uniview je, za tih otprilike osam godina, lansirao više od 1.100 vrhunskih proizvoda u 200 zemalja. Ponosni smo što smo na tržištu Bliskog istoka akumulirali snažnu podršku mnogih partnera i pokrenuli različite uspješne projekte”, rekao je Leo Liu, direktor Univiewa za Bliski Istok.

Mirasys integrates with ASSA ABLOY

Mirasys, a Finnish pioneer in developing open platform video management software, has integrated ASSA ABLOY ARX access control solution into its Open Platform VMS.

A global leader in access solutions, ASSA ABLOY provides products and services related to openings, such as locks, doors, gates and entrance automation solutions. This also includes expertise in controlling identities with keys, cards, tags, mobile and biometric identity verification systems.

Mirasys’s Video Management System is offered as a preferred choice to collect, store, and provide data from IP cameras and other related sensors from small up to critical infra structures and installations.

“ASSA ABLOY ARX Security system integrated with Mirasys VMS software provides a smart and powerful solution to secure and improve from small up to large and complex facilities,” said Erich Kusuki, CEO of Mirasys.

To improve energy efficiency in buildings, a closed door is more important than ever before

London, November 2022 – A properly shut door provides comfort and protection to whoever is using the space behind it. However, closing doors can have a wider impact on overall building performance. Fully closed doors affect both user security and a building’s energy consumption.

The public spotlight is on energy like never before, as recent measures introduced around Europe show. By law, Spanish offices, shops and hospitality spaces may only heat or cool premises to between 19°C and 23°C1. In France, air-conditioned shops can be fined up to €750 if their doors are left open2.

In fact, a drive to improve energy efficiency across the commercial sector has been under way for a long time. In 2017, the Harvard Business Review was already calling energy efficiency one of the “key levers of business success”3. In the public sector as well as private industry, offices, schools, universities, healthcare centres and more need solutions which boost both sustainability and their bottom line.

Buildings consume around 60% of the world’s electricity4. A simple and effective way to reduce their use and waste — and simultaneously save costs — is to ensure doors everywhere are closed.

The many benefits of a fully closed door

The energy-efficiency benefits of a closed door are simple to understand. It is less easy to quantify the impact, but most scientific studies agree it is significant.

In 2010, Cambridge University estimated that closed doors could reduce energy use in a typical shop by up to 50%5. An engineering journal measured air infiltration through an opening at more than 21 times that of a closed door6.

Inside a building, a closed door helps to maintain important temperature differentials — between an operating theatre and waiting rooms, for example, or a server room and office spaces. Closing doors reduces the energy use to heat and/or cool these separate areas.

Fully closed interior doors also reduce stack pressure — unwanted inward airflow on the ground floor which is caused by rising warm air inside the building. Closed doors help insulate the inside of a building from the elements outside.

“Unfortunately, relying on building users to shut your doors fully, every time, is not a realistic strategy,” says Andreas Gmelin, Product Management and Business Development Director Door Closers at ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions EMEIA.

“Closed doors help to reduce energy waste. They also improve interior air quality and building security, as well as reducing noise pollution. An affordable, reliable, robust door closer ensures this important job always gets done.”

Superior closing performance with ASSA ABLOY Cam-MotionÒ technology

Door closers with ASSA ABLOY’s Cam-Motion technology close reliably behind everyone who passes through them. Because an installer can individually set separate latch and closing speeds, high closing force works alongside comfortable opening.

Opening force must be kept low for accessibility, compliance and comfort: Easy opening helps to keep a building barrier-free. Yet closing force should be high enough to ensure reliable closing in all conditions. In an ASSA ABLOY Cam-Motion Door Closer, independent valves enable this configuration.

In addition, these valves have metal heads and are thermo-resistant: Once door speeds are set, they stay set until intentionally modified — even at extreme temperatures.

For user convenience, ASSA ABLOY Cam-Motion Door Closers also offer optional delayed closing, which allows extra time for a user to pass through the door. Back-check function as standard slows the door’s final opening section to protect the frame and prevent banging into walls.

“Door closing is about more than just comfort and fire protection,” adds Andreas Gmelin. “The right door device improves energy efficiency and can reduce your expenditure on heating and cooling.”

To learn more about ASSA ABLOY Cam-MotionÒ Door Closers, visit https://www.assaabloy.com/group/emeia/solutions/topics/door-closers/technologies/cam-motion

Keeping US schools safe from guns requires more than stricter laws

Source: William Pao, asmag.com

From time to time, we hear about school shooting incidents in the United States. While stricter gun control laws are being considered and debated, schools themselves should also invest in security technologies to help prevent further tragedies.

Ever since Columbine, school shootings have emerged as a major societal problem in the United States. According to Sandy Hook Promise (a non-profit named after another infamous school shooting incident), the U.S. has had 2,032 school shootings since 1970. The recent event in Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman fatally shot 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school, further triggered debates on whether stricter gun control laws should be legislated – a question that, somehow for Americans, is not so simple to answer due to the country’s unique history, culture and heritage.

“A unique mix of tradition, politics and business interests makes tougher regulations unlikely, even where there is popular support for such measures,” said Jason Goodrich, Customer Success Director of CriticalArc. “The level of support varies widely depending on which state you are in, and concerns about the reliability of police response mean than even some citizens who were previously averse to gun-ownership now feel motivated to arm themselves.”

“In the aftermath of this (Uvalde) tragic school shooting, school leaders, teachers, parents, and administrators are debating, yet again, how the next incident might be prevented. At the same time, there is a national debate around policy decisions: Should gun sales be restricted? Should teachers be armed? Those questions will not be answered overnight,” said Alan Stoddard, President of Cognyte North America.

While new legislation is currently being considered in the US Senate, it’s indeed not feasible at the moment to expect the passage of any far-reaching gun control laws given the Second Amendment of the US Constitution, which says “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed” (even though there’s a prerequisite: A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state). A conservative supermajority in the US Supreme Court certainly won’t help much either.

For the time being, then, schools need to invest in technologies to effectively protect students, teachers and staff. “The assumption should be that any current laws around gun ownership will be circumvented by a determined assailant. This means that schools and colleges should focus on preparing for, deterring, and stopping active threats,” Goodrich said. “Given this reality, they have no choice but to invest in technologies and to look for the best available options to strengthen their defenses.”

Technologies available

Luckily, we now have technology advances to make campuses safe. “We have a new generation of tech that is now helping with this mission – deter and response – in many education settings. New technologies also include highly accurate 3D indoor positioning capabilities and heat mapping tools that can be used to improve incident rehearsals, revealing areas for improvement by individual responders and entire teams, and allowing better training and performance review,” Goodrich said.

Video surveillance and access control solutions can also play a part. “Access control guards the perimeter of the school’s property, including each route and entry. Robust access control processes will ensure that students, teachers, and visitors know where to enter the campus, what to do once they get inside, and how to exit the property. Exhaustive access control can keep potential criminals out of your establishment and often sets the tone for the rest of your safety efforts,” said Scot Sturges, Director of Business Development for North America at ACRE.

It’s also important to note that deploying better security measures in schools is a collaborative effort between all stakeholders, from government/law enforcement to manufacturers to educators.

“To say the recent tragedy in Uvalde could not have been prevented is of no service to the issue at hand. What I can say is we as an industry need to do better. As the providers of the technology that helps mitigate such issues, it is imperative we take a stand. Together, we can help protect our schools but we have to do it collaboratively and in conjunction with local authorities and government,” said John Rezzonico, CEO of Edge360.

“School leaders and their communities have a long list of considerations today when it comes to safety – ranging from mental health to ADA compliance to COVID-19 and from legislation and policies to training, procedures and assessments as well as products and technologies, among other things. Just like there’s no one-size-fits-all safety plan for individual schools, there’s no single solution for making schools safer. Ultimately, this means a holistic and collaborative approach to school safety is necessary – and experts of all kinds must work together,” said Ken Cook, Director of National School Safety at Allegion US.

“The recent shooting in Uvalde is heartbreaking and tragic. As a parent, the fact that schools have become a battleground is disheartening. Over the following months, we’ll see a debate over gun control and whether or not teachers should be armed. These questions are not simple to answer, but we can work collaboratively within our communities and the industry to find a solution,” said Tom Reilly, President of Commend. “Overall, we need to get down to basics. Schools and educational leaders must communicate about the risks, the technology infrastructure, and standard operating procedures. Even the relationships students develop with teachers, counselors, and other personnel are critical to identifying risks or irregular behavior.”

There are technologies that keep schools safe from guns

School shooting has become a severe problem in the United States. In the absence of far-reaching gun control laws, US schools are turning to technology to protect students, teachers and staff from guns. This article discusses some of the school safety technologies available.

Prevention

The best security measure is prevention. In many instances, damage could have been minimized if threats were detected and identified early. In this regard, various technologies can play a role.

First, analytics can be helpful. “Threat detection software that is tied into a validation system is very helpful in the early detection of a threat. For example, a video analytic would register a gun, then alert a human to verify the potential threat. This occurs prior to a shot being fired and is geared to aid in prevention,” said Jason Goodrich, Customer Success Director of CriticalArc. “Facial recognition has improved and could be used to alert facilities about a known threat attempting to make entry. LPR could also be useful if a known threat is attempting to enter.”

Door security also figures heavily in preventing the gunman from entering school premises in the first place. “We have long-standing physical security solutions for school buildings and other public spaces … and those include door locks (electronic and mechanical), as well as emergency exit devices, access control products, keys and credentials, door closers, security glass and the doors themselves. These solutions have really always been a part of the building design process and security ecosystem,” said Ken Cook, Director of National School Safety at Allegion US.

“While it is not the only step in preventing threatening or violent individuals from accessing a building, door security is often the first step. Schools can implement a two-way intercom system at the entrance which is an important first layer of protection. Intercom systems can enable front desk personnel to not only talk to an individual, but also clearly identify the person when the system includes an integrated IP video camera,” said Brad Kamcheff, Marketing Manager at Aiphone.

It is important to point out that, for the different school security systems to work seamlessly, integration is important.

“An open platform approach combined with the ability to integrate with other third-party systems allows schools to benefit from other best-in-class technologies to promote a more robust security posture and permit a coordinated emergency response when necessary,” said John Rezzonico, CEO of Edge360.

Finally, data sharing is critical. In the recent Uvalde incident, for example, authorities could have acted earlier had the gunman’s troubled social media messages been intercepted in time.

“Often, individuals on a troubled path will make remarks or act in a way that gives a clear indication that all is not well, and sometimes people will notice this. Making it easy for them to share their concerns with the right authorities at the right time should be a benchmark of prevention,” said Goodrich. “Our new-generation solutions can allow anonymous reports, to encourage people to share their concerns. This effort can also be supplemented by social media monitoring, and by closer engagement between police or security personnel with the communities they serve.”

Response

Once the outer perimeters have been breached, security measures must be in place inside the school premises to minimize casualty. A combination of access control, video surveillance and other technologies can help.

“Time is of the essence in an emergency, and just a few seconds can mean the distinction between security and catastrophe. Therefore, it’s crucial to support systems that initiate a lockdown and alert security to the whereabouts of students, instructors, and other staff in the facility,” said Scot Sturges, Director of Business Development for North America at ACRE. “Emergency exits are also required when the need for emergency evacuation arises. Schools can operate cameras, warnings, or corrective action to ensure entryways stay shut, except during a crisis.”

“A combination of video surveillance and two-way intercom systems can prove to be valuable. Video surveillance is key in providing the school’s security with the ability to monitor multiple places at once, especially in the event of an armed person attempting to enter the premises. In the classroom, it is equally important to ensure that teaching staff have access to security tools and can easily communicate with the front office in the event of an emergency. An intercom system installed in each classroom enables a teacher to reach the front office quickly,” Kamcheff said.

Communications with the outside world is also critical so law enforcement and rescue workers can get to the scene at the shortest time.

“I believe emergency notification and support systems used across agencies and public sector organizations can be very beneficial to streamlining communication,” said Alan Stoddard, President of Cognyte North America. “By leveraging intelligent devices, including mobile phones, modern emergency response solutions enable schools to dispatch the optimal responder during an incident based on proximity, availability, and experience. Because you can see the whereabouts of every potential responder, as well as all relevant geographical information and the location of life-saving equipment and other resources, response efforts are rapid and intelligent.”

“It goes back to communication. Ensuring law enforcement and first responders are at the scene immediately is all about streamlining how we share information. Having a clear line of connection with law enforcement and a plan laid out in advance is crucial. Unified communication can streamline this process, allowing various agencies to collaborate and share information to ensure the most effective and quick response,” said Tom Reilly, President of Commend.

Afterthoughts

Despite these technology advances, certain challenges still persist. One is the fact these solutions are not widely adopted in schools yet, due to budget constraints or limited resources.

“Many schools have legacy access control systems that need updating. If surveillance is in use, most schools are not employing the full capabilities of data analytics and many legacy CCTV systems cannot take advantage of advances in data analysis tech,” said Goodrich. “The new generation of unified emergency alert, location pinpointing, team coordination and communications solutions are being deployed to great effect in higher education settings, on university and college campuses. These solutions are not being used widely in schools yet, but there is huge potential benefit to adopting them.”

Further, training and education on these solutions are also required. “School systems often focus on what to purchase for proactive security measures and how to manage staffing to prevent unwanted intruders. They make significant investments in access control, video surveillance, artificial intelligence, and in some areas, metal detectors. But the simple fact is that all these investments are useless if no one is trained to use them and no one is trained in the correct standard operating procedures to follow when an incident happens,” Stoddard said. “We have to ensure schools are well-versed in how to use their investments and how they can leverage their functionality to adopt a more proactive stance.”

Interview: Pawel Grzegorczyk, Area Account Manager, Hungary and Balkans, 2N

Our goal is to lead our sector. That means continuous innovation, both in terms of technology and design, and the acquisition by Axis has really helped us here. Before it, we used to introduce a wide range of different products with the idea that, if one didn’t work out, we would try something else. We are now much more focused, concentrating exclusively on smart IP intercoms and access control.

a&s Adria: Mr. Grzegorczyk, what is your role at 2N, which department and markets are you in charge of?

Grzegorczyk: My name is Pawel Grzegorczyk. I am Area Account Manager, responsible for Hungary, Poland, and the Balkan region: Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Albania, North Macedonia, and Kosovo. I received the ‘Ing.’ title – which is granted to graduates of Master’s programmes – from the Faculty of Applied Informatics at Tomas Bat’a University in Zlín, Czech Republic, where I specialized in Security Systems and Management. I worked at CSC Computer Sciences as a technical support and then spent two years at Hewlett-Packard Enterprise as an Account Manager. I joined 2N in September 2017.

a&s Adria: For 30 years 2N has been at the forefront of access control and telecommunications. Among other things, you developed the first IP and LTE intercoms. What were the most important milestones and, in numbers, what does 2N looks like today when it comes to revenue, number of employees, offices, and countries you sell your products to?

Grzegorczyk: 2N is the global leader in IP access control systems. We were founded in 1991 in the Czech Republic, and it’s true that we have been in the vanguard of innovation in the sector, developing the world’s first IP intercom in 2008 and the first LTE/4G intercom ten years later. We now cover the full range of solutions in the field of access control systems for buildings and communication within buildings, with a focus on contactless technology.

Prague remains our global headquarters, but we now have teams in many other countries, including the USA, UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, France, UAE, and Australia, as well as an extensive distribution network across the rest of the world. In 2016, we became part of the Axis Group. This has helped us to continue to innovate, as has the fact that we reinvest 14% of global revenues in R&D to meet the growing demand for smarter access control systems.

a&s Adria: In 2016, you became a part of the Axis family, which again became a part of Canon. How did that complement your business throughout these years? Can you give us an example of their support?

Grzegorczyk: The acquisition by Axis has been hugely beneficial for our business. The global trend from analog intercoms to IP technology has helped us significantly, but we have delivered an average annual growth rate of 20% since the acquisition. Our goal is to differentiate and lead our sector. That means continuous innovation, both in terms of technology and design, and the acquisition has really helped us here. Before it, we used to introduce a wide range of different products with the idea that, if one didn’t work out, we would try something else. We are now much more focused, concentrating exclusively on smart IP intercoms and access control, and working with Axis has accelerated our product development. For example, we are developing new intercoms on the Axis Artpec chipset platform and are getting into video processing technology and video compression based on what Axis has developed over the last twenty years.

Perhaps the most important impact, though, has been on 2N’s mindset. We used to be a mid-sized company in terms of our thinking and behavior. We think much bigger now. Some of our recent projects illustrate this. For example, 2N intercoms are in the One Palm project in Dubai and our lift technology is in Warsaw’s Varso Tower, the European Union’s tallest building.

Axis is more focused on the security vertical, whereas 2N supplies access control solutions to the residential and commercial sectors that Axis is not targeting. There have, however, been instances of 2N and Axis working together on integrated residential projects. One example is in Boston, where Urban Property Management maintains a portfolio of more than one hundred upscale condominium properties in the city and outlying suburbs.

But the bigger picture is our long-term strategic vision: to become number one in the intercom market in our priority regions – North America, Europe, and Australia – which are less price sensitive than elsewhere and which value innovation most highly. This will require us to accelerate the transition from analog intercom systems to IP smart intercoms, a task that 2N and Axis are taking on together.

a&s Adria: As the “number one company in IP intercoms“, to quote 2N’s CEO, Michal Kratochvil, you certainly have an extensive portfolio in that segment. Can you present your IP intercoms portfolio in brief and single out one flagship (or the most sold) product/s?

Grzegorczyk: The real strengths of our IP intercoms are their modularity and enhanced capabilities. The modularity allows the functions of the intercom to be modified very precisely based on the user’s requirements. Most of our installations are now assembled with the Bluetooth module which allows residents and office workers to eliminate entry cards and use mobile phones as a means of identification to gain entry.

In terms of one flagship product, I would single out the 2N IP Style because it incorporates the best camera, the best video transmission, and display, and has a quality user interface that can be activated by a simple tap of a smart device. It’s also beautiful. The 2N IP Style has already won multiple awards around the world, including three in the US for technological innovation: a CE Pro BEST (Best Electronics Systems Technologies) Award at the CEDIA Expo in Indianapolis and two separate awards at the IoT/Connected Product Awards. It has also won two high-profile design awards: an iF Award for product design innovation and a Red Dot Design Award, one of the most prestigious awards available for product design.

a&s Adria: 2N’s IP Style range of intercoms has received four awards for design in 2022. What makes it so appealing and suitable for modern architecture and what multiple technologies does it combine?

Grzegorczyk: We definitely take design just as seriously as technological innovation. In the case of the 2N IP Style, it has a minimalistic design built around two main elements: a horizontal bar at the top which shelters ‘invisible’ speakers and the best camera on the intercom market, and below it, a thin, 480 cm2 glass touchscreen. The touchscreen is unprecedented in the intercom market both for its size and for being complete without buttons. The glass is also IP65 and IK08 certified for durability and tested to endure heavy rain, a dusty environment, or vandalism.

However, design is of limited value on its own, which is why we prioritize the combination of design and functionality in our products. Technologically, there are a few things about the 2N IP Style that elevate it above the competition in the market. For instance, it incorporates a 5MP camera with a wide dynamic range (WDR) and our revolutionary WaveKey mobile access technology. We recently added a bi-directional video and a QR code reader as well. The QR code upgrade, in particular, was a response to changing trends in consumer behavior and working patterns, specifically the acceleration of e-commerce and companies operating hybrid, less centralized working models.

a&s Adria: What are the benefits of IP technology in the intercom segment of access control?

Grzegorczyk: IP technology has transformed access control since the 2N IP Vario was launched in 2008. It has enabled the development of smart, flexible, fully customizable solutions – which can also be integrated into complex, comprehensive security systems. The kinds of innovative solutions that are commonplace today would simply not be possible without them. IP technology has also enabled access control systems to be managed remotely, in real-time. This has made a huge difference in residential buildings, where building managers are able to monitor, maintain – and fix – a large number of devices from one place.

But I believe that one of the most transformative impacts of IP technology is still in the relatively early stages: mobile access control. It seems so natural to us now, but phones have replaced watches, cameras, calculators, calendars, CD players, TVs, books, newspapers, and, most recently, credit cards. Keys will soon be added to this list. Driven by the convenience it offers, industry forecasts indicate exponential growth in mobile credentials over the next few years.

In residential buildings, for example, we also expect to see an acceleration in the trend of homeowners integrating access control into their home automation systems. As more and more people start to appreciate the full potential of IP intercoms and answering units, these devices are being transformed into the central control panel, regulating everything from the lights, air-conditioning and music system through to the garage door and lawn irrigation system. They are also being connected with security systems to deter intruders while, at the same time, allowing couriers to deliver packages even when no one is at home.

 a&s Adria: You’ve enriched the new 2.35 version of the 2N OS with several new useful features. Bi-directional video is especially a great feature for the hearing impaired, but leaving the video message and pinching-to-zoom is also something that will be a standard in intercoms. Tell us more about these updates.

Grzegorczyk: It’s true that bi-directional video helps ensure that 2N’s devices can be used by the hard of hearing, as it allows them to communicate using sign language. However, that wasn’t our only motivation in adding bi-directional video. It was also a response to the fact that, based on CBRE’s EMEA Occupier Survey 2022, 72% of companies are moving towards a ‘hybrid workplace’ model. Over 60% of companies are looking to increase the provision of mixed, shared or mobile work settings, with nearly 80% planning to downscale dedicated assigned seating. This change has led more and more companies to reconsider the viability of a ‘traditional’ receptionist: a person sitting on the front desk for the full working day to oversee access into the building. For buildings that decide to go without a dedicated reception, bi-directional video is great because visitors can still see the person they are talking to as well as vice versa.

Pinching-to-zoom on the answering unit is a clear security benefit because it allows users to see the caller’s face, name tag or ID more clearly.

a&s Adria: Thanks to open standards, IP Intercoms from 2N can connect with a wide range of external devices. What kind of devices and from what manufacturers? Also, since ONVIF settings have had a total rework, what profiles do 2N intercoms now support?

Grzegorczyk: 2N’s products can be integrated with the largest players in the residential market, including Control4, Stratis, and Brivo. With more and more customers seeing the value of integrating access control into their home automation systems, for example, this is becoming a huge advantage because easy integration is key in this area. Consumers – quite rightly – have no patience for smart home devices that don’t work well together, so proprietary, closed systems which can’t be interconnected with different brands are a real problem. It means that the buyer then has to seek out a home automation vendor that specializes in custom solutions – which, probably, means buying a whole range of appliances that the vendor is endorsing, thereby increasing the costs.

The re-work of the ONVIF settings means that 2N intercoms now support T as well as S profiles. The S profile already supported basic video streaming; the T profile enables advanced video streaming. This opens up a range of new possibilities, including motion detection and tamper alarms, as well as the support of bi-directional audio. This therefore even further broadens the integration options with third-party security devices, allowing customers to connect 2N’s devices to fully comprehensive security solutions.

 a&s Adria: The residents like being able to monitor their entrance and open the front door remotely using the 2N Mobile Video app. As a key service provided by My2N, which is hosted on Amazon servers, it provides top-level reliability. Thanks to what architecture can you guarantee a high percentage of connectivity to your customers and what are other key benefits of using your cloud service?

Grzegorczyk: Our rapid developments in cloud computing have brought the option of remote administration and scalable solutions, as well as a reduction in costs. Remote management is one of the key selling points of 2N IP access control devices – and emergency lift communication systems too. Being able to configure, integrate and administer our devices online, via the My2N portal, allows service providers to monitor a huge number of units from wherever you are based, 24/7, and it’s a free service.

a&s Adria: Last year, you introduced WaveKey. What features make it “the fastest mobile access technology on the market, with unrivaled reliability and absolute security,” as you state on your website?

Grzegorczyk: WaveKey is our next-generation Bluetooth-based mobile access technology. The new patented technology is capable of unlocking a door in just 0.3 seconds, which is twice as fast as an RFID card. The secret lies in its unique pre-authentication system of up to eight mobile phones within the reader’s range.

In terms of security, WaveKey solves the challenge around the unwanted door opening. Thanks to our adaptive algorithms and RSSi signal trend analysis, the reader knows whether the user is approaching the reader or moving away from it. A phone within range but lying on a table will never open a door. WaveKey thus resolves limitations that have sometimes been associated with earlier versions of Bluetooth access control technology. Bluetooth communication is also fully protected in our own secure channel. We used AES-128 and RSA-1024 encryption keys.

And in terms of reliability, WaveKey was tested intensively over a six-month period in busy office buildings. We tested over 15,000 door openings with 100 different phone models covering 20 brands – all to guarantee that our customers can trust WaveKey.

 a&s Adria: 2N has developed solutions for different industries’ properties and scales. Among many case studies, you recently finished projects in the Park One building in Bratislava, the Churchill Residence in Prague, and Varso Tower in Warsaw, the new tallest building in Europe. On a couple of these examples, how did you meet customers’ needs for a premium and complete access control and/or elevator system?

Grzegorczyk: Park One, in the center of Bratislava, is a good recent example of a project which incorporated a large number of 2N devices. It’s a 12,000 m2 office space plus a four-story parking lot and 72 2N Access Unit Ms form the heart of the solution. The 2N Access Unit M is the ideal reader for office buildings like Park One. As well as being quick to install and affordable even for projects requiring a large number of units, the glass front panel remains scratch-free even after years of daily use.

Four 2N IP Verso intercoms were also used. Thanks to its modularity, the 2N IP Verso is fully configurable to the needs of each project and is easy to interface with other systems to achieve even higher site security. The intercom makes it possible to create a contact list of tenants in the building similar to that in your mobile phone and is scrollable via the touchscreen in the same way. It is also water and vandal-resistant. As the winner of a prestigious Red Dot award for design, the 2N IP Verso also fitted the Park One project’s focus on aesthetics.

2N Access Commander, 2N’s software tool for managing its devices, then allows the status of the intercoms and access control units to be monitored remotely, in real-time.

Four relay A9188 modules were also used for the lifts. The relay is part of 2N’s lift access control solution and is designed to be connected to both the 2N IP Verso and the 2N Access Unit M. Park One is a 13-floor building (nine above ground, four below) but the solution is capable of operating up to 64 floors.

The Varso Tower in Warsaw was a very different project. It is the European Union’s tallest building at a height of 310 meters, with 53 floors. The project developer selected the market leader in high-rise elevators, Schindler Elevators, to install 29 lifts (two of which are evacuation lifts in case of fire) in the building, and the 2N Lift8 – Central Unit was selected for emergency communication. It’s a highly modular lift communication system that only needs a two-wire bus and therefore does not increase the requirements for traveling cable. The system comes with its own application for surveillance. 2N Call Centre software can be supplied as well.

Up to eight lift shafts can be connected to one 2N Lift8 – Central Unit. Each shaft can have up to six communicators. It also offers a wide range of communication interfaces, including PSTN/GSM/UMTS/IP. The communication interface can be changed on a modular basis, without having to replace the whole system.

Within each of the shafts, it’s possible to run a conference call between all of the connected units, including the unit in the machine room. This makes service maintenance easier and is a 2N smart enhancement for the emergency communication system.

Finally, the fireman communication unit operates during fire-fighter interventions. It activates a top-priority call and allows you to establish a connection with the cabin communicator and machine room in the same lift shaft.

Separate from the emergency lift communication, 83 IP intercoms from 2N were also installed to upgrade the access control system, at the main entrance to the Tower and on each floor at the main doorway to the companies renting the building.

A third prestigious project is Šumi, a contemporary urban building situated in the center of Ljubljana, Slovenia, which was opened in the spring of 2022. The complex comprises residential, commercial catering, and hotel areas. The residential part of the project incorporates a string of award-winning products, such as the 2N IP Style, 2N IP Verso, and 2N Indoor View answering units. It also includes WaveKey, our new Bluetooth access control technology.

 a&s Adria: What are the most important trends in intercom and access control markets and what can we expect from 2N in the following years?

Grzegorczyk: First, the switch from analog intercoms to IP technology is the most significant trend shaping our industry right now. With the IP intercom, you have features like HD, incredible audio quality, and a huge range of integration options. HD video intercoms are already being widely used in residential properties. The second trend is mobile. Mobile-based access systems were already in huge demand before Covid, but the pandemic will accelerate this because they limit skin contact with shared surfaces and so help provide a safe and secure home access experience. And the third trend we are seeing is the integration of new solutions like mobile access control and video calls from door intercoms into home automation control apps. To be able to do that, your devices must be IP-based to be able to offer appropriate APIs. It is also essential that you, as a manufacturer, can offer SDKs for your app, so it can be integrated into home automation applications.

 a&s Adria: Your opinion on the Adriatic region access control market and your company’s position in it? What are your plans in this area, are you looking for a regional partner?

Grzegorczyk: The situation varies from country to country. In Croatia and Slovenia, we are active in the access control segment, but mostly as a module for intercoms. It is not common for us to install standalone access control devices, although sales are slowly growing in this area. We won’t be looking for another distributor in those two countries just yet. In Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Montenegro, we are mostly focused on the industry, transportation, and commercial segments. In this region, we would be interested in another partner with a focus on the residential sector.

Cyber security found to be of key concern to security professionals

New research conducted by Genetec shows that cyber security remains a top concern for physical security professionals going into 2023.

Based on insights from over 3,700 physical security leaders from around the world, the report revealed that almost half (49%) of the organisations surveyed had activated an improved cyber security strategy this year, and more than a third of all respondents (36%) are looking to invest in cyber security-related tools to improve their physical security environment in the next 12 months.

When asked about the challenges faced when managing employee and visitor safety, more than half of the organisations selected cyber security as their main challenge. This was particularly evident for organisations with over 100,000 employees, with 62.3% of them indicating that cyber security was their top challenge, compared to 52.1% for companies with under 100,000 employees.

Of the many capabilities related to cyber security and data protection deployed by physical security teams in the last year, cyber-hardening of physical security hardware and access control management were the most popular, with 40% of respondents implementing new measures targeting those capabilities.

Smart City Expo 2022 gathers the key actors in the urban ecosystem to design Cities inspired by People

Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC), the leading international event on cities and smart urban solutions organized by Fira de Barcelona will bring together the urban innovation ecosystem to outline a plan for a more sustainable and livable urbanized planet. From November 15 to 17 and under the theme Cities Inspired by People, over 800 exhibitors, 700 cities and regions and 400 speakers will gather in Barcelona to push together transformation of metropolises worldwide and share knowledge and experiences.

The event will gather the leading international experts and companies to tackle the challenges involved in urban transformation. To cover the many fields involved, the congress program be structured in eight themes: Enabling Technologies, Energy & Environment, Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress, Governance, Living & Inclusion, Economy, Infrastructure & Buildings, and Safety & Security.

Cities from the five continents will send delegations to SCEWC including Amsterdam, Atlanta, Barcelona, Berlin, Boston, Brussels, Buenos Aires, Doha, Frankfurt, Kiev, New York, Paris, Quito, Reykjavik, Rio de Janeiro, Roma, Seoul, Stockholm, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Tokyo and Vienna. Likewise, many countries will showcase their latest projects and solutions, among them Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United States.

The director of SCEWC, Ugo Valenti, stated that “becoming once again the capital of smart cities is a huge honor for Smart City Expo. Welcoming over 700 cities and a significant number of mayors and ministers from different countries strengthens our role as key element in the global urban innovation agenda. Barcelona and the event are more than just the place where the leading organizations in the industry meet with clients once a year, they have become a driver of innovation and change in the urban landscape. And being able to help transform the world into a better place and achieve a more sustainable and liveable planet has been our goal since day one.”

Tools to reshape the urban landscape

Urban solutions are critical element of the smart city ecosystem, and the 800 exhibiting companies will showcase their latest products and technologies and how they can help local governments redesign their cities. Among these are Accenture, Amazon Web Services, Cisco, Dell & Nvidia, Deloitte, EDF, FCC Environment, Fiware, Honeywell, Microsoft, Moventia, Smart Ports: Piers of the Future and Sorigué.

The over 400 experts taking part in the Congress will make SCEWC the leading global platform for urban knowledge capable of covering every angle of the transformation of cities. Among this edition’s keynote speakers feature architect Elizabeth Diller, gangsta gardener Ron Finley and mathematician Hannah Fry.

Diller has studied how to shape behaviour through public urban space and is responsible of widely acclaimed projects such as the New York High Line, and the Hudson Docks new art center The Shed.

Ron Finley has been spearheading a green revolution in Los Angeles where guerrilla gardening has transformed the dirt patches in South Central LA into gardens where neighbors are not only growing vegetables but also healthier communities.

Hannah Fry teaches Mathematics of Cities at the University College London. And has been able to decode the patterns of a wide range of social activities ranging from shopping and transport to urban crime, riots and terrorism.

The future of mobility
Among the most critical issues that cities face all over the world is the challenge to balance an increasingly urbanized and densely populated planet with the need of all its inhabitant to move.

That is the main focus of Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress and event co-organised by Fira de Barcelona and the EIT Urban Mobility, an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, a body of the European Union. On its second edition Tomorrow.Mobility will promote the design and adoption of new sustainable urban mobility models.

The sessions featured in the conference program cover topics such as putting Public Transportation as a global priority in a context of rising energy prices, using low-emission-zones, electrification and micromobility to achieve carbon neutrality as soon as possible, and safely developing Urban Air Mobility (UAM).

Among the more than 80 experts taking part at the discussion are Kelly Larson, Leading Road Safety & Drowning Prevention work at Bloomberg Philanthropies; Karen Vancluysen, Secretary General at POLIS; Marco te Brömmelstroet, Professor in Urban Mobility Futures, University of Amsterdam; and Thomas Geier, Research and Policy Officer at European Metropolitan Transport Authorities.

PUZZLE X and cutting edge technologies
The second edition of PUZZLE X, an event focusing on frontier technologies, will grasp the potential of bleeding-edge tech to build a prosperous future for humanity. To achieve that goal, the event will bring together visionaries, industry leaders, innovators and governments to discuss how these technologies can enable a better and more sustainable future.

The conferences will be structured in eight themes: Quantum World; Matterverse to Metaverse; 5G and Sentient Cities; Semiconductor: the new Wave; Transcending Biology; Architecting Tomorrow; Exotic Computing; and Sustainable Future.

Among the experts who will speak at PUZZLE X features Aubrey de Grey, co-founder of the Metuselah Foundation, who will discuss how technology might end aging and extend life indefinitely. In addition, the event’s stage will also host presentations including a live demo by Australian company Cortical Labs who have been growing synthetic brain cells and combining them with silicon chips to create mini-brains with the ability to learn new routines live and even play videogames.

Barcelona, 3 November 2022

Folc Lecha
+34 93 233 35 55
flecha@firabarcelona.com

Rise of the video analytics market to $20.3 billion by 2027

The latest information from research firm, Marketsandmarkets, shows that the global video analytics market is projected to grow from USD 7.1 billion in 2022 to USD 20.3 billion by 2027, at a compound annual growth rate of 23.4% during the forecast period. According to analysts, the growth of the video analytics market can be attributed to government initiatives in adopting emerging technologies to enhance public safety infrastructure. Moreover, a significant drop in crime rate due to surveillance cameras is fuelling the growth of the video analytics market.

Intrusion management involves monitoring incidents, such as intrusions in outdoor areas and perimeters, by deploying intrusion detection systems. Intrusion systems integrated with video analytics offer accurate and automated surveillance. Suppose an intruder breaks a pre-defined security rule. In that case, the automated intrusion management system generates a real-time alarm and a video of the event. It sends it to the VMS, allowing the concerned authorities to deliver fast and precise responses.

Cloud is a most prolific deployment model

The cloud segment is expected to account for a higher CAGR growth during the forecast period. Cloud deployment is offered through the internet and is hosted on the vendor’s server. Cloud-based video analytics is delivered through Video Analytics-as-a-Service (VAaaS). On the cloud infrastructure, VAaaS provides improved accuracy, real-time monitoring and alerts, real-time operations, better utilization of staff members, multiple deployment types based on client requirements, cloud data availability, and upgradation functionality.

Geographically North America takes the lead

The North American market, defined as the US and Canada, tops the world in terms of the presence of security vendors and the occurrence of security breaches. Therefore, the research suggests that the global video analytics market is dominated by North America, as it is considered the most advanced region regarding technology adoption and infrastructure. The growing concerns about protecting critical infrastructure and national borders have increased government intervention in recent years. Specific budget allocations, such as for the Department of Homeland Security and mandated security policies, are expected to make North America the most lucrative market for vendors from various verticals.

Major market players

Some of the major video analytics market vendors mentioned in the new report include Avigilon, Axis Communications, Cisco, Honeywell, IBM, Allgovision, Genetec, Intellivision, Gorilla Technology, and Intuvision.

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a&s Adria – professional security magazine for providing total security solutions is a monthly circulating publication and a licenced representative of Messe Frankfurt New Era Business Media for Adriatic region, which consists of following countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, FYR Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia.