April 19, 2026
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Home Articles posted by a&s Adria (Page 201)

BIROSAFE Bulletproof Doors, Walls and Windows – EN 1522 – ECB•S Certified

DPTU “BIROSAFE” DOOEL Strumica is an engineering company founded in 2001. The company operates in the business of manufacturing, sales and installation of security, fireproof and bank equipment (security and fireproof safes, cabinets, doors, vaults, etc.).

BIROSAFE has offices and dealerships in all the Balkan countries and is present in the markets of Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Albania, and Bulgaria.

BIROSAFE manufactures and offers different types of security equipment: safes, cabinets, deposit safes, weapon safes, cash transfer safes, vaults, vault doors, security doors, as well as fireproof equipment which includes safes, cabinets, doors, etc.

The products are usually made according to the standard measurements, but there is also an option to customize them based on the client’s demands.

In 2009, BIROSAFE became a member of the ESSA – European Security Systems Association, Frankfurt/Main (www.ecb-s .com).

European Certification Body (ECB) GmbH is an independent certification body for the EN 45011 standard. It issues the ECB•S certification mark which guarantees maximum security features in line with the European standards.
The ECB•S certified products guarantee quality and offer higher levels of resistance.

Since becoming a member of the ESSA, BIROSAFE has successfully passed the tests for several types of products and received the following EUROPEAN CERTIFICATES issued by ECB•S – Germany:
– EN 1143- 1 – for security safes and strong-room doors
– EN 1627 – for burglary resistant doors
– EN 1522 – for bulletproof walls, doors, and windows.
EN 1522 – bulletproof walls, doors and windows

Our bulletproof products offer bulletproof protection in line with the following standards:

– EN 1522 FB 4
– EN 1522 FB 4+
– EN 1522 FB 6

The bulletproof testing was performed at the renowned German laboratory of Beschussamt Ulm, under the guidance of the ECB-S team.

Each type of tested products was issued the ECB-S Certificate, which guarantees the level protection it is supposed to provide.

Consumers can recognize the recommended products by the blue ECB•S certification mark.

The BIROSAFE bulletproof doors and walls can be made with various measurements based on the client’s needs, and are available with or without bulletproof glass.

Customized manufacturing also applies to the aesthetic finish, which is available with several options, including metal, PVC and wooden covering (doors with PVC artificial leather – wood – plain color – aluminum – stainless).

Our bulletproof products can be built as Security Entrance Systems (SAS) which are designed for controlling entrances and exits in secure areas.

These Security Entrance Systems (SAS) offer security according to the EN 1627 security standard and are made bulletproof according to the EN 1522 standard.

Opening of the doors with Security Entrance Systems (SAS) is done with the interlocking system (one door opens – the second door closes). Interlocking doors grant entry or exit to a single person only, preventing unauthorized persons or intruders from gaining access. The users can enter through the first door, which locks itself just before the second door opens, allowing access to a secure zone.

There is also an option to build our bulletproof products as Security Desk Windows.

We strongly recommended these products to all the companies who are in the cash-in-transit business, banks, embassies, government institutions, exchange offices, etc.

The EN 1522 ECB•S Certified Bullet Resistant products offer quality and security in a single product. Purchasing those means investing in your safety, so you better invest wisely.

Securing beauty without ruining the view

With the seasonal inflow of a large amount of visitors, and revenue, popular resort cities need to make sure everyone has a great holiday, without being touched by crime. Balatonfüred, Hungary’s second most popular resort has over 1.5 million visitors (in 2016) flocking to its lake – the biggest in the country. The local police station looked to reseller WBS Systemhouse to provide a holistic surveillance solution for the city, and this was achieved by using Hikvision equipment.

Challenge
The whole area of the city needed to be covered, from the city centre to the border of the city covering the roads leading into the city and main traffic junctions, such as train and bus stations, locations preferred by tourists, walkways, entrances of beaches and bigger traffic junctions of the city. The city’s administration specifically needed to reduce the incidents of pickpocketing, shoplifting, car theft and breaking and entering.
Cameras needed to be positioned for maximum coverage, but they also needed to be placed sympathetically, to minimise any impact on the views and the beauty of the city – the reason for visitors to be there!
A particular challenge was the city’s railway station. Cameras were needed in the station lobby to ensure safety of passengers. However, the lobby was under renovation at the time, which complicated the installation. The cameras had to be fixed in a cavity covered with a suspended ceiling in a way that the casing was not affected.
The police department also needed to have a way to monitor vehicles to add to the security of the city and the safety of both residents and visitors.

Solution
WBS Systemhouse used 40 cameras around the city in strategic locations to offer maximum coverage. They chose PTZ Dome cameras (DS-2DE4220IW-DE) for their small, compact size, optimal resolution and zoom range. This meant it could provide the best pictures and range, while being unobtrusive to not spoil the beauty of the city.
The complicated installation in the station building was solved using a bracket (DS-1662ZJ) with a custom adjustment. The customer’s request was to ensure the camera’s mounting mechanism and the cabling was as ‘invisible’ as possible. This bespoke installation and the ability of the camera to deliver long range PoE power, resolved this issue to the delight of the customer.
The cameras are connected by a “closed-loop” wireless or optical fiber connection to the recording and Hikvision’s HikCentral video management platform installed in the server room of Balatonfüred Police Station. Camera images are recorded by 2 NVRs and a DVR, and the functions of the video management system are provided by iVMS 5200 (now called HikCentral) installed on a separate server. The WBS ANPR System installed on a separate server is also responsible for processing license plate data to check when vehicles entered and left the city, but also to have alarms on any ‘blacklisted’ vehicles that are picked up.
The feeds are monitored 24h at the police station in Balatonfüred, who are able to react quickly if necessary. The users find the system easy to use and flexible, thanks to the HikCentral and the fact that the cameras can easily be moved remotely.
László Regdon, Chief of Police in Balatonfüred, says: ““The area surveillance system has greatly contributed to the success of several traffic actions and criminal investigations by the police. Based on the system – which provides needle-sharp images – we have obtained useful information to provide evidence for various violations. Since the introduction of the camera system, the number of crimes has been reduced and the quality of events has been improved. The cameras in Balatonfüred fit into the atmosphere and environment of our small city, they do not create dissonance at all.”
This is a great example of how surveillance products can combine together to give an efficient, holistic system to cover a whole city. And, due to the choice of cameras, the quality of picture and the dedication of the installers, the solution quietly monitors the city and the people enjoying it without ruining the impact of the environment that attracts so many to it.

MOBOTIX and Hekatron Brandschutz: Innovative thermal cameras communicate with extinguishing systems to prevent fires in production

Things get hot when pots and pans are polished in the production process at Kuhn Rikon, the number one Swiss brand for crockery and kitchen aids. Dust explosions can easily occur if the temperature rises above a certain threshold, which in the worst-case scenario can lead to significant fire damage and production outages. Initiated by ITES GmbH, MOBOTIX and Hekatron Brandschutz teamed up in a joint project to deliver 360° protection against this risk for Kuhn Rikon. MOBOTIX thermal imaging cameras are connected to the fire alarm & extinguisher control center Integral IP at Hekatron Brandschutz. The cameras monitor the production process for critical temperatures and intervene autonomously in the production process. Not only does the system trigger an alarm in the case of possible overheating, it automatically stops the production machine and starts the extinguishing process where necessary.
Some years ago overheated polishing plates caused a dust explosion at the Kuhn Rikon main facility in Rikon in the Töss Valley of Switzerland, precipitating a devastating fire that destroyed the production system and parts of the factory building. “Luckily no-one was hurt, but the incident made us drastically aware that we urgently require reliable protection of our production processes that exceed the scope of normal fire protection,” explains Paul Brunschwiler, production technician at Kuhn Rikon AG.

MOBOTIX M16 thermal cameras: Tailored programming and ideal prevention
Project manager Mathias Stauffacher provided the convincing proposal of connecting the thermal cameras M16 Thermal by MOBOTIX with a fire alarm & extinguishing control center at the firm Hekatron Brandschutz: The M16 thermal cameras by MOBOTIX offer outstanding image resolution and enable precise monitoring of all danger zones within the Kuhn Rikon production workflow. In addition, the software package for the IP cameras allows tailored programming to suit the needs of the Swiss company. “We programmed all three escalation levels exactly: A warning for critical temperatures, production stop when the threshold is exceeded, followed by immediate initiation of the extinguishing process after the production shutdown to prevent any spread of the fire,” adds Stauffacher.

Kuhn Rikon: Significantly fewer production errors, production process boosted by 5%
“The compatibility with MOBOTIX and Hekatron Brandschutz, as well as the user-friendly and low-maintenance system, convinced us 100 percent”, reports Paul Brunschwiler.

“MOBOTIX and Hekatron Brandschutz have very similar DNA. Both our companies develop their technology and also manufacture their products in Germany. The clear focus on premium quality hardware, software and services is confirmed in the successful results of projects like this one,” emphasizes Phillip Antoniou, Sales Director EMEA at MOBOTIX AG. “The Kuhn Rikon project highlights the importance of a smart hard and software solution for fire protection and production optimization. Our intelligent safety systems make major contributions in other sectors as well, among them waste management or the petroleum and gas industries,” says Antoniou.

“The incident at Kuhn Rikon plainly shows that fire protection for technical systems is extremely important as a ‘life-insurance policy’ for the company. Here, protecting the employees and the company’s output go hand in hand,” stresses Daniel Triebswetter, specialist for extinguishing system control at Hekatron Brandschutz.

About MOBOTIX
MOBOTIX is a leading premium-quality manufacturer of intelligent IP video systems, setting standards in innovative camera technologies and decentralized security solutions with the highest cybersecurity. MOBOTIX was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Langmeil, Germany. Made in Germany, the company has offices in New York, Dubai, Sydney, Paris and Madrid. Customers worldwide rely on the longevity and reliability of MOBOTIX hardware and software. The flexibility of the solutions, the integrated intelligence and the highest level of data security are appreciated in many industries. MOBOTIX products and solutions help customers in industrial manufacturing, retail, logistics and healthcare, among others. With strong and international technology partnerships, the company is working on redefining the future.

About Hekatron Brandschutz
Ensuring the best possible protection of people and assets in emergency situations is and remains the driving force behind Hekatron Brandschutz in the area of fire safety for technical systems in Germany. Headquartered in Sulzburg in south Baden, the company has played a key role in shaping the development of fire protection equipment with its innovative products and services for over 55 years, while also accepting social responsibility and showing environmental commitment.

Perimeter protection – More than meets the eye

Perimeter protection is essential in critical infrastructures such as airports or utilities. Video analytics can greatly improve security in such environments while at the same time lowering costs and network strain.

286 perimeter breaches in ten years – this was the result of an Associated Press investigation on the busiest 31 airports in the United States. These incidents happened despite the fact that after the September 11 attacks, US airports had invested hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade their perimeter fencing. They basically prove two things: First, it is anything but easy to protect large areas, and second, it is not enough to build seven-foot high fences with barbed wire on top to keep intruders out. What is true for airports also applies to any other critical infrastructure, be it a utility, a power plant, a refinery or a pipeline. And although public safety may not at risk here, the manufacturing industry has a strong interest to protect physical assets and intellectual property.

While a fence and security guards may be an appropriate solution for lower risk environments, critical infrastructures need more than that. Network video surveillance has the highest potential to drastically increase perimeter security. The most obvious advantage being image quality. In today’s video surveillance applications there is an ever increasing demand for more detail. However, the industry does rely too heavily on higher resolution and consequently more detail. More details and thus pixels means more data, which in turn means more storage capacity and a higher network load. Although highly detailed images make it easy to distinguish individuals or minor details, we need to find ways to reduce storage requirements and network strain. But that is not all. The number of cameras being deployed in the market place is also rapidly increasing. Even if storage requirements and network strain are reduced significantly we still face an enormous amount of data. This leaves us with the manageability and accessibility of video data.

Manageability and accessibility of video data
At the end of the day, security personnel or operators want to be alerted instantly when suspicious events are detected. Built-in video analytics from Bosch analyze real-time images continuously to instantly detect suspicious events and alert when needed once predefined alarms are triggered. This helps operators and security personnel to spend more time on other tasks, and respond only to important events. In case an event did occur operators or security personnel want to browse stored video data to find irrefutable forensic evidence. If time and place are exactly known, this is quite easily done as the videos carry timestamps. But if you want to figure out and understand the escape route of a perpetrator on the basis of multiple cameras’ recordings, your ability to do so quickly will be limited by the sheer amount of data.

Considering this, it would be helpful if network video cameras understand what they see. In other words when they add “sense and structure” to video data in order to keep video data manageable and easy accessible. Built-in video analytics from Bosch does all this for you and much more. For mission critical applications like the perimeter protection of airports, critical infrastructures and government buildings as well as border patrol and traffic monitoring, we offer built-in Intelligent Video Analytics. Small and medium businesses, large retail stores, commercial buildings and warehouses can for example make use of our built-in Essential Video Analytics for advanced intrusion detection, enforcing health & safety regulations, and business analytics like crowd density information and people counting.

Intelligence at the edge
Bosch ensures the highest quality and reliability of video analytics by putting it at the edge. That’s why every single network camera with either Intelligent Video Analytics or Essential Video Analytics can operate independently without the need for a central analytics server – so no single point of failure. This is called distributed or decentralized intelligence. If one camera or encoder fails, the rest of the system remains at full performance. Expanding the system is therefore also easy. Network strain and storage requirements can be reduced by only streaming what is needed, since the analysis is done in the camera. With intelligence at the edge, our focus is to significantly enhance system robustness and flexibility while reducing costs.

Alerting only when needed
Network cameras with built-in video analytics can be configured to automatically identify alert conditions such as persons approaching or attempting to climb over fences, reliably differentiating between humans and the proverbial cat that flits through the image. Alert conditions can also include objects crossing one or more predefined lines, following a defined line of movement or changing their speed (running), shape (crouching) or aspect ratio (falling). Camera-based, real-time processing can also be used to issue loitering alarms and perform left object detection, giving the security team the information it needs to react and take action quickly. Automatically tracking moving objects of interest can help to verify or disprove alarms, alerting the security operator as appropriate. Such tracking can be initiated by a simple click or automatically when predefined alarm rules are met. Once integrated with intrusion detection systems or access control at the gates, intelligent video can also be used to automatically verify alarms from these systems or to double-check the identity of an individual presenting her or his credentials at the gate.

Businesses are using faces to gain security and business insights

Smartphones and social media all utilize facial recognition, and user acceptance has paved the way for more varied uses. While the technology is still mostly associated with security, government and law enforcement, businesses are taking advantage of it as well for both security and business intelligence purposes.

The overall global facial recognition market is growing, expected to reach nearly US$7.8 billion by 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.9 percent, according to a report by MarketsandMarkets. The report cites the growing need for surveillance in public spaces as a major contributor to growth.

The unique capabilities of advanced facial recognition can be applied to almost any vertical. Also, since the technology requires no physical contact or credentials that can be lost, stolen or replicated, it is an attractive solution for many different applications. Add in the insights businesses can gain from its ability to easily identify and track individuals — which could provide them with valuable data to perform advanced trend analysis, productivity research workflow processing and so much more — it is no wonder more and more businesses are deploying facial recognition solutions.

Making Businesses More Efficient With Facial Recognition

Businesses are deploying facial recognition technology to increase operational efficiency and learn more about customers.

Nowadays everyone is using facial recognition and businesses are no exception. The use of facial analytics solutions to gather information on demographics and consumer buying patterns is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, according to a report by MarketsandMarkets. Adoption of face recognition technology is growing across industries, which is being fueled by growing awareness, advancements in the technology, and accessibility. For instance, the development of advanced facial recognition analytics that are centralized has made it relatively easy to apply to any networked camera, explained Shawn Mather, Director of Sales for the U.S. at Intelligent Security Systems (ISS).

With businesses also looking for more ways to utilize smart technologies, and with artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning gaining momentum, the use cases for facial recognition have opened up. Additionally, improvements in video surveillance cameras have allowed “organizations to realize the full value of video surveillance investments,” according to Stephanie Weagle, CMO of BriefCam.

“The growing sophistication of video content analytics (VCA) systems combined with the market’s fuller understanding of the ways in which video analytics solutions can drive organiza- tional efficiency and performance alongside security, has resulted in businesses of all types taking a deeper interest in VCA and face recognition,” Weagle said. From a retail perspective, leveraging facial recognition technology allows them to better understand customer demographics (e.g., gender, age, etc.). This data provides the retailer with a better understanding of who their customers are, which could enable them to better personalize the shopping experience and tailor their marketing strategy.

“When companies educate themselves on demographic composition, they create business intelligence opportu- nities to improve convenience in how people interact with their built environ- ments and to enhance the personal- ization of experiences in advertising,” explained Dan Grimm, VP of Computer Vision and GM of SAFR at RealNetworks. Grimm explained that companies can use facial detection and charac- terization, which does not retain any biometric information, to gain actionable insights of their customers. “For example, shopping mall owners will be able to make better advertising, leasing and customer service decisions if they know that between the hours of 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. they tend to see traffic of X number of persons broken down by 60 percent female, 40 percent male, with an average age of 42, based on a single IP camera properly tuned for an entrance,” he added.

Businesses are also using facial recognition to create customer loyalty programs to help identify VIPs.

Mather also highlighted the use of facial recognition in workforce management. This is a trend he sees on the rise globally. The ability to accurately identify and track personnel for time and attendance management with facial recognition is especially being sought after. Facial recognition is being deployed for this purpose in a large number of industries where large, but often temporary workforces are being deployed to either permanent or temporary sites, he said. “Perfect examples are factories and construction sites, where shifts change based on delivery schedules and production lines, and different groups of specialized workers need to be on production lines at different intervals,” Mather explained. These are just some of the ways businesses are using facial recognition technology for nonsecurity purposes today. In the near future, many expect facial recognition to become more mainstream where its use for even more business intelligence operations will continue to grow.

How Businesses Use Facial Recognition to Enhance Security

Facial recognition is helping businesses stop thefts and keep environments more secure.

More and more businesses are using facial recognition technology to improve situational awareness. Doing so gives businesses a smarter, easier way to monitor who is entering, staying and leaving their environment, while also increasing safety, security and convenience. Doug Aley, CEO of Ever AI, noted that “mission-critical” applications form about 75 percent of the facial recognition market. This includes use cases such as security surveillance, access control, digital authentication and government and law enforcement applications. According to a report by MarketsandMarkets, the increased need for enhanced surveil- lance and monitoring at public places and the increased use of the technology in industries such as the government are driving the market growth. While the main purpose of deploying a facial recognition solution is security, it is also about “empowering individuals to use their faces as a token to gain fast safe access and authen- tication,” said Dan Grimm, VP of Computer Vision and GM of SAFR at RealNetworks.

Facial recognition is “ideal” for environments that need to positively identify individuals for physical and data security clearance, general access permis- sions, compliance with mandated regulations, and financial verification, according to Shawn Mather, Director of Sales for the U.S. at Intelligent Security Systems (ISS).

In a business environment, such as retail, “this could mean leveraging footage of different shoplifting incidents, assembling a suspect watchlist using frames from video surveillance, and then responding to alerts triggered by a video content analytics (VCA) system’s detection of a biometric match for the suspected shoplifter,” explained Stephanie Weagle, CMO of BriefCam. From there, security or police officers could investigate further to determine whether the alert has correctly identified the shoplifter and, if so, apprehend the perpetrator before the store bears further losses.

Facial recognition can also be used to provide live analytics for industries where there are high numbers of unknown visitors (e.g., malls, retail spaces, event venues, stadiums, etc.). This also applies to large enterprises with high visitor flows, such as hospitals, universities and stadiums, that have a need to know when persons of interest appear on camera. Grimm used a sports stadium as an example. Stadium operators might flag banned patrons in its database, while box owners may want notifica- tions when VIPs are onsite, in order to properly greet them and provide a superior level of customer service. “To support effective ‘watchlists’ — both for threats/concerns and for VIPs — facial recognition systems must be adept at high accuracy under the real-world conditions of identifying people in live video. This means avoiding false positive matches and reliably identifying people despite variations in lighting, orientation and facial occlusions due to scarves, glasses and hats,” Grimm explained. Customers from schools, office buildings and manufacturing are also using facial recognition to provide secure access to facilities. “In these cases, facial recognition systems enhance security in ways that are superior to badges, which can be easily stolen, and also offer features that catch piggybacking instances to offer a more accurate assessment of who is entering and exiting,” Grimm explained.

Facial recognition can also enhance convenience over existing access management solutions. For example, with facial recognition users no longer have to deal with situations where badges are forgotten at home or left on a desk. Grimm added that for secure access, facial recognition solutions should include anti-spoofing to prevent unauthorized access to those attempting to use a photo to gain entry.

How Businesses Should Protect Privacy When Using Facial Recognition

As facial recognition becomes more ubiquitous, concerns about privacy are at an all-time high.

Facial recognition has been entrenched in controversy lately. San Francisco recently made headlines by becoming the first city in the U.S. to ban the use of facial recognition technology by law enforcement and government agencies; however, businesses are not included in this ban.

Built-in facial recognition in smartphones has helped ease the general population’s concerns over biometrics by making it a norm. However, many civil liberties groups and consumers are still just as concerned about how enterprises are using and storing facial recognition data. The determination of privacy is often dependent on the use case. In some instances, privacy is determined by the governing entity. For example, the Global Entry program, administered by the US Department of Homeland Security, uses facial recognition to verify that the person in front of the camera is the same as the one in the passport photo. “Not only is consent and privacy in this instance ‘implied,’ but also legally mandatory,” said Doug Aley, CEO of Ever AI.

On the other hand, consumer expectations of privacy and consent are often contingent on the application. “We typically find implied consent in situations where consumers are expecting it (e.g., consumers expect that bad actors are not allowed entry into the country, and so the concept of face recognition to identify them is acceptable),” Aley explained. However, there is a delicate balance that will come down to the difference between mission-critical applications (e.g., where the government doesn’t need permission to use an individual’s face) versus general purpose face recognition for casual, entertainment-focused applications, he added.

In terms of legislation, laws regarding privacy are rapidly evolving around the world. In the U.S., states such as Illinois, Texas and Washington have specific biometric privacy laws governing the use, collection and storage of biometric data. In Europe the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) also has specific clauses mandating how biometric data can be collected, used and stored. For example, the GDPR states that EU residents must give explicit consent before their data can be collected, and that they have the right to withdraw consent at any given time — this is known as “the right to be forgotten.” Dan Grimm, VP of Computer Vision and GM of SAFR at RealNetworks, believes regulations are needed at a national level in the U.S., not just by jurisdiction. This would help to provide a baseline for how facial recognition can be deployed in ways that take into account the “important missions of our customers and the interest of the general public.”

While making sure all facial recognition deployments abide by privacy regula- tions is a given, whether in the cloud or on premises, businesses can further maintain privacy by doing their part. This should include ensuring that all data is encrypted in transit and at rest; systems are built with stringent cyber protections; providing the ability for individuals to be deleted from a system; and offering an opt-in/opt-out structure that encourages users to provide consent around the use of facial recognition. “For SAFR from RealNetworks, we find this particularly important and not only include these features out of the box, but also provide our customers with best practices for implementing facial recognition,” Grimm added.

From a consumer’s perspective, concerns surrounding facial recognition rests more in the hows (e.g., how it is being used, how it is being transmitted and how it is being stored) rather than the actual use of the technology, according to Shawn Mather, Director of Sales for the U.S. at Intelligent Security Systems (ISS). For this reason, he explained that privacy is much more an issue of application. In the future, we can expect that governments worldwide will continue to develop policies to regulate the use of biometric technologies, as well as define the rights of opting out of being tracked digitally. We may even see more cities opt to follow in the footsteps of San Francisco and ban certain applications of facial recognition technology altogether.

What’s Required for Businesses to Deploy Facial Recognition?

Getting the most out of facial recognition requires the right equipment; however, needs may vary by application.

The hardware needs of businesses wanting to deploy facial recognition can vary depending on the application. Not every situation requires the highest resolution camera or the highest computing power, nor does every every environment pose the same challenges (e.g., lighting, crowding, weather, etc.). Generally, in order to deploy a facial recognition system what is needed are a well-tuned camera, local computing power, and software. Hardware systems must be paired with the appropriate computing power to run facial recognition efficiently, which depends on whether you are managing a high- or low-density environment.

However, hardware requirements can vary greatly depending on the application and deployment architecture. For example, secure-access use cases, where you are viewing a few faces at a given time, can leverage lower-resolution cameras with lower frame rates and require less computing power (in addition to deploying fewer cameras), which effectively lowers your total cost of ownership (TCO), explained Dan Grimm, VP of Computer Vision and GM of SAFR and RealNetworks.

On the other hand, when using watchlists, deploying more cameras can improve accuracy and performance. Grimm added, “If the facial recognition platform supports a distributed architecture by doing detection at the edge and recognition in the cloud, then you’ve not only lowered TCO, you’ve also increased your ability to scale in a massive way.”

In the early days of face recognition, there was often a tradeoff between accuracy and device power. “Lower powered devices, either in terms of chipset, bandwidth requirements or camera resolution, suffered from lower accuracy,” noted Doug Aley, CEO of Ever AI. Today, Ever AI has had success in being able to deploy on everything from a single core legacy processor all the way up through a cluster of high-powered GPUs, like an NVIDIA T4. “There are now other companies like ours where the accuracy tradeoff is no longer an issue,” Aley added. Nowadays, speed is where the major variability comes in — the more powerful the hardware, the faster the speed of matching and the faster the overall user experience. Aley explained that most modern chipsets, especially from a quad-core onward, are going to be very fast. Furthermore, today’s face recognition models, and the frameworks off which these models are built, are getting more adept at handling lower-power chipsets. Shawn Mather, Director of Sales for the U.S. at Intelligent Security Systems (ISS) highlighted software integration issues over complications with hardware. Software providers, however, can overcome these challenges by making their solutions compatible with VMS solutions and electronic access control solutions. The type of facial recognition — 2D or 3D face recognition technology — a businesses chooses to deploy may also come with its own specific set of challenges and requirements. A report by MarketsandMarkets noted that captured images from earlier 2D facial recognition technology were highly dependent on illumination, meaning poor lighting significantly affected image quality. Another challenge was the “incompatibility of integration between software tools and biometric hardware devices.”

However, the report expects 3D technology to have the largest market share in the coming years. Unlike 2D technology, 3D technology is not dependent on illumination. This enables it to capture higher-quality images in uncontrolled environments, such as poorly lit or completely dark areas. Something else to consider in the years to come are facial recognition cameras, where the recognition process is done on-board at the frontend. These types of cameras, though, require strong computational power since all of the tools for recognition are on-board. While several camera companies are developing face recognition cameras, the overall market is still in a fledgling state, but may be something to look forward to in the future.

Interviw: Vigan Limani, COIN Systems

Dear Mr. Limani, you are the CEO of COIN. Could you present yourself to our readers, your educational and professional background, business successes, etc.?
I am a mechanical engineer by trade, I studied in the University of Pristina, and my field was power transmitters. I have been working in the family company for a long time now (approximately 10 years), I first started as a technician there, then I moved up as an engineer, and since January 2016 I am CEO of COIN. I have also been involved in some international companies (automotive industry) before I took the position of CEO of COIN. Since I took over the company, we have had a growth rate of approx. 25% each year.

COIN started doing business even as far as 1941, initially as a craft shop in the rare trade of locksmith/machinist. Today, it is one of the leading Kosovo security companies, offering mechanical and electronic security systems. Tell us more about this journey: how did your company move from manual labor to using the most modern systems, what were the most important milestones, what happened in 1999, when you reopened COIN again?
Well working in communist Yugoslavia at the time was completely different from now. The market for security equipment was covered by state owned companies, but often support was poor (safe and lock manufacturers were either in Slovenia, Serbia or Macedonia), so we filled that void. There were a lot of cases when we would service safes, doors and such hardware in state institutions; however our main market was the residential market.
During this time, new products were very hard to obtain, so we became very efficient and creative, thus getting a lot of detailed knowledge on how stuff functions.
In 1999 we had lost the whole company due to the conflict. Everything was gone, our machines and our stock. We started from scratch again, but this time we focused on the business 100% and we managed to build up what we have now.

You are primarily doing business in the area of mechanical security. What types of products do you install and what brands do you work with? Do you provide some additional services when it comes to mechanical security systems?
We have a very broad range of products, the reason for this is because in a small market such as Kosovo and Albania, to be able to grow one needs to be able to do different things. We represent very well-known international brands such as Insys, DormaKaba, Assa Abloy, Primat, Robur, Birosafe, Waldis, Dom – Titan, Feerica and many other manufacturers. Basically you can see in our installations combined products from different manufacturers, always using what is the best equipment. In addition to sales, we take pride in having a very good customer support.

You are also a producer of customized equipment? What kind? What are the advantages of having your own products on a market filled with all sorts of products?
So basically because we have a lot of experience in this field, we can make products according to different types of needs. We have made custom products for different clients starting from security doors, security windows, prison locks, automatic doors, security cabins, safes, bullet proof facades, panic rooms and many other types of products. At some point we even produced our own keys.
Having our own products is an advantage because we never say no to a client, no matter how hard the job is, no matter how complex it is, we will always have some reliable solution.

Have your products gone through any certification process, for instance, ESSA? Do you believe that standards are important for these types of products?
We are very strict when it comes to standards and certification. Some time ago we took a decision internally that we will not sell products without certification to commercial clients. Although this decision for some time damaged us financially, we are now setting up the standard for everyone, and clients are learning more and more about standards and certification.
For our production we do not have certificates, and the reason is because we do not produce big quantity of products, and it is not efficient to test custom equipment. However all the materials we use for construction have certification. As an example, when we build bulletproof equipment we use only certified ballistic steel and ballistic glass. We also are very careful when we pick products to make sure that the testing is done at the right laboratories and that the products are tested according to the standards.
It is also interesting to mention that in cooperation with the Institute of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Prishtina we have made the first test for ballistic equipment according to RKS EN 1522/1523.

The other business area is electronic security systems, where you even developed software for monitoring and cash processing? Tell us about that software, their features and benefits for the end-user? Why did you decide to follow that path?
Yes we are now doing electronic systems now. We have two ranges of systems, what we install (produced by our partners) and what we make ourselves.
We have made software to monitor IP safe locks from a distance; this is a very good feature because it creates a link for the first time in an active way the safe lock with the monitoring center. This system allows the client to minimize the time exposed to risk and to reduce costs by automatization of processes.
We have also made software to record serial numbers of banknotes and connect them with each client so that we can trace every detail (in cash counting equipment), the purpose of this was to track ink stained banknotes. We also have electronic products under development, such as electronics to control interlocking cabins and so on.
The reasons why we decided to move in to electronics and software are simple. The first is economic, it is very expensive to make a pure mechanical system and the second is our thinking of the future, everything will be controlled in the future, and mechanically it’s very hard to control time, so that is why we went to this field.

COIN also works in system management. What services do you offer?
We offer many tailored solutions according to client’s needs, but to sum it up quickly, we are able to offer solutions for management of security systems in a centralized way.

Aside from banking, what vertical markets do you focus on? Could you enlist some of the most important references?
Our company has four departments when it comes to sales. Our biggest and main department is what we call “high security” and this is for the financial industry (and not only), basically we have as clients all the banks and most of the security companies in Kosovo and Albania.
Our other department is what we call “civil engineering” this is equipment for hotels, shopping malls, office buildings etc. Our main clients in this field are international Hotel such as Sheraton and Marriot, also other reputable retailers such as Inditex Group. We also have two small departments which are “home security” and “wholesale hardware” the first one is residential market equipment and automotive solutions and the second is hardware for door producers and hardware stores (locks and such).

What countries do you do business in? Do you plan to expand or open new offices, especially in other Adriatic Region countries?
We are fully operational in Kosovo and Albania. We will have very soon an office in North Macedonia, as for many products we cover that market as well. Also because most of our business is project based, we have done directly or through our partner’s projects in many countries including Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece etc.

What can we expect from COIN in the future when it comes to new services or products?
COIN has been here for a long time, the reason was that even in very troubled times we managed to adapt and overcome. We are looking toward the future with great ambitions; we are introducing many things, and pioneering new technologies every year. We are now testing some very interesting new concepts, and we are moving towards a new way of doing business, where we will be even closer to our clients. Maybe in a close future, you will see our name in the whole EU market.

How do you see the Kosovo security market nowadays, what are its main problems? Is it dumping of prices, low-quality products, lack of qualified employees, lack of a good partner or something else? Where do you see a room for improvement?
Well Kosovo and Albania are very far behind from the EU in terms of regulation and control. We face a lot of problems because of lack of knowledge from the state institutions. Basically the regulatory bodies in both countries do not seek our advice, and we are not involved in any process of creating regulation and such. The low quality products are another big problem, but again this comes due to the lack of regulation.
This situation has led to great problems. The state instead of being an example for the private sector in terms of proper security and safety measures, it’s the opposite situation.
In Kosovo we have a problem with education system as well, new engineers are not as good as the old ones, and the good ones are going to western countries to work, because we cannot offer such wages. Regarding the partners, we cooperate very well with local companies, however the international companies look at the Balkan’s in general as a sort of black hole, and this creates for us a lot of difficulties.
In my opinion state regulation is the first step to ensure fair competition and to provide ground rules to companies such as us. It is also important that the state sets very strict regulation when it comes to saving people’s lives.

The role access control can play in your sustainability strategy

London, October 2019 – A sustainability ethos is embedded within procurement departments in many modern organizations. Its influence cuts across sectors and functions. Less well-known, however, is the contribution security and access control can make.

According to ASSA ABLOY’s latest “Wireless Access Control Report*,” 73% of security professionals agree sustainability and energy efficiency have become more important in procurement over the past 5 to 10 years. Asked if the availability of a product lifecycle assessment in the form of an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) would make a difference to a procurement decision, four in five report survey respondents said it would. Over a third claim it would make a “big difference.”

“Sustainability offers three obvious benefits,” concludes the report, “better compliance, enhanced reputation and lower energy costs.”

Another recent market report also suggests sustainable buildings are more attractive to property investors**.

Cut the cables to save your business energy — and money
When measuring sustainability, energy efficiency is a major factor, of course. Assessors for BREEAM building sustainability certification have made almost 570,000 awards in more than 80 countries***. Energy efficiency is a key category in their criteria.

Low power usage is a big sustainability plus for wireless access control devices when compared with equivalent wired locks. Because wireless locks are battery-operated, they consume much less energy and emit less CO2 than comparable mains-powered wired locks.

“Wireless, battery-powered locks equipped with our Aperio® technology are very energy-efficient because they are not connected to the mains,” says Antonina Realmuto, Sustainability Manager at ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions EMEA. “They use minimal power when inactive — only to keep the device status alive for remote operation and reporting changes for an online installation.”

“Paired RFID card readers only ‘wake up’ either when presented with a credential or controlled from the system software. As a result, one wireless lock uses a tiny fraction of the energy a typical wired lock and reader consume.”

In addition, the ease of installation that comes with a wireless solution has further energy efficiency benefits. With less installer time spent on-site comes less power use and lower installer mileage — saving a business time and money in the process.

The future is wireless, efficient, and sustainable
“A wide range of different wireless locking systems from ASSA ABLOY can contribute to your company’s sustainability strategy,” she adds.

“The CLIQ Connect solution is another example. Repair teams and other mobile workers use large quantities of fuel, which increases any company’s carbon footprint. You make a business more sustainable quickly when you reduce the mileage they travel. Programmable CLIQ® Connect keys and the companion app eliminate the need for workers to return to headquarters to collect or return a mechanical key.”

The CLIQ® Connect app pairs a programmable CLIQ® key, via an encrypted connection, with the Web Manager. To change a key-holder’s access rights, a system administrator accesses the CLIQ® Web Manager — from anywhere — and updates it. A key-holder makes a secure Bluetooth connection between their key and the app to instantly update access permissions. There is no travel involved and zero fuel consumption — and thus significantly lower CO2 emissions associated with this solution.

“Self-powered and energy harvesting locks are another exciting area for sustainable security technologies,” adds Antonina Realmuto. “Our new wireless, key-based access control technology PULSE from the Abloy brand is a beautifully simple step towards building a sustainable ecosystem around access control. The locking cylinder generates its own energy when a key is inserted. No cables or batteries are needed.”

A user inserts their PULSE key. Power generated by inserting and turning provides energy for the lock’s encrypted electronic access control features. If the key is authorised, the lock opens. Users carry one PULSE key programmed with their cleared permissions, no matter how many doors they need to open.

“There are so many ways an effective, efficient access system helps cut energy bills by reducing waste and improving your organization’s environmental footprint,” concludes Antonina Realmuto.

You can also download ASSA ABLOY’s free “Wireless Access Control Report” at https://campaigns.assaabloyopeningsolutions.eu/wacreport2018

Assa Abloy Acquires Czech RFID Company

Assa Abloy has signed an agreement to acquire Lux-Ident, a leading provider of radio frequency identification (RFID) components based in the Czech Republic.

“Lux-Ident is a strategic technological addition to the Assa Abloy Group. The company reinforces our current offering within RFID components. The acquisition of Lux-Ident considerably enhances the Group´s position within smart components and will provide complementary growth opportunities,” says Nico Delvaux, President and CEO of Assa Abloy.

“Our proven leadership in RFID technology positions HID as a premier source of components for a wide variety of RFID use cases and IoT applications. The acquisition of Lux-Ident further optimises our portfolio with more ways to offer customisation in both large and small volume projects,” says Stefan Widing, Executive Vice President and Head of HID Global. “Expanding our presence in Central and Eastern Europe with Lux-Ident will further enhance HID’s ability to serve customers locally while extending our RFID technology into emerging markets.”

Lux-Ident was founded in 2002 and has some 145 employees. The main office is located in Lanškroun, Czech Republic. Sales for 2019 are expected to reach about EUR 17 million and the acquisition will be neutral to EPS from start.

The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions and is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2019.

Smart buildings market projected for USD 105 billion

According to a new market report published by Marketsandarkets, the smart building market size is expected to grow from USD 60.7 billion in 2019 to USD 105.8 billion by 2024, at a CAGR of 11.7% during the forecast period. The major drivers for the smart buildings market include the rising adoption of IoT-enabled building management systems, raising awareness of space utilisation and increased industry standards and regulations.

The Security and Emergency Management solution in the solution type segment is expected to lead the smart buildings market in 2019.

IoT consulting services help in refining the business processes of organisations and are used for formulating different strategies, developing use cases, planning roadmaps, assessing technologies, and framing IoT architectures. The providers of IoT consulting services ensure development and implementation of the appropriate IoT applications and architecture in organisations. They guide companies to create new IoT infrastructures to enhance their existing systems. The providers of IoT consulting services also help non-IT companies with minimal expertise to understand IoT technology. IoT consulting services can be classified into technology consulting services, business consulting services, and operational consulting services.

The industrial building segment is expected to grow at the fastest growth rate during the forecast period. Industrial buildings are often large and have many moving parts. Smart industrial building solutions automate building temperature control, security, and maintenance for more efficient property management through various mobile computing devices, such as mobile devices and computers.

The analysts predict that it will be the North American market that will lead the smart buildings market during the forecast period. The North American market has witnessed the emergence of latest smart building solutions that leverage new technologies, such as IoT, big data, cloud computing, data analytics, deep learning, and artificial intelligence, for saving energy, reducing operational expenditures, increasing occupancy comfort, and meeting increasingly stringent global regulations and sustainability standards. Moreover, North America is a technologically advanced region in the world due to the rapid adoption of emerging technologies by the organisations based there. Furthermore, the US and Canada are prominent countries contributing to technological development in this region; for instance, US organisations are heavily investing into smart building measures, such as building controls and building systems integration, to leverage energy efficiency and energy storage and deliver smarter, safer, and more sustainable buildings while the Canadian government is taking initiatives to support Canada’s commitment to protecting the environment and its resources by making federal buildings more energy-efficient and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, driving the growth of smart buildings.

The major vendors amongst those named by Marketsandmarkets and covered in the smart building market report include Honeywell, Johnson Controls, Cisco, Hitachi, Siemens, IBM, Schneider Electric, Intel, Huawei, and ABB.

IFSEC Europe Launches to Extend the IFSEC Brand

IFSEC is the world’s leading portfolio of security content and events, hosting shows in the United Kingdom, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea and the Philippines. Soon, the IFSEC brand will extend into mainland Europe with the launch of IFSEC Europe, a brand-new biennial security event providing a new gateway to the European integrated security market.

Taking place for the first time on 20-22 September 2021 at RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre, IFSEC Europe will create a pan-European home for integrated security, fire safety and intelligent buildings professionals in one of Europe’s most dynamic and accessible capitals.

Co-located alongside Intelligent Buildings Europe, the new event will complement IFSEC’s flagship show IFSEC International, which will continue to take place annually at ExCeL London. This expansion is the result of a three-year research project to find the next hub for IFSEC’s global security community, designed to bring the expertise, prestige and comprehensiveness of the UK show to continental Europe.

IFSEC has established itself as a widely-respected hub for launching products and solutions, as well as showpiece events such as 2019’s National Surveillance Camera Day. In 2019 it welcomed over 80,000 visitors across all of its events from over 120 countries. IFSEC Europe will better connect the major players in security manufacturing and distribution with key end-users, installers, integrators and consultants across mainland Europe.

Responding to shifts in the European and global economy, IFSEC Europe offers the UK, continental and international security professionals a platform from which to penetrate the European market. It’s a unique opportunity for firms to source products, discover insights and generate new business connections in one of Europe’s largest conference venues.

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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.