The Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology Umsicht in Oberhausen and Hörmann, a family-owned company, have developed a new type of fire-resistant glass that holds up under even extreme heat – and ported this glazing from the beaker to the production line within four years. No more toxic acrylamide, around 85 percent less process waste, a leaner manufacturing process, excellent performance – these product merits garnered the development team the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize.

By rights, the glazing developed by Fraunhofer and Hörmann, one of Europe’s market leaders in doors and gates, should not work. Although, according to Fraunhofer, it does, in a way that exceeds their expectations. The new fire-resistant panes do not contain carcinogenic acrylamide, so they can be processed with no toxicological risks. The production line that makes the novel fire-protection doors generates just 20 kilograms of process waste a day – far less than the 150 to 160 kilogrammes produced in the past. Production is more automated, the process is leaner, and traceability and reproducibility are ensured across the board. In the event of a fire, the glass withstands flames and heat over 1,000°C for up to 120 minutes, as required by the given fire regulations. Dr. Holger Wack and Damian Hintemann of the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology and Thomas Baus of Hörmann Glastechnik are to be awarded the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize for this groundbreaking development.

Cooling water vapour and a heat-insulating salt layer

Fire protection glazing contains a transparent gel rich in water and electrolytes between two glass panes. If a fire breaks out, the pane facing the flames does not withstand the high temperature for long and shatters. This actuates two mechanisms: For one, the water in the gel evaporates and cools the intact second pane. For the other, a heat-insulating salt layer forms. The Fraunhofer researchers first combed their database to screen for gels that could be suitable for this sort of fire-resistant glazing. Some 60 attempts failed. Compelled by thoroughness, they tested a basic component that, as the theory goes, would never work. “But it does,” says Wack with a smile. The researchers are reluctant to show their hand. “The project had a few instances like this when something worked that clearly shouldn’t have,” is all Baus is willing to say on the subject.

Four years from beaker to business

The project was auspicious from the start. The first fire test the researchers carried out after a short time in development already showed promise. The glass held up to a 30-minute fire performance trial. The researchers then scaled it up from the beaker to a demonstration cell at Fraunhofer. “We were able to take the idea out of the lab and into a practical application within just four years – a very short time for the development effort that goes into end-to-end process engineering. Implementation time is usually ten to twelve years,” says Hintemann. The Hörmann family decided to spin off Hörmann KG Glastechnik in 2016 on the merits of this successful development, building a new plant in Saarland where the fire-resistant glass is now produced. The jury was particularly impressed with this implementation of research results into practice and, on a related note, with the outstanding collaboration between Fraunhofer and Hörmann. “We did more than merely develop fire-resistant glass,” says Baus, emphatically. “We reinvented the production of fire-resistant glass.”

In their latest research, the anti-drone market was valued by Marketsandmarkets at USD 0.6 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach USD 2.4 billion by 2025; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 32.2% from 2020 to 2025. Major factors cited by the analysts as driving the growth of this market are, increasing use of drones, terrorism and illicit activities worldwide and rising incidences of security breaches by unidentified drones.

The new report on the Anti-Drone Market with COVID-19 Impact to 2025, suggests that the detection and disruption application holds the larger share of the anti-drone market and that it is likely to continue to do so during the forecast period. The growth is attributed to increased number of terrorist groups, which are demonstrating the ability to operate a wide range of drones, including armed systems. Furthermore, detection and disruption systems have major applications in the military & defense and homeland security verticals wherein the entry of any unauthorized drone in the prohibited area of a country is detected, and then, the drone is disrupted on the spot.

The anti-drone market for the commercial vertical is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Key factors responsible for this growth include increased awareness and rapid development of inexpensive drones in the market. Drones are evolving beyond their military origin to become powerful business tools. They have already made the leap to the consumer market, and now they are being put to work in commercial applications such as firefighting, mining, surveying, and farming, among others.

In terms of geography, it is the Americas that the researchers believe is likely to account for a major share of the global anti-drone market during the forecast period. Factors contributing to the growth of this market include increasing incidences of security breaches by unidentified drones and rising number of terrorist attacks in American countries, especially in the US. The dramatic growth in drone accidents and incidences has raised fundamental questions about national security, public safety, and privacy regulations. This compelled the government to deploy anti-drone systems to ensure safety and security from illicit drones. The growth can also be attributed to the presence of several key players in this region, such SRC, Inc, Raytheon Technologies Corp, Lockheed Martin Corp, The Boeing Co, and Detect, Inc.

In addition to these firms, other players noted by the analysts as being prominent in the international anti-drone market include Thales, Blighter Surveillance Systems Ltd, Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd, Leonardo S.p.A, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd, Droneshield Ltd, Liteye Systems, Inc, Dedrone, Northrop Grumman Corp, MBDA, Battelle Memorial Institute, Saab AB, and CACI International.

Car theft is a huge risk for car sales offices, and this is especially an issue for the premium brands. Luxury car giant Eden Auto Premium BMW built a new site in Bordeaux, France, where they house and sell new and second-hand cars, as well as having a car park for customers. That amounts to a lot of cars that need protecting! They researched and compared different technologies and selected Hikvision products to meet their needs. These were then ably installed by reseller Faurie Telecom (Group Convergence), with Hikvision’s help, and the help of French distributor ITESA.

Challenge

The BMW reseller wanted a standalone system to streamline their security operation. Originally they used a night security agent, which was a costly solution. They needed to be able to integrate the security solution into a thrid party monitoring system, managed by Securitas, in order to reduce manpower costs.

The site posed a number of technical challenges. The team also needed to counter some crafty thinking from intruders, who were even resorting to hiding underneath cars during the day, when they can slip in unnoticed. They then could wander around the closed garage, avoiding detection by perimeter protection systems activated only at night. This meant the solution needed to focus on providing real-time, active image at night.

With a lot of flags flying on the site, false alarms were a particular issue – these would set them off regularly. The complexity of the site also gave a lot of potential for false alarms, which needed to be minimized to reduce overall costs.

Solution

The solution was made up from Hikvision products, providing a converged system, with seamless monitoring.
Central to the system was Hikvision’s Security Radar (DS-PR1-60) for intrusion detection at night. The Radar has a large coverage area, and performs excellently at night, whatever the weather. This means that false alarms are kept to a minimum. Radar has the added benefit that it can position humans and vehicles on a map, making it very useful for tracking purposes.

This is where the DarkFighter IR Network Speed Dome PTZ camera (DS-2DF8225IX-AEL) comes in. The radar cameras are linked with this for auto tracking. If an event is detected, the control center automatically receives an alarm and can use the PTZ’s auto-tracking function to track any intruders. DarkFighter cameras are also designed to excel at night, so are ideal for this solution.

Although radar has promising accuracy rates, the team needed to carefully configure it. The site environment proved a complex installation, with a lot of metal that can cause false alarms for the radar. The local team drafted in expertise from Hikvision HQ’s R&D and technical teams to complete the installation to a high quality and low false alarm rate.

The system is coordinated using a AcuSensecamera (DS-2CD2686G2-IZS AcuSense 4K NVR (DS-7716NXI-I4) and a POE Switch (DS-3E0510P-E). Finally, HikCentral provides a user-friendly VMS experience, designed especially to integrate all the different Hikvision products, to make a seamless security solution.

Christophe Chamand, from Faurie Telecom, says: “We were very satisfied with the innovative products and onsite service provided by the Hikvision team. From presales and order to technical support and aftersales service, Hikvision has been with us throughout the process, ensuring a successful installation and a happy customer.”

Axis Communications has introduce the company’s new 5-year product warranty at no extra cost.

This increase, according to Axis, from the previous 3-year warranty is a result of the company’s commitment to providing high-quality products and cost-efficient, trouble-free ownership.

Axis has long offered an excellent hardware warranty service covering defects in design, workmanship, and material under normal use for 3 years from the date of purchase, depending on the product.

Now customers can take advantage of a 5-year Axis warranty service free of charge. Valid for purchases shipped from Axis to the original purchaser on or after 1 April 2020, this new warranty ensures additional years of added peace of mind.

Key features offered include 5-year product warranty; trouble-free ownership; better control of overall costs; enhanced RMA support; first-class quality and support.

The 5-year Axis warranty covers most Axis products, is free of charge and no action is required. Further information about warranty coverage details for each product can be found at Axis’ online resources.

According to data from the Atlas VPN team, there have been 78 new cyber security companies founded in 2020, the majority 35% originating from the US. Cumulatively these companies have managed to raise over $31.6 million in funding year-to-date, with one single company, called Beyond, alone raising $21 million.

According to Atlas VPN, only 15% of cyber security start-ups launched in 2020 secured funding. However, three companies alone collected nearly 96% ($30.3 million) of the total amount of investments.

A cyber security company with the second biggest investment is Sevco Security, which raised over $6.7 million in May of 2020. Also, in the list of top three cyber security start-ups in terms of funding is Soc.OS. It received more than $2.5 million in investments in July this year.

The number of new cyber security start-ups is shrinking each year, whilst the amount of cyber incidents is increasing and cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated.

Atlas VPN found historical data showing that in 2015 there were 490 cyber security companies launched. Together the start-ups that year raised over $3.1 billion in investments.

The year 2016 saw a slightly smaller number of new cyber security companies. The launch of new start-ups in the cyber security field decreased by 0.8%, with 486 start-ups launched that year. The total amount of funding allocated to those start-ups, however, dropped in half, from $3.1 billion to $1.6 billion.

In 2017 the number of new cyber security start-ups plummeted again by 0.8%. There were 482 cybersecurity companies founded that year, which raised more than $1.3 billion in total — 17% less than in 2016.

The number of new cyber security start-ups dropped by more than a fifth in 2018 compared to the year before. A total of 382 cybersecurity companies were launched that year, which collected over $847 million in investments. The amount of funds invested in the cyber security start-ups also dropped by 35% compared to 2017.

Last year saw a 46% decrease in the launch of new cyber security start-ups. There were 207 of these types of companies founded and together they raised close to $229.5 million in investments — 73% less than the year before.

Finally, this year’s cyber security market has welcomed 78 newcomers — the number has shrunk by 62% compared to last year. However, 2020 is not over yet; hence we can expect the numbers of cyber security companies to still increase slightly.

ADT has issued and sold in a private placement to Google 54,744,525 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the company, for an aggregate purchase price of $450 million. The shares of Class B common stock issued to Google represent approximately 6.6% of the issued and outstanding common stock of ADT on an as-converted basis. The Company expects to use the net proceeds for further growth initiatives and to reduce debt over time.

The original announcement made at the beginning of August set out the main details of the investment, which will see a close working partnership between Google and ADT, giving Google access to ADTs 6.5 million customer base and its skilled technicians, through which the two will offer Google’s Nest series of products. As a result, Google’s Nest hardware combined with ADT’s professional installation and monitoring service will create a fully integrated set of devices, software and services for the secure smart homes market.

According to Reuters, the investment gives ADT the backing of a high-profile technology partner and broadens its services business and in return, Google strengthens its presence as it competes with Amazon.com’s AMZN.O Ring and Boston-based Simplisafe, among others.

Blake Kozak Principal Analyst, Smart Home and Security Technology, Omdia, recently published an analysis on the potential short and long term implications of this move and he believes that this equity investment from Google could be the differentiator the industry was looking for to bring a tech company together with an alarm brand. He suggests that this new partnership could be the initial step that disrupts the smart home and alarm monitoring markets.

ADT expects to offer certain Google devices to its customers beginning this year and to expand the integration in 2021. The complete ADT + Google helpful home security solution will utilise a secure platform for a seamless experience that prioritises privacy and interoperability for greater customer peace of mind and choice.

Each company will also commit an additional $150 million, subject to the achievement of certain milestones, to be used for co-marketing, product development, technology and employee training to advance the partnership. These investments are expected to accelerate ADT’s capital efficient growth and drive broader consumer awareness and deeper product innovation for both companies in the fragmented yet rapidly expanding smart home market

Securitas is acquiring Stanley Security’s electronic security businesses in Germany, Portugal, Switzerland, Singapore and India. The acquisition is aligned with Securitas’ ambition to double the size of its security solutions & electronic security business and expands Securitas’ electronic security footprint and capabilities. The purchase price is estimated to 54 MEUR.

The entities to be acquired provide an integrated electronic security offering to their clients – from design to installation and from maintenance to alarm monitoring – based on a complete portfolio of advanced security solutions such as access control, intrusion, video, fire and integrated systems. The business has approximately 580 highly skilled employees operating in five countries through 20 branch offices out of which 11 are located in Germany.

The business also has two alarm monitoring centres, one in Germany and one in Portugal. Total sales of the in-scope business amounted to MUSD 85 (MSEK 748) in 2019, mainly driven from installation sales, recurring monthly revenue and maintenance services.

“We are very excited to welcome the electronic security specialists from Stanley Security to Securitas. Through this acquisition, we add significant electronic security expertise and deepen our capabilities in Germany, Switzerland and Portugal, while also establishing our first electronic security presence in Singapore and India. This is an important step forward to deliver high-quality electronic security services to our clients in key markets,” says Magnus Ahlqvist, Securitas President and CEO.