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.

Hikvision, an IoT solution provider with video as its core competency, has announced the integration of its HikCentral video security platform with the Nedap AEOS Access Control Solution to provide single-platform operations for users who maintain both Hikvision and Nedap systems.

The integration, via Nedap AEOS Connector, provides event information, alarms, and person-data synchronization of access control and intrusion events between AEOS-connected hardware and HikCentral. This integration enables operators to manage doors, detectors and intrusion areas, as well as visually verify and handle alarms in HikCentral Clients.

“With the integration, security personnel are able to greatly enhance their situational awareness and control in large installations,” said Jens Berthelsen, Global Partner Alliance Manager of Hikvision. “The integration leverages the Hikvision Optimus framework to ensure a long lifespan for the installation. It also makes future upgrades of both systems seamless and simple – without compromising the continuous operation.”

“I feel very proud having Hikvision onboard our Technology Partner Program. Hikvision skipped half-measures and created a very complete integration for both Access Control and the Intrusion part,” said Wesley Keegstra, Integration Manager at Nedap. “Linking events and alarms to HikCentral creates a single-platform solution to visualize the status of a security system with the corresponding video recordings. Besides visualizing a system, users can also control it. Whether they open a door or lock one, or remotely arm or disarm an intrusion area.”

The Nedap AEOS Connector is developed under Hikvision’s latest Optimus framework, which enables systems integrators to easily tailor integrations to individual customers’ needs, building suitable workflows and event-to-action protocols. This is based on a very intuitive and easy-to-use graphical user interface that does not require coding.

The Optimus and Nedap AEOS Connector are available for HikCentral version 1.6 and AEOS version 2019.1.5 and are ready for deployment now.

Dahua Technology – one of the word’s biggest video technology companies – has entered into a six-figure sponsorship deal with Celtic FC, supplying the club with state of the art video-based technology and equipment.

Under the sponsorship deal, Dahua is supplying video walls for locations such as the Celtic Store and Media Centre at Celtic Park, high-tech quad-rotor drones to help with player training and development, and electronic whiteboards to be used for staff training, as well as meetings and presentations for staff and visitors.

As part of the new partnership, Dahua will be appearing across a range of Club assets, on LED pitch-side banners, and on the club’s website and match programmes. The deal represents the first ever major sponsorship by Dahua Technology in the UK and Ireland.

“We are thrilled about our sponsorship of Celtic FC,” said Michael Lawrence, Marketing Director at Dahua Technology UK & Ireland. “As well as the highly visible aspects of the sponsorship, this deal represents a real partnership between Celtic FC and Dahua, and is an example of our engagement with communities across the UK and Ireland.”

Commenting on the deal, Cheng Zeng, Business Development Manager for China and Asia at Celtic FC said: “We are delighted to launch this partnership today with Dahua Technology. Their expertise and high quality technology will enhance both fan experience in our stores and business operations as a whole. We hope to work with Dahua long into the future.”

As well as the equipment supplied to Celtic FC, Dahua Technology manufactures a range of innovative and technically advanced video equipment. These include TiOC, a three-in-one camera that integrates 24/7 full-colour monitoring, active deterrence and Artificial Intelligence into one smart unit; WizSense, a series of products and solutions that utilise Artificial Intelligence and deep learning algorithms; and its Starlight range of low-light video technology.

Dahua Technology is a global manufacturer of end to end system solutions encompassing cameras, control equipment, recording, video walls and accessories. It is one of the world’s biggest video technology companies, creating advanced solutions for transportation, education, safe city, retail and commercial markets worldwide.

Motorola Solutions, Inc. has acquired Callyo, a cloud-based mobile applications provider for law enforcement. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Callyo is a software as a service company (SaaS) serving thousands of public safety customers across North America. Its portfolio includes two application suites – 10-21, which simplifies communication between first responders and citizens, and Callyo, which provides investigative tools that improve digital evidence collection.

This acquisition adds to Motorola Solutions’ existing command centre software suite critical mobile technology capabilities that enable information to flow seamlessly from the field to the command centre.

“First responders are increasingly looking to mobile applications to boost productivity and enhance community relations,” said Andrew Sinclair, senior vice president and general manager, Software Enterprise, Motorola Solutions. “With Callyo’s technology, agencies can improve collaboration and enhance the evidence collection process to build stronger cases more efficiently, ultimately enabling them to better serve and keep communities safe.”

“With Motorola Solutions, we have the opportunity to accelerate our product innovation, reach and commitment to service,” said Chris Bennett, founder and chief product officer, Callyo. “We’re excited to work together to deliver the next generation of mobile application capabilities that simplify and enhance communication between first responders and the communities they serve.”