Despite the backdrop an unfavorable economic climate, the security industry in the U.S. in general is outperforming expectations, with video-related products driving growth, according to trade associations, which on the whole are optimistic about where the security industry is going.
The Security Industry Association (SIA) is the leading trade association in the electronic physical security arena. It has more than 800 corporate and organizational members, and produces a bimonthly security market index (SMI). The index measures the current thoughts and future expectations of the security industry’s executives.
The latest SMI index stands at 60 – a little down from the beginning of the year but still positive. Any score above 50 indicates conditions within the industry are largely positive and that security professionals hold predominantly confident outlooks.
“If we look at the SMI we see the industry in the U.S. has been growing steady for a few years. There are of course ‘ups and downs’ in the confidence indicator, but overall it is positive,” said Geoff Kohl, Senior Director of Marketing at SIA.
The latest dip has been attributed to tariffs and the U.S.-China trade war. People had doubts but the market managed to sustain the setback, Kohl explained. “The global economy is always something that influences the industry. As long as the economy in general is growing, there will be investment that will require security.”
SIA’s latest poll found that 78 percent of respondents had a positive outlook for the next three months, while 16 percent predicted no change in their business environment and 6 percent responded that they expected a slight decline in business.
Product-wise, video surveillance continued to be a growth driver. “Video growth is outpacing all others, the applications for video as a sensor are very strong and there is a lot of consumer demand for it,” Kohl said.
The quality of the feeds is getting better as are management tools that provide actionable data. “Analytics and AI (artificial intelligence) are definitely influential in driving this forward,” Kohl noted.
According to a survey of 277 data scientists and other artificial intelligence (AI) professionals in large companies across nearly 20 industries, AI is still in its early days and challenges abound to prevent AI’s successful implementation.
Nearly all companies pursuing AI projects have run into problems with data quality and data labeling. Four out of five data scientists said training AI with data is more difficult than they thought, according to the survey conducted by Dimensional Research.
More specifically, errors in data, not enough data, data not in a usable form, and not having enough people and tools to label data, are the challenges.
The amount of data required to train the AI algorithm is huge. 72% of the respondents reported that, in their current project, production-level model confidence will require more than 100,000 labeled data items; 10% indicated they’d need more than 10 million.
“Labeling and annotating training data for machine learning projects is a serious problem for data science teams, and a significant obstacle to getting those projects into production,” says the report titled What Data Scientists Tell Us about AI Model Training Today published by Alegion, which commissioned Dimensional Research to conduct the survey.
Human resource issues
Nearly two thirds of the data scientists surveyed said their machine learning (ML) projects have progressed beyond proof of concept (POC), which is the litmus test for an idea, like identifying strawberries and how ripe they are, for example.
The next phase of feeding the algorithm with enough data “to be ready for validation in the real world” presents a host of challenges, the report says.
Human resource is also an issue. 80% of data scientists’ time is spent on preparing and managing data. This is problematic for companies because data scientists are expensive, and also, it is dissatisfying for data scientists “who take the job to do interesting, challenging and strategic work, not to draw boxes,” the report says. As a result, data scientists are not left with much time to do what they were hired to do – using machine learning to improve the business, and to potentially “carve out a position of industry dominance through innovation,” the report says.
Outsourcing produces results
The surveyed data scientists said “offloading training data labeling and annotation” is associated with a significantly higher rates of successful project deployment. This is not surprising, given the typical volume of training data involved, the small team size and the numerous data quality issues.
“Depending on the volume of data the algorithm requires as well as the number and complexity of the tasks needed to structure the data appropriately, an ML project team may need to find, train, and manage hundreds of people,” says the report.
Up to 71% of companies have outsourced some AI or ML activities. Companies that don’t have the correct data and enough data often outsource the data collection task.
Also, people are needed to supply human judgement to the data preparation process. “These data specialists drive the tools, label the data and evaluate the work of other people,” the report says.
London, June 2019 –PINs protect… just ask your credit card company. How many rooms at your office shouldn’t offer an open access, free-for-all? Probably quite a few. But expecting everyone to keep them locked, and the key-carrying and-tracking that entails, is unrealistic. This is when you need Code Handle.
This simple, secure, easy-to-fit handle works with your current door lock. There is no need for you to change the door lock mechanism; just replace the existing handle to add PIN security to an office door. With Code Handle, there is no wiring, no expensive access control system and no need for cumbersome physical keys. Two screws fit a Code Handle to almost any interior office, meeting room, archive or storage room door.
The inbuilt electronic PIN pad does the security work for you. Press a 4-digit code on the handle’s integrated keypad and the door opens. Code Handle comes with a Master Code and 9 different user PINs, so you can restrict access to a select group of people — senior managers, the IT department or the office cleaners, for example.
Code Handle also locks itself. Auto-locking ensures an office, storage room or staff toilet is always secure when you close the door. You know for sure nobody has seen the new org chart you left on your desk, nor entered the stationery cupboard without authorisation.
Simple security, elegant design: why Code Handle is the right fit for offices
With Code Handle, user-friendly security comes with clean, elegant design. Forget about ugly push-button-and-twist mechanical PIN locks. The low-profile Code Handle is brushed in stainless steel and satin chrome zinc, in a sleek design to blend with any modern office décor.
All the security you need is in the handle. Two standard batteries (CR2) slot inside, and typically last for 30,000 lock/unlock cycles before you need to replace them. An indicator tells you when it’s time to change them. Code Handle comes in left- and right-hand versions. It is fire tested and enables free exit from the inside of a room.
Code Handle keeps sensitive documents, meeting rooms and personal belongings safe and secure at your workplace. You can’t lock every room, nor install CCTV everywhere. With Code Handle, you don’t need to.
TOA Electronics Europe GmbH completed a change in management. Wolfgang Pein replaced Toshio Sakata as Managing Director and took over main responsibility for the EMEA region, as well as for sales in the DACH region and Poland. Toshio Sakata will remain in the company management team and will continue to lead all activities in Russia. Charlet Dadoun, the director and head of the French office, retired after several decades as an employee of TOA. His role was filled by the former Export Sales Manager, Volker Scheid, who will additionally be responsible for France and the Benelux countries and will complete the management team trio.
“The new leadership is completely characterised by continuity on the one hand and renewal on the other,” explains Wolfgang Pein. “TOA Corporation usually sends Japanese managing directors to its subsidiaries. At TOA Electronics Europe GmbH, we are breaking with this pattern – very consciously and deliberately. By handing over the position of Managing Director to an employee from Europe, the company is strengthening its proximity to its customers – and is nevertheless relying on the international orientation of TOA Electronics Europe GmbH, as the new management brings to the table many years of experience in the entire EMEA region.
Wolfgang Pein sees his employees as a guarantee for the healthy development of the company:
“TOA Electronics Europe GmbH is growing steadily and sustainably. Our success forms the healthy basis for the further expansion of our activities, for example through personnel development in sales and product management – thus we are facing up to the future tasks of the industry: AI, IoT and CyberSecurity. We continue to place value on our employees arriving successfully at TOA, being optimally trained and certified so that they can develop confidence in their skills and their position at the company. This confidence in our expertise is the basis for working with our customers and distributors. This principle applies to the entire TOA Corporation worldwide. It has led us well up to now and will continue to play an important role in the future.”
Assa Abloy has signed an agreement to acquire the international identity solutions business of De La Rue, a leading passport manufacturer based in the UK.
“De La Rue´s international identity solutions business is a strategic technological addition to the Assa Abloy Group. The company reinforces our current offering within secure identity solutions. The acquisition of De La Rue´s identity solutions business considerably enhances the Group´s position within citizen ID and will provide complementary growth opportunities,” says Nico Delvaux, President and CEO of Assa Abloy.
“With complementary products, solutions and services that are highly synergistic with HID Global’s current offerings, De La Rue’s identity solutions business is an excellent strategic fit with our mission to power the trusted identities of the world’s people, places and things,” says Stefan Widing, Executive Vice President and Head of HID Global.
The identity solutions business of De La Rue has some 200 employees, and the main office is located in Basingstoke, UK.
Sales for the acquired business’ fiscal year to 30 March 2019 was about GBP 38 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 third quarter of 2019.
Hikvision is launching the Technology Partner Program Portal (TPP Portal). This new web-based portal is designed to enhance the collaboration with technology partners and systems integrators, enable development of new and innovative solutions for customers across all markets, and further drive market growth.
Technology partners can use the marketing capabilities of the portal to grow their businesses, taking full advantage of Hikvision’s global reach. Equally, systems integrators can use the portal to learn more about Hikvision technology, to build new relationships with Hikvision’s technology partners.
Jens Berthelsen, Global Partner Alliance Manager at Hikvision, says, “Hikvision has a long-term strategy of working closely with technology partners and systems integrators to build the best possible offerings for customers. The Technology Partner Program Portal will be a driving force in enabling this. The portal will help our technology partners capitalize on their investment in working with Hikvision, and to scale up their businesses in a very cost-effective way. We are very proud of launching our new portal and invite our technology partners to join.”
Hikvision Technology Partner Program Portal: key features and benefits
1. An ever-growing partner platform
The portal will become a comprehensive partner database, and systems integrators will be able to use the TPP Portal to find the ideal partners for each project. The portal will feature a public listing of all technology partners and their locations, coupled with rich information about their solutions, making it the ideal platform for striking up new business relationships.
2. Easy engagement with Hikvision integration support
The TPP Portal empowers technology partners to engage with the Hikvision integration department in a private and password-protected environment. Key modules within the portal include integration support, marketing events, integration project tracking and solution information management.
3. Technical and commercial library
The TPP Portal is a comprehensive repository of technical documentation for systems integration. This includes SDK documentation, software tools and agreements. This area of the portal is only visible to technology partners, and selected sections are visible to individual partners only.
4. Hikvision Embedded Open Program (HEOP) management
Technology partners that want to embed their technology into Hikvision cameras can manage the process here, including distribution-friendly license management.
Cerberus Portal is the first stepping stone in digitalising Siemens fire safety products. It represents the initial component of the new Cerberus Cloud Apps offering. This is a clear push towards the current fire protection industry trend.
“There is an ongoing disruptive revolution in our fire safety industry. That revolution is called digitalisation. I am deeply convinced that digitalisation will change the way we do business,” says Johannes Mario Kahlert, Head of Fire Safety at Siemens Smart Infrastructure.
As a cloud application, Cerberus Portal can be used from any online device – PCs, laptops and tablets running on any operating system. This allows all fire control panel information, such as faults, alarms and general system status, to be accessed remotely. A simple user interface and a clear overview of all connected sites draw the operator’s focus to what is really important: have the fire protection system up and running at all times. Cerberus Portal is particularly useful in case of an incident because the real-time data can be examined in detail before dispatching service technicians. Because they know about the issue in advance, they are well prepared and have the necessary information, tools and equipment when they arrive on site. Cerberus Portal is an online application, so system operators do not need to worry about updates. This leaves them free to fully focus on providing their customers with the best service possible.
The Cerberus Connect X300 gateway makes sure all relevant data is delivered to Cerberus Portal in real time. Leveraging the power of edge computing technology, data is preprocessed locally on the gateway before it is sent to the cloud. Not only can this multi-protocol gateway be connected to both Siemens and third-party building products, it is also easy to install and commission. Encrypted transmission technology and a built-in firewall ensure the highest level of security.
Cerberus Portal and Cerberus Connect X300 are compatible with Cerberus PRO networkable panels (FC722, FC723, FC724, FC726).
The digitalisation of fire protection systems and related maintenance activities allows service providers to save time and travel expenses. It is estimated that Cerberus Cloud Apps will enable maintenance companies to take care of up to 10 percent more customers with the same number of staff members.
Johannes Mario Kahlert adds: “Adding this new technology to our product portfolio will open doors to create new remote services, increase our customer satisfaction rate and imagine new innovative applications such as predictive maintenance. With Cerberus Portal and upcoming software products, Siemens Fire Safety is set to become a leader in the digital revolution.”
The global vehicle access control market is projected to grow from USD 10.8 billion in 2020 to reach USD 22.6 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 11.2%. The growth of the vehicle access control market, according to the latest report from Marketsandmarkets, is influenced by the rising demand for security & safety features, increase in vehicle theft, advanced technological investments in automotive, the growing concern of insurance companies over vehicle theft, and increasing sales of the electric vehicles.
Passenger car segment dominates
The passenger car segment is expected to be the largest market during the forecast year due to the adoption of advanced features in passenger cars such as keyless entry, immobiliser, stolen vehicle assist, and alarm. Increasing vehicle theft is one of the primary reasons for OEMs to pre-install vehicle access control systems. According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), there were 773,139 vehicles stolen in 2017, up by 0.8% from 767,290 vehicles in 2016. One motor vehicle theft was reported every 40.9 seconds in the United States in 2017. The contribution of non-biometric systems has increased significantly in automotive as all basic models are offering non-biometric systems in passenger cars in the developed countries such as US, Germany, UK, France, Canada, Spain, and Japan.
Biometric systems are expected to lead the vehicle access control market
Although, PCs and LCVs are equipped with basic security features like anti-theft alarms and immobilisers, the upcoming advanced features, especially in premium cars, are demanding biometric systems to make access more convenient for the driver and provide multiple authentications. The personalisation offered by biometric systems in cars favours the demand for safety and security in the future. Fingerprint recognition is the most researched and ready to launch feature today in PCs. According to Marketsandmarkets, the first car to get the fingerprint access will be Hyundai Santa Fe (for the China market first), and this feature will most likely come down the stream and find itself on a range of vehicles in the coming few years.
Asia Pacific predicted as fastest growing market
The researchers say that the Asia Pacific market is the largest because of the growth in China, Japan, and South Korea. Rising vehicle production, increasing demand for luxury vehicles, growing sales of electric cars, and high technological development in the region are driving the vehicle access control market in Asia Pacific. Companies such as KIA, Aptiv, Nissan, and Hyundai are the major players present in the region. The digitalisation in the region also drives growth. For instance, China will be the first country to test fingerprint and face recognition in the upcoming years say the analysts. OEMs are collaborating with biometric manufacturers to implement these systems for car authentication. For example, in March 2019 Hyundai invested USD 5 million in China’s Deep Glint, a Chinese startup specialising in computer vision technology utilising artificial intelligence.
The research finds that the global vehicle access control market is dominated by major players such as Denso Corporation (Japan), Valeo (France), Continental AG (Germany), Robert Bosch (Germany), and Nuance Communication (US).
The event at Fiera Milano from 13 to 15 November will be offering a wide range of cutting-edge training opportunities and technological proposals.
Milan, 10 June 2019 – SICUREZZA 2019 – the Fiera Milano event dedicated to security and fire prevention, from 13 to 15 November 2019 – will be the perfect showcase for the latest technologies, but also an opportunity to discuss and to learn all about the major challenges that the sector and the people that work in it are required to handle.
The range of solutions on display will give visitors the chance to assess the newest products on the market for video surveillance, access control and anti-intrusion. A new addition this year is an entire hall dedicated to passive security which, for the first time, will be hosting a demo area where break-in simulations will be staged to test the state-of the-art technologies presented. The extension of fire prevention to fire extinguishing has been confirmed and cyber security, which has become transversal to all sectors, will be featured with a dedicated project enabling us to take a look at new development prospects for the sector.
Meanwhile, thanks to the contribution made by the event’s partner network of associations, professional orders and publishing houses, the three-day event will be accompanied by a varied range of training opportunities. Covering numerous spheres of reference, the training sessions all share the same logic, focused on innovation, the promotion of professions and the expansion of the fields of application.
INNOVATION TRENDS AND SCENARIOS
Inspired by constant innovation and the growing need for integration, the security sector is undergoing extensive changes.
One of the paradigms that has emerged in recent years and is destined to change the market forever is digitalisation, which places the emphasis on cyber security, something that is taking on an increasingly central role in risk assessment in a world which is becoming more and more digital every day.
According to the World Economic Forum Global Risks Report 2019, cyber-attacks are among the top five risks considered to pose the biggest threat to the economy and business in the near future making them the technological risk that everyone fears most. It is estimated that from 2020, more than 25% of cyber-attacks will concern online devices and the IoT. Whether we’re talking about video surveillance, home automation systems, electronic locks or complex biometric recognition algorithms, every security system – and today’s security systems are increasingly smart and interconnected – is exposed to the risk of cyber-attack.
This is why SICUREZZA will also be presenting, for the first time, a training and information area dedicated to Cyber Security. There will be sessions aimed at explaining the new scenarios, alternated with brief meetings with experts in the sector who will offer their vision of the main impacts on various types of operator.
There will also be contributions from different associations who have chosen SICUREZZA as the platform for discussing the risks posed and opportunities offered by this new technological phase.
Another focus on rapidly developing new technologies will be dedicated to drones, which are expected to represent a 100 billion dollar market by 2020 (source: Goldman Sachs). Already an essential part of the world of security, not only does the operation of UAVs (Unmanned aerial vehicle) require specific certified piloting qualifications, it also requires additional preparation to make their use increasingly synergistical with the other technologies used.
This is why, following the evolution of the market, SICUREZZA Drone Expo is returning to Hall 7: organised by Mediarkè, it will be bringing together companies that supply drones, systems and services for security, intelligence, rescue and civil defence activities. The arena will also be available for test flights and a convention will be held during which the most interesting possibilities of use and dissemination of drones will be analysed.
There will also be a second drone exhibition area, once again managed by Mediarkè. This area will be in Hall 6, as part of the Smart Building Expo, held at the same time as SICUREZZA. The area will be reserved for companies specialised in the aerial photography sector and in the use of drones for the design, construction, maintenance and restoration of buildings and urban areas, as well as the management and monitoring of the territory.
SECURITY AND THE SMART CITY CHALLENGE
Urban security, along with the smart management of all the components that allow the operation of a city, represent one of the greatest security challenges of all, considering the numerous variables to be monitored constantly.
An important contribution in this sense comes from Scenari di Sicurezza Urbana, the convention on urban security organised by FOIM (Fondazione Ordine Ingegneri di Milano) in conjunction with SICUREZZA, with the patronage of the Order of Engineers of the Province of Milan.
Starting with a speech by the international keynote speaker Don Erickson, CEO of SIA (Security Industry Association), the convention will focus on what is happening in Italy in the integrated security sector. Mr Erickson will be talking about technological trends (focusing on solutions applicable to urban security) and revealing the customer-supplier partnership models used in the United States, which have been contributing to the creation of the most fluid communication possible along the entire supply chain for some years now.
The aim of the meeting, a year on from the presentation of the reference practices drawn up by UNI and FOIM, will also be to understand how Public Administrations are moving within the scope of the regional framework agreements and protocols of intent with Italy’s Prefectures, and to offer operators and public officials a way to intercept the changes that could occur within the sector in the mid-term.
The smart city is one of the most interesting challenges for the security sector in recent years. It involves the entire supply chain, from the design of cutting-edge buildings to building automation. To tackle this challenge with a multidisciplinary approach, within the Smart Building Expo and with the support of SICUREZZA, Fiera Milano will be hosting the Milano Smart City Conference. This is a three-day international focus on the smart city and the impact of new technologies at a technologically crucial time, that of the release of the 5G infrastructure to enable new applications at urban level. Urban security and monitoring will be one of the three main topics of the conference, with particular reference to predictive and soft responses to the problems of urban areas in terms of security and control of the territory.
CERTIFIED TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
Technological evolution and new legislation have completely revolutionised the scenario and require increasingly specific skills. The multiplication of the areas of intervention and the complexity of the responsibilities that operators at all levels now have to bear, make it necessary to ensure that constantly updated and systematic information is always available. The only way to enable and certify professional operators is to train them, making them the sole points of reference for those seeking security solutions and making them more aware of the role they play and of the increasing legal implications and risks of their activity.
SICUREZZA will be offering numerous professional training opportunities, organised by the certifying boards themselves, for various professional figures (industrial surveyors, engineers, installers, security operators), providing them with the possibility to attain training credits.
Besides being a duty and a necessary requirement to keep up with the market as it evolves, certified training also becomes a tool to enhance recognisability and to be competitive. Within the scope of SICUREZZA, to reward those fitters who have invested in the professional skills, Securindex, the Italian security hub, is organising the closing ceremony of the first edition of the Premio Securindex Installatore Certificato (Securindex Certified Installer Award). The award has been created to encourage installers to use digital communication to promote their companies on the market and to raise awareness among its customers of the importance of contacting certified professionals. The award is divided into two categories – one for installers employed by companies and the other for self-employed installers – with a total of seven winners, three for each category – one winner each from Northern, Central and Southern Italy/Islands – and one overall winner.
The complete programme of conventions and training sessions is currently being defined and will be available soon at www.sicurezza.it/en.
London, June 2019 –It creates challenges when a mechanical locking system grows organically over the years: Managers at South Denmark’s Syrenparken mental health treatment facility no longer had a trustworthy overview of all their physical keys in circulation.
Yet, to serve the people treated there, Syrenparken must store medicines and psychotropic drugs. It is critical only trusted personnel gain access.
As part of a modernization program, it was decided to upgrade on-site access control. One key aim was to replace old-fashioned keys, which can easily be lost, increasing the risk they fall into the wrong hands. Managers also wanted to make a working day more efficient for their trusted employees. They were each carrying three or four keys just to perform daily tasks in multiple areas of the site.
A flexible access solution
Syrenparken installed the SMARTair® wireless access control system from ASSA ABLOY to meet all their security needs. To date, 143 SMARTair® wireless locking devices are fitted on resident bedrooms, as well as doors to offices, the medicine room and storage for patient records, plus other confidential areas. Staff and residents open doors with a standard, programmable MIFARE® credential.
System reliability was a key factor in their choice of SMARTair®, according to Henrik Jürs, Head of Syrenparken: “It is possible to put our access control system on a virtual server. Should a computer go down, we can put a new computer on and then we have access to it again.”
“We trust the data security,” he emphasizes.
Another important parameter was flexibility in system management: SMARTair® makes it easy to administrate who should have access to which areas, and when. Instead of a bundle of keys, each employee has a key-card encoded with access rights to the exact areas they need. With SMARTair®, it’s easy to combine online and offline access management within the same installation. At Syrenparken, 133 offline SMARTair® escutcheons and 3 updaters, plus 8 offline SMARTair® cabinet locks, work side-by-side within the same system as 10 SMARTair® online escutcheons.
If a key-card is lost, it’s quick to disable it and activate a new one. There is no danger anyone unauthorised will enter controlled medicine rooms with a lost card as a result. Because managers no longer need to call a locksmith to replace the compromised escutcheon, SMARTair® is also a cost-effective solution for Syrenparken.
SMARTair® deployment is ongoing at Syrenparken — and currently projected to reach a total of up to 200 doors.
