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Home Articles posted by a&s Adria (Page 236)

PIN validation makes CLIQ® Connect an even more secure access solution for your mobile workers and remote sites

London, May 2019 – A new PIN validation option adds another layer of security to ASSA ABLOY’s CLIQ® Connect programmable key access control solution.

Now, when issuing or amending key access rights, administrators can set a PIN which key-holders must enter to update their key. A couple of clicks in the user-friendly CLIQ® Web Manager interface is all it takes to protect new key rights with a unique PIN. Without entering the PIN, users will not be able to revalidate or update their key to open a new lock.

This new function further boosts security against unauthorised access to sensitive areas like infrastructure sites, data stores and drug storage rooms.

“CLIQ® Connect combines convenience and high security,” explains Stephan Schulz, CLIQ Product Manager at ASSA ABLOY EMEA. “A key-holder no longer revalidates their key or updates its access rights in person by returning to base or finding the nearest programming device. All they need is a smartphone, the CLIQ® Connect app and a secure Bluetooth connection.”

“And now, with the option for administrators to PIN protect any key permissions update or revalidation, it’s even more secure.”

The CLIQ® Connect app pairs a user’s programmable key, via an encrypted cloud connection, with the CLIQ® Web Manager. To change a key-holder’s access rights, a security manager accesses their CLIQ® software and updates it. A key-holder makes a secure Bluetooth connection between their CLIQ® Connect key and the app to instantly update access permissions or revalidate.

CLIQ® Connect’s secure solution for mobile access management has been recognized several times by industry awards. CLIQ® Connect was a winner at the Detektor International Awards, recognizing outstanding innovation in security alarms, access control and CCTV; won the Gold Trophy at France’s APS Awards; and was awarded Protector & Wik’s Golden Protector 2018 for access control.

“CLIQ® Connect is simple and agile for even the largest organisation,” adds Stephan Schulz. “It saves you time. And because your mobile workers drive fewer miles collecting and returning physical keys, it’s also a more sustainable access control solution.”

To learn how CLIQ® Connect can secure your company’s sustainability strategy, visit https://campaigns.assaabloyopeningsolutions.eu/cliq-sustainability

Thanks to SMARTair® wireless access control, weekly key management time went from 5 hours to 5 minutes

London, May 2019 – Each of Denmark’s 550 individual Free Schools shares a common ethos: parents and students participate together in activities outside school hours, including weekends. It’s excellent for building a school community. Not so easy for managing security, when issuing and tracking keys becomes a 7-day task every week. The Vejle Friskole turned to SMARTair® wireless access control for a solution.

Previously, key management ate up “a very long time, approximately 5 hours a week,” explains Henrik Kækel, Technical Service Officer at Vejle Friskole.

Secure wireless electronic locks, already proven in schools across Europe, were the answer. Vejle Friskole’s mechanical keys have been replaced by a SMARTair® access control system. Over 80 doors and cabinets around the school are secured with SMARTair® wireless devices. Even at a historic property like Vejle Friskole, battery-powered SMARTair® devices are easy and unobtrusive to retrofit.

Now approximately 250 students, teachers and parents each carry their own key fob, programmed with individual access permissions. Because the SMARTair® system portfolio has locking devices tailored to different kinds of openings, everyone at the Friskole opens the right doors and cabinets with a single fob. There’s no more need for the school to distribute separate keys for student or staff lockers, for example.

Time-saving key management
“It was really bad because we had big problems with keys that were lost,” says Henrik Kækel. “There was a lot of work in key administration.” SMARTair® is easy for the school to manage. Today, Vejle Friskole staff spend around 5 minutes a week managing their access system. “It’s incredibly easy to figure out… it takes 1 minute to code a student,” he adds. Even managing the leasing of school buildings for non-school events is simple and secure. School facilities staff issue fobs for the duration of the event, then cancel them immediately afterwards – with no concerns someone may have copied a physical key.

In addition to making everyday life easier and saving staff time and admin costs, SMARTair® has increased security. Using the intuitive SMARTair® software, they always have an overview of who has been at the school, and when. Audit trails are generated and monitored in real time using their SMARTair® system. And it’s no disaster if a credential gets lost. Henrik adds: “Then we cancel the credential and issue a new one.”

Vejle Friskole’s SMARTair® system is easy, fast and cost-effective to extend to new doors, cabinets and users — at the beginning of a new school year, or any time they choose.

To learn more about how SMARTair® can make your school safer — and save you time and expense — visit https://campaigns.assaabloyopeningsolutions.eu/smartair-schools

People counting for increased retail success

Counting people who enter your mall or store throughout the day can help you to improve your operations in a number of ways. It becomes possible, for example, to precisely increase the number of staff during busy times to improve service on the shop floor, and to reduce staff during quieter times to increase your operating efficiency. You can also more accurately predict demand over the coming days, weeks and months and accurately plan your future activities based on right-sized staffing and inventory.

In these ways, counting people in store can help retailers optimise their strategies and maximise conversion and revenues. However, the task of accurately counting customers over an extended period of time is a difficult one, particularly as legacy camera technologies are not always up to the task.

People counting provides valuable insights across a range of industries and use cases. It can help to ensure crowd safety in high-traffic-flow areas such as stadia, for example, as well as ensuring that the number of people entering clubs, exhibition halls and other locations does not exceed fire safety guidelines.

Historical ‘single-lens’ people-counting challenges

In the past, retailers often attempted to count people in store using single lens cameras. These often mistook people for other objects, leading to inaccurate counts and misleading information about who has visited the store and what they do there.

One major problem with single lens cameras is that they have no 3D perspective, which makes it impossible to understand how tall an object or person is. This means that all kinds of inanimate objects can be mistaken for people, from shopping carts to baby carriages. The problem can be exacerbated when there’s a change in light conditions, and even shadows have contributed to inaccurate people counts in some cases.

Getting an accurate count with dual-lens cameras
To overcome all of these challenges, forward-thinking retailers are installing next-generation dual-lens cameras in store. These record and process two images of a person concurrently, allowing a 3D image to be created. This accurately records the person’s height and shape, identifying them positively as a human being, rather than an object or shadow, for example.

Delivering even more customer value with AI and ML
The best dual-lens cameras are also equipped with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies that allow cameras to ‘learn’ over time. It becomes possible, for example, to gain new insights into customer preferences based on their demographics and in-store behaviours, leading to more effective merchandising decisions.

Covering security requirements with the same smart camera
The other major benefit of smart people-counting cameras is that they can double as security protection for your mall or store. This means that you can look after your customers and your assets, and accurately count people coming into the store – all with a single investment. With only one set of cameras, you can make significant savings on installation, energy consumption, maintenance and support – while also getting the very best in surveillance and smart retail insights.

Why Hikvision for people counting and retail security?
Hikvision’s people counting cameras deliver major benefits. First, they offer extremely high accuracy, with a dual-lens configuration that provides 3D imaging to distinguish people from inanimate objects and shadows. Our cameras also incorporate Deep Learning algorithms that can be continuously trained and improved with new datasets to count people more preciously.

Hikvision has helped organisations in a number of industries to count and monitor people entering their facilities. To find out more about our retail capabilities, read our case study on how a mall in Haarlem in the Netherlands has implemented our dual-lens cameras to gain new insights that enhance their business strategy and management activities. For the full story, visit here.

For more information about Hikvision’s industry leading people counting and store surveillance technologies, or to tell us about your people-counting needs, please visit here.

D-Link launches cloud solution for centralised and remote network management

D-Link, the multinational networking manufacturer, has announced the availability of its new cloud-based network management solution – Nuclias – enabling managed service providers and business owners to remotely configure and monitor their network infrastructures from anywhere, at any time.

Nuclias provides managed service providers and business owners complete control of their network from anywhere, at any time

Nuclias is a cloud-based management tool that eliminates the need for a local controller – reducing costs and complexity while streamlining network infrastructure. It also offers zero-touch provisioning for ease of deployment and scalable architecture to support an unlimited number of devices in a network. It provides users with the autonomy to manage wireless access points, capture and analyse insights into every connected device, and comes with an enhanced design and functionality.

Nuclias’ multi-tenant architecture allows deployment across multiple sites and organisations, and its advanced traffic report and data analysis tools provide business owners and IT professionals with real-time insights to enable effective management and planning.

Additional features include a secure role-based administration system, auditable change logs, authentication via captive portal, 802.1x, RADIUS server. It also supports Facebook and Google login for guest Wi-Fi access, and automated network monitoring.

Initially, D-Link will offer DBA-1210P AP, a high-performance 802.11ac Wave 2 access points with PoE support that allows for a more flexible installation where traditional power outlets may not be available. D-Link will continue to expand the range with indoor and outdoor access points as well as introduce high-performance Gigabit smart-managed switches with optional PoE and fibre connectivity to the Nuclias family of products.

Kevin Wen, President at D-Link Europe, commented: “At D-Link, we believe that cloud- managed networking is the answer to many of the challenges that MSPs face when servicing multiple local businesses, and the IT teams of mid-sized companies. Nuclias delivers into that sweet spot between the excess features laden high-end and high effort, and low value “budget” solutions currently available. We’re delivering the visibility, ease of deployment, automation and security that smaller IT teams and MSPs need on tap to be able to do more with less, while future proofing their networks – all at a price point that delivers demonstrable ongoing value.”

The Nuclias DBA-1210P wireless access point supports the latest dual-band 802.11ac Wave 2 with multi-user MIMO support to maximise a business’s network efficiency. It can simultaneously communicate with multiple devices, over multiple wireless bands, allowing businesses to get things done faster.

DBA-1210P:
– 802.11ac Wave 2
– 2×2 Concurrent Dual Band (AC1300)
– MU-MIMO
– Gigabit Ethernet
– 802.3af PoE

D-Link has been creating complete end-to-end networking solutions and state-of-the-art solutions to benefit businesses for more than 30 years. This includes switches, wireless devices, network security, IP surveillance, and storage and management solutions delivering best-in-class performance.

Access control options? Wireless doesn’t tie you down

As one recent market report highlights*, more and more organizations are switching to wireless access control to secure premises. Their motivations are well rehearsed. Wireless devices offer greater flexibility without sacrificing security. With integrated RFID readers, they are easy to retrofit to existing doors and buildings, giving security managers much more control over a site. And because they are battery powered and use almost no electricity when idle, wireless access control helps companies reduce energy bills.

But choosing to cut the cables is only the first of many welcome choices when you switch to wireless.

Choose your credential
Wireless access control — including Aperio®, SMARTair® and CLIQ® wireless locking from ASSA ABLOY — gives you the widest possible choice of credentials. You don’t even need to abandon physical keys. In ASSA ABLOY’s CLIQ® key-based access control system, programmable keys with batteries power the cylinder or padlock via an encrypted interface. Electromechanical CLIQ® and fully electronic eCLIQ cylinders are available for doors, cabinets, lifts, alarm boxes, machines and entrance gates. Users reprogram or revalidate their key access rights at wall devices, with portable programming devices or making a Bluetooth connection between the key and the CLIQ® Connect mobile phone app.

Card-based access control leaves your credential options wide open. Both Aperio® wireless locking devices for upgrading access control systems and SMARTair® access control systems are compatible with all leading RFID proximity protocols, including MIFARE®, DESFire and iCLASS®. Users can pick from standard smart-cards, tags, bracelets and other convenient formats, tailored to the site. Wireless escutcheons come with optional PINpads, for doors where multi-factor authentication is needed for upgraded security.

In addition, a SMARTair® system offers mobile-ready access. With SMARTair®, administrators can open electronic door locks remotely. At the user end, the Openow™ app stores validated virtual keys on a smartphone, so there’s no need for anyone to visit a security office to physically collect or update a credential. SMARTair® virtual keys can be sent or revoked over the air — for maximum, time-saving flexibility. Users just tap the SMARTair® lock to open up via Bluetooth.

How big? How small? No limits to building size or type
Whatever size your premises, and no matter what work you do, a wireless access control system fits. In the healthcare sector, our card-based access systems manage huge hospitals and small doctors’ surgeries — where optional anti-bacterial coatings preserve hygienic environments. ASSA ABLOY wireless access control protects single-unit shops and whole shopping malls; care homes and corporate headquarters. From Helen Oy power stations in Helsinki to ULab, Alicante’s newest co-working space, wireless is the right solution.

Key-based access system CLIQ®, for example, caters to complex, multi-location businesses with thousands of locks securing hundreds of employees, plus contractors who need access round the clock. Many utilities operate remote sites, miles from reliable mains electricity, and often at the mercy of extreme weather. None of these challenges stops CLIQ® cylinders and padlocks delivering the trusted security critical infrastructure demands.

CLIQ® is not just for the giants. One user-friendly extension of the technology, CLIQ® Go** enables small business owners to manage an access system from a mobile app. A few taps on the screen is all it takes to cancel, issue or change the door permissions for an employee’s CLIQ® key.

A menu of system management options
Wireless access control does not restrict your system management workflows. The backbone of every ASSA ABLOY wireless access system is intuitive software which makes it easy for facility managers to control, identify and update exactly who can open every door. For all ASSA ABLOY wireless access ecosystems, a user-friendly software interface is accessible from almost any standard PC, tablet or smartphone. It gives facility managers an instant overview of their site’s security status from anywhere.

With Aperio® wireless locks, you manage the new doors from the same interface as your existing access control system. Aperio® devices integrate online or offline (or both) with access systems from over 100 different manufacturers. System administrators see only one, familiar admin interface. SMARTair® offers a menu of management options from standalone operation through offline and Update on Card control to real-time control via SMARTair® Wireless Online functionality.

With wireless, the choice is yours.

Based on a survey of industry experts, the 22-page “Wireless Access Control Report” is free to download at https://campaigns.assaabloyopeningsolutions.eu/wacreport2018

Vertical solution: Advancements in analytics enhance airport surveillance

Due to the strict regulations for safety and air travel, airports require comprehensive security technology. To meet these requirements, the world’s largest airports use some of the most advanced technologies available — some of which are centered around video surveillance.
Izvor: a&s International
E-mail: redakcija@asadria.com
Kategorije za web: Transport, video surveillance, Software, Access Control

Airports today are more focused on security than ever before. The number of attacks on airports in recent years have only further highlighted the need to better protect passengers and staff, even the reputation of the airports themselves. In terms of video surveillance, in the past it has been used as a source of video verification or observation into what has happened, but it has since become an essential source of data, too.

Developments in Analytics
Video analytics are in high demand at airports. With so many cameras to monitor, video surveillance that works with advanced video analytics to proactively identify potential threats is critical to the success of a security plan. Furthermore, these technologies can help operators identify the most critical information at any given time.

“Powered by sophisticated, computer- based algorithms, these advanced analytics incorporate neural networks and deep learning to imitate a human’s ability to recognize, allowing the technology to adapt to and learn from new situations,” said Alan Stoddard, VP and GM of Situational Intelligence Solutions at Verint. “These innovations open up new doors to airports because they can deliver the accuracy and scalability required to support advanced recognition in real-world environments with heavy traffic and diverse popula- tions, rather than relying on one-to-one scenarios.”

Jumbi Edulbehram, Regional President of Americas at Oncam, pointed out how airports are a notori- ously difficult environment for traditional analytics to work well. However, nowadays with machine learning-based analytics things are changing.

Machine-learning based analytics are capable of learning what is “normal” in a scene over time and raising an alert when something is out of the ordinary, such as people going the wrong way, bags left unattended for a period of time, etc. This is making it much more valuable. “These analytics may also be able to identify behaviors/anomalies in the scene that had previously gone unnoticed, which could be useful for airport security or even for operational efficiencies,” Edulbehram added.

Maarten Wings, Global Vertical Manager Airports at Bosch Building Technologies, highlighted how video analytics can be configured to recognize changes in speed (running), shape (crouching) or aspect ratio (falling), all of which can be very beneficial to airports.

“With the recent addition of machine learning capabilities Bosch cameras can now be trained to recognize objects or situations that matter most to airport customers. This is important consid- ering that in today’s market there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ when it comes to protecting people and property or delivering data for business intelli- gence,” Wings explained. “Now video cameras can be taught to recognize and detect stationary objects or certain situations instead of being triggered by motion alone. With this, video metadata is further enriched and delivers data when objects are present, but also once they have been removed, therefore providing more informative data.”

More Accurate Face Recognition
The advancements in machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) are enabling analytics like face recognition to deliver highly accurate, automated and intelligent identification capabilities in mission-critical security applications like airports.

“Greater accuracy in facial recognition is obviously very beneficial at airports where correct identification of passengers, staff, etc., is critical. Some airports/ airlines have already started using facial recognition to identify passengers boarding flights, while others are using it as a biometric for access to restricted areas at the airport,” Edulbehram said.

Benjamin Low, VP of APAC at Milestone Systems noted that face recognition is also being used as another form of authentication for border control, passport and security access; tracking of black- and white-list individuals; speedy clearance in congested places; and real-time matching.

Need for Improved Situational Awareness
Video surveillance today still requires intensive manual labor. This leads to a higher number of errors since humans are not very good at attentively watching video for a long time, which in a critical location like an airport can have major consequences. Modern video management systems, however, can reliably bring forward incidents to operators and ideally enable prevention of incidents.

David Lenot, Airport Practice Lead at Genetec, noted how greater camera perfor- mance and resolution, higher computational power, AI, neuronal networks, etc., are all helping deliver more in-depth insights and improving situational awareness.

“In today’s complex risk environment, airports require solutions to help enhance risk management, boost operational efficiency and improve situational awareness. In particular, situational awareness software platforms can deliver significant benefits. These systems help stakeholders gain critical insight into an airport’s security operations — both physical and cybersecurity systems — to help protect infrastructure and build analytical data,” Stoddard said.

“By collecting actionable intelligence from any number of sensors, such as video surveillance, open source web intelligence, crowdsourcing, weather sensors, mobile locations and more, leaders are empowered to manage and respond to situations efficiently and share information easily with multiple agencies, employees, citizens, aligned agencies and first responders,” Stoddard added. “Moreover, by creating a single enterprise-wide view across disparate systems and technologies, these solutions can help airports improve response times, lower operational costs, and increase operational efficiencies.”

Improving situational awareness also involves ensuring that every nook and cranny of a facility is covered by video, without blind spots. This, according to Edulbehram, is what many airport customers most want.

“Many airports have opted to strengthen their video camera arsenal with panoramic technology — both through 180- and 360-degree cameras. Think about the expansive areas of an airport, such as long corridors connecting terminals, large areas with baggage claim carousels or spacious boarding areas — all of these areas require extensive coverage that a traditional pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera cannot reach without units that are pointing in every direction. Instead, airports are uniquely suited to panoramic cameras that can maintain situational awareness in these vast areas and help officials track individuals to critical choke points, where narrow field-of-view cameras can help identify persons of interest in an investi- gation,” Edulbehram explained.

Major Challenges
Airports today face a massive increase in passenger counts. Not only this, but high volumes of luggage, public and employee access, and the vast size of these facilities can pose problems for integrators when implementing video surveillance solutions. Furthermore, wide-open spaces around a perimeter and large passageways from terminal to terminal can present a significant challenge for video coverage.

“These challenges have only grown over the years, with the requirements of meeting federal regulations set forth by countries around the world on how long to keep surveillance video, which parts of an airport should be under surveillance, and how the video is used,” Edulbehram said.

Low said, “We often see older airports tearing out entire surveillance solutions because the legacy approach to using one brand of camera/software to try to fit an extremely challenging environment is no longer valid.”

Making the best use of existing infrastructure at airports means they are often very dynamic environments and physical infrastructure is constantly changing. “As a consequence, a lot of construction works are going on which need to be monitored from the control room. This also asks for frequent adaptation of the video security system (e.g., changing field of view or focus of a camera),” Wings said.

“Today a field technician is ordered to make the changes and while doing so he often disturbs the operational environment with a crane or ladder to work on the camera. Embedded remote commissioning and configuration features, which are available in the latest camera models, allow adaptation from a remote location without the need of a ladder or crane. It is done either from the ground with a smartphone or tablet application or from the configuration software on a PC somewhere remote,” Wings explained.

Lighting is also a common surveillance challenge at airports, and can especially affect analytics such as facial recognition. To combat this, in an airport environment (especially indoors), lighting conditions can be better controlled and there can be more trials on camera and angle deployment that allow for reduction of false positives, Low advised.

Lenot added, “Indoors, where lighting is mostly controlled, constraints are mostly related to the expected design/ aesthetic expectations of architects and the nature of the construction material such as glass, wood or aluminum that should not be altered by visible sensors/ devices. Finally, when used for video analytic purposes, camera locations must be selected very carefully to enable the analytic to perform at the expected quality level.”

Outdoor airport conditions can also be very challenging. However, camera vendors are now offering a greater variety of very wide angle, panoramic, multisensor cameras that improve visual coverage and may limit the burden of installation and deployment by limiting the number of cameras and the required cabling civil engineering work, according to Lenot.

Cybersecurity risks are also becoming more prevalent. Wings noted that video security solutions should offer the latest hardware and software measures to ensure data security and privacy protection at the highest level and data security should be approached end-to- end.

“This involves that communication can only be allowed between trusted devices, data must be encrypted both in-transit as well as stored, user access rights can be easily managed, and PKI (public key infrastructures) can be supported,” Wings said.

Evolving Future Challenges
As the security needs of airports continue to evolve, the need for more advanced technologies will become increasingly crucial to airport surveil- lance. Especially in today’s age of IoT and connected everything, cybersecurity risks will only become more of an issue. However, with more advanced analytics, better camera technology and improved situational awareness, airports will be safer than ever.

What to Look for When Choosing a Vendor

Airport security operations must incorporate a number of systems from a variety of manufacturers in order to achieve the type of coverage necessary to ensure the security of the entire facility. That is why choosing the right security vendor is important.

Video surveillance is just one of the many systems necessary for airport operators and security departments to deploy to have a comprehensive security solution. According to David Lenot, Airport Practice Lead at Genetec, nowadays, these entities are also expecting system platforms that unify all underlying systems, as well as the technical complexity to actually offer a human interface that grants: optimum situational awareness; stream- lines and support decision making; delivers insights to support process monitoring or incident resolution; and most importantly to improve the overall performances.

“The security vendors must have the distinctive abilities to select individual systems, sensors and devices, but also to master all aspects of IT, including servers, networking and software. And beyond technology and technics they must understand how an airport operates to help define workflows and standard operating procedures,” Lenot explained.

Maarten Wings, Global Vertical Manager for Airports at Bosch Building Technologies, explained that vendors should ideally be able to cover multiple security domains (e.g., video systems, intrusion, access control, management software, cloud services, etc.). Additionally they should be able to deliver future-proof solutions that can be regularly updated to ensure latest data protection and functionality; offer solutions that approach data security end-to-end and built-in intelligence (video analytics) to enable security operators to collect important statistics to further improve their levels of security.

“It can go without saying that all these capabilities and functionalities are seamlessly integrated with third- party vendors since there is no one-size fits all,” Wings said. “Airports are in intense competition with each other. Queues shall be short, travel at the airport transparent while at the same time gate turnaround times need to be short to keep airlines contracted. All within a safe environment as nobody flies from an unsafe airport. Airports need to optimize and in order to do so they need data to analyze, learn and optimize. Airports need a vendor with a clear digital strategy so they can make the transition toward the digital airport.”

It is also important to remember that different camera vendors often have advantages in outdoor, indoor, control room, etc., and customers should choose the best solution/vendor for their deployment, reminded Benjamin Low, VP of APAC at Milestone Systems.

How Airports Benefit From Analytics on the Edge

Video analytics at the edge allows every network video surveillance camera to be smart and understand what it sees. In an airport environment, this allows for operators, security staff and other users to be alerted to potential threats or situations the moment they happen.

Improved camera technology and advance- ments in analytics have made analytics at the edge a more viable option. At airports, edge analytics can, for example, detect counter flow on an escalator or a group forming in unusual places or a person or car near the perimeter fence.

“Built-in video analytics allows users to retrieve the right footage from hours of stored video instantly, analyze the scene by providing all kinds of statistics (metadata), and take appropriate action faster, easier and more efficiently,” said Maarten Wings, Global Vertical Manager for Airports at Bosch Building Technologies.

“With built-in video analytics it is possible to set certain alarm rules, such as someone approaching or climbing over a fence, someone loitering at the parking lot, or objects left behind in a certain area like a box blocking the emergency exit,” he explained. “Operators in the control room will be alerted the moment one of these alarm rules is met.”

This is different to what can already be detected today. “When data of multiple cameras is aggregated statistics like counting metrics, crowd density and other information can be used to inform passengers about waiting times, or other relevant information beyond security,” he added.

Dahua Cameras Placed in Every Shop of Telekom Slovenije

Telekom Slovenije is a comprehensive communications service provider in Slovenia. It is recognized as the leader in the introduction and connection of new generations of mobile and fixed communication services, system integration and cloud computing services and multimedia content.

The new smart home system called NEO operates with two pre-selected Dahua consumer camera models: K26 and KFW1235W.

Customer needs
Telekom Slovenije was looking for a reliable security manufacturer for its new smart living package to launch in the market with special focus on CCTV services supported with various detectors, sensors, IoT and Cloud solutions.
The key decision factors for choosing Dahua were product quality, the variety of devices as well as the strong and extremely flexible local technical team.

Solution
The new smart home system called NEO operates with two pre-selected Dahua consumer camera models: K26 and KFW1235W. As Telekom Slovenije uses its own cloud for their streaming and recording services, the customized firmware was extremely important for the customer. Dahua Technology allocated 5 dedicated engineers from its Research & Development and Technical Department to meet all customer demands in timely manner, among others customized firmware.

Results
NEO is a completely new solution in the market with both home and voice command options. NEO’s success is result of a great team’s hard work and a good project workflow that made this complicated integration simple. The first phase of the project is done with a satisfactory application and integration of Dahua devices. Dahua consumer cameras were selected among other providers and now Dahua and Telekom Slovenije are preparing for the forthcoming period and a new upgrade.

Intervju: Eduardo Afendi-Coutinho, Sales Executive, TOA Electronics

a&s Adria: Mr Afendi-Coutinho, thank you for sparing time to talk to our readers. Could you present yourself, your educational and professional background, what business area are you in charge with, how long are you working for TOA?
Afendi-Coutinho: Thank you very much for this interview. I have both an educational background as an Audio Engineer and professional experience in Sales in the telecommunication industry. I think this combination helps me a lot at my daily work, when I support our partners and customers in different projects. I came to TOA in 2017 and I am responsible for our sales activities in different countries, the Balkans region being one of my focus areas right now.

a&s Adria: TOA Electronics has more than 80 years of experience in research, development and international sales and marketing of numerous products in the field of public address systems. On the road of becoming one of the global leaders in this area, TOA has experienced a lot challenges and milestones. Tell us more about your company’s history, its important milestones, statistics, number of employees and subsidiaries, revenue, number of sold products, etc.?
Afendi-Coutinho: As you have already mentioned, the history of our company dates back to 1934, when TOA Electric Co., Ltd. was founded by Tsunetaro Nakatani in Kobe, Japan. Back then TOA had 12 employees. Today we are present at 31 locations worldwide with over 3000 employees. During this long period, a lot of events ocurred that are worth mentioning. I would point out the development of the world´s first electric megaphone, the EM-202, in 1947, and the launch of the Emergency Warning System TA-265 S in 1969 as two early accomplishments that underline our historical focus on Public Safety and Communication. As a Japanese company, tragic events such as the Kobe-Earthquake in 1995 and the Great Tohoku Earthquake in 2011 also had an impact and pushed the company to always maximize their efforts to the development of technologies that can save lives and ensure public safety.These efforts led to the launch of many groundbreaking new products like the networked Voice Evacuation Systems SX-2000 and VX-3000, as well as long-range Speaker Systems like the HA-1010. From a business point of view, I think the opening of our European Branch in Hamburg, Germany in 1974 was an important milestone on the way to the internationalization of TOA.

a&s Adria: Could you present your product portfolio, types of products and theirs most important characteristics and application?
Afendi-Coutinho: Our portfolio ranges from Voice Alarm Systems and Building Communication to Pro Audio, as well as Presentation and Conference Technology. A key role is played by our wide selection of different speakers, whether for security, commercial needs or entertainment. In summary, one can say that TOA has always been commited to excellent sound. Facts like that Mr. Nakatani started TOA as a microphone company, or that we supplied one of the world´s first fully digital mixing consoles in 1986, show that TOA has been leaving their mark in the Audio business throughout the years. This puts us in a good position when we face projects like Stadiums, Hotels or Concert Halls, since we can not only provide the solution for Building Safety and Communications, but also all the necessary Audio equipment for entertainment purposes like digital power amplifiers, speakers and subwoofers, matrix mixers and wireless microphone systems.

a&s Adria: What product or product group would you stand out as flagship of most sold and why?
Afendi-Coutinho: I would clearly call the VX-3000 Voice Alarm Series our current flagship product. The system has an excellent reputation for its longevity and stability, and is constantly being adapted through software and hardware enhancements, so it is always up to date. Not only the modular design of the VX-3000 but also its networking capabilities make it a perfect choice for many applications. After the latest System update, we can offer it from small to really big systems, including such applications that are distributed over wide areas like Metro and Railway. The number of possible zones and maximum power is huge, and no matter how big the project turns out, the compliance to EN-54 standards is always given. Plus, we now have a wall-mount version of it, to make it even more effective and simple to install.

a&s Adria: What is the role of TOA’s solutions in overall security system? How do you overcome integration issue with other security products?
Afendi-Coutinho: Toa’s security solutions are based on audible communication and thus address one of the most important senses: the human ear. Specially in emergency situations, but also for daily information purposes, the paging of spoken word and sound is still the main way to inform people, along with visible signs. As it has been researched and proven by many scientific studies, the communication with spoken word can significantly increase the reaction and escape times of people in emergency situations. And nowadays, the need for intelligible and clear paging has increased due to noisy environments and the constant distraction of people. This is why we are always improving the intelligibility and overall performance of our systems. Speaking of integration, our systems are triggered by many other equipments, most usually Fire Detection Systems and CCTV, but also Intrusion systems to start automated or live paging scenarios. More recently, we are working on solutions based on the Modbus-Protocol, that allow the operator to control our equipment along with other systems in one application.

a&s Adria: Your products are used by millions of people. What verticals do you primarily focus on and do you meet their specific requests?
Afendi-Coutinho: Our solutions fit perfectly for infrastructures and buildings like Airports and Railway Stations, Shopping Malls, Hotels, Factories, Stadiums etc., thus we have a focus on the Infrastructure and Transportation market. Besides that, we concentrate on supplying integrators of Audio solutions for Houses of Worship and Retail Chains, since we have specialized product series for both applications. We are always trying to add new services to our offers that really make sense and help integrators to fulfill their customers needs. For example, in the Transportation market we have a close cooperation with Aviavox, a leading provider of Intelligent Artificial Voice Systems for Airports and Airlines.

a&s Adria: Could you present some of the most successful case studies on European and SEE soil?
Afendi-Coutinho: Most recently I´d like to mention that we have a large VA-system installed at the biggest Shopping Mall in Serbia, the Promenada in Novi Sad. In Bulgaria we have an interesting networked VA-system in the Tower Building Millenium Center in Sofia. One recent, very exciting case study from Germany is that of the Louise-Otto-Peters School in Hockenheim, where we have an installation that combines Voice Alarm and Public Address with an emergency and danger response system (EDRS), using Intercom Stations with RFID-Technology.

a&s Adria: What are the most important trend in PA and Intercom Systems market and, regarding that, what can we expect from TOA in the future?
Afendi-Coutinho: Currently, demand for IP-Audio technologies is increasing. There is a trend towards using network connections right through to the end devices rather than laying separate audio cables. This, of course, opens up many new possibilities, for example to build additional technology into a speaker, be it a microphone, a dedicated CPU and memory, but also intelligent software, e.g. for voice control. We keep an eye on these new technologies, whereby as a safety-focused manufacturer we also pay attention to the monitoring functions and emergency power supply of such systems.

a&s Adria: Your opinion about Adriatic region’s market, its pros and cons? In what Western Balkans countries do you do business, do you have a distributor and are you looking for a new one, what is the way to become one, etc.?
Afendi-Coutinho: To be honest, I can only tell positive things about the Adriatic region´s market. We have business partners in every country of the Western Balkans, and the spirit in general is positive, highly professional and dedicated. I don´t work with distributors exclusively, but also like to get involved with Integrators, Consultants and Investors in order to be closer to the projects. So basically, I am open to contacts from whichever part of the market, as long as they are serious and commited. I think that the region has a great culture and history, and I am sure there will be a lot of positive development in the near future. The only point where I see room for improvement is the necessary application of the European EN-54 Standards for our market. For us as a supplier of Voice Alarm Systems, this can be a crucial factor. But I am confident that we will see progress in this field, too.

a&s Adria: In September, Adriatic region’s largest conference and exhibition Adria Security Summit, with more than 1,200 visitors, will be held in Northern Macedonia. Will you be present there and do you find it a good opportunity to meet new customers and partners?
Afendi-Coutinho: Yes, of course we will be there! I find the concept of the exhibition with the same booth size for every exhibitor very attracting. This way, I think it will be a true networking event. I will try to activate all of our regional partners and contacts to come around and I am expecting to meet a lot of new people from the business. I am also eager to see the city of Skopje and appreciate the local food. I am really looking forward to this event. For us, local exhibitons and conferences are becoming more and more important. At those events, we get a better chance to talk to local professionals from the region than at the big international exhibitions like ISE and Intersec.

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IoT Security to soar to 35.2 B USD

The latest report on the IoT Security Market to 2023 shows that the global Internet of Things (IoT) security market size is expected to grow from USD 8.2 billion in 2018 to USD 35.2 billion by 2023, at a CAGR) of 33.7% during the forecast period. Major factors driving the growth of the market are the increasing number of ransomware attacks on IoT devices across the globe, growing IoT security regulations, and rising security concerns over critical infrastructures.

The report is presented with an analysis by Type (Network Security & Cloud Security), Component, Solution (Identity Access Management, Security Analytics, & Device Authentication & Management), Service, Application Area, and Region with a global forecast to 2023.

The researchers from Marketsandmarkets suggest that within these divisions the solutions segment will account for the highest market share during the forecast period. Major trends contributing to the market are the increasing security breaches in critical infrastructures and personal data. IoT security solutions include identity access management, data encryption and tokenisation, intrusion detection system/intrusion prevention system, device authentication and management, secure software and firmware update, secure communications, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) lifecycle management, Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection, security analytics, and others (virtual firewall and incidence response system). These solutions enable enterprises to meet their key requirements, which help in securing their IoT devices.

The network security segment is projected to account for the highest market share during the forecast period. Network security is a technique for securing networks from advanced threats by collecting and analysing the different types of network security event information. It combines the multiple layers of defences at the edge and in networks. It is one of the important aspects when it comes to securing the IoT ecosystem. It consists of wireless communication, remote access security, and gateway. In the IoT ecosystem, a huge amount of data is communicated through remote devices; therefore, the security of this wireless communication plays a significant role in network security. The key trend contributing to the growth of the network security segment is the rising adoption of IoT applications among various industries.

Withing the Solutions arena, the report finds that the device authentication management segment will account for the highest market share during the forecast period. Identity access and management refers to a business process framework. This framework consists of policies and technologies, which help organizations control the appropriate accesses of all employees to technology resources. It is the process of managing attributes, such as phone numbers, email addresses, and social security numbers and authenticating identities. IoT is gaining traction across industries, due to its robust offerings. With the expanding reach of IoT, multiple end users and devices can be connected to networks. One of the main causes of cyber-attacks is unauthorised access to networks through intrusions. The identity access management solution plays a vital role in managing enterprises’ electronic or digital identities. These solutions can be quickly and cost-effectively integrated with identity access management policies across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments.

In terms of geographical regions, the researchers say that North America is the dominant region for IoT deployment and progressive in terms of technology adoption. The region comprises the US and Canada. The US is expected to hold a higher market share in the IoT security market. The US and Canada are the early adopters of trending technologies, such as IoT, big data, and mobility, and would provide significant growth opportunities for IoT security vendors.

The major vendors cited as active within the global IoT security market include Cisco, IBM, Infineon, Intel, Symantec, Gemalto, Allot, Fortinet, Zingbox, Mocana, Securithings, Centri, Armis, Forgerock, and Newsky.

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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.