AMG Systems introduced the AMG150/155 series of cost-effective single-channel industrially hardened PoE injectors that can support Ethernet speeds from 10Mb to 10Gb and inject 30W, 60W, or 90W power for use by PoE powered devices.

Models within the series offer a wide range of DC or AC power inputs with integrated industry-leading surge protection. The AMG150/155 series are unique in that they are standard with 1Gbps speed and offer 2.5, 5, and 10Gbps speed models.

The AMG150 Series consists of eight models powered by external DC power supplies utilizing from 9 to 60VDC depending on individual model numbers. The AMG155 Series consists of five models designed to be powered by 85 to 264VAC mains power. The entire line offers multiple mounting options including Din Rail, wall mounting, or unique to AMG, magnetic mounting. The line is fully hardened, designed to be NEMA TS2 compliant, and can operate outdoors in a suitable IP-rated housing and extreme temperatures (-40 to +75°C).

Steve Clarke, AMG’s Managing Director, said, “We designed the AMG150/155 Series to provide a competitive, cost-effective, designed in the USA/UK, manufactured in the UK (NDAA & TAA compliant) alternative to the mostly Asia-made, re-badged products currently available. Incorporating a more installer-friendly form factor and fully integrated surge protection along with support for true IEEE 802.3bt compliant high power PoE, while being able to meet industry cost targets will make these products extremely attractive to many PoE powered applications.”

Tom Exley, AMG Technical Director adds “The AMG150/155 series sets the quality standard. Our engineering team looked at what was currently available, identified weaknesses, and engineered our product line to overcome those weaknesses. Many competitors offer Asia-sourced PoE injectors. None are equal in terms of being industrially hardened and made in an ISO9001-certified facility and still being cost-effective. We believe in the quality and stand behind them with lifetime support. This injector opens dozens of applications that can now utilize PoE as the power source. Plus having a product made in the UK gives your network an added layer of security.”

Earlier this month Motorola Solutions hosted a panel at Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies Summit in New York to address how artificial intelligence (AI), when designed with the greater good in mind, can help protect and secure communities, schools and businesses.

“At Motorola Solutions, we believe AI has the power to revolutionise safety and security,” said Mahesh Saptharishi, executive vice president and chief technology officer, Motorola Solutions. “We know AI is here to stay, and it’s incumbent upon the global technology community to come together and discuss considerations for the safety, security and steerability of its use cases. People have to be able to trust AI for it to make a difference.”

At the Most Innovative Companies Summit, Motorola Solutions led important discussions with industry experts about designing AI with public safety at the centre.

Saptharishi was joined by co-panelists Patrick Huston, brigadier general, U.S. Army (ret.) and Michael Kearns, professor of computer science and information, University of Pennsylvania. General Huston is a member of the FBI’s AI Task Force, and was previously a member of the Army’s Responsible AI Board in the Pentagon. Michael Kearns is an Amazon scholar and co-author of “The Ethical Algorithm,” a book centred on socially aware algorithm design.

“First responders and 9-1-1 call takers face tremendous stress, having to make critical decisions in microseconds,” added Saptharishi. “AI shows the great potential to assist decision-makers in these life-or-death scenarios, especially when it’s estimated that 10,000 lives could be saved in the U.S. each year if we shave just one minute from 9-1-1 response times. I can’t think of a better calling for innovation.”

Motorola Solutions invested $858 million in research and development in 2023, delivering next-generation technologies and expanding its portfolio of intellectual property, which stands at approximately 6,560 granted patents and approximately 775 pending patents.

Numerous milestones in ninety years of business have shaped Securitas’ path to a leadership position in the private security industry.

Established in Helsingborg, Sweden, in 1934 by Erik Philip-Sörensen, Securitas has evolved from a traditional night guard operation into a global leader in security solutions.

Already in the mid-1940s, Securitas began integrating technology in solutions for clients, growing rapidly after WWII. Securitas pioneered automatic access control and made history by launching the world’s first online connected ATM in 1968. By elevating human presence and experience with technology, Securitas has helped clients to focus on their core business – a continuous development that laid the foundation for what today is Securitas Technology.

Dating back to 1958, founder Erik Philip-Sörensen had the foresight to establish Securitas’ values of integrity, helpfulness, and vigilance, documenting them in the book Code of Conduct for Officers to protect the profession and ensure its integrity. He emphasized the ongoing importance of developing standards, recognizing it as a work that is never finished.

In the 1980s, former CEO Melker Schörling’s leadership emphasized simplification, client focus, and international expansion, driving Securitas’ growth across Europe, the U.S., and beyond through strategic acquisitions. The divestment of non-core businesses allowed Securitas to refocus on specialized security services, maintaining its commitment to operational excellence and core values throughout its global expansion journey.

“Living our purpose, to help make the world a safer place, has a profoundly positive impact not only on our clients but also on the world at large,” says Securitas President and CEO Magnus Ahlqvist. “Leaders who embody our timeless values have shaped our culture and maintained a commitment to excellence. With our focus on continuous improvement and innovation, we are in a better place than ever to address the evolving needs of our clients and the broader security landscape.”

 The global SCADA market size is anticipated to grow from USD 11.2 billion in 2024 to USD 16.6 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 8.3% from 2024 to 2029, according to the lastest research from Marketsandmarkets. Surging deployment of AI and IoT across manufacturing industries and increasing smart city projects pertaining to infrastructure and transportation are cited as just a few of the significant factors which drive the growth of this market.

Within the discrete manufacturing landscape, SCADA systems serve as integral tools to uphold production efficiency and meet targeted output objectives. These systems monitor and control the entire production lifecycle, from tracking units in production to managing inventory levels for just-in-time manufacturing practices.

Additionally, SCADA systems play a pivotal role in orchestrating industrial automation and robotics while concurrently monitoring processes and ensuring stringent quality control measures. As a result, SCADA offers a robust platform for the development of sophisticated, interconnected, and secure solutions that significantly enhance the efficacy of manufacturing operations. The escalating demand for such advanced SCADA systems is anticipated to be a key driver propelling growth within the SCADA market.

 Software at the core

At the core of any SCADA infrastructure lies its software, which serves as the foundation for its functionality. This software framework facilitates crucial functions such as trend analysis, diagnostics, and data monitoring, enabling efficient data analysis and communication of system issues to operators to minimize downtime. Key benefits offered by SCADA software include real-time data storage, ongoing system surveillance, alarm validation, and secure management of sensitive information. By empowering operators with streamlined workflows, facilitating rapid decision-making, minimizing errors, pinpointing root causes of issues, and optimizing plant operations, SCADA software plays a pivotal role in enhancing overall operational efficiency and effectiveness.

Remote terminal units

Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) reign supreme in the SCADA market due to several factors. Their versatility across industries, cost-effectiveness for remote sites, and focus on data acquisition perfectly align with core SCADA functionalities. Designed for harsh environments, RTUs offer scalability for diverse project needs.

While PLCs handle complex control logic within central control rooms, RTUs excel at acquiring data from geographically dispersed locations, making them the most widely used component in SCADA systems.

Some of the key players named by the researchers as being active in the SCADA market include Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric, Emerson Electric Co., Siemens, and ABB, for example.

In its latest whitepaper, entitled, “Quanergy 3D Lidar Solutions Redefining the Physical Security of Critical Infrastructure”, global technology intelligence firm ABI Research forecasts the worldwide physical security market for Lidar sensors will surpass 3 million total installations by 2030, with water infrastructure leading the segment. The yearly revenue opportunity will exceed US$6 billion in 2030.

Enhancing physical security, especially perimeter intrusion detection (PID) at critical infrastructure sites like airports, data centers, warehouses, and utilities, is increasingly crucial due to growing threats such as theft, protests, sabotage, terrorism, and war.

“Physical security, specifically PID, encompasses controlling access for both individuals and vehicles into secured areas, as well as preventing objects from being thrown or passed across perimeter boundaries. Moreover, physical breaches often precede cyber attacks, underscoring the importance of intrusion detection in combating cyber threats,” explains Dominique Bonte, Vice President, End markets, at ABI Research.

Quanergy research finds that current security solutions relying on cameras and/or radar struggle to effectively detect and track intruders, and produce numerous false alerts, leading to higher operating costs and alarm fatigue. These legacy two-dimensional (2D) technologies lack accuracy and perform poorly in low light and adverse weather conditions, resulting in missed events, increased liabilities, and high cost of ownership.

According to Bonte from ABI Research, “Three-dimensional (3D) Lidar offers robust, reliable, and high-precision detection and tracking employing mesh architecture at an overall lower total cost of ownership (TCO), allowing security personnel and critical infrastructure to increase the effectiveness, while reducing the cost associated with manned guard services.”

ABI Research believes that 3D Lidar solutions will have a transformational impact on the physical security market, redefining how to protect vulnerable critical infrastructure. “The unique characteristics of Lidar in terms of detection accuracy and reliability, range and field of view, continuous tracking, ease of deployment, and privacy preservation make it the technology of choice for next-generation physical security solutions to protect a wide range of mission-critical assets in the utility, data center, airport, and other critical infrastructure segments,” Bonte concludes.

Johnson Controls has appointed Chris Bontempo as vice president and chief marketing officer, responsible for marketing strategies across the enterprise to drive demand generation and enhance brand equity, including market development, research and planning.

Bontempo joins Johnson Controls from IBM where he spent nearly 20 years in roles of increasing responsibility, most recently as chief marketing & communications officer, Americas. In that capacity, he led all aspects of marketing for IBM across the United States, Canada and Latin America, with direct responsibility for marketing-sourced revenue, demand generation and marketing teams.

Bontempo will report to Chairman and CEO George Oliver and serve on the Johnson Controls executive team, working closely across corporate businesses and functions to grow market share in products, systems and services.

“As we continue our transformation and solidify Johnson Control’s position as a comprehensive solutions provider for commercial buildings, our unwavering focus on solving customer problems drives our strategy at every stage of the sales cycle,” said Oliver. “We remain relentlessly focused on leveraging our digital capabilities to capture those opportunities, and Chris’ unique expertise and understanding of data, AI and the digital ecosystem will assist us in those efforts. I have full confidence Chris’ experience will greatly enable our global product management and commercial teams as we connect new and existing customers with innovative technologies and continue growing demand for our solutions across smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings.”

Bontempo holds a Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School and a Bachelor of Arts degree in European Studies from Amherst College.

Addsecure is acquiring Connecting Solutions BV as part of its growth strategy within its new business unit, Smart Mobility. The deal is intended to strengthen the company’s position and market share in Belgium.

In September 2023, Addsecure acquired Clifford Group and established a new business unit, Smart Mobility, with the objective of expanding the business unit both through organic growth and acquisitions.

The Smart Mobility business unit offers telematics and business software solutions, specialising in mobile security and connected mobility solutions. It operates under the brands Clifford and Faringwell for Mobile Security, and Traxgo for Connected Mobility.

The acquisition complements Addsecure’s current connected mobility business and will be integrated into the Traxgo brand. Situated in Belgium, Connecting Solutions provide fleet management solutions with information on vehicle’s location (track and trace), monitoring and software applications.

“This deal not only strengthens our position and expands Traxgo’s market share in Belgium and the Netherlands, but also brings a robust customer base and opens up an additional sales channel through distributors,” said Huibjan Braafhart, President of Smart Mobility at Addsecure.

“We are delighted to support the continued development of Smart Mobility. This acquisition underscores our dedication and is a key component of our ongoing growth strategy,” said Stefan Albertsson, CEO of Addsecure.