Gerard Figols has been appointed to the position of I-Pro Chief Product Officer (CPO). With a career spanning over 17 years in the physical security industry, Figols brings a wealth of global experience and strategic vision to his new role. Jose Riolobos has been named as Figols’ successor to the role of President of I-Pro EMEA. For several years, Riolobos held senior positions within I-Pro and, previously, Panasonic in Europe and Japan.

As Chief Product Officer, Figols will be tasked with spearheading I-Pro’s global product strategy. “Gerard’s appointment as CPO underscores our mission to establish I-Pro as a truly global organisation. Building on his years of experience working across cultures, Gerard will be able to leverage insights from different business regions to develop best-in-class products suited to the needs of different industries and markets,” said Masato Nakao, CEO at I-Pro.

Commenting on his appointment, Figols said, “At I-Pro, we’re driven by innovation and the pursuit of excellence, leading the global market with our open AI platform and reputation for quality engineering. I am honoured to take on the role of Chief Product Officer at I-Pro and excited to lead the company’s global product strategy focusing on ethical AI, cyber security, and seamless integration with our VMS partners.”

Salvador Technologies, a pioneering cyber-attack recovery platform provider for critical infrastructures and industrial organisations, has secured investment from Deutsche Telekom, the largest telecommunications provider in the European Union.

Deutsche Telekom executed this investment in Salvador Technologies through its hubraum Fund, the company’s early stage investment arm. hubraum helps its portfolio companies connect with the fund’s global network of business and technology ecosystem partners and provides the opportunity to tap into Deutsche Telekom’s customer base.

Salvador Technologies will use the proceeds from this investment to accelerate the expansion of the company’s sales distribution network for its cyber-attack recovery platform. The company is currently focusing on engaging sales channel and technology ecosystem partners in the DACH region and Poland in Europe as well as in the United States.

Salvador Technologies has developed a patented security failover technology to prevent downtime damage and ensure ongoing operational continuity for Operational Technology (OT) and Industrial Control Systems (ICS). The company’s cyber-attack recovery platform consists of hardware connected to the HMI or SCADA, an agent software and a monitoring system, enabling full visibility of the operations. The platform bypasses standard recovery protocols and allows critical infrastructure operators and industrial enterprises to recover from cyber-attacks and any malfunction within only 30 seconds.

“Deutsche Telekom is committed to ensuring business continuity, especially in light of the spike in cyberattacks against critical infrastructure and operational technology systems over the past few years and we recognize the significant potential of Salvador Technology’s recovery solution for critical systems,” said Tamar Shlimak, Investor at Deutsche Telekom’s hubraum Fund. “OT/ICS security has become increasingly important to industrial enterprises, so we are excited to have the opportunity to work with Salvador Technologies’ team and contribute to the company’s positive impact.”

“We are tremendously pleased with our strategic efforts with Deutsche Telekom both as an investor and a potentially valuable business partner,” said Alex Yevtushenko, Co-Founder and CEO of Salvador Technologies. “The proposed collaboration could offer significant advantages through leveraging Deutsche Telekom’s global network to potentially expand our business presence in Europe and the United States.”

I-Pro will enable Security Center SaaS support in its new edge AI-enabled cameras while also releasing an app for existing cameras in the field at no cost. Users of AI-enabled I-Pro cameras will be able to simply install an application on the camera to give direct access to Genetec Security Center SaaS.

“Genetec has taken a bold step forward in providing customers with unprecedented flexibility and scale,” said Hiroshi (Huey) Sekiguchi, CMO, I-Pro Co., Ltd. “At I-Pro our goal is to offer a wide range of new and existing AI-enabled camera models for customers to choose from when connecting to Security Center SaaS. Most importantly, we want our customers to be able to leverage their existing I-Pro camera investment when taking advantage of this important new SaaS solution.”

Genetec Security Center SaaS is a highly scalable, enterprise-grade unified physical security solution that is offered as a service and deployed on a hybrid-cloud architecture. It offers ease of deployment and the flexibility for organisations to choose the devices and cameras that work best for their business.

“Security Center SaaS was designed to deliver flexibility and scalability through an open platform approach,” said Andrew Elvish, Vice President, Marketing, Genetec Inc. “I-Pro shares the same core values which makes our combined solution that much more valuable to our shared customers.”

I-Pro AI cameras can deliver 98 different metadata attributes, including unique descriptions such as the colour of shoes and bags carried or whether a person has a beard or not. The cameras also support various 3rd party analytic applications including video and sound to provide operators with unprecedented “event alarm” capabilities for both people and vehicles.

New Parks Associates research finds expectations among security system owners regarding emergency response to an alarm diverge significantly from reality. The firm’s new white paper, “Expectations vs. Reality: Enhancing Alarm Monitoring Response”, reveals 86% of security system owners expect a police response to an alarm within 30 minutes, including 42% within 10 minutes, while in many municipalities, actual response times can be upwards of 146 minutes.

The white paper highlights the threat this gap poses to the security industry, strategies for professionally monitored security to better align with customer expectations, and revenue opportunities emerging from these new and expanded solutions.

“Security system owners expect a rapid, reliable response, should the need arise,” said Daniel Holcomb, Senior Analyst, Smart Home Research, Parks Associates. “Among security owners with professional monitoring, 83% say reliable and fast response to security events was ‘highly important’ to their system purchase decision. Even among security owners without pro-monitoring, the majority — 59% — still report that the promise of a fast police response was a very important factor in choosing their security system.”

Widening gap between expectations and reality

“The widening gap between what security customers expect and what the police can deliver is seen by many as an existential threat to our industry,” said Mark Zimmerman, CEO, RSPNDR. “We see an opportunity. An opportunity for the industry to deliver a better customer experience and grow RMR significantly by providing on demand private guard service.”

The value consumers place on their security services comes through in their likelihood to recommend their service providers to others, measured by Net Promoter Score (NPS). Security service providers consistently score higher NPS than other home services, such as internet service, mobile service, and video services. Security companies risk this prime position if their customers receive a delayed response or poor experience from an alarm event.

Remote guarding an option

To protect their reputation, and open avenues to new revenues, security companies can explore new business models that could include services like private guard and remote guarding. These services could be marketed as an added layer of protection and reassurance, potentially reducing the need for immediate police response and alleviating the burden on local first responders.

“By integrating private guard solutions and other innovative services, security providers can differentiate themselves in a competitive market while addressing the evolving needs and concerns of their customers,” Holcomb said.

The first ever British Standard code of practice focusing on the ethical use and deployment of facial recognition technology (FRT), developed on recommendations by the BSIA, has been released this month by the British Standards Institute (BSI).

The code of practice, Facial recognition technology – Ethical use and deployment in video surveillance-based systems – Code of practice (BS 9347:2024) – has been developed by the BSI, in its role as the UK National Standards Body, to allay concerns by helping organisations build public trust with its proliferation prompting concerns about safe and ethical use. The BSIA’s leadership on the issue began in 2020 with the setting up of a special interest group dedicated to the issue, publishing the industry-first ethical and legal guide on facial recognition, which was acknowledged by UK Government and was the initial template for developing the new standard.

The standard, written for the industry, by the industry, will now allow the legal and ethical usage of this technology advancement in improving the safety and security of people, property and places. Addressing the ethical challenges faced by those using this artificial intelligence(AI) technology, its foundation is based on six overarching AI principles of ‘trustworthiness’, namely governance and accountability, human agency and oversight, privacy and data governance, technical robustness and safety, transparency and explainability, diversity, non-discrimination, and fairness. The origin of the principles of trustworthiness come from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), EU, and alignment with UK AI Regulatory principles.

The standard sets out to build trust with those that develop, use, and are subject to its use. It is applicable to the whole supply chain, beginning with an assessment to determine the need to use FRT, to its procurement, installation, and appropriate and continued use of the technology.

To avoid confusion, the standard also provides a clear delineation between the types of FRT deployment. Those being its use for identification (who is it?) purposes where a ‘human-in-the-loop’ is necessary, and for Verification (is it you?) purposes where human intervention is not needed.

Pauline Norstrom, CEO, Anekanta Consulting and Anekanta AI, also Chair of the BSIA’s AI & Biometrics Special Interest Group, said: “The release of the FRT code of practice is a significant moment in the journey towards the ethical use of this AI biometric technology in the United Kingdom, and as the first of its kind in the world, it shows that British Industry is leading the way in this work with a procedural standard written for developers, integrators, deployers and stakeholders of FRT.”

Genetec is creating and expanding technology partnerships with Axis, Bosch, Hanwha Vision and I-Pro to extend the scope, capacity and versatility of its newly launched Security Center SaaS platform.

Based on an open platform architecture, Security Center SaaS enables organisations to connect direct-to-cloud with the latest Axis, Bosch, Hanwha, and I-Pro cameras. Security Center SaaS also brings organisations’ existing access control and camera hardware to the cloud through the new range of Genetec Cloudlink appliances – maximizing existing infrastructure investment.

Support for Axis, Bosch, Hanwha and I-Pro devices

In addition to an open portfolio of cameras by a range of manufacturers, Security Center SaaS takes full advantage of the newly announced Axis Cloud Connect solution, and the existing Axis Powered by Genetec network door controller. Security Center SaaS enables customers to securely connect, enroll, and manage Axis devices in a diversity of deployment options, including direct device-to-cloud streaming of video, metadata, and access control data.

The latest Bosch cameras also offer to seamlessly integrate with Genetec Security Center SaaS. With firmware version 9.21 releasing later this year, according to Genetec, Bosch will provide camera configuration capabilities and video viewing in the Security Center SaaS platform through direct-to-cloud connections.

In a further partnership, Hanwha Vision’s Q series are also planned to be fully compatible with Security Center SaaS. Over time, Hanwha Vision will continue to add support for Security Center SaaS across its entire product line to enhance its integrated systems.

I-Pro will make as many existing camera models as possible compatible with the new Genetec solution through an app-based approach. Users of AI-enabled I-Pro cameras will be able to simply install an application on the camera to give direct access to Genetec Security Center SaaS.

ASSA ABLOY has acquired Messerschmitt Systems, a well-established German developer and manufacturer of access control hardware and software solutions for the hospitality market including products for access control and in-room control.

“I am very pleased to welcome Messerschmitt Systems into the ASSA ABLOY Group. This acquisition delivers on our strategy to strengthen our position in developed markets through adding complementary products and solutions to our core business,” says Nico Delvaux, President and CEO of ASSA ABLOY.

“Messerschmitt Systems has a long history in hospitality access control and has developed an attractive product portfolio which complements our existing solution offering for our customers. The acquisition provides synergy opportunities and an attractive potential to accelerate our growth in the DACH region and Middle East,” says Stephanie Ordan, Executive Vice President.

Messerschmitt Systems was founded in 1985 and has some 100 employees. The main office is located in Schwaig, East of Nürnberg, Germany. Messerschmitt Systems will be part of Global Solutions business area Hospitality.

Sales for 2023 amounted to about MEUR 11.

SALTO, a global leader in pioneering building access, identity management and electronic locking technology, has made a minority investment in Italian-based company Trustech.

This new partnership shows SALTO’s commitment to innovative smart building solutions aiming to increase their energy efficiency and decreasing their CO₂ footprint. Trustech focuses on the development of pioneering energy management solutions to reduce energy consumption, while measuring and certifying energy savings. Designed for seamless installation without the need for expensive wiring, the solutions are ideal both for existing and new buildings seeking to enhance sustainability while providing tangible economic advantages to operators.

“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Trustech, a dynamic new company founded by a team uniquely skilled in innovative technology”, stated Aznar Sethna, CSMO SALTO Wecosystem. “Together, we are committed to developing groundbreaking products that promise not only significant energy savings but also represent a new benchmark in environmentally conscious living and working environments.”

“The partnership between a prestigious worldwide player like SALTO is an ideal synergy to quickly spread into the market the benefits of our disruptive innovation”, remarked Alberto Vuan, founder and CEO of Trustech. “Together, we aim to provide a concrete and measurable contribution for more sustainable buildings and reduce CO₂ emissions by leveraging our proprietary algorithms capable of certifying energy savings at single room level.”

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Genetec Vice-President of Global Marketing, Andrew Elvish, has been appointed to the Security Industry Association’s (SIA) board of directors for an initial two-year term.

The SIA Board of Directors is comprised of industry professionals representing a broad spectrum of interests in the security industry. These industry leaders share their time and expertise to help move the association forward for the members and grow the global security industry. As the leader of the Genetec global marketing team, Andrew has key insights about the changing landscape of international security, high-technology marketing, and product innovation.

“It’s a privilege to join such a talented group of industry leaders, and I’m excited for the opportunity to make valuable contributions to the association’s mission of further advancing the global security industry,” said Andrew Elvish.

“As a recognised leader in the security industry, SIA feels fortunate to welcome Andrew Elvish, as part of the well-respected, dedicated, and experienced Board of Directors. Andrew is an impressive and accomplished leader who will share his global vision and expertise, and help to drive our association and industry forward,” said SIA CEO Don Erickson.