Archive: December 2019
SIA applauds NIST's facial recognition performance report
December 23, 2019SSN Staff
SILVER SPRING, Md.—The Security Industry Association (SIA) offered sincere gratitude to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for its thoughtful and diligent work in producing a report evaluating the performance of current facial recognition technology across demographic groups. Because facial recognition is a fast-advancing technology in a constant cycle of improvements and is widely adopted across the public and private sectors, reports from non-biased organizations, like...
Hanwha's top five video surveillance trends for 2020
December 20, 2019SSN Staff
TEANECK, N.J.—Hanwha Techwin, a global supplier of IP and analog video surveillance solutions announced its top five key trend predictions for the security industry in 2020.
“Advancement in technologies such as AI, IoT and cloud will support new use cases in conjunction with existing devices and solutions to meet customers' needs in various verticals, expanding the horizon of our industry,” Soonhong Ahn, president and CEO, Hanwha Techwin said in the announcement. “However,...
Amazon, Apple, Google and Zigbee Alliance partner
December 19, 2019SSN Staff
SEATTLE and CUPERTINO, MOUNTAIN VIEW and DAVIS, Calif.—Amazon, Apple, Google and Zigbee Alliance announced a new working group that plans to develop and promote the adoption of a new, royalty-free connectivity standard to increase compatibility among smart home products. Zigbee Alliance board member companies are also onboard to join the working group and contribute to the project.Called the Connected Home over IP project, the project's goal is to simplify development for manufacturers and...
Silicon Labs and Z-Wave Alliance expand smart home ecosystem
December 19, 2019SSN Staff
AUSTIN, Texas—Silicon Labs and the Z-Wave Alliance announced plans to open the Z-Wave Specification as a ratified, multi-source wireless standard, available to all silicon and stack vendors for development. Semiconductor and software suppliers will be able to join the Z-Wave ecosystem, contribute to future advancements of the smart home standard, and develop and supply sub-GHz Z-Wave radio devices and software stacks. The Z-Wave Alliance will expand to a standards development organization for...
AvantGuard, Clairvoyant Networks create new-generation PERS monitoring
December 19, 2019SSN Staff
AUSTIN, Texas—AvantGuard Monitoring Centers announced its collaboration with Clairvoyant Networks, LLC, a provider of remote monitoring technology for family and professional caregivers, to launch a hybrid solution that enables both family caregivers and professional monitoring companies to remotely monitor and connect with loved ones at the same time.
This new solution combines the proven Theora Care remote monitoring with the AvantGuard Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS) call center...
Proactively going head-to-head with cyber threats
December 18, 2019Ginger Hill
I recently read an article stating that the biggest cyberattack of 2020 has already happened. Needless to say, this sparked my attention, plunging my mind into thoughts of sophisticated cybercriminals who have already hatched a plan attack that's just sitting in wait, ready to emerge when prompted. While I don't promote, condone or encourage using scare tactics as a way to educate others and prompt them to take action, this does sound a bit scary; so, I reached out to some cybersecurity experts...
New research on state of security convergence
December 18, 2019Paul Ragusa
Security convergence has emerged as one of the most discussed and debated topics over the past few years in security, becoming a theme and backdrop that enters into, and many times, dictates conversations among top thought leaders in the industry today.
That is why I was excited to dive into new research from the ASIS Foundation, which just published its State of Security Convergence in the United States, Europe and India.
What I like about a study like this is it gives the industry a way to measure...
ONVIF 2-way audio support available with exacqVISION VMS
December 17, 2019SSN Staff
MILWAUKEE—Johnson Controls introduces exacqVISION VMS 19.12 that provides enhanced security and communication with new ONVIF 2-way audio support and offers more camera license deployment flexibility for Enterprise Manager customers.
Exacq's ONVIF camera integration supports the ability to talk and listen through IP cameras equipped with audio I/O. This new feature is perfect for businesses who utilize entryway cameras to authorize visitors as operators can hear what a visitor is saying and...
PSA announces partnership with Defendify for MSSP program
December 17, 2019SSN Staff
WESTMINSTER, Colo.—PSA announced the addition of Defendify to the partners in its Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) program, which is designed to help systems integrators diversify their service offerings and realize the full potential and benefits of a managed services business model.
“Defendify gives our integrators the ability to protect their organizations from cyber threats with a holistic platform at an affordable price,” Dan Dunkel, managing director of PSA's MSSP...
Allied Universal makes fourth buy in a month
December 16, 2019Paul Ragusa
SANTA ANA, Calif.—Allied Universal's recent buy of APG Security — its fourth deal in about a month — speaks to company's overall strategy to continue growing through acquisition.“The four acquisitions we closed in November and December are part of our long-term strategy to identify and acquire quality assets within the manned guarding space as well as to build out our national footprint in systems and technology,” Allied Universal CEO Steve Jones told Security Systems...