ISC West 2018 coverage

ISC West 2018, held in Las Vegas, April 10-13, continued to build on the momentum it has built up over the past few years. From the educational sessions, many of which were standing-room-only, to a crowded and buzzing trade show floor, this year's ISC West did not disappoint. Will Wise and Sherida Sessa from ISC Security Events confirmed my initial impressions of the show during our video interview for ssnTV on the ISC West Main Stage, noting that although they didn't have final numbers yet, “key metrics” indicate that attendance is up again this year, in addition to an increase in the total number of exhibitors and new companies exhibiting.

In addition to the many video interviews I was able to do for ssnTV on the ISC West Main Stage, I was able to visit a number of booths throughout the week, as well as attend many key events and meetings led by industry leaders. The following is a recap of my time at ISC West.

Tuesday and Wednesday

Arriving on Monday proved wise, as I was able to attend some interesting educational sessions led by both SIA and PSA, which hosted a full day of educational sessions on Tuesday, many focused on leadership and helping integrators build and grow their businesses. For example, Chris Peterson, co-founder and principal, Vector Firm, presented a session, “Building Managed Service into your Business - Benefits to you and the Customer,” and Paul Boucherle, principal/founder, Matterhorn Consulting LLC, presented, “The Key to Executing Business Strategy.”

The SIA educational sessions I was able attend were spot on, including one of the most popular sessions on Tuesday, “The Future of Physical Security: The Decade Ahead,” presented by Terry Gold, principal analyst, D6 Research, who looked at how physical security will significantly change over the next decade, mostly defined by end users looking for value and comprehensive solutions that address both the physical and IT challenges faced today.

As has become a tradition at ISC West, I began Wednesday bright and early with the great folks at Axis Communications, which hosted its 11th annual press breakfast. Celebrating 30 years as a company here in the U.S., Fredrik Nilsson, VP Americas, and Martin Gren, founder, led us through a fun game of security-themed Jeopardy, with questions and answers that highlighted the many video and other product accomplishments the company has made over its storied history. In addition to “being an innovator” in the video space, Gren noted that IP audio provides a “huge opportunity for us to grow,” as the company continues to add new products within this category.

At the Feenics press event, the company made a couple of big announcements, including the steps it has taken in the area of cybersecurity, as well as its new pricing structure. Company president Denis Hebert pointed out that Keep by Feenics' API service has achieved VerAfied certification by Veracode. He also outlined the company's new pricing approach, Transaction-based Pricing, for large-scale enterprise installations or VAR's running managed service operations. As Hebert noted, “The client only pays for what they use.”

At the Robotic Assistance Devices press event, company president and founder, Steve Reinharz, unveiled RAD's newest artificially intelligent guarding solution—the Security Control and Observation Tower or SCOT—a standalone, remote, portable, self-sufficient intelligence observation tower designed to expand an organization's security reach instantly. SCOT, combined with the company's robots, are part of what Reinharz calls a “paradigm shift for the industry,” which is beginning to leverage AI and robotics as a force multiplier within many verticals.

Moving to the ACRE booth, I was able to chat with Kim Loy and Joe Grillo about both the Vanderbilt and COMNET brands, and how the two “complement” each other nicely. They also gave me an update on Vanderbilt's ACT365, a Cloud-based access control and video management solution that is now launched here in the U.S. after success globally. The company will be making “a big push” this year with ACT365 both here in the U.S. and globally, they said.

At the ASSA ABLOY booth, I attended the company's press event, which was led by Mark Duato, executive vice president, aftermarket, ASSA ABLOY who provided an overview of the company's strategy to stay at the forefront of innovation within access control. The company made several announcements during the show, including a new Intelligent Keys certification program developed to connect systems integrators with more business opportunities as well as a recurring revenue model for integration businesses. The company also announced new partnerships with Averics, BluB0X, Dot Origin, Identiv and Viscount.

Alarm.com made a big splash this year with the announcement of its “Alarm.com for Business,” a solution for the SMB market that the company unveiled just before the show. Matthew Zartman, director of communications, walked me through the new solution, which combines intelligent intrusion detection, video surveillance, access control and energy management into a single solution that is controlled through Alarm.com's app. Zartman noted the focus is on “making it easy for dealers” to get more business, specifically on the commercial side.

At the Eagle Eye Systems booth, I chatted with company founder Dean Drako about the company's “continued growth,” as well as many new announcements at the show, including the company's new HD video over coax solution; a globalization project to meet the needs of multi-national customers; enhanced video analytics offered within the Eagle Eye Cloud Security Camera VMS; and a partnership with Hikvision USA to extend the Eagle Eye Cloud Security Camera Video Management System to include body worn cameras.

Over at the Genetec booth, I had a great conversation with Genetec VP of marketing Andrew Elvish, who spoke about the company's commitment and focus on the cybersecurity of its products and partners, as well as how the company is working closely with end users and integrators to meet their needs. The company highlighted its new range of market-specific solutions developed to address the needs of airports, cities, educational institutions, retailers, and transportation customers. Elvish also spoke about how Genetec is helping its North American security directors to get ready for the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Visiting the Hanwha Techwin booth, Miguel Lazatin, director of product and channel marketing, North America, updated me on the company's continued evolution and growth over the past year. Lazatin said the company continues to “make huge investments in people and products.” The company announced five new IP-based Wisenet thermal cameras as well as a new line of mobile cameras, both of which are new categories for the company, Lazatin noted. The company also unveiled new multi-sensor camera options.

At the ISONAS booth, Melissa Stenger, VP of product management and marketing, and Rob Lydic, Global VP of Sales, talked with me about the evolution of the company's IP access control solution and its hyper focus on cybersecurity and network protection, including ongoing PEN testing and third party testing of its products and systems. The company launched its IP-Bridge 2.0, a more powerful tool to help migrate old legacy systems into the IP era, including more processing power and additional functionality local to the device. The company also announced a new integration with Genetec software.

Thursday and Friday

Sat down with Kami Dukes, director of business development for AMAG Technology, who walked me through the company's latest addition to their portfolio, RISK360, a global incident and case management system that investigates and analyzes incidents to help organizations operate more efficiently, save money, enforce compliance and mitigate risk. Dukes pointed out that the key is that RISK360 integrates seamlessly with AMAG's Symmetry Access Control software, so events in RISK360 are communicated to Symmetry Access Control, and alarms in Symmetry generate events in RISK360.

At the Boon Edam booth, Tracie Thomas, VP of marketing, explained how the company's “increased brand awareness” has led to “double-digit growth in the U.S.” The company has been growing its enterprise team as it expands on its full range of products that go way beyond the “turnstile” products to a full suite of access control solutions from the exterior of a facility to the most important spaces inside as well. Thomas talked about how the company is allowing security providers to be more proactive and predictive using its solutions to mitigate risk and avoid liability.

I spoke with Galaxy Control Systems' president Robert Loughlin at their booth about new enhancements and integrations for the company's flagship System Galaxy on-site access control software, and its cloud-based Cloud Concierge SaaS offering, which has gained tremendous traction with resellers since its introduction last year. Additional news includes the launch of a new A&E Program, and an OEM agreement with an international company based in Singapore to design, develop, manufacture and deliver OEM access control hardware and software that will be white labeled for sale exclusively in the EMEA region.

At the Altronix booth, Kirby Han, art director, gave me an overview of the company's newest additions and updates to its growing product line, including its Trove series, which has added kits “to help dealers,” Han noted. The Trove Access and Power Integration Solutions simplify board layout and wire management, while providing extreme flexibility and scalability when designing and deploying access systems. Also new are the Altronix Dual Voltage Access Power Controller, which reduces costs and saves valuable enclosure space, and the NetWay Spectrum 2-Port Media Converter/Injector, which converts one fiber cable into two Ethernet ports.

Over at the IrisID booth, I spoke with Mohanned Murad, VP, global sales & business development, who showed me the company's iCAM M300 Biometric Multimode Android Phone, a SIA New Product Showcase winner in the Mobile Apps category. Murad noted that the goal is to create the most “non-frictional biometric” as possible, providing a reliable and cyber-secure mobile app that is cloud-based and offers an easy path to a mobile credential solution for all levels of security, including critical infrastructure.

At the Lenel booth, Ross McKay, director of products, spoke about how the company continues to focus on leveraging the cloud, providing more browser-based products and developing reliable and safe mobile credentials. Key Lenel products showcased include
OnGuard version 7.4, which supports several browser-based clients, eliminating the need for onsite server hardware; the LNL-4420 intelligent controller, which has been added to the GSA's approved product list for use by agencies implementing programs to meet Federal Identity, Credential and Access Management (FICAM) requirements; and a new version of the BlueDiamond app that can anticipate users' door and reader selections to reduce authentication time.

I sat down at the Pivot3 booth with Bruce Milne, VP & chief marketing officer, and John D'Avolio, analyst relations director, who both spoke about how the company continues to partner with other companies to provide “end to end” solutions for their customers. Milne listed companies like Lenovo, Hytrust and Iron Mountain as key partnerships toward that goal. For example, he pointed to how the partnership with Iron Mountain led to the introduction of Iron Cloud, which delivers a secure and scalable cloud-based solution for managing video content.

At the OnSSI booth, I spoke with Ken Lamarca, VP, sales and marketing, who noted that “business is strong” as the company showcased its latest Ocularis 5.5 Video Management Software (VMS) platform, which includes new integrations and automation functions that increase overall performance and cost-efficiency. Lamarca said the platform uses the “highest encryption” standards available as well as proven hardening protocols. The company also highlighted several partnerships, including with ConvergenceTP (C2P), CyberExtruder, Jemez Technology and NetApp.

At the Oncam booth, I chatted with Jumbi Edulbehram, regional VP, Americas, about the company's growth and increased demand for 180- and 360-degree video solutions that deliver “higher levels of situational awareness” than traditional fixed cameras. He also highlighted the introduction of the Evolution Stainless Steel form factor in both the 5MP and 12MP versions to meet the needs of customers operating in extreme environments where resilience and compliance to stringent regulations are critical. The company also launched its revamped Technology Integration Partner Program, which is built to ease integration with Oncam technologies and provide extensive support to aligned technology partners.

Over at the Manything� booth, Laura O'Sullivan, head of marketing, and James West, CEO & Co-Founder, talked about how the company is responding to the needs of integrators, developing a “much cheaper pricing” model that “integrators love,” West noted. Manything, which began as an app allowing users to turn spare smartphones and tablets into home security cameras, has now grown to empower professional security dealers and integrators to offer remote viewing and offsite cloud surveillance recording, creating a new source of RMR, he noted. The company also unveiled its Manything Pro, a cloud SaaS solution that allows users to access their video through an Apple or Android mobile app.

NOTE: In addition to daily reports, look for ssnTV video interviews from the show floor under the Video tab on this website, including top execs from Brivo, Northland Controls, ONVIF, ISC Security Events, IHS Markit, Bates Security, and many more.