Industry News February 2006
BUSINESS NEWS
Following a disaster such as a hurricane or toxic spill, officials may restrict access to an area to emergency responders. That hinders the private sector’s efforts to help with both public and private recovery. Corporate Emergency Access System (CEAS) is a credentialing program that gives companies the ability to access the workplace quickly following such an event.
Designed by the Business Network of Emergency Resources (BNet), the program operates in conjunction with local governments to allow businesses to initiate recovery processes quickly to maintain their IT systems, meet regulatory requirements, and secure critical records. Maintaining the financial, healthcare, and energy providers, for example, helps speed the recovery of the entire area.
CEAS has already been implemented in New York City; Buffalo, New York; Stamford, Connecticut; and Boston. Any city, county, or state can adopt the program, which issues credentials to a limited number of critical employees or contractors of participating businesses. Each business administers its own credentials, reducing the burden on local governments. Government departments can also issue cards to their own critical service providers.
BNet is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to establishing public-private partnerships for emergency and crisis management. In addition to the CEAS program, it is also developing symposiums for educating employers and governments on recovery plans following a disaster.
PARTNERSHIPS AND DEALS
Advanced heat transfer technology for tag-free labeling applications has been obtained by Avery Dennison Retail Information Services through an agreement with Subli Impresos, Murr S.A.
Axalto has delivered an additional 22,000 Cryptoflex.NET smart cards to Microsoft for logical and physical access control.
BWise will support Sarbanes-Oxley compliance management for Euronet Worldwide.
Cam-Dex Security has installed an integrated security system for the Newberry Group.
Cognitec Systems Corporation is providing face recognition technology for Digimarc Corporation to use in its identity document authentication products.
Counterpane Internet Security and LogLogic have announced a strategic partnership to deliver managed compliance services to enterprises around the world.
Covalent Technologies has entered a strategic partnership with BEA Systems to offer a blended approach to mixing and matching open source and commercial software.
DICE Corporation and Ackerman Security have collaborated to integrate a document imaging utility into DICE Aegis software applications.
G1 Ltd. has upgraded the CCTV system at Festival Place, a regional shopping center operated by Donaldsons Property Consultants.
Gemplus International is providing technology for a smart badge identity management system at Pfizer, Inc.
Global Security Associates, LLC, is running ground aircraft security for MAXjet Airways at JFK Airport.
Harmon, Inc., has manufactured and installed a sounddamping, hurricane-resistant curtainwall on the West Palm Beach Marriott.
I.D. Systems, Inc., has entered into an agreement with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., to deploy its industrial vehicle management system at a Wal-Mart distribution center in Texas.
Intelli-Check, Inc., has signed a partnership agreement with Anteon International Corporation to provide its technology for Anteon to use in its government identity management solution.
March Networks’ digital video surveillance platform was selected by Unwins Wine Group Limited to deter theft.
Coastal Sunbelt Produce is using a network-based IP video surveillance system powered by Milestone Systems software and using cameras from Axis Communications and Sony. The solution was implemented by Computerized Management Systems Inc.
Panasonic Security Systems provided cameras and equipment for a security upgrade to U.S. Cellular Field implemented by Swiderski Electronics.
Cameras from Pelco have been installed by Domotica SA at the Banco de Costa Rica.
Reclamere, Inc., in association with Business Records Management, is working to provide customers with services for environmentally sound equipment and data disposition that protect customers from liability.
SafeData, LLC, is using Internet-based backup technology from EVault, Inc., as part of its disaster recovery solution.
SealedMedia Inc. was chosen to protect digitized intellectual capital at German Sports University.
The TerosWeb Application Gateway is protecting the online mortgage center of M&T Bank Corporation from malicious Internet attacks.
VASCO Data Security, Inc., has signed Lloyds TSBas a trial customer for its Digipass GO 3 authentication solution.
Black Hat has chosen the WinMagic SecureDoc disk encryption software for mobile data security and encryption.
Heald College is printing its new identification cards using a Zebra printer.
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS
A strategic agreement between 3VR Security, Inc., and In-Q-Tel, an independent arm of the CIA, will lead to development of sophisticated surveillance systems for government and commercial markets.
Above Security secured a three-year contract with the City of Montreal to install a security infrastructure solution and monitor the city’s administrative systems.
Adesta, LLC, will design and install a security system at the Port of Baltimore under a contract with the Maryland Port Administration.
Axalto and Zetes delivered more than two million electronic identity cards for the Belgian Personal Identity Card Program.
The Jekyll Island State Park Authority is using a bar code system from Barcode Automation, Inc., to allow annual-pass vehicles to enter the park without stopping to pay a fee.
The Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, has ordered the IntellX Gantry Vehicle and container Inspection System from BIR Inc.
BROOKS Company has been named the exclusive supplier of the high-security mechanical bolt seal for U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s worldwide container security initiative.
ComnetiX Inc. has received orders from five counties in Georgia for its software solutions, including jail management and records management. Jefferson, Thomas, Calhoun, Appling, and Barrow Counties are the purchasers.
Cornet Technology, Inc., has won a contract to install an intelligent transportation system along I-40 in Asheville, North Carolina. The project is being managed by Taylor & Murphy Construction.
CryptoMetrics has been awarded a General Services Administration (GSA) contract for protection of critical infrastructure and customer services.
Eid Passport, Inc., has deployed its RAPIDGate program to enhance security at the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters.
HiEnergy Technologies, Inc., has received an order for its CarBomb Finder from the U.S. Army.
INSIDE Contactless announced that its contactless reader has been chosen for a pilot project in the Paris Metro System. It will provide the interface between Bouygues Telecom’s cell phones and the devices that access the Paris Transport Authority network.
The Downtown Security Collaborative and the Minneapolis Police Department consulted NorthWrite to assist with an information sharing pilot.
North American Video is installing video surveillance and security systems at Ocean County (New Jersey) recycling centers, schools, and the municipal parking garage.
Northrop Grumman Corporation has received an order for integrated security solutions for U.S. Marine Corps bases in Southwest Asia.
PureTech Systems Inc. was awarded a Federal Supply Schedule contract from the GSA for its wide-area surveillance system.
Goffstown Public Schools’ Mountain View Middle School received electronically monitored fire extinguishers as part of a new fire safety demonstration project facilitated by the Safe and
Secure Schools program of the National Association of State Fire Marshals.
HI-SCAN x-ray inspection systems have been ordered by Turkey and the Sultanate of Oman from Smiths Detection.
Smiths Detection is also providing explosives detectors for random checks of bags by the New York Police Department in the subway system.
Stanley Security Solutions has won a contract to design and build security enhancements for the city of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
VideoRay LLC has delivered an underwater robotic camera to the City of Long Beach Fire Department. The purchase was financed by a DHS grant.
MARKETING AGREEMENTS
A4Vision has signed a distribution agreement with Mesa srl, which will market and support A4Vision products in Italy.
ELMO USA Corporation has appointed four sales organizations to represent its CCTV security and industrial TV product lines. Lynn & Associates will cover parts of Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Professional Security Consultants will cover Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, and southern and central Illinois. GQ Marketing will represent the company in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. AFAB International will handle accounts in Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
FaceKey Corporation has signed a reseller agreement with ONLINE Business Services, Inc.
MetaInfo has formed the SAFE Network Alliance, a coalition of vendors who have achieved integration with the company’s architecture for network access protection.
NuVox Communications will resell hosted security services from Perimeter Internetworking.
SecurityInc. has appointed Monfort Electronics Marketing as a representative in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, West Virginia, and western Pennsylvania.
SecurityInc. has entered into a distribution agreement with The Systems Depot to carry electronic access control equipment in its facilities.
Comprehensive Identification Products, Inc., has been appointed as a distributor for the Temtec and STOPware lines of visitor management solutions.
TOA Electronics, Inc., has been designated as an approved vendor of PSA Security Network.
AWARDS AND CERTIFICATIONS
Air Security International received the 2005 Partner in Industry Bravo-Zulu Award from the Air Line Pilots Association for its contributions to airline security.
Application Security, Inc., announced that its vulnerability assessment scanner, AppDetective, has received OPSEC certification from Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.
Axalto has achieved BS7799 certification for its smart card production centers in Tours, France, and Fareham, United Kingdom, and its development center in Austin, Texas.
Axalto and STMicroelectronics together won the Best IT Security Application of the Year award at the Cartes 2005 exhibition. Axalto also won in the categories Best ID Application of the Year and Best Hardware of the Year.
Churchill & Harriman has aligned its practices with the recently released ISO/IEC 17799:2005 information security standard.
The Detektor International Awards were presented at the opening day of the Sec-Tech Exhibition and Conference in Stockholm. Among the winners were Bosch Security Systems, GE Security, Rokonet Technologies, Dtec Detector Technologies, Samsung Techwin, CoVi, Spectrum, Axis Communications, Boon Edam, Suprema, and HID Corporation.
A patent for heuristic search technology has been issued to FaceKey Corporation by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Green Hills Software, Inc., was selected as a 2005 Product Breakthrough award winner by Aviation Week & Space Technology for its safety-critical operating system.
HID Corporation has achieved ISO 9001:2000 recertification.
Johnson Controls, Inc., has earned the H. Bruce Russell Global Innovator’s Award for its facility assessment and planning tool. The award was presented by CoreNet Global.
L-3 Communications Security & Detection Systems, Inc., has received explosives detection certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
Liberty Alliance announced that IBM, NEC, NTT, and RSA Security have passed its testing for SAML 2.0 interoperability.
Panda Software was named Best in Test in a comparative review of corporate security suites by Nätverk & Kommunikation.
Government Computer News named Panda Software’s Platinum 2006 Internet Security as its Reviewer’s Choice.
SecureWorks was named a Market Leader among Pure Managed Security Service Providers by the Yankee Group.
SecureWorks was also ranked as the 79th fastest growing private company in the country by Inc. magazine.
Summit Environmental Corporation has received Type Approval from the American Bureau of Shipping for its fire suppressant.
The Central Station Alarm Association granted Five Diamond Central Station Certification to Supreme
Security Systems.
Valor Security Services was honored as the 2005 winner of the Built to Last Award by Catalyst magazine.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
ACTi has opened a new office in Seattle, Washington, to expand into the U.S. market.
AES-IntelliNet’s wireless radio network survived Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma and provided consistent alarm communications.
AIM Global has published a new technical report titled “RFID for Food Animal Identification in North America.”
The American Bankers Association has appointed a Joint Preparedness Task Force in alliance with state bankers associations.
Codebench, Inc., has relocated its headquarters to the Lyons Technology Center near Boca Raton, Florida.
Diebold, Incorporated, opened the Diebold Global Service Logistics Center in Green, Ohio, and launched a new ATM security Web site for consumers.
DORMA Group has acquired 25 percent of the shares of Daihatsu Diesel NHN Co. Ltd., a Japanese door-control manufacturer.
First Advantage Corporation has opened an employment screening office in Manila, Philippines.
Hunter Defense Technologies has acquired PowerSystems International, Inc. The company has also launched a new Web site atwww.huntermfgco.com.
Intechra Holding Corporation and RetroBox LLC have announced a definitive agreement to merge, creating the largest full-service IT asset disposition company in the United States.
The International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium is launching its Authorized Academic Centers program, which will introduce students to information security.
International Paper’s Smart Packaging business has changed its name to ASURYS.
Kuty & Associates, LLC, has opened a western regional office in Las Vegas.
Liberty Alliance has formed a global expert group to promote strong authentic solutions. The Strong Authentication Expert Group represents financial services, vendors, and government and education organizations.
NICE Systems has signed a definitive agreement to acquire all outstanding shares of FAST Video Security AG.
North American Video is constructing new facilities in Las Vegas and Washington State and has opened a new regional office in Horn Lake, Mississippi.
Oracle has acquired Thor Technologies and Octet-String to strengthen its portfolio of identity and access management products.
Perimeter Internetworking has acquired the assets of US Networks Inc.
Smiths Detection has acquired LiveWave to enhance its ability to provide integrated solutions.
Tavcom Training has moved its administrative team to Claylands Business Park near Bishops Waltham Village, United Kingdom.
Tim Redden & Associates, Inc., is a new firm located in Montgomery, Alabama, for security-related engineering and consulting.
ASIS NEWS
European Security Conference in Nice
ASIS International will hold its fifth European Security Conference in Nice, France, on April 23-26. Nice is France’s fifth largest city and second largest tourism center. Those attending will be presented with first-class educational sessions, panel discussions, keynote speeches, and networking events.
The event kicks off on Sunday, April 23rd with a VIP Reception at the Le Méridien Hotel. Monday features a full day of educational sessions; Tuesday, there will be additional sessions, as well as a keynote address by Dr. Amir Kfir, a specialist in organizational transformation. He will discuss diagnosis, action teams for problem solving, team building, restructuring, and corporate vision and mission development.
Kfir has been responsible for the design and delivery worldwide of the Adizes Institute’s executive development training programs for both consultants and for the internal facilitators of organizations.
Kfir has also developed the concept of “sense of presence.” His workshops on the subject teach participants interpersonal disciplines such as eye contact, active listening, centering through conscious breathing, and goal setting through creative visualization.
Tuesday will conclude with a President’s Reception at the Hotel de Paris in Monaco.
On Wednesday, attendees will hear a keynote speech from Examining Magistrate Jean-Louis Bruguiere, who is considered one of the foremost terrorism experts in Europe. Bruguiere has more than 20 years of experience with antiterrorism investigative and operational actions that have resulted in arrest, prosecution, and conviction.
Among the cases he was been involved in are the Refusal Front’s Copernic Street Synagogue attack; Abu Nidal’s Rosiers Street attack; the investigation of the 1989 UTA Flight 772 bombing, which resulted in the conviction in absentia of six high ranking Libyan officials; the assassination of former Iranian Prime Minister Bakhtiar; and the investigation of the Ahmed Ressam network that attempted to carry out the “Millennium” terrorist attack against Los Angeles International Airport.
Attendees can enjoy the environs of Nice, which is located in southeastern France on the French Riviera. The rich Mediterranean beaches are bounded by wooded hills that lead to the Alps.
For attendees’ spouses and families, a tour of Normandy is also planned following the conference, April 27-29. Participants will stay in Caen, Mont St. Michel, and the landing beaches of Normandy. An optional driving tour is also planned of The Pays d’Auge including the cities of Deauville and Honfleur.
ASIS, NASCO Set Record Straight
ASIS International and the National Association of Security Companies (NASCO) recently reacted to the Boston Herald’s November 25 column, “Insecurity guard keeps mall safe for Xbox rush,” by the Herald’s Howie Carr.
In the opinion of both ASIS and NASCO, Carr’s column inaccurately portrayed the private security industry, maligned security officers and misrepresented the vital role security officers working in mall and shopping center settings play in crime prevention as well as in terrorism preparedness and response. The letter is intended not only to encourage the Boston Herald to set the record straight but also to convey the importance the security industry itself places on the screening and proper training of its officers, that they may never become the unsavory stereotypes that Carr depicts.
ASIS Board of Directors Chair Daniel J. Consalvo, CPP, (who was Society president at the time the letter was written) and NASCO Chair Michael E. Goodboe, Ed.D., wrote that, “It is unfortunate that Howie Carr chose entertainment value over fact and safety in his blustering November 25 rant (“Insecurity guard keeps mall safe for Xbox rush”) attacking the integrity of security officers who work in our nation’s shopping malls during the busiest and most important time of the year for retailers and consumers.
“The private security industry employs nearly two million security officers protecting 85 percent of our nation’s most critical and vulnerable infrastructure. With three times more private security officers than law enforcement currently serving our nation’s communities, security officers are the backbone of our nation’s security, working with other first-responders to protect millions of people everyday.
“In our post-9/11 environment, we must work diligently to balance security and the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. Malls are designed to be open facilities and create enjoyable, safe experiences for consumers while providing a secure environment for the transaction of billions of dollars in business. Security officers are trained to focus on crime prevention while also providing important customer services.
“In reality, today’s security officers are better trained to handle any number of situations. The risks, threats and activities of security officers and measures differ tremendously from facility to facility. The training and level of security required at one property may not be necessary for another. Security professionals work with local police departments to determine the level of security required.
“The private security industry recognizes the importance of raising the standards for security officers and advocates better training in skills applicable to the environment and risks associated with the facility. Private security is working together to develop meaningful state regulations for security officer licensing and training. In fact, ASIS…released its Private Security Officer Selection and Training Guideline that has been endorsed by…NASCO, whose members employ nearly 400,000 of the best trained and most prepared security officers working in the United States today. This guideline sets forth minimum criteria for the selection and training of private security officers, which also may be used to provide regulating bodies with consistent minimum qualifications.
“In addition, private security hailed Congress’s passage and the president’s signing of the National Intelligence Reform Act of 2004 last December, as published in your November 14 edition by James Alan Fox (“Public safety at risk from private protectors”). The Private Security Officer Employment Authorization Act, which ASIS, NASCO, and others supported, was part of this law. This provision authorizes employers to request FBI criminal background checks on persons applying for or holding positions as private security officers.
“The private security industry is working with state legislators and regulators to raise the standards for security officers across the country. Similarly, important changes have taken place in the training arena, including increased integration of antiterrorism and disaster response measures.
“ASIS, NASCO and other security associations that share our vision for the industry are committed to promoting laws that raise the standards for private security and promote quality service with professional, properly screened, and trained personnel.
“Carr obviously makes a living painting with an extremely broad brush. It is unfortunate he painted such a bleak and inaccurate picture of the security community. Had he asked, as Mr. Fox did, for information on the state of industry training, screening, and licensing requirements, we would have been happy to assist. Carr’s column might not have been as sensational, but at least it would have been accurate.”
