Industry News October 2009
BUSINESS NEWS
According to Technorati, the Internet is home to more than 100 million blogs penned by everyone from your sister’s BFF (best friend forever) to leaders of government and industry. More and more companies have found that blogs offer a useful tool for spreading product information, offering advice for problem solving, and keeping customers abreast of the latest news and trends. Here are some examples.
Xtralis is sponsoring a fire industry blog for discussions on air-sampling smoke detection. For consideration of surveillance systems and applications from multiple manufacturers, see the blogs at VideoSurveillance.com. A blog discussing the finer points of the Fair Credit Reporting Act has been launched by attorney Christopher E. Kittell of Merkel & Cocke, P.A. The blogs hosted by Forrester Research touch on all manner of security topics, including enterprise risk management, IT security, marketing, and leadership. RSA offers blogs and podcasts on subjects such as business continuity, authentication, and compliance under the umbrella “Speaking of Security.”
IT and network security companies offer general information on data protection and up-to-the-minute cyber threat advice in their blogs. Among the companies with such blogs are Astaro, Cisco, Sunbelt Software, Panda Labs, McAfee, and SecureWorks.
You can sometimes find instructive commentary about arcane topics, such as what 4CIF really means, in business blogs, such as that at Bosch Security Systems, Inc.
PARTNERSHIPS AND DEALS
Agilence, Inc., and Bass Security will work together to provide loss prevention capabilities for retailers.
Amika Mobile has announced partnerships with America’s Emergency Network and Global Security Systems to extend its mass notification capabilities to customers.
Contemporary Services Corporation will provide security and event staffing services for the University of Minnesota.
DVTel, Inc., has joined the Open Network Video Interface Forum in support of its effort to promote standards in the physical security market.
HID Global has announced a partnership with Lipi Data Systems Ltd. for local assembly and distribution of Fargo brand printers in India.
Schlage HandPunch time and attendance readers from Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies are in use at employee entrances at student union and dining facilities at California State University, Chico.
IndigoVision IP video technology provided security surveillance at the Copa Telmex tennis tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
IQinVision announced that Bonifacio Hospital in Corsica has deployed 23 IQeye cameras managed by a Viseox video management system.
MATE Intelligent Video is partnering with integrator Tubular Intelligent Solutions to market and deploy MATE products in South Africa.
Fundación Albéniz of Madrid, Spain, is using an access control system from Nedap, which accommodates Nedap and HID readers, biometrics from Sagem, and wireless locks from Assa Abloy, in addition to an online reservation system from INSTASOFT and the ticketing service of entradas.com.
BNSF Railway is implementing IP video surveillance capabilities from NICE Systems at sites across North America.
NUUO software was adopted by Viakom for the surveillance system it designed for the Merkur Casino in the Czech Republic.
The Protection Bureau has installed a new emergency alert system from Cooper Notification at Millersville University.
RISCO Group USA and Milestone Systems will integrate RISCO’s security management system with Milestone’s open platform IP video software.
Samsung Techwin America has signed an agreement with White Radio for the distribution of its CCTV product line in Canada. SpectraRep, iBiquity Digital, and Sage Alerting Systems have joined forces to develop emergency alert services using HD Radio technology.
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS
The U.S. Army will expand its use of its AtHoc, Inc., IWSAlerts mass notification system at Fort Riley, Kansas.
Avigilon is providing its high-definition surveillance system to Community Transit in Snohomish County, Washington.
The Canadian Province of British Colombia will use products from Datacard Group for its enhanced driver’s license program.
DK Security will provide unarmed security guard services for multiple state agencies including the Capitol Complex under a contract with the state of Michigan.
MobileAlert, an emergency notification platform from eVigilo, was used in a nationwide drill in Israel.
GE Security has won projects to supply safety solutions for more than 25 metro lines in China, including those in Shanghai, Beijing, Guanzhou, and Nanjing.
Lockheed Martin has won a contract to manage the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Divisions Card Scanning Service program for converting biometrics records into electronic ones.
Sagem Sécurité will supply and maintain a biometric face recognition system to the Australian state of New South Wales’ Roads and Traffic Authority for use with driver’s licenses.
Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana has deployed the ActivAccess desktop alerting solution from SpectraRep.
AWARDS AND CERTIFICATIONS
AlliedBarton Security Services was named 2009 Employer of the Year by the Federation Employment and Guidance Service, Inc.
Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies announced that its Von Duprin WS 9827/9927 surface vertical rod exit device has been certified to meet the 2009 International Building Code Standards for hurricane or tornado shelters.
SANYO Security Products Group announced that its high-definition surveillance camera was named CCTV Product of the Year at the International Fire and Security Conference organized by the British Security Industry Association and United Business Media.
Security Management Consulting ranked 58th on the list of Top 100 Small Businesses in North Carolina, as awarded by Business Leader Media.
Frost & Sullivan named Xtralis the award for 2009 European Outdoor Perimeter Intrusion Detection Systems Customer Value Leadership.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Arthur Blank & Company, American Bank Note Company, and Keystone Plastics of Canada are uniting under a new brand, ABnote North America.
Allied Barton Security Services has added a healthcare section to its Web site to showcase information relating to security services offered to the healthcare industry.
Digital Monitoring Products has renovated and expanded its Springfield, Missouri, headquarters.
Genetec is opening a sales office in Singapore to serve the Asia-Pacific market.
Honeywell Power Products has created a new library of materials to assist specifiers, dealers, and distributors.
Morse Watchmans has redesigned its Web site to offer more information and easier navigation.
Risk Control Strategies now offers technical surveillance countermeasures services.
Securitas has agreed to acquire World Wide Security of Chile.
Tri-Ed has relocated its San Leandro, California, branch to Union City.
Wren Solutions has initiated a scholarship award for school resource officers. The first award went to Elizabeth Harper of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office (Maryland).
ASIS NEWS
Facilities Physical Security Measures Guideline Released
ASIS International has released its Facilities Physical Security Measures Guideline. The purpose of the guideline is to outline the main types of physical security measures that can be applied to minimize the security risks at a facility.
The guideline assists in the identification of physical security measures that can be applied at facilities to safeguard or protect an organization’s key assets—its people, property, and information. It outlines eight main categories of physical security measures used to protect facilities: physical barriers, physical entry and access control, security lighting, intrusion detection systems, video surveillance, security personnel, security policies and procedures, and crime prevention through environmental design. The emerging field of security convergence is also addressed.
“This guideline provides a methodology for selecting appropriate physical security measures to safeguard an organization’s assets and is a true testament to the progression of work that took place for more than three years on this guideline alone,” says F. Mark Geraci, CPP, chair of the ASIS Commission on Standards and Guidelines.
“We on the commission recognized early on that this was going to be an extraordinary undertaking, the ‘800-pound gorilla,’ but we knew that of all our work in the standards and guidelines areas, this guideline would in all likelihood have the greatest impact on, and be useful to, the vast majority of security professionals. The guideline committee is to be commended for its hard work,” Geraci states. “The commission recognizes in particular the Guideline Committee Chair and ASIS Board Member Geoffrey Craighead, CPP, and Commission Liaison Robert Jones for their leadership and instrumental involvement.”
The work of preparing ASIS Standards and Guidelines is carried out through the ASIS International Standards and Guidelines Commission and its committees. ASIS develops standards and guidelines within a voluntary, nonproprietary, and consensus-based process, using the knowledge, experience, and expertise of ASIS membership, security professionals, and the global security industry.
Facilities Physical Security Measures Guideline is the ninth guideline released by ASIS International. For a complete listing and status of all ASIS Standards and Guidelines, visitwww.asisonline.org.
Abstracts Sought for European Security Conference
ASIS International is soliciting abstracts for educational presentations at the 9th Annual European Security Conference to be held in Lisbon, Portugal, next spring. This unique conference will address a full spectrum of topics in security management. Among the topics for which abstracts are sought are piracy, supply chain security, loss prevention, antiterrorism, executive protection, intellectual property rights, and hotel and building security.
The deadline to electronically submit abstracts is October 10. Visit the education section ofwww.asisonline.com for details.
ASIS/Wharton Program Starts Soon
ASIS International, in collaboration with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, is offering its two-week certificate course for security executives beginning November 30. The Wharton/ ASIS Program for Security Executives presents business knowledge taught by many of the same faculty who have made Wharton’s MBA program one of the top-ranked in the world.
The program, which will run from November 30 to December 4 and from February 1 to 5, will cover the core concepts of business to broaden the chief security officer’s managerial and strategic perspectives, enhance business instincts, and sharpen abilities to tackle management challenges. Both sessions must be completed to earn the certificate.
Wharton’s faculty draws on extensive business expertise and research to address unique management challenges faced by security practitioners. Specific case studies in security management illustrate strategic concepts and key business skills in finance, marketing, management, and leadership. To bring lessons on leadership to life, for example, one of the sessions examines critical strategies and decisions made during the Battle of Gettysburg.
“This is a challenging and relevant experience for senior security leaders,” says program graduate Vincent Jarvie, vice president of corporate security at L-3 Communications Corporation. “The insight to align security objectives with key business drivers results in a significant competitive advantage.”
The program will be held on the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia. Visitwww.asisonline.org/wharton/noframe/index.html for more program information or registration details.
