​BUSINESS NEWS

When March Madness takes hold of basketball fans, security personnel have to be ready. In preparation for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four games in Houston this year, public and private agencies worked together using Physical Security Information Management software from VidSys. The software linked cameras in the arena and the city, so partners could see what was happening everywhere.

Multiple command centers—in addition to the stadium’s general manager, who was courtside—worked together to keep their collective eyes on suspects in situations that arose. The Houston Police Department, Houston Fire Department, Office of Emergency Management and 911 Dispatch, Houston Metro Police, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, NCAA, and Reliant Park Security collaborated to protect a record number of fans in attendance both inside and outside of Reliant Park, the county-owned venue for the games.

PARTNERSHIPS AND DEALS

AXA Assistance, iJET, and G4S have formed a global partnership to provide travel risk management and protection services for business travelers and expatriate staff.

Barix AG is working with za-internet GmbH to integrate Barix Barionet products into the C-MOR video surveillance solution.

EduKan selected Biometric Signature ID Inc. as its technology partner to comply with and exceed student identity verification requirements of the Education Act.

CNL Software has integrated its PSIM software with the MatrixPRO router by Barco.

Edge Electronics is the U.S. distributor of biometric technology from Swedish company Fingerprint Cards.

Envysion, Inc., is the exclusive video provider for Wireless Express, a mobile communications retailer.

Employers Mutual Casualty Company has selected credentials and readers from HID Global to protect its company headquarters and an additional facility.

HireRight and SilkRoad technology, inc., have teamed to provide an integrated solution to manage employment screening programs more efficiently.

Identive Group, Inc., and NXP Semiconductors have signed a value-added reseller agreement for the secure identification market.

ID Watchdog Inc. has signed a product development and distribution agreement with antispyware pioneer Lavasoft.

Inovonics has signed four new channel partners to resell its new Radius product: CyberMedix Medical Systems, Capture Technologies, Phase 1 Electronics, and VSA Security Systems.

IQinVision announced that its cameras are providing security for Sonderborg Kollegierne in Denmark. The cameras were deployed by Necom.

The Johnson Controls P2000 security management system is improving security at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island.

The partnership between Lenel Systems International and Henry Bros. Electronics has expanded in scope from multiregional to national.

Lightstep Technologies has installed an intelligent evacuation system at Upper Iowa University.

Magal Security Systems, Ltd., will provide an integrated security system for multiple sites for the African Cup of Nations Football Championship to be held in West Africa next January.

March Networks announced that Associated Banc-Corp has chosen its financial solution for enhanced security in 270 retail locations, data centers, and headquarters.

Columbia College of South Carolina selected NaviGate by Lauren Innovations for critical information management and incident tracking.

The Nedap AEOS security management solution will be sold in India by Ardelisys Technologies Pvt. Ltd. under a new partnership.

Portuguese bank Millennium bcp is using the Situator from NICE Systems to improve physical security monitoring and response. The system integrator is Diebold Portugal.

Murphy and Cota is the new manufacturer’s representative for access control products from Paxton Access Inc. in Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Mississippi.

QNAP is providing its surveillance system to the Japanese Communication International School in Osaka.

Eastman Chemical Company is using the Nextiva IP Video Management platform from Verint Video Intelligence Solutions. The system is integrated with technologies from EMC and Orion Systems Group.

VideoIQ, Inc., and Software House are integrating VideoIQ’s cameras and encoders with the Software House C-CURE 9000 security management system.

Voyage Manager Ltd. is providing its travel management, monitoring, and tracking solution to Fugro Geoteam AS.

GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS

De La Rue Identity Systems is working with the government of Cameroon to develop ePassports that comply with ICAO and protect personal details.

DRS Technologies, Inc., was awarded a contract by the U.S. Army for its enhanced night vision goggles.

DVTel, Inc., announced that the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in Louisiana has installed its ioimage intelligent video analytic cameras for perimeter protection.

Entrust, Inc., is providing PKI-based national identification technology to the United Arab Emirates for use in smart national ID cards.

The Kentucky Division of Emergency Management, Kentucky National Guard, and other state and local agencies used WebEOC crisis information management software from ESi during a recent earthquake preparedness exercise.

L.R. Kimball was chosen by the Texas Department of Public Safety to support the Regional Interoperability Communications Planning project via an interoperability communications survey and assessment.

Honeywell has won a contract with the Federal Aviation Administration to maintain security systems in more than 1,000 locations of the Air Traffic Organization Air Traffic Systems Branch.

The Fort Polk Directorate of Emergency Services has deployed Intergraph public safety and security software for the U.S. Army base Joint Readiness Training Center & Fort Polk, Louisiana.

Los Angeles International Airport has implemented the Situator from NICE Systems at its new Consolidated Airport Response Coordination Center.

The U.S. Army has chosen SRC, Inc., as a teaming partner to help conduct intelligence, security, and information operations for military commanders and national decision makers.

The Chongqing Fire Department in China will deploy Kidde Live Fire Trainer technology from UTC Fire & Security. Touchcom has been awarded a security systems and solutions contract by the New York State Office of General Services Procurement Services Group.

AWARDS AND CERTIFICATIONS

American Science and Engineering, Inc., has been named to the Boston Globe’s Globe 100 for the sixth consecutive year.

Dallmeier electronic GmbH was given the award for CCTV Camera Equipment of the Year for its Panomera camera technology at the IFSEC Security Industry Awards.

Genetec’s Technical Assistance Portal was named one of the Ten Best Web Support Sites 2011 by the Association of Support Professionals.

Morpho fingerprint recognition algorithms were ranked highest in two recent National Institute of Standards & Technology evaluations.

Optosecurity won the 2011 CATA Alliance Canadian Innovation Award for Public Safety Technology, presented by Motorola.

Smith & Wesson Security Solutions has completed testing and received certification for its Expeditionary Mobile Barrier. Testing at the Texas Transportation Institute resulted in acceptance by the Federal Highway Administration as a TL-3 rated barrier and the ASTM PU-60 rating.

Tech Systems, Inc., has received the 2010 Stanley Healthcare Solutions Patient Security Dealer of the Year Award.

Verify Brand has received a U.S. patent for an Authentication and Tracking System.

Verizon has earned ISO 9001:2008 certification for its Converged Security Operations Center.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Access Information Management has acquired DocuSafe of Phoenix, Inc., and DocuSafe of Madison, Inc.

Cooper Notification has opened its new Technology and Customer Solutions Center and Training Institute in Sarasota, Florida.

Environmental Tectonics Corporation announced that its ETC Simulation Division toured the world to showcase its Advanced Disaster Management Simulator.

Fairleigh Dickinson University and the New York Times Knowledge Network are offering a professional and career studies program that will award undergraduate certificates in global security, homeland security, cybercrime, and three other disciplines.

The International Operations Center for Children (IOCC) is working with Gate-Keeper USA to monitor shipping containers for signs of humans in an effort to stem human trafficking.

Global Security Agency Inc. is protecting General Pervez Musharraf as he travels through North America in 2011.

HireRight has created Compliance Central, a Web portal designed to keep customers informed of legislation and regulations related to employment issues.

HRsmart has opened new offices in the Philippines and South Africa.

LodgeNet Interactive Corporation is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the American Hotel & Lodging Association to provide disaster relief information on hotel televisions.

The National Crime Prevention Association has introduced a new certification program for crime prevention specialists. The U.S. Department of Justice has provided a grant to help launch the program.

Salient Stills is collaborating with the National Center for Media Forensics at the University of Colorado Denver to teach students to secure, capture, and process evidence from video samples.

Sonitrol of Fort Lauderdale donated a complete, high-tech security system to the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store in Broward County, Florida.

TeleEye Group has established TeleEye Lanka (Pvt) Limited. Working with Safrex International, it will provide video surveillance products and services in Sri Lanka.

The United Nations System for Influenza Coordination and the U.S. Agency for International Development have organized a global initiative, Towards a Safer World, to study lessons learned and best practices for dealing with an influenza pandemic.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that its Trusted Traveler Programs have reached one million members.

ASIS NEWS

Wounded Warriors to Work
ASIS International is increasing its efforts to assist the Wounded Warriors Project and is asking chapter and regional volunteer leaders to lend a hand with the Wounded Warrior’s initiative, the Warriors to Work Program.

“This is a good investment of our time and energy…helping those who have served our country to reenter the work force,” says ASIS President Raymond T. O’Hara, CPP, who sent a message to the leadership in April, explaining the three-fold mission of Wounded Warriors: to raise awareness and enlist public aid for the needs of injured service members; to help injured service members to assist each other; and to provide programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members.

O’Hara’s message urged volunteer leaders to “encourage your chapter members to post employment opportunities [at the Warriors to Work Web site] that may be appropriate and to take an active interest in this effort.”

Previously, O’Hara states, ASIS worked with Wounded Warriors to provide complimentary attendance to the Society’s Annual Seminar and Exhibits, had the Wounded Warriors executive director speak at one of the Seminar and Exhibits luncheons, and held fundraising events. “I think it’s time to dig down a little deeper and engage our members who have employment opportunities. We need to alert them to the availability of wounded warriors as job candidates—and not only in the United States. We’ve fought [the war on terrorism] with a coalition of allies, so there are wounded warriors in many countries where we have chapters and members as well.”

Getting back to work can be a daunting challenge for wounded service members, especially for those who survived serious injuries. Warriors to Work assists its clients in making the transition to civilian employment and provides them with individual counseling, résumé building, and other services. The Web site for the project, www.woundedwarriorproject.org, notes, “Many warriors find it difficult to explain the skills and experience acquired through military service to a civilian employer. Employers frequently do not understand the qualifications veterans offer, and it’s often a challenge to effectively translate military skills into civilian terms. Furthermore, warriors may feel they lack several of the critical career-advancement skills more commonly cultivated in the civilian work force, such as networking and salary negotiation.”

The Warriors to Work Project educates employers on the benefits of hiring warriors and dispels some of the common misconceptions. The Web site also provides employers with a special login for job posting and résumé searching.

The security industry is a perfect fit for some of the wounded warriors, O’Hara believes. “As many of our ASIS members are from a military background, I see great value in assisting the Warriors to Work project to help find viable employment for those in the process of transitioning into the civilian work force,” he wrote to ASIS volunteer leaders.

ASIS has also delivered an e-mail to participants of Warriors to Work to urge them to visit the Society’s Web site, www.asisonline.org, to learn more about the security profession, as well as visit the online Career Center to view job postings and access other employment resources. The e-mail also explained that “our organization has chapters in nearly every state…. You can reach out to these groups and take advantage of the education and networking opportunities available.”

Webinar. Warriors to Work participants were also invited to virtually attend a free webinar by ASIS, “From Here to There—Advancing in the Security Field.” Held on June 1 with more than 100 participants. The webinar was taught by Jeff Hawkins of the American Military University and focused on how to achieve success in the security field.

Seminar. Warriors to Work participants have been invited to Law Enforcement and Military Appreciation Day at the Seminar and Exhibits in Orlando in September. O’Hara says that the hope is that attending wounded warriors will become “more engaged and more understanding of what it is that we do and see if they have an interest in the security management field.”

ASIS is also trying to establish a closer relationship with the board of directors of Wounded Warriors, “so that we can work together on more opportunities for and deliverables to the warriors. We’ve had some meetings already, and we will continue to do that,” O’Hara says. “I think our chapters and members can really get behind this and do something in many countries,” he states.