​BUSINESS NEWS

Near field communication (NFC) technology has been promoted as a great way to transfer information from cell phones and other devices for contactless payments and access control, for example. Now BMW Group and VingCard Elsafe are collaborating to employ NFC-enabled car keys to book a hotel room, check in, and enter the room without stopping for a room key.

Using BMW’s advanced vehicle navigation system, a driver can search for available hotels nearby. The driver books the hotel via an interface with Micros-Fidelio hotel property management systems. Once the room is booked, the navigation system guides the driver to the hotel and reveals the room number. The guest can proceed straight to the room, bypassing the check-in process. The BMW key wirelessly receives an access code for the room’s NFC-enabled VingCard Elsafe lock and opens the door.

The reservation interface is safe to use while driving. User data and payment information are encrypted for secure transmission. Participating hotels may choose to make special offers in association with the technology, and the hotel also benefits from the streamlined transaction.

PARTNERSHIPS AND DEALS

The video intelligence platform from 3VR Inc. now integrates with Software House’s C•CURE 9000 security and event management system.

Amika Mobile is partnering with FieldServer Technologies to extend the reach of its Amika Mobility Server alerting in the enterprise.

SLOVNAFT ARENA in the Slovak Republic installed an Avigilon high-definition surveillance system, resulting in fewer instances of vandalism, theft, and fan disturbances.

BBVA Colombia has chosen a solution from Scati to help protect its ATMs.

Digimerge Touch Series DVRs have been integrated into the Immix video-based automation platform from SureView Systems.

Giesecke & Devrient was chosen by Vodafone Germany to develop security solutions based on standard SIM cards, providing secure access to cloud services.

HR Plus has formed a strategic partnership with eScreen to provide its clients with enhanced drug-screening services.

Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd., and Identive Group, Inc., have developed a new ID card reader for the Japanese market.

I.D. Systems, Inc., will deploy its PowerFleet wireless vehicle management system for fleets of industrial trucks at two Toyota plants in the United States.

Fingerprint readers from ievo now integrate into the access control module from CDVI Ltd.

ORLEN Lietuva oil refinery in Lithuania is using an IP video solution from IndigoVision.

Metis Secure Solutions has partnered with Starfire Automatic Gates & Security to sell and service emergency notification systems in the southeastern United States.

Palmetto Health Richland medical facility in South Carolina is using the Morse Watchmans KeyWatcher key control and management solution.

Oncam Global and Clickit Inc. have formed a partnership to deploy 360-degree imaging technology with an integrated management and security solution for the retail marketplace.

Onity will supply its HT24 locking solution to more than 290 Extended Stay Hotels across the United States.

RedCloud has provided its access control network appliance system to Austin Recovery, a Texas rehabilitation center.

SightLogix video analytic cameras are now integrated with the Geutebruck GeViScope video system platform.

Thales and Aconite have integrated their solutions to support the secure personalization of smart cards, secure elements on mobile phones, and processing of smart transactions.

Latin American retailer Falabella is implementing the IP video management system from Verint Video Intelligence Solutions.

Big Y Foods, Inc., is using Encapsulon Assessment from Wren Solutions to simplify its audit process.

M. Zion Security Systems was chosen by Dow Jones Company Inc. to provide an integrated card access system using the Axiom V Enterprise Security Management System from RBH Access Technologies.

GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS

CNL Software and CIBER, Inc., have partnered to provide the Atlanta Police Department with an integrated suite of emergency dispatch applications.  The Forest Heights Police Department in Prince George’s County, Maryland, is installing IQinVision cameras in key locations throughout the city. SeeView Security is the integrator.

The North Andover Police Department in Massachusetts is implementing the BACS evidence management system from LEID Products, LLC.

Multicard has developed and implemented a standardized handgun permit for the County Sheriffs of Colorado Association.

New Philadelphia, Ohio, has partnered with Lauren Innovations to install the NaviGate critical information management system throughout the city.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has extended its contract with Real-Time Technology Group for its secure worker access consortium program.

AWARDS AND CERTIFICATIONS

Arecont Vision was honored with a Frost & Sullivan 2011 North American New Product Innovation Award for its IP video cameras.

AT&T Inc. was certified under the Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness Program (PSPrep) by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

AXIS P13 and AXIS Q16 Series products from Axis Communications are now UL Listed under the 60950 standard for IT equipment.

RedCloud has received a new patent from the U.S. Patent Office, recognizing and protecting technology that enables convergence of physical and logical security systems.

The Security Industry Association honored products from its New Product Showcase at the ISC West trade show. Chosen as the best new product was MorphoTrak’s MorphoAccess VP, a physical access control reader that integrates finger vein and fingerprint biometrics. The Judges Choice Award went to the Siqura BC620WDR camera from TKH Security Solutions. Another 21 products won in categories from access control to video surveillance. The judges chose an additional five products for honorable mention awards.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

American Science and Engineering, Inc., has launched a Web-based training tool for operators of its cargo, parcel, and vehicle inspection systems.

Cernam has created a tool to capture and preserve evidence from online sources for use in investigations and litigation.

Feeling Software has changed its name to Fortem and unveiled a new company Web site and logo at www.fortem.com.

Genetec has launched its Technical Training Partnership Program to provide customers with tools and resources for video surveillance and access control training.

IQinVision is expanding its five-year, no exceptions warranty to the entire Alliance dome family and new 3 Series cameras.

SW24 has launched a new Web site at www.sw24.com.

Universal Protection Service has acquired Silver Shield Security.

Universal Surveillance Systems has created a new Web site to counter organized retail crime by uniting retail, law enforcement, legislative, and loss prevention professionals. The company has also announced plans for the first Global Organized Retail Crime Conference in March 2013.

Wavesight Wireless Solutions has opened an office in New Delhi, India.

ASIS NEWS

ElBaradei to Keynote in Philadelphia
Mohamed ElBaradei, former director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been announced as the second keynote speaker at ASIS International’s 58th Annual Seminar and Exhibits in Philadelphia, September 10-13.

ElBaradei will speak on Tuesday, September 11, at 8 a.m. Along with the IAEA, ElBaradei was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2007 for “efforts to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes and to ensure that nuclear energy, for peaceful purposes, is used in the safest possible way.” He became IAEA director general in 1997 and was reelected in 2001 and 2005. He left his role with the agency in 2009.

After the terrorist attacks of 9-11, ElBaradei established the Nuclear Security Fund, a nuclear security program to combat the risk of nuclear terrorism by assisting member states to strengthen the protection of their nuclear and radioactive material and installations. However, in 2003, ElBaradei disagreed with the Bush administration’s justification for beginning a war with Iraq. El-Baradei led a team of United Nations (UN) weapons inspectors in Iraq and reported to the UN Security Council that the evidence that Iraq had tried to acquire uranium from Niger was false.

ElBaradei holds a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Cairo, a master’s degree in international law from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, and a J.S.D. in International Law from New York University School of Law. His diplomatic career began in 1964 with the Egyptian Ministry of External Affairs, where he served in the Permanent Missions of Egypt to the UN in New York and in Geneva. After stints with the International Law Program at the UN Institute for Training and Research and the New York University School of Law, in 1984, ElBaradei became a senior staff member of the IAEA Secretariat, then Assistant Director General for External Relations.

As was announced in the May issue of Security Management, Dr. Robert Gates, former United States secretary of defense, will speak at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, September 12, and Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, noted astronomer and director of the Hayden Planetarium, will speak at the closing luncheon on September 13.

In addition to these three keynote speakers, this year’s seminar will feature more than 200 educational sessions, including expanded IT security offerings in collaboration with (ISC)2. The exhibition area will feature more than 230,000 net square feet of the latest security technology and innovations, providing a showcase for more than 700 companies demonstrating cutting-edge products and services that are shaping the security industry today. Registrants of either conference will gain access to each event’s educational sessions and the exhibit hall. Both organizations also will offer review courses for their respective certifications, as well as separate, members-only activities.

Registration and housing reservations for the ASIS Annual Seminar and Exhibits and the (ISC)2 Security Congress are now open. Visit www.asisonline.org for more information.

CSOs Share Strategies on Evolving Middle East
Security professionals talk blithely about “situational awareness,” without making sure that their employees really know how to practice it. That was a key takeaway during a panel discussion on risks to the petrochemical industry, one of five CSO Roundtable sessions held concurrently with the educational program at the ASIS International 3rd Middle East Security Conference and Exhibition, held in Dubai, UAE.

After learning that his staff didn’t know how to implement situational awareness, the regional security director for one oil and gas company developed a 20-minute video for employees, explaining the concept and illustrating some of its practices. For instance, part of the video shows how to scan a room for possible threats, abnormalities, and exits.

While that project had global application, much of the discussion in Dubai focused on issues specific to the Middle East. Sam Wilkin, Middle East and North Africa Analyst for Control Risks, addressed whether the Arab Spring has now become the Arab Autumn, as revolutionary fervor has died down or been quelled in most countries. Wilkin said that the region hasn’t necessarily entered its autumn, but acknowledged that momentum has slowed in some revolutionary movements and transition has been slow.

Wilkin also noted that the Arab world refers to the transition as an “Arab Awakening,” not an “Arab Spring.” He added that the revolutions have been facilitated by social media but not driven by it. The issues actually driving the reductions include socioeconomic factors, demographics, and mass media, he said. He also noted the trends in opposition to the democratization of the region, including the rise of political Islam. The situation in many of these countries is likely to remain unstable and fractious, Wilkin said, because of the lack of political culture and history, geographic rivalries, ethnosectarian tensions, and divergent ideologies.

With that background in place, another panel led an audience discussion on risks to travelers in the Middle East. Andy Williams of Temi Group in Turkey, noted that the situation on the ground almost always differs from what official advisories say. He urged forging a relationship with the regional director of the hotel in which a company’s staff stays, and to know which hotels have satellite phones.

Another panelist, Malcom Smith, formerly of Diageo in Africa, emphasized embedding discipline in travelers so that they look out for themselves. “The traveler has to take ownership of his own safety,” he said.

Before the official ASIS/CSO program started, conference attendees could attend a bonus workshop on doing business in Libya. The panel—which was moderated by Pierre Haddad, editor-in-chief of The Security Review—painted a picture of a country with a tremendous amount of economic potential but wracked by uncertainty.

Foreign companies still haven’t identified when they are going to bring back their non-national employees, said Judge Kamal Elhouni, a member of Libya’s Constitutional Draft Committee, though they have sent in skeleton crews. Military officials have announced that preference will be given to companies from countries that supported the revolution from its earliest days.

Paul Beat, a control risks analyst, contended that Libya has a much better chance for democracy and prosperity than Iraq. That’s because Libya doesn’t have a religious divide, maintains a better infrastructure, and lacks foreign troops on its soil. Peter Dordal of GardaWorld agreed, adding that it is critical for foreign companies looking to set up or reestablish operations in Libya to find a local partner. Beat pointed out three current opportunities to do business in Libya: rebuild infrastructure; reconstruct health and educational facilities; and resume business in sectors such as oil/gas, banking, and telecommunications.

Other CSO Roundtable sessions in Dubai covered a variety of issues such as fraud and aligning security strategy with business strategy.