​BUSINESS NEWS

Keeping people informed during an emergency is critical to the success of any response. Here are some ways that organizations are preparing to notify their communities about crises.

Federal Signal Alerting & Notification Systems has completed the first phase of a statewide emergency warning system upgrade in Hawaii. The project replaces existing radio networks with redundant satellite and cellular communication for controlling and monitoring sirens throughout the state. The system spans more than 300 miles and provides the state with a common communications infrastructure. The hybrid system includes communications through voice, text-to-speech, and prerecorded audio. Electronic controllers manage messages and monitor the system.

Carnegie Mellon University has selected e2Campus from Omnilert as the backbone of the school’s unified emergency notification system. The system makes it easy to notify the school community via voice, e-mail, social media, alert beacons, and more.

Hyper-Reach, a provider of notification systems for public safety organizations, is sponsoring a new independent organization to enroll Americans in their local emergency alert services, regardless of the community or service supplier. The U.S. National Emergency Alert Registry is a Web site where people can specify the numbers they want notifications sent to. The site encourages visitors to sign up with their local organizations—for faster and easier registration—but it will facilitate the registration for those who don’t know their local agency.

Hyper-Reach encourages people to also sign up for the Wireless Emergency Alerts provided by the Federal Emergency Management Administration. The federal agency sends notifications to mobile devices regarding extreme weather, threatening emergencies in the area, AMBER Alerts, and national emergency alerts.

PARTNERSHIPS AND DEALS

AMCEST and EmergenSee are partnering to offer global monitoring service for EmergenSee’s mobile personal security app.

AMG Systems announced that its PanoCam 360 cameras are now integrated into the Genesys2 control management suite from Intergrated Security Manufacturing.

American Water has selected control room technology from Christie Digital Systems USA for its new operations security support center. The integrator was Class-Craft Design Associates.

Diebold, Incorporated, is providing integrated services, including video and alarm monitoring, to Belgrade State Bank in Missouri for managing ATM and security.

Dunbar Digital Armor is providing services to the NASDAQ OMX Group to protect access to the secure cloud computing platform.

The National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, United Kingdom, has installed Genetec Security Center to manage integrated security.

Performance Buildings in Germany has chosen iCLASS SE Platform Readers from HID Global for access control in rented offices with legacy technology.

Store Electronic Systems has selected near field communication tags from Identive Group, Inc., to power electronic shelf labels for retail applications.

Bytes Technology Group has become the exclusive distributor in Africa and the Middle East for Lumidigm.

TCF Bank is deploying a financial solution from March Networks to improve security, fraud detection, and efficiency.

Network Webcams is working with Axis Communications to provide quick delivery and operation of surveillance cameras and service.

Optelios, Inc., has named New Era a manufacturer’s representative in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia.

OSS Inc. has contracted with Equitable Resources and CB Richard Ellis Management Company to provide security guard services for a six-story building in Pittsburgh.

Advantech, Inc., has joined Security-Net, Inc., an independent group of systems integrators who collaborate on best practices and projects.

Securitas has agreed to acquire the commercial security services business contracts and assets of ISS Facility Services in the Netherlands.

System Development Integration, LLC, announced the acquisition of i-sys, Corp, a systems integrator that delivers integrated security, environmental, and fire safety solutions.

United Central Control and CheckVideo have announced a strategic partnership to offer monitored video services through more than 500 dealers nationwide.

Universal Protection Service has acquired Boyd & Associates, Summit Security, and Sky Security Services.

The new Fiterman Hall at New York University features a high-performance curtain-wall manufactured by Wausau Window and Wall Systems and installed by Genetech Building Systems, Inc. The building replaces the original Fiterman Hall, which was damaged in the 9-11 terrorist attacks.

GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS

Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority has implemented IndigoVision’s IP Video Security Solution to help protect its 300-acre wastewater facility.

AMG completed a CCTV surveillance project with ADDU International Airport Pvt Ltd. for Gan International Airport.

The Baltimore Police Department and ports of San Francisco, Lake Charles, Puget Sound, Chesapeake Bay, and Fourchon are using security cameras from Vumii Imaging, Inc.

The South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority installed a CNI-guard intrusion detection system from The Bilco Company.

Bosch Security Systems delivered a security solution for the Milan Metro’s driverless metro line that combines video surveillance and public-address communication.

Calhoun County Schools of Alabama has launched a pilot program with Affigent as part of a plan to reduce gun violence and increase school safety.

Indiana’s historic Crown Point Courthouse has upgraded its access control management capabilities with a cloud-based Brivo ACS Web-Service system that was specified and installed by Phil and Son, Inc.

HID Global has been selected by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as the prime contractor for the production, delivery, and storage of the USCIS Permanent Resident Card, commonly known as the Green Card.

INTERPOL is collaborating with Trend Micro to support global law enforcement programs against cybercrime.

Vigilant Solutions announced that the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department is using its license plate recognition program.

AWARDS AND CERTIFICATIONS

Brivo Systems, LLC, received the PSA Security Network Rising Star Award.

DRS Technologies has received the Defense Security Service Award for Excellence in Counterintelligence and the James S. Cogswell Award for Outstanding Industrial Security Achievement.

(ISC)2 has created the Certified Cyber Forensics Professional (CCFP) certification, the first global standard for assessing experienced digital forensics professionals’ mastery and professionalism.

New York College of Health Professions has been granted a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for smartphones, apps, and security systems that detect biometric changes that indicate guards have been injured, attacked, or killed.

The Security Industry Association received the Above and Beyond Award from the Department of DefenseEmployer Support of the Guard and Reserve operational committee.

Tyco Security Products has attained the U.S. government’s Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 197 validation for its complete iSTAR physical access controller family from Software House.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ABnote USA, Inc., was featured on WCVB TV5 Chronicle’s episode “Made in New England.”
 
AlertID, Inc., announced that its Web site and mobile app are now protecting Sacramento and Seattle with alerts on crime, sex offenders, severe weather, natural disasters, and more.

AlliedBarton Security Services announced that it will donate trade show furniture and accessories from the 2013 International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators conference to the Backside Learning Center at Churchill Downs.

Applied Research Associates’ product group Force Protection announced that its TSWG IED Instant Notification App is now available for free to all U.S. bomb technicians.

The Armored Group, LLC, has opened a new 144,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Dearborn Heights, Michigan.

ASSA ABLOY, DORMA, Nedap, and Zugang GmbH have developed the Standard Offline Access Application to standardize electronic off-link locks throughout the industry.

AT&T’s Network Disaster Recovery Organization held its Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Forum in Amsterdam to show how the company protects its global network and prepares for and responds to real-time threats.

Miami-Dade Emergency Operations Center hosted national and local military, business, community, and public sector leaders at a roundtable meeting as part of the military Base/Port Community Resiliency Initiative of the ReadyCommunities Partnership to develop a plan that helps the community continue to operate during natural and man-made crises.

The Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs released three documents synthesizing best practices relating to managing large scale events.

ASIS NEWS

ASIS Foundation School Funding Winner Announced
Spencer Technology Academy, in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), has been selected as the winner of ASIS Foundation’s School Security Funding Competition. ASIS International is the largest donor to this annual initiative to improve school security with a $20,000 donation. A full listing of donors may be viewed online.

Located on the Westside of Chicago, Spencer Technology Academy houses 930 students in grades pre-K 8 in two separate buildings. Proposed improvements include the addition of indoor and outdoor surveillance cameras that could act as a deterrent for potential wrongdoers and provide staff a way to monitor entrances and exits and to keep an eye on the children as they pass from one building to another.

“It is difficult to express what this award means to my school and the students and families that we serve in our community. Securing our campus is increasingly challenging,” states Spencer Technology Academy Principal Dr. Shawn L. Jackson. “Unmonitored entrance points make our school vulnerable to unwanted access leading to equipment theft, violent activity, and criminal behavior.” At Spencer, the goal of the educators is to prepare students for college studies and careers by providing access and exposure to necessary technological resources. “This award will provide enhanced security that will allow us to continue being a safe learning environment for our students,” adds Jackson.

Schools within CPS were asked to discuss through a series of short essays their particular security concerns, as well as to explain how these concerns could impact students, teachers, and administrators. They were asked to describe the security risks that they would attempt to reduce or eliminate if they won the award, and to list specific security enhancements they would purchase with the funding. A committee made up of security management professionals from the ASIS Chicago Chapter judged the submissions.

“This is the tenth year that ASIS has sponsored this competition, as a way of giving back to the community where our Annual Seminar and Exhibits is held,” says ASIS Chief Executive Officer Michael J.
Stack. “The aim of the competition is to encourage local schools to assess the security issues that confront their buildings, staff, and students every day.”

Students’ behavior online presents just as many threats to their safety and security as physical threats. To complement the ASIS donation to Spencer, (ISC)2, through its own foundation, is donating its Safe and Secure Online (SSO) program to help students become responsible, ethical digital citizens. SSO educates children, parents, and teachers, and has taught responsible computing to more than 90,000 students worldwide. Under the program, trained volunteers visit schools to teach cybersafety, cybersecurity, and cyber ethics while fostering an interest in cyber careers. SSO was developed by former school teachers and is presented by certified information security experts. The Chicago school district, which is the third largest in the country with 675 schools and more than 500,000 students, hopes to take advantage of the SSO program donation beginning this fall.

“As incidents of cyber bullying, identity theft, and other cybercrimes increase, so does the demand for education in schools and community organizations,” says Julie Peeler, director of the (ISC)2 Foundation. “We can be much more effective at protecting our children by taking a comprehensive approach to security from threats both tangible and virtual.”

A special awards ceremony was held at the school September 20. ASIS also recognized Spencer Technology Academy and Principal Jackson at a special awards luncheon on September 27 during the ASIS 59th Annual Seminar and Exhibits in Chicago.