Through the miracle that is modern communications technology, it’s possible to conduct meetings, view products and make deals without ever being in the same room — or even the same city or country.

But there is still much to be said about firsthand, in-person experience, such as seeing a security product demonstrated and having trained personnel walk you through its features, showing you how to maximize the performance and capabilities of the latest camera, NVR or integrated security system.

That’s a key reason why Tyco Security Products recently launched two special initiatives: A state-of-the art Demonstration and Training Centre in Manchester, UK, modeled after an existing facility in Heathrow; and a fleet of mobile demonstration vans.

Through either setting, integrators and their customers can see the products at work and put them to the test. As an installer, it’s critical to understand the various integration capabilities when CCTV, access control and alarm systems come together.  And for your customers, the training centre and vans provide a setting in which they can explore the products with you, ask questions and gather information away from the traditional busy trade show stand or in-office or web-based presentation.

Have a specific project in mind and wonder about what devices would be needed and how they will work together? At the demo centre, end users are able to compare and contrast various solutions, using products from Tyco Security Products’ various brands such as American Dynamics, Kantech, Software House, DSC, CEM Systems, Bentel Security and Visonic.

The centres are also available for more specific training programmes or as spaces in which to conduct meetings.

If Heathrow or Manchester isn’t convenient, that’s where the vans come in. Each vehicle is its own showcase of products. While not offering as extensive an array of products as the demonstration and training centres, the vans still provide a host of CCTV and access control solutions ranging from cameras, monitors and recording equipment to plug-and-play security management systems and integrated security platforms.

A new security system, or even an upgrade, is an investment that requires as much information and technical know-how as possible. Through the launch of this newest demo centre and the vans, Tyco is addressing that need for knowledge as well as understanding that time and convenience are key concerns these days.

We invite you to check out the Demonstration and Training Centres in Manchester and Heathrow, or see about booking one of the demo vans for a visit to your office or a customers’ location and spend a little one-on-one time with Tyco Security Products.

Source: Tyco Blog

Have you noticed how there has been a recent backlash to the “everything bigger is better” thinking that dominated popular culture and business for a time? 

Where once products had to be about supersizing and multiplying and expanding the scope, today’s focus is on procuring what best serves our needs — whether that’s in the fast food lane or security installations. 

Part of what is driving these changes is a desire for efficiency of both time and money. Why buy big when small can sometimes do the job better? How that translates to our field specifically is with the advent of products such as the single-reader door controller.

In an industry that is often all about scalability and how to make things work by thinking in terms of multiples, there is definitely a time and place for a standalone application like a one-reader door controller.

How many times have you encountered an installation where there is a lone door that needs coverage? Or, perhaps the door’s location is such that it cannot be clustered with others?

The current economy has shifted the focus to efficiency and cost competitiveness, so there are times when it can make perfect sense to invest in a one-reader controller for those instances where one is enough.

The other big push for a single-reader controller is the result of an installation shift towards ubiquitous cat 5/6 wiring. Primarily seen in new construction projects, a separate, dedicated cat 5/6 network cable is installed to each door from a central IT area. This design simplifies the overall installation, especially if Power over Ethernet (PoE) is used, and lowers the installation cost by reducing the amount of localized door device wiring.   

Although, still offering key functionality of its two- and four-reader counterparts such as PoE to leverage the existing network infrastructure, NIST-level encryption and local storage capability for up to 400,000 cardholders, the smaller controller offers the utmost in scalability to accommodate any installation layout and any budget.  Yes, each controller requires an IP address, but the increased system reliability of having a stand-alone device at each door more than makes up for the possible increase in network management costs. 

So when the situation presents itself, it’s OK to think that where two or more are good, one can sometimes be better.

Have you started using a more IP-centric system layout for new projects? Or are your projects more conducive to a centralized approach? Let us know.

Source: Tyco Blog

Much touted and highly anticipated, 2014 finally will be the year when network video can claim its dominance over analog, according to a recent report from IMS Research.  This “tipping point” –  when network video revenues overtake those of analog systems — will occur  because, while analog cameras will still outsell network models on a per unit basis through 2017,  higher-priced IP video systems will become the revenue leader.

Already, the report tells us, the network surveillance equipment market grew by more than 10 percent from 2011 to 2012 and was anticipated to grow by more than 20 percent this year. In the world market, only China has increased analog sales; elsewhere growth is driven mainly by IP-based equipment.

Certainly those of us in the marketplace continue to see a growing acceptance of IP-based video security solutions because of the inherent flexibility, improved networking capabilities and enhanced functionality offered.

End users who invested in analog cameras are still able to begin the migration to IP because of the advent of hybrid NVRs that bring together existing analog units with new high-definition IP cameras on a single platform.  This means that network surveillance systems are no longer the exclusive domain of major enterprises; small and mid-size companies have started to invest in and build IP based  surveillance systems so they can make the shift to IP at their own pace.

Meanwhile, networks have gotten faster over the past 10 years — nearly 100 times in many instances — and solutions have been improved so everything from installation to streaming video to recording is no longer a strain on network infrastructure and a burden on the IT department. With IT buy in, security personnel can make their case for more network-based components.

Add to that the fact that competition from analog cameras continues to drive down the cost of network-based solutions. The truth is, we’ve finally gotten comfortable with IP technology in the security space because we’ve seen it work in our day-to-day lives. We have adopted some of the same technologies, such as megapixel cameras in our smart phones, so it only makes sense that these features should become more common and lower cost as they proliferate.

But one of the biggest factors for network solutions reaching the tipping point has to be the wide range of features these systems provide. IP-based systems with analytics that can interpret activities and behaviors and unified operations for database mining from video, access control, intrusion, fire and other systems offer a world of opportunity for today’s security director.

So here’s an early toast to 2014: The year of network video.

For more perspective on the tipping point from analog to video, read this recent coverage on the subject from Securityinfowatch. com.

It’s a 24-hour, non-stop enterprise with the added challenge of dealing with staff, patients, and visitors in high stress situations on a regular basis.  Because of this hospitals and health care settings continue to be one of the most challenging environments in which security professional’s work.

Not only do security professionals need to maintain a sterile environment when working in a hospital as they upgrade existing systems or install new, but often times they are asked to implement an access control or video system with as little disruption as possible to patients, employees and the overall security of the site.

Working in a health care environment is unlike any other setting. According to the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety, healthcare facilities are high-stress environments, requiring special security considerations.

So what is a security professional to do when it comes to embarking on a new security project? What are some of the steps systems integrators and security directors need to take to ensure a smooth transition with minimal interruptions to patients, nurses, doctors and also the security project itself?

Take a look at Yale-New Haven Hospital and Yale-New Haven Health Systems which recently underwent a large-scale security technology upgrade. It needed to occur with the least amount of disruption yet with the highest level of successful outcome.

Officials for the Connecticut-based, 1,500-bed, Level-I Trauma hospital, world-renowned for outstanding patient care and medical technology, undertook a sweeping overhaul of the hospital’s security technology.  This was done to maintain and enhance security and safety throughout the facility and campus while contributing to the premiere standards of patient care.

A significant part of the multi-tiered plan involved updating access control and credentials for more than 12,000 workers in both the hospital’s and the health care system’s network. More than 1,000 doors and readers were impacted.

So how does this occur without a major disruption in the critical workflow that the hospital undertakes each day? Unlike a 9-to-5 business, there are no opportunities to pause the system overnight or on a weekend so everyone can be outfitted with new cards and to swap out all the readers and associated hardware.

To accomplish this comprehensive and multi-stage migration and expansion, a strategy was deployed to run the new platform — Software House’s C•CURE 9000 security and event management system — on the front end using proximity technology, while still running the legacy access control system on the backend to support the existing card technology.

As new people were added to the credentialing system, they were placed, via the HR database, into both the new and the legacy systems so cardholders could use readers from both systems. This way the deployment could happen over time, without interfering with daily activities.

Also behind the scenes, YNHH upgraded its CCTV system to an IP surveillance network, added its first thermal imaging camera, continued its migration to IP cameras and made improvements in its centralized reporting functions. And yet, to the doctors, nurses, administrators, and most importantly to the patients, there were minimal outward signs that this was all taking place.

The benefits of improved security are myriad, from the ability to follow in real time, throughout the system, critical visuals, alarms and data; to the cost savings that come from streamlining and centralizing operations; to the ability to better meet the regulatory expectations from the various groups that govern hospital operations.

Yale-New Haven Hospital has always been at the forefront of technology, whether it was the first X-ray in 1896 or the development of the first artificial heart pump in 1949. Now, with its migration to a cutting-edge security network, it continues that long tradition and provides security professionals with great example of a successful security project in a health care setting.

To find out more about the full solution deployed at Yale-New Haven Hospital, click here to download the full case study.

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