March 2007
Features
By Erin Phelps
THE security industry has a long and proud history of working side by side with the government to develop new technologies that result in an improved way of life for Americans. While commercial security products and practices have deep affiliation with both government applications, military and non-military, a new breed of security concerns gave birth to new security requirements and solutions–especially those pertaining to border control.
By Dennis A. Muller
WHEN it comes to disaster planning, there are a number of questions to decipher to form a strong, actionable plan. What will you do if the lights go out and power can’t be restored for several days or weeks? Is it economically feasible to install a backup generator? Do you need a generator that will support an entire facility or is selective power restoration an option?
By Brenda Shmiel
IF you drank juice with your breakfast this morning, you probably enjoyed high-quality Florida oranges grown using commercial fertilizer produced by Mosaic Co. Formed through the merger of Cargill Crop Nutrition and IMC Global in 2004, Mosaic improves crop yields and livestock nutrition by mining, manufacturing and distributing fertilizer around the world.
By Jeff Brummett
THE security industry has gone through many paradigm shifts during the last 100 years. As is the case with every paradigm change, there are winners and losers. The security industry is no different. Business paradigm shifts seem to always create new opportunities. However, some of those opportunities leave a wake of destruction and demise in its path. Seeing and understanding a new paradigm before it happens can make or break any company, regardless how big or small the company might be.
By Del V. Salvi
IN the past five years, the world of video surveillance has experienced what is best known as the digital revolution. The migration from old, analog recording systems to DVRs has been sweeping. Walking the aisles at ISC West, one is bound to hear what has become an all too familiar murmur: “My, I can’t believe how pervasive and dominant DVR technology has become at this show.”
By Bob Beliles
The convergence of physical security and IP networks opens up opportunities for security operations personnel to better protect assets and people. But to take advantage of the opportunities, security operations must do away with fear, uncertainty and doubt that often surround running physical security on a IP network.
By Tony Lapolito
A heightened sense of awareness of threats that face the United States has placed ongoing pressure at a national, state and local level to keep citizens safe from terrorism, as well as natural disasters and other unplanned events.
By Tom Barry
Today, three out of four bank robbers are caught within 18 months of their crime.
FBI and local law enforcement efforts are aided by financial institutions using current technological advancements along with specialized training and practices by bank employees.
By Kim Lorusso, Kuppusami Natesan
THE retail banking industry is undergoing a significant transformation accompanied by increasing regulatory compliance requirements, consumer demands and industry consolidation—all while working to provide the best in customer service and maintain operational efficiency.
By Andy Solterbeck
PROVIDING a high level of protection for sensitive information is one of the most significant challenges faced by today’s enterprise network and security engineering groups. The traditional perimeter network security methods — passwords, firewalls and anti-virus — provide important protection, but cannot combat all threats present in today’s enterprise network environments.
By Robert Anderson
SECURITY has always been an issue of vital importance to aviation authorities all over the world. Airports and airlines are doing more to ensure that only authorized individuals have access to secure areas. For efficiency purposes, new security practices must be streamlined.
By Mark S. Bavousett, CPP
AS the security industry and those it serves evolve, it is no longer a question of whether you should switch to an IP video system—it is when you should switch over to IP video. Face it, it’s not just a digital world, it’s a network world, as well. In many cases, this is a result of technology crawl. For instance, you can still do your word processing with Word Star, the program you probably used when you first installed your analog CCTV system.
By Steven K. Aurand, Jon D. Groussman
TO a significant extent, shrink can be predicted and tamed with targeted security resources, institutional awareness and effective, operationally feasible countermeasures.
In statistical analysis, the goal is to explain variation and to determine what part of that variation is systematic and predictable.
Departments
By Col. Timothy D. Ringgold
A few hours after taking control of Congress and following 12 years of Republican dominance, House Democrats announced a plan they say will strengthen homeland security. Accusing Republicans of neglect, Democrats on the Homeland Security Committee say their plan will implement the unfinished 9/11 Commission recommendations; require private companies to prepare for terrorism; require the government to inspect cargo on passenger planes; and require all cargo containers carried on ships to be scanned and sealed before leaving for an American port.
By Karina Sanchez
REED Exhibitions has found a new love. Its heart is at the home—the smart home, that is. This year, in addition to the Urban Area Security Pavilion and IP Institute, ISC West is introducing its newest “show within a show”: SmartHome@ISC.
This new exhibit is designed to provide manufacturers access to a new and growing audience of ISC security professionals who are expanding their services into the custom electronics industry.
By Greg Young
MOST have heard stories of the so-called smart buildings that align security and access control functions with fire, HVAC, lighting and audio systems.
By Brent Dirks
WHILE school security in the United States continues to be a major concern, schools all over the world are overcoming numerous challenges to create a safe learning environment for students.
By Ralph C Jensen
IN early January, the Department of Homeland Security announced it had a whopping $1.7 billion for this fiscal year to be used for grants specifically related to counterterrorism efforts on the state and local level.
By Steve Beaulieu
AS an innovator of varifocal lens design, Tamron sees the CCTV industry following consumer trends into the 21st century. The industry will migrate from standard, color resolution to high resolution, much like the progression from black and white to color images.