Benchmark June 2020

Benchmark

TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION & SMART SOLUTIONS June 2020

Cloud

Adding Value with Services?

Innovation

The 2020 Finalists

Smart

Protection and Business Benefits

20 VMS Benefits

Top reasons to specify VMS solutions

Transport: Technology Options

Technology: Radar and LiDAR Sensors

Smart: Reducing Nuisance Alarms

CCTV Integration

Lift Access Control

Visitor Management

Lighting Control

Car Parking Access Control

Movement monitoring

Compliance with business systems & government regs

Manage from a single interface

Fire System Integration

INTEGRATED SECURITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

T: +44 845 470 5000 |

E: ireurope@innerrange.co.uk

innerrange.co.uk

contents jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_feb15 15/05/2020 12:56 Page 1

JUNE 2020

Contents 5 Editorial With a growing number of products and systems claiming to offer support for businesses dealing with COVID 19, it is important to apply caution.

6

6 20 Benefits of VMS VMS is a flexible tool which can form the basis of intelligent solutions. Benchmark considers the 20 most important benefits.

14 Sign up for Benchmark E-News Stay updated with the Benchmark E-News service and keep informed about tests, assessments, innovation and smart technologies.

16 Smart Transport Options The Transportation sector faces a number of challenges, but what role can intelligent technologies play in solving these?

24 Adding Value with the Cloud Editor Pete Conway E-mail: pete.conway@benchmarkmagazine.com

While on-premise VMS systems deliver a wide range of benefits, can adding cloud-based services elevate the technology for end users?

Advertisement Manager Paul Amura Tel: 020 8295 8307 E-mail: paul.amura@proactivpubs.co.uk

26 Enhanced Sensing

Production Matt Jarvis Tel: 020 8295 8300 E-mail: matt.jarvis@proactivpubs.co.uk Administration Tracey Cole Tel: 020 8295 8306 E-mail: tracey.cole@proactivpubs.co.uk

16

Radar and LiDAR-based sensors can offer higher levels of accuracy for end users.

28 Protection and Business Management VMS systems are an essential part of creating efficient security systems, but can also offer a range of business management benefits.

30 Why GPUs Matter As the smart systems sector embraces big data, the role of GPUs becomes more critical.

32 Cybersecurity The first step of cybersecurity – device hardening – is easy to implement and costs nothing.

33 Infrastructure News ISSN: 1750-1040 Editorial and Advertisement Office PO Box 332 Dartford DA1 9FF © Pro-Activ Publications Ltd 2020 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Benchmark reserves the right to alter, abridge or edit any submissions prior to publication. The views published in Benchmark are not necessarily those of the publisher.

While every care has been taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of material included in Benchmark, the publishers cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information contained herein, or any consequence arising from it. In the case of all product reviews, tests and assessments, judgements have been made in the context of the equipment supplied at the time of the review. Any judgements are based upon situations relevant at the time of writing, and comments relating to cost are based upon published prices available from major distributors.

Comments are based upon products and systems currently available in the UK market-place.

The latest news and technology updates from the world of infrastructure and cybersecurity.

36 Reducing Nuisance Alarms By adopting a smart approach, the thorny issue of nuisance alarms can be tackled, delivering better solutions for end users.

26

38 Benchmark Innovation Awards 2020 The finalists of the Benchmark Innovation Awards 2020 are revealed.

43 Optical Issues Investments in high resolution video will be wasted in the right lenses are not selected.

44 Bulletin New products and news of interest of integrators and end users seeking to create smart solutions.

49 Managing Compliance A benefit of smart solutions is the reduction of resources needed for compliance issues.

50 Benchmark Online Benchmark’s website is a valuable resource for those seeking to benefit from smart solutions.

3

FREE r u o y k Boo ow! n e c a l p

EXTR A DATE FOR S MAY

Texecom Academy Online Courses We are pleased to announce our May online training schedule, following unprecedented demand and engagement during April.

Throughout May we will be running a series of free online Texecom Academy workshops, Monday to Thursday every week until further notice.

Visit www.academy.texe.com/training to book your free place now!

Workshops will be delivered by one of our dedicated team. Courses are tailored for new and seasoned professionals alike and cover our extensive range of products and services.

Whether you are new to Texecom or an existing partner, we are sure you will find the workshops valuable.

Sales: +44 (0)1706 212524

training@texe.com

comment june20.qxp_000_Benchmark_feb15 15/05/2020 12:53 Page 1

COMMENT

Beware the Claims of Pandemic Solutions n times of difficulty or when social or economic situations throw up a number of new challenges, it doesn’t take long for technology companies to reinvent existing products or ideas in development to offer some type of solution. While it is true that such conditions also attract scammers of the lowest type, not all of the claims made will be dishonest. Indeed, a number of established and truster brands will also offer solutions, but it is critical integrators and end users consider the facts.

Already we’ve all seen advertisements and social media posts from companies we’ve never heard of claiming to be leaders in the field of video analytics with a solution to detecting those infected with COVID 19. The only advice when dealing with such companies is to use common sense. If you haven’t heard of them before, it’s not the time to start right now.

However, a number of trusted companies are adapting products to deliver some level of support for businesses and organisations looking to return to some level of operational capacity in the near future. Even so, integrators and end users must ensure the solutions they select will deliver the expected results.

For example, much has been made of the role thermal imaging can play in detecting those who are infected with COVID 19. Some end users will have seen news reports and therefore assume it might be prudent to use thermal devices to monitor staff or visitors. Of course, things aren’t that clear-cut.

The first consideration is a medical one. Not all COVID 19 carriers will have a temperature.

They might be at an early stage of infection, may be asymptomatic, or be one of the people who don’t have a temperature. Equally, not all people showing an elevated temperature will be infected with COVID 19.

One integrator recently had to stop his customer ordering the installation of thermal imagers. On enquiring why they were needed and hearing the answer, he had to explain the cameras requested (on the basis of cost) would not be able to detect specific

I

In recent weeks there has been a deluge of products which claim to offer solutions to COVID 19.

These range from temperature-based detection to video analytics to implement social distancing.

While some products can help, there is no simple tool to solve a complicated and on-going crisis. temperature ranges. The user’s assumption was all thermal imagers would’ve such functionality.

The final point is that many thermal imagers with temperature sensing are designed for industrial use. Many have tolerances of ±5 degrees, making them unsuitable for the high levels of accuracy required.

IVA can play a role in detecting people not wearing masks or being in groups or too close together, but it is vital people understand these are not absolute solutions to complex problems. Technology has a role to play, but expectations must be met.

COVID 19 is a matter of life or death, and ensuring solutions are not oversold is critical if society at all levels is to be protected by advanced systems or technology-based solutions.

5

vms benefits jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_feb15 12/05/2020 16:18 Page 1

VMS BENEFITS

Twenty Benefits of Implementing a VMS

For many years, developments in VMS software have made the technology a leading option when it comes to the design, implementation and use of smart solutions. Often only consider for video-based security applications, the reality is VMS software offers a huge range of benefits to end users across a wide range of applications. If more users were aware of the potential on offer, the uptake of the technology would probably be greater. mart solutions are increasingly in demand, with a growing number of businesses and organisations seeking higher levels of efficiency and a greater return on investment from their technology-based investments. One way of achieving this is to use a VMS as the base of the solution, as this software offers a high level of flexibility,

S

6

allowing the creation of bespoke solutions which meet a wide range of business needs, as well as delivering a high level of security and process monitoring.

All too often, a lack of understanding about the range of benefits on offer from a VMS can lead to either the wrong system being deployed, or the required features and functions not being implemented. Too often the reason for this is that the customer ‘didn’t ask for the required elements’.

To help better understand the available benefits, Benchmark has identified twenty of the more significant added-value benefits available from today’s VMS solutions. It has considered security, business intelligence and building management to try and encapsulate the depth of functionality on offer.

There are few solutions which cannot be improved by the implementation of a VMS, and with today’s advances the systems have never offered such a high degree of return on investment.

vms benefits jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_feb15 12/05/2020 16:18 Page 2

VMS BENEFITS

1

Try before you buy

While most VMS options deliver a similar level of performance and a core set of features and functions, systems do have important points of differentiation. While all VMS will manage video, some have specific features which will significantly enhance the benefits on offer to any given site.

In order to maximise the value, it is important to select a VMS which matches the site’s requirements. Users should never adapt their working practices to fit in with a VMS; the VMS should be flexible enough to fit around the business in question.

With VMS, there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach. Even different locations within the same business might specify different platforms to leverage certain benefits.

Most high-end VMS suppliers will provide demo software, and a number of the leading manufacturers Open Platform have free versions. The latter might have restrictions in terms of the number of supported devices, but often While the idea of a single-brand end-to-end solution they’ll deliver the full range of features. might sound beneficial, it does mean a system could Once the user is certain they have the correct be tied in to one manufacturer. Given the depth of solution, a licence upgrade will enable the additional flexibility available from VMS, this could be a mistake. capacity, meaning there’s no need to reinstall software.

If a VMS only supports the company’s own hardware, issues might arise in the future. For example, if another manufacturer introduces a device which solves a problem for you site, there’s no guarantee it can be added to a single-brand solution. Even specification standards such as ONVIF only cover typical functions, so while the device might be accessible, special features might not be deployable.

With an open platform VMS, the software provider will work with all manufacturers, creating specific drivers for their products. This not only allows a ‘best-of-breed’ approach to edge device selection, but it also means all features and functions of an edge device will be supported.

In a world of advanced integrations and IoT solutions, selecting a single brand solution could result in cost-efficiencies being missed, and any Return on Investment being minimised.

2

4

3

Bespoke Design

Because VMS solutions are software-based and use modern communications and network technologies, this allows system topologies to be designed with the needs of specific sites – in terms of performance needs, available resources and physical layout – in mind. Because the design of a solution can be optimised, this enables significant reductions in cost to be realised without any compromise on performance.

The flexibility allows resources to be deployed where they are needed, with no requirement for heavy-duty hardware to be used at a central location. This also ensures users can scale their investment when needed, rather than investing for any future expansion needs on day one.

Repurpose Legacy Infrastructure

One of the most costly elements of installing a smart solution, or upgrading from old sub-systems which did not allow for integration or smart operations, in the expense of recabling. Rip-and-replace approaches introduce disruption, are labourintensive and add to the overall cost of upgrades.

The VMS sector has, for many years, had to manage estates of devices which encompass a wide range of technologies, and as a result has a high degree of expertise in repurposing legacy infrastructure. It can achieve cost-effective results because it uses flexible topologies, can mix local on-site hardware with cloud-based services, and supports a wide range of devices designed to convert existing infrastructure into Ethernet-ready links.

Not only is it possible to achieve network connectivity and PoE delivery across legacy infrastructure such as coaxial cabling and unshielded twisted pair (UTP) links, but long reach links can be established, allowing TCP/IP connections far in excess of the standard 100 metres available from standard network devices; this is achieved without costly repeaters and comms cabinets.

Additionally, this legacy cabling can also be used for other networkbased systems which are be linked to the VMS. For example, spare ports could be used for VoIP telephony.

7

vms benefits jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_feb15 12/05/2020 16:18 Page 3

VMS BENEFITS

5

Simple Installation

As the options for servers and appliances increase, so VMS providers are increasingly aware of the diverse hardware which can be used by businesses and organisations. Some have dedicated teams managing the system, others share it between departments. Some users will be at a workstation, while others may be mobile, using a smart device such as a phone or tablet.

As a result, installation procedures have been simplified. Some use cloudbased tools to ensure any additional elements required for the VMS to run (for example, the .NET framework, SQL databases, etc.) are loaded on the server. If they are missing, they are added automatically.

Usually VMS software is provided as a single executable installer file, making the process simple. All that is required is for a database to be created, authentications to be set, and the installation tool does the rest of the work.

7

It would be fair to say there was a time when the installation and configuration of VMS systems required some advanced skills.

Often, even IT specialists were confused once the software was installed, because achieving optimum performance for multiple streams of high definition video required a lot of load balancing. Introduce video analytics, logical rules, video retention management and advanced search criteria, and the task became a challenge.

Today’s VMS systems are very different.

Like many smart software options, the use of Wizards has simplified the tasks, making what might have taken hours of work a few years ago a simple, fast and efficient task.

Scalability

One of the issues with hardwarebased systems is capacity. If, for example, you invest in a dedicated unit which supports 32 devices, what happens when you want to add a 33rd device? Often, the options are to buy another 32 channel unit, or to replace the existing 32 channel with a 64 channel model.

While it is good practice to consider future expansions, it can be difficult to stay within budgetary restraints and allow for future changes in technology. A good example comes from the rise of smart solutions. Five years ago, people specified video systems for one task: surveillance. A site might have needed 20 cameras to deliver effective security, so there was no need to consider anything larger than 24 channels in such a case.

Today, video is not only used for security.

Video adds benefits for site management, business intelligence, automation, workflow management, health and safety, traffic control, etc.. Our example site might now need 60 cameras to achieve security and a host of addedvale business and site management benefits.

With VMS, a simple licence-upgrade is all that is needed to increase capacity, thus giving truly scalable solutions.

8

6

Extensive Use of Wizards

8

Hardware Acceleration

Technology constantly advances, delivering increased performance which is beneficial to users seeking smart solutions. While VMS software is capable of keeping pace with many of the advances, it’s not always the case that the hardware can. While a VMS might be able to manage high resolution video, carry out transcoding to display video streams on mobile devices, implement advanced analytics and carry out smart searches, it doesn’t mean the hardware can cope with the required processing.

One of the more cost-effective ways of ramping up server processing capabilities is through the use of GPUs (graphical processing units).

Cost-effective and able to be added to many servers as plug-in cards, GPUs allow hardware acceleration to boost performance. Additionally, an increasing number of servers and appliances are shipped with GPUs on board.

In order to realise the benefits of hardware acceleration, many VMS systems include support for hardware acceleration. At times, this can be as simple as ticking a box in the configuration menus, allowing the software to leverage the additional processing capabilities inherent in graphics cards. Whether to smooth 4K displays, enhance analytics, increase search capabilities or ensure seamless delivery onto mobile devices, hardware acceleration is a plus for VMS.

vms benefits jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_feb15 12/05/2020 16:18 Page 4

VMS BENEFITS

9

Designed for Reliability

The growth in demand for IoT and intelligent building systems has seen a number of new solutions come to market. Many are designed and built to work primarily as building management systems. As a result, the emphasis has been placed on piggybacking other systems to save costs. However, VMS forms a backbone of critical life safety and security solutions, and as a result have been designed to offer a robust always-on option.

In such applications, it is simply not acceptable for connectivity to be lost or for systems to not have credible redundancy. Options such as automatic failover are commonplace, ensuring continuity, even in challenging circumstances.

This ensures that businesses and organisations who specify VMS software not only have security, safety and data management they can trust, but also can be assured business-related automation and smart triggering will not fail, resulting in operational losses for the user.

11

10

Not Just Video

It’s easy to consider the abbreviation VMS and hesitate at the V. When VMS systems were first introduced, they focused on video management and video management only. At that time, the limited processing power and basic computational systems made managing video enough of a challenge on its own. However, today’s VMS software is not only the best solution for video management, but it also handles a wide range of other data.

VMS systems are purpose-built to manage inputs and outputs from sensors and trigger devices, whether these are detecting motion, temperature, flow, footfall, heat, fluid ingress, etc.. They can also manage transactional data such as POS information, access control and cashless vending, two-way communications as text, audio or video, real-time system status updates including fault messages from other devices and systems, advanced analytics and reporting, and more.

It would be fair to say that a VMS used solely for video management is undoubtedly not delivering the full range of efficiencies and benefits it is capable of to the user. If the sole requirement is for video management, then it remains the best and most flexible tool, but today’s options are capable of so much more.

Multi-site Control

It’s not unusual to see businesses making use of systems whereby parts of the solution are ‘siloed’. For example, each system might have a separate user interface, with operators flicking between screens to take control during an incident or event.

This can also be the case where a business has multiple sites, with operators switching between duplicate screens to hop from one location to another. This need not be the case, as a VMS allows flexibility when it comes to how multiple sites are managed.

Displays, menus, data streams, reports, alarms and actions can be pulled from a number of sites and presented to an operator in whatever way is needed. The layouts can also be saved and delivered in certain conditions. For example, an ‘out of hours’ front end display can be established, meaning any operators logging in outside of working hours only see relevant information such as video from outside of secured buildings, or reports from critical site management systems. This simplifies and use and makes staffing more efficient.

12

IoT Management

We’ve already touched on VMS offering an open platform approach (see Number 2) and being for more than video data (see Number 10). This makes VMS a flexible, cost-effective control software for a huge range of IoT management tasks. When many businesses consider IoT, and specifically IoT for industrial site management and automation, one of the stumbling blocks is finding a control software package which can work with an array of different sensors and devices.

Not only can a VMS makes sense of a range of data inputs, it can link these and apply actions based on configurable criteria using Rules (see Number 15). This allows a range of data inputs to effectively ‘filter’ events to create very focused actions.

One of the issues of IoT is that manufacturers of edge devices also supply software. For example, a manufacturer of temperature sensors will supply software which is focused on temperature measurement, a vehicle counting sensor manufacturer will supply parking management software, etc.. A VMS is designed to be flexible and to manage data from a host of different sources. The adaptability is huge and allows for a wide range of criteria to influence and control how the system operates. This makes it ideal for true IoT integration.

9

vms benefits jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_feb15 12/05/2020 16:18 Page 5

VMS BENEFITS

13

AI and Deep Learning

Much is currently being made about the advances possible from increased use of artifical intelligence and machine learning techniques such as deep learning. These technologies are increasingly used by VMS software because they offer significant performance enhancements in terms of search, filtering and exception reporting.

In most HD video applications, each camera streams 25 frames of video every second, around the clock. This means a single HD camera will be streaming over two million frames of video. Consider the amount of data if a site has 100 cameras! Searching for a single incident which might last a few seconds can only be done efficiently using AI technologies.

The use of these developing techniques also pave the way for smarter implementations. Because of the software base of VMS solutions, the available systems will be able to leverage developments in AI and deep learning as they happen, keeping the systems future-proofed.

15

The Power of Rules

Rules (or Action Rules, Event Rules or other similar names) are simple-to-implement logical relationships between triggers or events and subsequent actions. These can be very simple, such as if motion is detected by a camera, video is recorded at high resolution in real-time for a defined period. However, by using multiple triggers combined with AND/OR operations, complex scenarios can be managed.

For example, different actions can be specified dependent upon site conditions. As an explanatory scenario, imagine a site which has regular deliveries throughout the working day. A Rule might be created which specifies if a lorry arrives at the depot gate between the hours of 9am and 5pm, and there is a vacant loading bay, allow the vehicles to enter and send a push notification to the depot manager. However, if there is no vacant loading bay, open a different barrier to allow access to a holding area.

A variation of the Rule might be to alert personnel if a vehicle smaller than a lorry tries to enter the depot, allowing it to be redirected to the correct entrance.

If any vehicle tries to enter the premises outside of working hours, the gates remain closed but high definition video is captured of the incident, and a video clip is sent, along with a notification, to the security team, whether they be onsite or at another location, who can then manage the event.

Rules can be triggered by detection devices, video analytics, a wide range of security and environmental sensors, transactions, site status changes, specific personnel entering or leaving the premises, time and date, system status reports or manual actions by an operator or user. Trigger events can be combined to add flexibility.

10

14

Integral IVA

16

Real-Time Reporting

Many of the leading VMS packages include some form of video analytics. These can be deployed for a number of applications ranging from security and safety through to building management, business intelligence and revenue generation tasks.

Analytics provide a high degree of flexibility when used in association with Rules (see Number 15), and can increase the ability for the creation of a truly bespoke solution.

While many edge devices can include video analytics, having an IVA option at the VMS also adds benefits. It can be used with live footage or applied retrospectively to archived video, allowing the identification of trends to generate accurate future predictions, as well as enhancing the ability to carry out forensic investigations, freeing up operator time and creating efficiencies in the control room.

As well as including a basic level of IVA, many VMS packages will be designed to easily integrate with high-level video analytics from third party partners. These integrations will have been tested and certified in terms of the available performance, and as such can be added with peace of mind as to how the integrations will work.

Because VMS-based systems were designed originally to focus on security, and because the protection of people, property and assets remains one of the core reasons for specifying such a system, the software reports events, incidents and changes in real-time.

Therefore, when additional non-security tasks are performed by the VMS software, the reports are still in real-time, allowing exact figures if, for example, the system delivers occupancy reports for buildings or car parks.

Often general site management tools will store data, buffering information until enough exists to warrant a ‘data dump’ to the main system. This latency leads to inaccurate reports, which can reduce available efficiencies. When a VMS is specified as the core of the system, it has been designed and built to ensure critical information is received as soon as possible, and as a result, this also means additional business management information arrives immediately.

DON’T WASTE TIME ON EMPTY THREATS Get the power of sensor-led visual verification

r e op t i c Microwav e ensor s s IR LiDAR I PR

F ib

Empty threats waste time and missed threats could have disastrous consequences.

For enhanced security, it makes sense to bring the power of two technologies together.

Our intelligent sensors can detect without being influenced by light or weather conditions and integrate with video systems to provide visual verification. Because vision can’t do it all, it makes sense to have sensor-led visual verification.

For more information visit www.optex-europe.com Expert in sensing technologies

INTRUSION DETECTION | TAILGATING DETECTION | VEHICLE DETECTION | PEOPLE & VEHICLE COUNTING | ENTRANCE DETECTION

P41243-Optex-Visual verification-280x210-v11.indd 1

03/02/2020 09:40

vms benefits jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_feb15 12/05/2020 16:18 Page 6

VMS BENEFITS

17

Added Services

In recent years, suppliers of VMS software have started to add services to their product portfolio, allowing an even easier way to add and expand solutions to best meet the needs of any given business or organisation. These services range from support features such as event logging and report generation, evidence trail creation or visualisation of assets and resources, through to very specific services for vertical sectors, such as barcode tracking in logistics operations, temperature monitoring for industrial plants and even passenger flow in airports and railway stations.

These additional services can be bolted on, with a monthly subscription charge for those used, via cloud-based offerings. This allows the end user to enjoy additional functionality without the need to expand their system or invest in infrastructure upgrades. It also allows temporary services to added as and when needed.

18

The vast majority of professional VMS companies have a portfolio of partners who specialise in the creation of plug-ins or applications which enhance the potential of the VMS. When an add-on from a partner company is selected, the end user has the peace of mind of knowing the partner has worked with the VMS company to ensure the integration is seamless, doesn’t impact on the VMS performance, and is adequately supported to deliver real benefits.

These VMS add-ons range from general video management tools, such as efficient archiving, display, search, tagging or filtering, through to more specialised tools which allow the VMS to offer enhanced benefits.

Most VMS manufacturers offer hundreds of partner add-ons, and these can include car park management tools, automatic traffic incident detection, heat mapping and queue management tools for retail, switching of lighting and HVAC, asset tracking around a site, people tracking, etc..

19

20

Bespoke Options

When considering hardware-based video management tools, there often isn’t a great degree of flexibility if you’re looking to use the system as a base for a smart solution. However, VMS software allows the creation of bespoke solutions which add benefits and deliver a return on investment.

For those who have previously worked with legacy hardware-based solutions, the sea-change available from the world of VMS might come as something of a surprise. This level of flexibility is not new, but all too often if the focus is solely on security surveillance, it’s not immediately obvious what else the systems are capable of.

It is critical to consider how a VMS will work for any given application, and remember that not all VMS options are the same. Indeed, two sites of similar sizes might require very different systems, dependent upon what they want to achieve. However, the one thing you can be sure of is if the right VMS is specified, there should be no need for compromise in terms of performance, features or functionality!

12

Simple Integrations

Business Intelligence

Business intelligence is the use of captured data to provide information or automate processes which assist in running core business procedures. It has a number of operational similarities with security and safety, in that devices capture real-time site status data which is then analysed, and if predefined criteria are met, an action is triggered.

The relevant data can be captured by cameras, sensors, access control and transactional systems, video or audio analytics, detectors and a whole range of other business-specific devices. This information enables the creation of a situational profile.

Analysis of this profile allows the system to determine whether predefined circumstances exist, and if they do, an appropriate action can be triggered as a result. As such, the business intelligence relationship is very similar to Rules-based systems using logical relationships to determine violations and subsequent actions. It is this similarity in the ‘cause and effect’ programming which allows VMS-based systems to additionally offer credible and efficient business intelligence.

vicon advertorial jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_may16 14/05/2020 14:58 Page 1

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

Vicon: Valerus VMS alerus from Vicon Security is a fully featured VMS (video management system) which has been designed for ease of use, making it more efficient for customers seeking to leverage the full power of their investment in video surveillance. The VMS boasts a wide range of powerful features to ensure the highest levels of protection, improved response times to incidents and events, faster and accurate forensic searches, and reduced ongoing costs.

Valerus has a strong focus on the use of an intuitive GUI, ensuring operators can easily navigate through the software and maintain control of the functionality. Ease of use is important when operators are under stress during an alarm event, and Valerus has been designed to allow use of a familiar web-based interface.

To ensure ease of configuration and support for a wide range of new and legacy devices, Valerus is constructed to deliver a standardsbased true open-platform philosophy. This ensures end users do not find themselves tied in to the use of a single brand system, or with limited options when it comes to edge devices.

Valerus is available in three versions – Core, Pro and Enterprise – so it meets the needs of any site, whether it has a requirement for a standalone system or a multi-site solution with advanced capabilities. There are no support fees or recurring costs, and licensing is simple.

V

Feature-rich Valerus delivers a depth of features and functions to ensure all security needs are met.

These include flexible options for live monitoring, centralised management of systems, including multi-site solutions, and high-performance video recording.

The VMS makes use of AI-driven analytics, ensuring that incidents are not missed. The flexibility on offer not only provides classleading levels of security, but can deliver benefits with regard to business intelligence, enhancing the return on investment for users.

Valerus SmartAction delivers real-time alerts which ensure operators are notified of alarm events, and programmed actions can be instigated by the VMS. Valerus SmartSearch uses AI-based algorithms to quickly and accurately find matches across the video database. This ensure forensic searches are

efficient and fast, allowing operators to take action and assess events with ease. Valerus Business Intelligence enables users to leverage the data gathered by the system, formulating reports which assist in business management and allow accurate trend predictions to be made.

Interactive mapping can be used to help operators make sense of sites and camera layouts, enabling them to visualise settings, even if the location is on another facility or in another country. The maps improve response time by delivering notifications of alarms and events, and operators can open screens to watch live or recorded video from the map itself.

Valerus offers deep integration with VAX Access Control, creating a complete security solution. Video can be linked with access control transactions, allowing operators to visually verify users and visitors, and investigate any exceptions or policy breaches.

Cybersecure Valerus has been designed to deliver compliance with cybersecurity policies, keeping the network and its data safe.

Failover technology and server redundancy protect against downtime, HTTPS and SSL support ensures connections are secure, and complex password policies can be added to meet corporate compliance needs.

For more information, visit: www.vicon-security.com 13

eNews.qxp_000_Benchmark_feb15 12/05/2020 16:03 Page 1

BENCHMARK TEST

Register for regular updates, free-of-charge!

Benchmark E-News Benchmark is the security industry’s only magazine that targets security installers and system integrators who are delivering bespoke and innovative solutions.

Written to help those who are designing, specifying and installing best-ofbreed systems, Benchmark helps its engineer-based readership by seeking out the most flexible and effective smart solutions.

Visit www.benchmarkmagazine.com today and sign up 14

Every week Benchmark sends registered readers e-mail-based content including new independent tests and technology assessments, informative articles, news and technical bulletins to ensure you are kept up to date.

Registration to receive Benchmark’s E-News service is free-of-charge and ensures you stay ahead of the crowd by having access to the latest industry information. Because the dedicated Benchmark team generate all of the editorial content, you can read tests and assessments that simply are not available elsewhere.

CathexisVision

CATHEXIS

Video Surveillance Management Solutions

Providing real return on investment efficiently and effectively in each and every industry sector.

The CathexisVision Software, with its extensive range of features and seamless integrations, provides efficient and effective surveillance solutions. This helps clients get the most out of their surveillance investment and reap reward for their companies.

Access Control Systems

Retail POS

Weighing Scales Fire Panels

Fence Systems

CathexisVision Standout Software Features include: 3rd Party Integrations Adjacent Camera Mapping

Mass Network Storage Escalators Weighbridges

Advanced Video Search Tool ANPR

Money Counter

Bookmarking Camera Reference Images Cyber Security Enterprise System Management

ANPR

Elevators Intercom Systems

Object Classification Video Analytics

IP Cameras

BACnet

PSIM

DVR/NVR’s

Effective Innovation info@cathexisvideo.com | www.cathexisvideo.com

Metal Detectors

transport options jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_nov16 12/05/2020 16:13 Page 1

TRANSPORT OPTIONS

Smart Options for the Transportation Sector Transportation is a critical infrastructure element which is vital for the continued and smooth operation of businesses and residental communities across the globe.

Whether local, regional, national or international, security and safety are major concerns, and when the deployed technology can add efficiencies too, the benefits of smart solutions are obvious. ransportation is a challenging sector when it comes to the delivery of smart solutions. When tasked with moving people and goods around a location, region or country, there are many criteria which must be met, and there is no room for compromise.

Passenger and staff safety ranks very highly, as does security. In a huge number of applications, these two aspects are so important they often underpin the purchasing decision when smart solutions are specified.

Indeed, in recent years, many of the other added-value benefits available from modern solutions have been ignored because the risks associated with missing a safety or security incident are too great. Thankfully, for transport operators, this need no longer be the case.

There can be no argument that with increased pressures on costs and service provision, transport operators are also having to increase their focus on efficiency. As technologies advance and communications become more fluid, it is increasingly considered foolhardy to pass up on many of the available benefits.

As processing capabilities grow in terms of power, and the value of big data is realised by

T

16

more departments within a transportation organisation, so the information being gathered is more valued and can play a role in an increased number of management tasks.

With higher levels of resilience on offer, operators can be assured the added value is achieved without any risk to the continuity of safety and security roles.

Even where systems are deployed solely to address safety and security concerns, performance of smarter systems can deliver more efficient operation, with faster and more accurate results, simpler searches and reporting, trend identification and detection of anomalies or unusual behaviours.

Developments in analytics, for example, mean that video can be employed to monitor level crossings or trackside locations for blockages, ensure platform edges in railway stations are clear, detect left bags or other items in airports, ports and stations, etc..

Sensors are available with increased accuracy, which can deliver X,Y coordinates to allow plotting of events or incidents on GPSenabled maps. Tracking of moving assets can be carried out in real-time.

For transport operators, smart solutions have never offered so much value.

transport options jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_nov16 12/05/2020 16:13 Page 2

TRANSPORT OPTIONS

360 Vision Technology supports Felixstowe Coastwatch The Predator Ultra HD PTZ video surveillance camera from 360 Vision Technology has entered service at the NCI’s Felixstowe lookout station, to help protect lives along the coastline of the River Deben estuary.

Felixstowe Coastwatch is a charity funded organisation with over 50 highly trained volunteers available to man lookout shifts. It’s also part of the NCI, an organisation established in 1994 to restore a visual watch along UK shores after many Coastguard stations were closed.

Under Felixstowe Coastwatch’s territory is the Deben estuary. Its treacherous shifting shingle banks and bar can present a challenge for maritime navigation.

Ian Clarke of Felixstowe Coastwatch stated, ‘Half of all call outs from the RNLI Harwich Lifeboat Station during 2016/17 were to attend incidents in this area, so it was clear that additional observation of the area would be beneficial and help to make it safer.’

Felixstowe Coastwatch’s Lookout is built on top of Martello Tower P, one of the towers built in the 1800s as a defence against invasion by Napoleon.

The first consideration to tackle maritime issues in the estuary was to build an additional lookout tower, but was decided against as it was a prohibitively costly exercise. Following a visit to the NCI Station at Portland Bill, the use of video was investigated. Visits to the Port of Felixstowe, the Felixstowe Town CCTV centre and the Great Yarmouth Port Authority allowed the team to see 360 Vision Predator in action.

Impressed by the quality of its images, a demonstration was arranged and a business case developed.

Approval of the project was granted and the Predator Ultra HD was installed after budget was obtained from council-allocated monies and fundraising events organised by Felixstowe Coastwatch volunteers.

With no line of sight from the camera to the lookout tower, a wireless transmission

solution was employed, using a belfry tower at a midway point in Felixstowe, where the signal is relayed to enable control and recording of the high definition images back at the lookout station.

All surveillance video is archived for retrospective investigation, and the system also enjoys seamless ONVIF integration into Cambridge Pixel’s RadarWatch, a flexible client display application for radar display and target tracking. This allows Felixstowe Coastwatch’s operators to set up virtual tripwire lines across dangerous areas of the river and shallow waters close to the main shipping channel. Once crossed by a vessel, the alarm alerts operators and provides immediate verification of a vessel’s precise location, along with high-definition visual verification from the Predator camera.

Also displayed as an overlay on screen is Automatic Identification System (AIS) ship transponder information for each vessel, including a compass bearing supplied by the Predator camera’s head, which indicates which way the camera is pointing.

The innovative installation has been so successful that Felixstowe Coastwatch are currently looking at other areas of the coast where cameras could assist with their daily operations, protecting the public and maritime traffic.

Karsa Oy cargo screening Karsa Oy’s innovative Chemical Ionisation Mass Spectrometry technology has been adapted for the detection of explosives in air cargo. The Finnish start-up launched the ultra-sensitive chemical threat detection technology to help with climate change research, but it has been proven to detect developing chemical threats with high sensitivity and specificity to provide dramatically increased detection capabilities at lower costs than current technologies available in the aviation sector, according to the company. It is claimed the technology can transform civil aviation security, beginning with air cargo screening.

17

transport options jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_nov16 12/05/2020 16:13 Page 3

TRANSPORT OPTIONS

AMG Systems supports Belfast traffic management

ATG Access protects Changi Airport The prestigious Jewel complex at Singapore’s Changi Airport has enhanced its perimeter protection. Changi Airport has launched Jewel: a mixed-use, lifestyle hub for visitors.

With building costs of $1.25 billion and a footprint of 1.46 million square feet, Jewel includes sky gardens, the world’s largest indoor waterfall, aviation lounges, restaurants and over 300 shops.

As the main airport site is fully operational around the clock, the security measures placed around the terminal needed to be installed quickly and effectively. With this in mind, ATG Access utilised its shallow mount technology, which delivers maximum security with minimum disruption.

More than 1,000 impact-tested Shallow Mount Bollards and Shallow Mount Lift-out Bollards, requiring a foundation depth of just 112mm, were deployed around the airport. To ensure the security products complemented the aesthetics of the terminal and surrounding areas, they were coated in varying shades of silver.

In order to meet client specification, ATG worked with its local partner in Singapore to test and certify the lift-out product, meaning it was one of the first impact tested lift-out bollards in the industry.

Following this, all of the products were developed at ATG’s manufacturing facility in Singapore.

Changi airport has taken security very seriously over the last eight years, ensuring all terminals are protected from potential terrorist attacks or security breaches.

18

AMG Systems has been commissioned to help digitise the traffic monitoring system for newly-extended hard shoulder bus lanes on Belfast’s main motorways, to make them more efficient, secure and reliable. A new IP-based video system was being installed as part of the extension project, so the underlying fibre network needed to be upgraded in order to handle the video images being transmitted back to the city’s Traffic Information and Control Centre (TICC).

AMG, working with Juniper Networks, implemented the project working together with numerous government agencies and private construction contractors to create a cost-efficient, robust solution for Belfast’s M1 and M2 motorways.

The tender was to work on the extension of hard shoulder bus lanes along the M1 and M2 motorways, intended to improve journey times and service reliability for bus passengers without affecting general traffic flows. The work included the provision of new and upgraded PTZ cameras for traffic monitoring purposes by the TICC in Belfast.

Hikvision PTZ cameras – installed by Chubb – were used for traffic monitoring, but connecting them to the legacy Pelco system was not straightforward, which is where AMG Systems and Juniper Networks came in.

On each motorway, the existing fibre network had only two spare fibres, so all images had to be combined, allowing for a resilient ring so if one fibre broke, the other would be able to transmit all the images.

The network design utilises nine AMG switches on the M1 fibres and 15 switches for the M2. At the TICC control room, there are a further four AMG switches which allow the cameras to connect to the existing Pelco monitoring equipment.

Network connections were further complicated as the existing system required use of multi-casting and VLANs, and an existing firewall had to be factored in.

A4 Template.indd 1

11/10/2019 16:33

transport options jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_nov16 12/05/2020 16:13 Page 4

TRANSPORT OPTIONS

CEM Systems protects Bahrain Airport Johnson Controls has delivered the aviation specific CEM Systems AC2000 Airport access control solution to secure Bahrain International Airport.

The software and hardware is installed at the airport to ensure the highest level of integrated security and assist in controlling passenger flow across the airport.

IPS Public Transport Protection IPS Public Transport Protection is an intelligent video analytics module for realtime alerts in the event of potential emergencies in underground or overground railway installations. It recognises people and trains, determines the presence and behaviour of people on the platform and identifies people in the track bed.

The analytics facilitate the reliable detection of dangerous situations, even under difficult weather conditions.

Installation and configuration is straightforward, and the module is suitable for indoor and outdoor applications.

Machine learning technologies are used to identify trains and sense potential incidents or causes of disruption. With realtime alerting, potential emergencies in monitored areas can be reduced.

Users are able to configure safety strip and track bed zones, and define object sizes, perspectives and application variants.

20

Bahrain International Airport is located in Muharraq, an island about 7km northeast of the capital Manama. The airport is currently undergoing a $1.1 billion expansion that will boost the airport's capacity to fourteen million passengers per year.

CEM Systems’ AC2000 Airport has a proven record as one of the most reliable and resilient access control and security management solutions available for aviation security. It not only provides Bahrain International Airport with advanced access control throughout terminal buildings and along the airside and landside boundaries, but it also provides a range of software applications to enhance the airport’s on-site operations and increase business efficiency.

Hanwha Techwin Serverless ANPR Hanwha Techwin offers a range of Intelligent Traffic Management solutions, and recently added a cost-effective serverless ANPR solution.

The use of easy-to-configure camerato-camera IP-based communication technology enables up to four Wisenet ANPR cameras to simultaneously capture and transmit ANPR data to a convenient user interface. The cameras are configured as a single master unit and three slave units; the latter send data back to the master, ensuring a unified system is in place.

By taking advantage of powerful integral chipsets, the serverless ANPR solution is both easy to configure and delivers high levels of reliability, with a quoted 95 per cent accuracy rate capturing number-plates of vehicles moving at up to 31mph.

The ANPR camera-based solution provides the opportunity to automatically control the movement of up to 1,000 whitelisted vehicles, with barriers or gates controlled via camera relay outputs.

The system can also provide car park management information, such as time spent on site, as well as overall occupancy rates, all without having to incur the cost of installing and running the application on a server.

transport options jun20_v9_000_Benchmark_nov16 12/05/2020 16:14 Page 5

TRANSPORT OPTIONS

Siqura protects tunnel traffic Siqura has delivered bespoke cameras and software for an integrated solution in three major tunnels in the Czech Republic. The technology has been fully modernised with upgrades for security, lighting, air conditioning and control systems.

Siqura made use of its XCU Fusion and TrafficPTZ cameras.

The XCU Fusion is a rugged dual imaging (thermal/optical) camera for demanding environments, with protection against corrosion as it is entirely made of powder-coated stainless steel . The housing is hermetically sealed against water and dust ingress.

The TrafficPTZ Ultimo is a highprecision, full-featured PTZ camera providing high-quality, high-definition images. The integrated 30x optical zoom, in combination with the dual LED illuminators and embedded image stabilisation, makes it ideal for traffic applications.

Nortech NorParc NorParc is a Windows-based counting and parking guidance system from Nortech, which provides centralised count management, monitoring and guidance control for parking facilities which) have multiple entry and exit points.

Nortech’s counting solution includes a comprehensive range of high-intensity RGB variable message signs that use low profile LED matrices offering bright, clear messages indicating available spaces and status messages.

Each panel can display count values of up to 5 digits and, depending upon the sign variant, there are options to display FULL, OPEN or SPACE and direction arrows.

The range includes single level internal and external signs plus self-contained multilevel information signs.

External signs meet the EN 12966 standard for visual, physical and durability, and provide high optical performance. External models are housed in robust weatherproof aluminium housing (IP65). Signs are available as single count displays or multilevel displays with additional information such as headings, logos, symbols and individual titles.

22

Hikvision DS-MP5604N Mobile NVR The DS-MP5604N is a four channel NVR for mobile applications such as transport vehicles. The cameras are connected via an integral PoE switch, eliminating the need for power to the edge devices. Resolutions of up to four megapixels are supported, using H.264 or H.265 compression.

The NVR can support two 2.5 inch HDDs or SSDs, and hard disk vibration damping technology is used to deliver reliability when on the move. As a back-up, the NVR also store video to an internal SD card if the HDDs or SSDs are damaged.

The NVR is equipped with a 3G/4G module and Wi-Fi module, providing flexible data transmission options. A built-in GPS module allows precise positioning data for the vehicle to be transmitted via satellite, with the location information also recorded in the video stream.

Driving information, such as vehicle turns, braking, reversing, etc., are also recorded.

Axis P39 Cameras The AXIS P39 Network Camera Series is a family of high-performance network cameras specifically designed for mobile video surveillance on board vehicles and rolling stock, like buses, trains and emergency vehicles. The cameras feature protection against dust and water ingress, and can withstand harsh conditions such as vibrations, shocks, bumps, and temperature fluctuations.

The cameras feature a compact, rugged design to ensure resilience when mounted in public areas of the vehicles. Designed to comply with transportation industry regulations, the units also feature audio inputs and outputs, allowing for two-way communication in the event of an incident.

The AXIS P39 Series cameras feature a number of video enhancement tools, such as technologies for challenging lighting in the form of WDR – Forensic Capture and Axis Lightfinder, as well as Axis Zipstream technology.

Axis Zipstream is a dynamic encoding technology which reduces bandwidth and storage needs, an important consideration for mobile systems, while preserving important video footage which contains details required for evidence or forensic investigations.

axis advertorial jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_feb15 14/05/2020 14:52 Page 1

TECHNOLOGY

Creating Added Value with Network Audio Technology While video surveillance remains a great tool for security and can also add a variety of benefits for many applications as an enabling technology, linking it with network audio can further increase the value available to end users in a number of diverse applications. ew applications for smart solutions are always cropping up as an increasing number of end users seek greater value and an enhanced return on investment from their systems. As a result, forward-thinking system integrators can meet customer expectations by developing cutting-edge bespoke solutions to address security, safety and business management goals. With a greater emphasis on IoT systems, and specifically network-based audio, a greater number of customers can enjoy everyday benefits for well designed systems.

When considering the implementation of network audio technology, there are three distinct use-cases which can be met: security/safety, public address and background audio.

Whether issuing a verbal challenge, warning staff or site visitors of potential hazards, welcoming guests, issuing marketing announcements, helping in an evacuation situation of providing assistance, the potential for network audio solutions is greatly underused in many applications.

However, thanks to today’s evolving technologies, emerging options offer an ever greater level of flexibility, which in turn leads to better meeting (and exceeding) end user expectations.

Network-based audio has always offered an ideal addition to a video solution, enabling users to ensure their staff and visitors to their business or organisation are kept safe, and can also be informed of any critical

N

information or business updates via live or recorded announcements. Messages may be as simple as summoning a member of staff, informing visitors a facility is due to close, announcing special offers or promotions, or playing background music. Indeed, because of the inherent flexibility, network audi solutions can deliver all these benefits and more.

Axis Communications has made the task of adding audio capabilities simpler with the launch of the AXIS C1410 Network Mini Speaker. The device can be used as part of a full system or in standalone mode with no need for a separate power amplifier or signal processor. The unit’s digital signal processing ensures the miniature speaker delivers clear voice messages, and the device can support the use of pre-recorded messages stored in its memory.

Users can also interact with the speaker.

The AXIS C1410 includes a built-in microphone and test tone generator so its operational status can be easily checked.

Other features include an integral PIR sensor, which allows announcements to be triggered by motion in the vicinity of the unit.

The AXIS C1410 can be integrated with VMS, VoIP telephony and analytics from Axis and its partners.

For more information, visit: https://axis.com

23

milestone smart jun20_v9_000_Benchmark_apr15 13/05/2020 20:20 Page 1

SMART SOLUTIONS

Adding Value with Video as a Service approach which is paid for via a fixed recurring subscription.

In a growing number of commercial sectors, cloud services are not only expected, but are demanded by end users. The tide of opinion and acceptability has turned very much in favour of service-based solutions for a whole raft of reasons. Fears about unreliability, high costs and fragile infrastructure have become a thing of the past. Today, the majority of businesses and organisations rely on cloud services for their core operations, so they’re unlikely to have any qualms about using the technology to protect their premises, people and assets.

However, while this widespread acceptance signals a readiness in the market for VSaaS (video surveillance as a service), it doesn’t mean any VSaaS system will be suitable for forward-thinking businesses and organisations. As with the adoption of any emerging technology, end users need to be assured the services they are investing in are robust, secure, flexible and will add value to the day-to-day business operations.

An increasing number of businesses and organisations appreciate the benefits of ‘as-aService’ provisions. Cloud-based solutions offer a high level of flexibility, ease of implementation and Service-based benefits configuration, and deliver enhanced functionality for Cloud services, and especially video-based the end user without incurring significant capital services, vary in functionality dependent upon the level of provision being offered. Video costs. The subscription-based model makes sense systems can be fully cloud-based, or might when implementing a smart service-based solution offer a hybrid solution, where a local hardware-based system is supplemented with which provides a tangible return on investment. additional services and/or features which are cross the commercial and industrial sectors, an increasing number of today’s critical business and process applications and associated technologies increasingly make use of the cloud and associated services. The growth of SaaS (software as a service) is accepted by the vast majority of commercial clients as the norm.

Where once businesses wanted ‘ownership’ of their systems, today they prefer a servicebased offering. This enables them to exchange the labour-intensive elements of system management – maintenance, managing upgrades and investing capital in hardware and processing — for a simpler

A

24

accessed via a cloud service. In some cases, the system might operate as expected on a local level, but additional features are achieved through cloud connectivity.

It must be remembered that it’s not the cloud which is important, but the service provided! The cloud is merely the infrastructure used for delivery, a remote network which can be connected to in order to benefit from the features and functions of a video management system. It is the delivered benefits and operational performance which will give the end user a return on investment.

As such, it is critical to assess how the service will add efficiencies in everyday use. If a business case can be made for the

milestone smart jun20_v9_000_Benchmark_apr15 13/05/2020 20:20 Page 2

SMART SOLUTIONS

deployment of the available services, then it is vital that the provision is further investigated to ensure the end user receives the best possible outcome for their investment.

Many integrators and end users will already be using cloud-based services across their sites, even if they are unaware of it. Many systems will offer an intuitive interface enabling users to remotely manage the basic configurations of their systems. The interface will inevitably be cloud-based. Equally, if the user receives notifications or can generate reports to share with other authorised persons, again this will usually be cloudbased.

The cloud is ideal for such purposes as a wide range of operators and users can access the information or manage system parameters without a need to interact with the core operational system. The benefits of such a solution can be enjoyed by many, but options for user error are reduced, enhancing site security.

With a growing focus on cybersecurity, cloud services also ensure any rogue users cannot interact directly with the system’s OS or software. Often, the cloud service provider will be better equipped to implement and maintain cybersecurity best practice, and can help ensure data security remains strict and compliant with any necessary standards.

Increasingly, cloud data centres use heavy duty servers with a surplus of processing power. The result is the end user enjoys the benefits of the latest technologies with a need to invest in or maintain expensive hardware.

Other benefits are the hardware and software is always up-to-date, as it is all managed centrally.

It should also be remembered that as video becomes a critical part of IoT deployments, surveillance systems are no longer just for security. Site management, building automation and business intelligence benefits can all be realised, and these significantly enhance the return on investment for the end user. Many of the potential benefits make use of metadata, and a cloud environment is the perfect place to process such information, given its role in so many services.

Cloud services can analyse, share and use the real-time information gathered from metadata. This can be associated with video analytics, enabling alarm and incident reports to be shared, but the insights are not limited to security.

to launch XProtect as a cloud-based service running on AWS (Amazon Web Services). This will allow users to deploy the XProtect video management system across numerous sites worldwide, with the ability to dynamically scale the functionality and system capacity on demand, with minimal hardware use and maintenance needs.

XProtect on AWS is a cloud-based VMS deployment which offers an alternative to onpremise installations. The new service will allow customers to deploy the same XProtect features and functions as the on-premise VMS in just minutes. This not only simplifies the installation and configuration processes, but also allows computational resources, storage, and networking capacity to be dynamically scaled at any time, as and when needed.

The XProtect on AWS solution leverages the inherent flexibility of cloud computing to remove the challenges involved in setting up on-premise systems, resulting in a dynamic solution which can be adapted to meet the growing needs of any business.

Benefits which users and Integrators will enjoy include the ability to access all necessary IT resources immediately, as required, with the chance to dynamically scale resources. This flexibility will also enable implementations of multi-site systems in any AWS region, including temporary sites, with no long-term contracts or commitments.

Next Issue Benchmark takes an in-depth look at the features, functions and operational processes associated XProtect on AWS deployments.

The Milestone option To meet the growing demand for cloud-based video management services, Milestone is set 25

radar jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_feb15 12/05/2020 16:10 Page 1

SMART DETECTION

SMART SENSORS: A Better Approach to Detection?

When new and advanced technologies first entered the intruder detection space, some integrators and installers – and a number of manufacturers for that matter – questioned whether there was any need for them. Costly, bulky and complex to install and configure, the laser- and radar-based advanced sensors didn’t seem to offer enough flexibility to justify the issues associated with them. In today’s evolving market, do the units make more sense? ne of the more significant changes in the world of detection has been the increased use of laser- and radar-based technologies. Economies of scale are allowing more manufacturers to take advantage of functionality which was previously out of their reach financially. However, when these devices first appeared, it was difficult to make a compelling business case for their use.

One of the first laser-based intruder detection detectors available for mainstream security applications offered the ability to create highly customised areas of coverage, with curtain-type detection fields which covered large open areas. While this was a

O

26

benefit, the cost of the devices, coupled with the complexity of the installation and configuration, made them hard to justify.

It is also worth pointing out that when the first units were being unveiled, the security sector was a very different place. The flexibility simply didn’t exist to allow security systems to provide added value or additional benefits. Smart edge devices were often hamstrung by controllers and management systems with limited functionality. Also, the appetite for smart systems wasn’t there, neither with integrators and installers, nor with end users.

There were theoretical ideas as to how the new technologies could enhance security and site protection, but transferring these into reality did not always make economic sense for mainstream intruder detection systems.

However, the technologies were more attractive to the video surveillance sector, as they could provide exact X-Y coordinates for the location of an alarm event. This allows the captured data to be used, via GPS overlays, for geolocation data.

Radar and Lidar detectors pinpoint the exact location of a target, and the data can then be converted, usually via a camera or VMS plug-in, into GPS co-ordinates. These can be used to track targets, to switch devices or to drive absolute positioning PTZ domes.

This has resulted in an increased use of the technologies in video surveillance applications. However, this does not mean the next generation sensors don’t offer benefits in intruder-based detection scenarios.

For example, the units do not suffer from many of the nuisance alarm triggers which impact on the performance of standard intruder detection devices. They can also detect targets based on size, speed and direction.

The technologies are not dependent on visible information, so darkness, fog or other climatic conditions won’t prevent accurate detection. The devices are also immune to issues created by hot and cold air blasts, shadows, beams of light, small animals, birds, insects, etc..

radar jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_feb15 12/05/2020 16:10 Page 2

SMART DETECTION

GJD Security: GJD500 D-TECT Laser The GJD500 D-TECT Laser is a laser-based security sensor with a range of up to 25 metres. It is designed to create virtual curtains and surveillance security zones.

Because of the exact nature of laser detection, the GJD500 is programmable to within 100mm and deliver high levels of precision for accurate detection Laser-based detection is suitable for sensing pedestrians and vehicles. Due to its ability to create curtain-type coverage it is ideal for perimeter protection and intrusion detection. However, this also makes it ideal for a wide range of event-based tasks that can deliver business intelligence, health and safety or system automation.

Laser detection delivers exact X-Y coordinates, allowing triggered actions to be based upon the exact location of any activity. This allows bespoke responses to be generated.

SICK: Visionary-T DT The Visionary-T DT sensor is a plug-andplay 3D sensor. The device makes use of single-snapshot Time of Flight technology.

The sensor makes use of integral image processing, ensuring it can be added to new or legacy installations without the need for dedicated processing hardware or infrastructure.

The sensor can easily be configured to detect either the presence or absence of objects. As a result, it offers a versatile and flexible entry-level option for the protection of exhibits or communal assets, as well as of large and complex wall-standing or mounted items such as furniture, stored items and statues.

The 3D sensors offer flexibility for indoor use due to the implementation of SICK’s snapshot technology. This provides real-time information for every pixel based on time of flight measurements, even for stationary applications.

The sensors capture high-resolution 3D images with one shot of light. With a sensing area range of up to 50 x 45 metres at 40 metre range, the light burst illuminates matt and dark coloured objects, and adjustable filters allow optimisation for enhanced detection.

OPTEX: REDSCAN RLS-3060 The REDSCAN RLS-3060 laser scanner series offers advanced functionality, high performance and flexibility for a variety of applications. The units detect a moving object’s size, speed and distance, and process the data with a built in algorithm, resulting in high reliability with minimal false alarms. The detector can be mounted vertically or horizontally.

Four detection areas can be independently adjusted on an analogue connection, while up to eight areas can be adjusted on an IP connection. The shape of the detection area can be customised to match the site. Area Allocation or Masking functions enable users to define independent detection zones.

An Indoor/Outdoor Loitering Detection Mode detects loitering and similar suspicious behaviour by monitoring people and objects, generating an alarm condition if they stay in the detection area for a longer period that the user-defined time window.

The more advanced RLS-3060-SH laser scanner model is designed for harsh environments. It features a Detection Range Expansion mode to extend the range from a 30 to a 50 metre radius. When used in horizontal mode, this allows creation of a prewarning zone.

Axis Communications: AXIS D2050-VE The AXIS D2050-VE is a radar detector which provides reliable and accurate detection. The radar senses approaching people and vehicles and provides fast and effective intrusion notifications. As the sensor is radar-based, it can be linked with PTZ-enabled cameras to deliver accurate tracking of suspects.

The detector offers horizontal detection coverage over a 120 degree field of view, with a maximum sensing range of 50 metres, providing exact information about the realtime position of an object, allowing systems to utilise data such as the angle of movement and velocity of a target.

When integrated with video applications, the sensor enables alarm filtering based upon distance and customisable detection zones.

This ensures nuisance activations are kept to a minimum. The sensor also enables AXIS Radar Autotracking for PTZ cameras.

Radar technology is a good complementary technology to video surveillance, as it delivers alarm verification where cameras with motion detection and video analytics are deployed, allowing the implementation of a ‘double knock’ scenario.

27

cathexis smart jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_apr15 15/05/2020 12:45 Page 1

SMART SOLUTIONS

Enhanced Protection and Business Efficiencies

The vast majority of end users will seek a videobased system for security and safety purposes, and with today’s advanced VMS solutions, they are sure to receive a powerful, flexible and smart system.

However, the modern VMS can add value and boost the return on investment by providing a depth of real-time data which can be beneficial in a range of business management tasks. ideo technology is a great enabler across a whole range of business use-cases, and video surveillance is unquestionably one of the most valuable tools when mitigating risks and offsetting threats against people, property and assets. Video not only offers protection to a significant number of businesses and organisations around the world against a wide range of risks, but it also allows users to reap additional benefits via business intelligence, site management, automation and data sharing. In the 21st century, video is acknowledged as a benefit across a wide range of business functions.

Video data is of great value because it is something people can make sense of. It allows a high degree of intuition to be applied to incident and events, because of the nature of the information.

V

28

Because video captures data that humans easily understand – visual information – it enables operators, and software which has been designed for the task, to apply logic when making decisions.

This familiarity with the information contained in video also makes the decisions about what the system needs to achieve simpler. For example, if a video stream which covers a site entrance is captured, it is a simple task for the user to understand how they can use the gathered information. Do they want to be alerted if gates at the entrance are opened or closed? Do they need to take action if the entrance is blocked? How do vehicles or pedestrians behave when they enter the site? Is there a need to create a notification if pedestrians walk in the road, or if vehicles take a wrong turn?

Because people can easily assess visual information and make decisions based on it, the possibilities available from video surveillance are significant. More often than not, video-based alarms are created based on exceptions to typical behaviour which works well. Known exceptions are easy to legislate for. However, security is not always about the expected. Unanticipated events will need to be addressed, and video solutions can include features and functions to ensure operators and other personnel are more efficient when dealing with incidents.

Many who have worked with ‘traditional’ video surveillance will be aware of a few limitations of older technologies.

Predominantly hardware-based video systems weren’t always intuitive; often training was needed just to view and replay footage.

Searching was slow and cumbersome, especially if the camera count was high.

Extracting information about site activity and non-alarm events was nigh-on impossible, and sharing data with other departments was not a credible option. However, modern systems have eradicated these issues with the introduction of the VMS.

VMS benefits Although capable of delivering a high level of functionality and bespoke solutions, VMS

cathexis smart jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_apr15 15/05/2020 12:45 Page 2

SMART SOLUTIONS

systems are not expensive, nor are they complicated to use, and are not limited to sites with large camera counts. The size of the customer’s business, the number of devices used and the budget are not barriers to using a VMS. It is important to also realise that VMS solutions are not just for video! VMS packages support connection with cameras, video codecs, recording devices, access control, intruder alarm systems (and standalone detectors and sensors of various types), perimeter protection systems, fire detection, safety and building management systems.

Increasingly, VMS software also integrates with a host of IoT devices which are ideal for smart solutions. These include – but are not limited to – lighting, audio broadcast, communications, environmental monitoring, digital signage and displays, elevator control, HVAC management, power and energy management, real-time status reporting, vehicle tracking, etc..

The functionality available from a typical VMS goes above and beyond that offered by hardware-based video systems. Because the VMS is software-based, it is inherently more flexible. Creating a bespoke solution which might be complicated or impossible with hardware can be achieved with ease via a VMS, often using little more than drop-down menus and simple selection buttons.

VMS solutions do all the things traditional video surveillance systems do: record, play and display video. That much is expected.

However, the software can also offer advanced management of video, whether that be sharing it across a business or organisation, tracking events and incidents, applying smart AI-based analytics for a range of tasks, managing data that makes the business operations more efficient, or using that data to control other systems and technologies.

VMS software makes use of an open platform approach in terms of support for third party devices. A VMS allows freedom to select the best-of-breed third party devices from a huge range including all the leading professional brands. This ensures the user can leverage the investment in legacy equipment, along with the ability to scale their future system as new technologies and devices become available.

connected devices, the number of servers and sites needed, and advanced functionalities.

This ensures users do not pay for features they don’t need.

CathexisVision features direct integrations supporting the majority of leading camera brands in the surveillance market, along with a number of specialist options such as panoramic cameras and devices using edgebased technologies. It also supports ONVIF. CathexisVision boasts an extended range of features, which ensure access to a sophisticated and intuitive VMS software package. It dramatically reduces false alarms and provides accurate information for users who use event triggers. This is achieved through the use of Object Classification algorithms, which use sophisticated Neural Network technology. These algorithms allow use of an additional rule in the decisionmaking process, only triggering events if the detected object is of a pre-determined type, for example person or vehicle.

The advanced algorithms allow users to precisely identify objects and events in an area and act decisively. The object classification AI algorithm builds a database, which enables Object Searches of recorded video, for example searching for all red cars in a defined area within the previous week.

The VMS is also designed to be cybersecure, and to offer functions which prevent the loss of critical data.

Next Issue Benchmark takes an in-depth look at the features, functions and operational processes available from CathexisVision 2020.

The CathexisVision advantage CathexisVision is an open-platform VMS package combining flexibility, feature-rich functionality and ease of use. It is available in a number of variants to suit specific site requirements based upon number of 29

gpus jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_feb15 12/05/2020 16:05 Page 1

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Understanding GPUs

The benefits on offer from Artifical Intelligence, Machine Learning and Deep Learning are numerous, but performance is often dependent upon the use of suitable hardware. Using GPUs (graphics processing units) is increasingly common, but what is a GPU, and why do they matter? or many, the developments in Artifical Intelligence, Machine Learning and Deep Learning enable the creation of ever more innovative and bespoke solutions. The potential is huge, and as processing power increases further (as it inevitably will), the opportunities which will be opened up by these technologies can only increase.

Faster computational speed and rmore powerful resources equate to the ability to run more processes and algorithms simultaneously, which in turn enables the creation of more intelligent systems. However, smart systems only make sense if they have a convincing use-case. Without a demand from businesses and organisations, the best technologies will not impact on the smart solutions market.

F

Which technology?

To understand why GPUs are important, it is worth considering the various smart technologies. Often the terms Artifical Intelligence, Machine Learning and Deep Learning are used interchangeably. Whilst the technologies are linked, they are different.

Artifical Intelligence (AI) is the overarching technology. Both Machine Learning and Deep 30

Learning are part of the AI landscape. The clearest definition of AI is where a machine uses available and relevant data to maximise its chances of success in a given task. By using reasoning and probability, AI allows a machine, system or solution to participate in decision making.

Machine Learning is very common in the IT world, and many systems are based upon this approach. Machine Learning is used by social media, search engines, on-line services and data management systems. It works by running data through a variety of algorithms and uses the results to ‘predict’ things in a given environment.

Deep Learning is superior to Machine Learning, and uses numerous layers of algorithms (which is where the ‘deep’ reference comes from). It can understand an environment and make decisions based upon what it has been taught.

A good way of understanding the difference between the two is that Machine Learning systems will search through millions of options to quickly find a solution in a given environment, based upon what it has been programmed to do. Deep Learning systems will use gained knowledge and experience to understand the environment, and will filter events to decide how to act accordingly.

Both processes require a high level of computational power. Machine Learning involves a high degree of searching and filtering, and Deep Learning runs multiple processes, simultaneously, to ensure it ‘understands’ the status data from a given site or system.

Not only does the hardware require the capacity to manage these computational tasks, but it also needs to ensure it has the processing power to carry out everyday tasks too: video processing, data recording and searches, transactions, event handling, etc..

CPUs and GPUs The CPU has, for a long time, been the driving force in servers and PCs. CPU performances have increased, and today’s servers have higher performance levels, but their workload has also increased significantly.

Video is used not only for security, but also for safety, site management, traffic control, process management, etc.. The result of this is increased camera counts, which in turn creates more data. Additionally, these higher

gpus jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_feb15 12/05/2020 16:05 Page 2

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

numbers of cameras are using advanced video analytics in order to automate management tasks, which again increases the load on the server’s processing capacity.

Mobile viewing is another task which has grown significantly. However, it creates a lot of processing load, as video inevitably needs to be transcoded to make it suitable for remote viewing. In some systems, mobile viewing can have such an impact that essential core services become unstable or fail, compromising on the credibility of the entire solution. By offsetting this processing, modern systems remain stable and efficient.

The emphasis placed on GPUs needs to be considered in a balanced way. While it is true they offer a remedy to systems which might otherwise grind to a halt, the CPU remains very important to a server’s suitability.

The CPU contains millions of transistors which perform a variety of calculations.

Standard CPUs have up to four processing cores. The benefit of CPUs is that they can carry out a huge range of tasks, very quickly.

The GPU is more specialised, and is designed to display graphics and carry out specific computational tasks. GPUs have a lower clock speed than CPUs, but have significantly more processing cores. This allows them to carry out significant numbers of mathematical operations; the processing cores run simultaneously, making GPUs ideal for handling repetitive tasks.

GPUs might lack the diverse abilities of a CPU, but they make up for it in terms of power. A CPU can perform up to four computations per clock cycle, while a GPU can perform thousands.

GPUs were designed for 3D visuals rendering, but the performance can harnessed to accelerate other computational workloads.

A GPU can manage huge batches of data, performing basic operations very quickly.

NVIDIA, the leading manufacturer of GPUs, states the ability to process thousands of threads can accelerate software by 100x over a CPU alone.

GPUs excel in carrying out multimedia tasks: transcoding video, image recognition, pattern matching, content analysis, etc..

These are tasks which are better passed to the GPU than managed by the CPU. While much of this might sound like the GPU has arrived just in time to save the struggling CPU, the reality is that GPUs have nowhere near the flexibility of CPUs. Indeed, they were never designed as a replacement.

The best value in terms of system performance, price, and power comes from a combination of the two. Indeed, many of the

tasks which a GPU carries out are done after the CPU makes the decision to hand them over. The two types of processors must coexist in order to ensure optimal performance in an advanced hardware set-up.

A legacy option?

If an end user has invested in hardware, but didn’t include GPUs, there is an option to add them, but caution is required. The most common way to add GPUs is via graphics cards. These simple PCI cards can be added to hardware, introducing GPUs with performance which can be leveraged for hardware acceleration. Implementing this can be very easy. Many VMS or other software packages include a simple ‘use hardware acceleration’ tick box.

If adding a GPU via a graphics card is very simple, and switching on hardware acceleration is often a case of simply checking a box in a menu, why is it important to exercise caution if going down the route of upgrading a legacy server?

The answer is one of expectations. If a system is lagging when under load, it stands to reason that deploying a GPU upgrade will boost performance. However, the question is how much it will boost performance, and what performance elements it will boost.

Any enhancements can be impacted by other hardware components. For example, if the CPU is extremely overloaded, not because the system is throwing too much work at it but because it is woefully inadequate for the job, then adding a GPU might not make a difference, because the CPU will still be struggling. If memory limitations are causing issues, then adding a GPU might not have a significant result.

CPUs and GPUs work together and rely on other hardware components too. If the various elements are mismatched, the benefits of GPUs might not be realised.

In summary AI, Machine Learning and Deep Learning are in their infancy in the smart systems sector, but the technologies promise much. The important point for integrators and end users is to ensure they have the right hardware to cope with the increased workload.

The balance of CPU and GPU power is best left to the experts; a mismatch of componenets may well end up wasting time and money. However, as big data becomes more widely used, the extra heavy processing power of GPUs will become increasingly important when designing smart systems to deliver real benefits.

31

pp32 jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_apr15 15/05/2020 12:59 Page 1

CYBERSECURITY

Device Hardening

End users demand secure systems, and want evidence appropriate steps have been taken. It is vital those implementing smart solutions implement the latest cybersecurity principles and practices. he challenge with many systems and services isthey must be easy to access and use, but also need to protect against the rising tide of cybercrime. In the smart systems market, integrators need to ensure solutions are easy to manage and operate, but don’t create a potential entry-point for unauthorised access onto a network.

A growing number of leading manufacturers of edge devices offer features and functions to help. Many allow device hardening to be implemented with ease. It is always worth checking which functions the manufacturers have built into their devices to assist with hardening their products. If they haven’t included any additional cybersecurity functionality, that should be a red flag as to how seriously they take the subject.

However, cybersecurity is not all down to the manufacturer. There are additional steps – many of which are common sense and straightforward – which integrators can take to enhance device hardening and boost cybersecurity for their customers.

T

Plan to harden Hardening can be addressed before the system is installed. A hardening plan begins with understanding the project requirements, 32

as well as any regulation or company policies.

If the specification does not list cybersecurity requirements, enquire with the customer before bidding. It can be costly to accommodate such constraints after the project starts.

Some end users refuse to allow internet connectivity on local security networks. This gives them total control over the system, and effectively ring-fences the infrastructure from external attacks. Unfortunately, many devices require systems to have internet connectivity for licensing, manuals and software updates.

If there is no operational need for WAN connectivity, avoid it. If the user agrees to no external connectivity but a manufacturer can’t support that, look elsewhere!

There are two simple tasks which improve cybersecurity: updating device firmware and changing default authentication details.

Firmware upgrades are simple to carry out but are too often neglected. Firmware changes will not only add features, but also include bug fixes and security updates, often driven by changes in the wider IT community.

Always change default passwords. An increasing number of manufacturers are implementing secure password policies which force changes on initial boot-up. If this is not a function of a product, ensure default authentication details are changed.

Create unique accounts for all users and removing default accounts after initial log-in.

Accounts with admin privileges are the most dangerous if compromised.

Configure users and assigned roles according to ‘least privilege’ practices. This means users are only given permissions necessary to execute the functions required by their role and no others.

When changing passwords, if a secure connection can be set, use it. Also, if there are options for anonymous connection or setting addresses remotely, disable these.

If discovery features are included, these should always be disabled once the device address configurations have been made.

With regard to additional networking services, if you are not using them, turn them off. This reduces the attack surface. Often cyberattacks will be based upon a ‘hit and hope’ approach. The less ports or services a hacker can hit, the better the chance of avoiding opportunist attacks.

infra news jun20_v9_000_Benchmark_feb15 14/05/2020 15:55 Page 1

INFRASTRUCTURE NEWS

Infrastructure News

Synology offers VPN Plus licences In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses have adopted work-from-home policies. Synology's wireless routers feature VPN server capabilities that enable businesses to quickly facilitate a remote workforce. To assist in VPN implementations, Synology VPN Plus licences will be free until 30 September 2020.

Hewitt Lee, Director of Synology Product Management Group, stated, ‘We have seen many businesses rushing to adopt VPN solutions in order to set up an infrastructure to enable a remote workforce. Over the past two months, we have seen a five-fold increase in VPN Plus licence purchases. As the situation continues to develop in unprecedented ways, we understand that many are uncertain of how to maintain business continuity. Synology is offering VPN Plus licences for free in an effort to help businesses resume operations remotely.’

Both existing and new owners of Synology's RT1900ac, RT2600ac, and MR2200ac wireless routers will be able to purchase VPN Plus Client VPN Access and Site-to-Site VPN licences for free. All licences are perpetual and do not expire or require additional costs after 30 September 2020.

VPN Plus transforms Synology Routers into VPN servers, designed to be easy to set up and manage. It uses SSL/TLS encryption which offers security levels suitable for most risks faced on a business’s or organisation's corporate network, keeping sensitive data safe from snooping as well as protecting the infrastructure against attack or other tampering.

AMG and Impulse deliver secure transmission solutions AMG Systems and installation partner Impulse Engineering have delivered highperformance transmission equipment across a broad range of high-security surveillance applications and market sectors.

Impulse Engineering has evolved in an upwards curve to serve blue chip companies , installing solutions that protect high value sites and critical national infrastructure with sophisticated fire, intruder, access control and CCTV systems.

As a specialist in systems for CNI (critical national infrastructure), Impulse Engineering’s applications range from small secure sites that are used by authorised personnel only and require offsite monitoring, to larger secure sites requiring an integrated bespoke package to meet CPNI recommendations.

A layered approach allows the packages to work together to achieve the level of protection each site requires.

AMG equipment is able to withstand harsh weather or other environmental conditions. The high-speed, highbandwidth transmission capability supports the clarity of real-time monitoring and recording, as well as logged data.

33

infra news jun20_v9_000_Benchmark_feb15 14/05/2020 15:55 Page 2

INFRASTRUCTURE NEWS

Altronix expands NetWay range Altronix has expanded its NetWay Series with the addition of new 802.3bt 4PPoE managed midspan/injectors and media converters.

Designed to accommodate high-powered 802.3bt compliant devices, the NetWay BT Series delivers up to 90W per port.

New models are available in single, 4 or 8 port versions, and include battery charging as well as Altronix LINQ Technology to monitor, control, and report power status and diagnostics from anywhere on the network.

The NetWay Spectrum line of 802.3bt products are also available to support single/multi-mode fibre or composite cable in outdoor enclosures that can be fitted with batteries for installations requiring back-up.

The Altronix NetWay BT Series provides PoE, PoE+ and 4PPoE up to 90W (802.3bt compliant) power per port and stream data at 10/100/1000 Mbps. Additional features include port status LEDs, auto detection and protection of legacy non-PoE cameras and devices, and a built-in battery charger.

Quantum reorganises Engineering operations Quantum has announced a reorganisation of its engineering division, establishing two general manager positions to lead the company’s primary and secondary storage product lines. The changes enable Quantum to expand its market position in storing video and other unstructured data, as well as build on its strengths in archive and data protection.

The reorganisation supports Quantum’s goals to grow both organically and via strategic acquisitions, and to extend its business model with recurring revenue streams as businesses increasingly shift to managed options such as storage-as-aservice.

Vice President and General Manager, Primary Storage Ed Fiore previously served as co-founder and CEO of Atavium, a data storage software company focused on bringing business intelligence to storage.

Vice President and General Manager, Secondary Storage Bruno Hald has been with Quantum for over 25 years and currently leads the engineering teams for the archive and data protection product portfolio. In his new role he will leverage his experience to help customers address their needs in secondary storage.

34

Siklu announces distribution deal with Exertis Hammer Exertis Hammer and Siklu have announced a distribution agreement that will greatly expand Siklu’s reach to wireless connectivity resellers, datacentres, integrators, service providers and OEMs in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Benelux and Scandinavia.

As part of the arrangement, Exertis Hammer will carry and distribute Siklu’s millimetre wave wireless solutions to vertical markets. The distributor will be able to supply customers with the full Siklu product range, which includes radios in the 60GHz and 70/80GHz bands.

Products will include Siklu’s EtherHaul Hundred Series and EtherHaul Kilo Series that can support deployments with up to 10Gb throughput with ranges of up to 6.9km, as well as the MultiHaul Series for automatically aligning rapid deployment.

Siklu’s mmWave radios provide fibrelike performance with the speed and flexibility of a wireless deployment. For companies in time-pressured industries, applying wireless connectivity solutions to existing networks helps shorten the deployment time.

Mayflex expands sales team Mayflex, the converged systems distributor, has appointed a new account manager to manage and develop accounts in the Midlands and surrounding areas, with a specific focus on the security product portfolio as part of the converged solution.

Matthew Farthing joined the business at the end of March and comes to Mayflex from a integration background, so is familiar with the type of customer Mayflex works with. Having worked in a general sales and national account management role, Farthing is currently undergoing a full induction, albeit it remotely, to prepare himself for when he can get on the road to visit his customer base.

Regions covered by Farthing include Derby, Nottingham, Leicester, Northampton, Birmingham Wolverhampton, Coventry, Telford, Peterborough and Cambridge.

Tom Filce, Head of Security Sales at Mayflex, stated, ‘Matthew has joined the Mayflex team at an exceptional time for the industry and the country. We are forging ahead with a full remote induction plan by using the tools and infrastructure set in place by our IT team.’

hanwha advertorial jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_feb15 14/05/2020 14:54 Page 1

TECHNOLOGY

Enhancing Remote Video Monitoring with AI Technology Remote monitoring of video delivers additional benefits to a vast number of businesses and organisations, but issues surrounding false alarms can incur additional costs and even result in reduced security at a site. Can the use of AI-enabled systems offer a solution to the problem? ff-site monitoring of video surveillance systems makes a lot of sense, both in terms of enhanced security and costefficiencies for the end user. However, despite a growing range of products aimed specifically at linking video surveillance systems to RVRCs (Remote Video Receiving Centres) and welldocumented evidence about the effectiveness of such solutions, there are still many sites which shy away from implementing remote video monitoring. The biggest issue for the industry, and its end user customers, is false alarms.

When considering false alarms, it is worth noting that the majority of these events are actually nuisance activations. False alarms tend to happen if the system has failed, whereas nuisance activations offer a clearer explanation of what has occurred: something has triggered the system, but it is not a security risk. These events can include the presence of animals and birds, wind-borne litter, environmental conditions, lighting changes, human error such as people mistakenly entering secure areas, etc..

If a site suffers from false alarms or nuisance activations, the response of the RVRC usually follows one of two paths. Either additional charges are levied for managing the higher number of alarm activations, or the monitoring service is withdrawn until remedial action is taken. This means the end user either faces a higher cost of ownership than anticipated, or loses video-based security coverage at their site.

O

The challenge to reduce false alarms and nuisance activations has become easier with the growing use of Artifical Intelligence (AI), especially when embedded in edge devices such as cameras. AI-based filtering applies logic and learned information to ascertain – with a high degree of certainty – whether an object is an animal or a person, or if scene changes have been caused by a vehicle entering a site or a rain storm, for example.

AI-equipped cameras can carry out object recognition to ensure any alarm event represents a real risk, rather than innocuous movement or global scene change. This enhances performance for the end user and the RVRC, and preserves the return on investment from the system.

Hanwha Techwin has recognised the potential benefits to monitored systems and released its P Series AI cameras. The 4K devices employ deep learning video analytics to detect objects and classify them according to object type: people, faces, vehicles and vehicle number plates. Additional AI algorithms detect specific attributes of objects or people, such as age group, gender, colour of the clothing. etc..

Alongside helping to significantly reduce false alarms and nuisance activations, the AIenabled cameras are also able to deliver additional functions to assist with business intelligence, such as people counting, queue management, occupancy monitoring and autotracking, and can also be integrated with Wisenet Retail Insight to add user value.

For more information, visit: https://hanwha-security.eu/ 35

optex smart jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_apr15 14/05/2020 14:56 Page 1

SMART SOLUTIONS

Enhancing Detection with Visual Verification

Intruder detection remains the cornerstone of security for the vast majority of businesses and organisations, and has a proven track record when it comes to the protection of property and assets.

However, the thorny issue of nuisance alarms remains a problem for many sites. In order to deliver more effective protection, and to preserve police first response, a growing number of sites are turning to visual verification to improve accuracy. he problem of false alarms has dogged the intruder detection industry for many years, but it should be noted the term is arguably out of date when considering today’s professional quality alarm systems. In the bad old days, if people talked about false alarms, these were caused by a number of factors.

Some were due to poor installation, others to targets being detected which didn’t pose a

T 36

threat, and some were due to malfunctions in the equipment.

Over the years, manufacturers of intruder detection devices have worked tirelessly to design and build sensors which offer higher levels of performance, both in terms of stability and catch performance. Intelligent device design has eliminated many of the environmental issues which could trigger devices, and increased build quality and the use of more advanced components has seen malfunctions become a thing of the past.

Despite these advances, false alarms still exist. This has more to do with the way in which alarms are considered ‘false’ by the police. It would be more accurate to say the problem has more to do with nuisance alarms: detector activations which are caused by genuine motion, but the activity is not a threat. For example, a user entering a secure area and triggering an alarm activation is considered as a false alarm by the police.

However, the system has accurately detected a person in a secure area. It’s a nuisance alarm, not a false alarm.

Human error is something which is widespread, and impacts on more than alarm systems. However, with a graded alarm system, police response could be lost because of these errors. This is because intruder detectors simply sense motion and report that fact. For the ARC (alarm receiving centre), all the operator sees is a notification that an alarm event has occurred. There is no further information which helps them decide whether or not the alarm needs to be passed to the police.

Additionally, even if the ARC was to contact the end user, the customer would be unable to shed any light on the incident (unless they were at the site and had caused the activation themselves).

It must be remembered that alarms passed to an ARC, and subsequently to the police, must be ‘confirmed’. The usual approach taken is sequential confirmation: two detector activations are required, showing that movement around the site is occurring. If a nuisance alarm is confirmed, it is treated as an absolute event and passed to the police for

optex smart jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_apr15 14/05/2020 14:56 Page 2

SMART SOLUTIONS

attendance. However, in the case of nuisance alarms, sequential confirmation can (and often does) take place.

However, by using a smart approach, visual verification can be added to any professional alarm system, quickly and easily, to help eradicate nuisance alarms.

Visually verified The basic idea behind visual verification is a simple one. When motion is detected by an intruder alarm sensor, a snapshot or series of images are captured by a linked camera.

These are then transmitted to the ARC, along with the alarm notification. This enables the ARC operator to quickly and easily view the images to establish the cause of the alarm.

If, for example, they see that a pile of boxes in a warehouse has fallen over, they can then clear down the alarm and not pass it to the police. This helps ensure police resources are not wasted, and also prevents the risk of a site having its URN (unique reference number) revoked, which in turn will lead to the removal of police first response.

Equally, if the visual images show an intruder removing assets, the ARC operator can pass the information to the police. While the ACPO policy states first response will be dependent upon available resources, the police want to apprehend criminals, and so the information an intruder is actually on the premises can be beneficial.

Visual verification is not new. Many manufacturers have offered variants of the technology in the past. Some were very costly and weren’t designed specifically for verification needs. Images sometimes arrived at the ARC long after the alarm report had been received, while others presented images with very low quality as the picture had been over-compressed to make transmission faster.

In some cases, an ARC operator was expected to leave their position and move to a separate workstation dedicated to video monitoring in order to view the images.

Given the idea of video verification was to make ARCs more efficient when dealing with alarms, these various approaches didn’t always deliver what was needed.

Another issue with visually confirmed alarms was they didn’t always deal with nuisance alarms. For example, if a member of staff entered the premises for a legitimate reason and accidentally triggered the alarm due to error, the ARC operator would see an image of a person and pass it to the police.

They had no way of knowing it was a case of user error. With the pressure on operators to take swift action, it wasn’t reasonable for

them to carry out any checks on the identity of the individual.

While visually confirmed alarms do offer a wide range of benefits and can deliver more accurate alarm management while reducing nuisance alarms, there were still flaws in the approach.

With changes in technology and communications, a smarter approach is now possible. Visual confirmation of alarms can be added to wide range of professional intruder alarm systems, images can be transmitted to an ARC operator using the same workstation as the alarm data flow, and if necessary information can be pushed instantly to a keyholder or user to assess whether or not the alarm is a nuisance activation.

The smart option OPTEX has an enviable track record in the field of accurate and reliable detection devices, and now offers its Intelligent Visual Monitoring solution. This connects to intrusion sensors and panic buttons, linking them with IP cameras to enable ARC operators to see the cause of an alarm. The solution also uses cloud-based software, which allows images to be pushed to an end user, who can then reject the alarm if it’s a nuisance alert.

The solution uses a network-based hardware Bridge and the cloud-hosted software solution. The Bridge connects with existing alarm panels and ONVIF compliant cameras or NVRs, allowing existing systems to be used or a wide range of third party video products to be specified if there is no surveillance system.

Because of this flexibility, it allows a cost-effective but powerful visual verification solution to be implemented, without compromising the integrity of the existing security system. It also will not affect the grading of the system, so police response will remain in place if it is currently active.

Next Issue Benchmark takes an in-depth look at the OPTEX Intelligent Visual Monitoring solution.

37

awards jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_feb14 12/05/2020 16:23 Page 1

INNOVATION AWARDS

Rewarding Innovation

INNOVATION AWARDS 2020

At Benchmark, we believe the future of the systems sector lies in the creation of innovative and smart solutions. In order to allow integrators to create such solutions for end users, it is vital manufacturers deliver innovation that both enhances the technological capabilities of their products, and allows those developments to be implemented in a realistic fashion. In order to highlight such advances, Benchmark runs its Innovation Awards scheme, which recognises and rewards innovative thinking.

Smart Solutions single intuitive GUI ensures security, energy management and maintenance teams can easily access real-time, accurate status information about the systems on a site.

Avigilon: Appearance Search

BriefCam: Video Content Analysis Platform BriefCam offers an intelligent video analytics platform which delivers innovative capabilities, allowing end users to quickly and effectively search, analyse and act on intelligence gained from real-time or ondemand video content. Through AI, Deep Learning, advanced object detection, identification and classification, it allows operators to make sense of the video data by filtering objects to pinpoint and track targets.

COSMO: COSMO PSIM+ To deliver seamless integration of security and energy management systems, COSMO PSIM+ allows flexible connectivity as it is an APIbased technology-agnostic solution. The 38

Avigilon Appearance Search is a feature of the ACC Enterprise (Avigilon Control Center) VMS. Sites using Appearance Search can deploy Avigilon’s cameras with self-learning analytics, or use the Avigilon AI Appliance with third party cameras. Appearance Search sifts through hours of video, across multiple devices, to quickly identify people and vehicles of interest, using deep-learning to find multiple appearances.

Qognify: VisionHub VMS+ VisionHub VMS+ is a security management solution which offers more than management of video streams. It includes workflow support, situational awareness and system management capabilities. It offers advanced geo-positioned maps, incident management with actionable guidance, and facilitates collaboration to help manage incidents.

DAVANTIS: DFusion Deep Fusion combines video analytics with Deep Learning. Deep fusion allows the system to detect all intruders, even in hostile and demanding situations, with an unprecedented reduction in the number of nuisance alarm activations.

awards jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_feb14 12/05/2020 16:23 Page 2

INNOVATION AWARDS

Video Solutions Milestone: XProtect 2020 R1 The 2020 R1 of XProtect adds features to the VMS and extends the offering with a Video Processing Toolkit. A Centralised Search feature makes it easy to find incidents by aggregating data, and uses AI, video analytics and machine learning.

Bosch: BVMS 10 BVMS 10.0 features improveddata security and privacy, greater flexibility with ONVIF Profile S certification and enhanced monitor wall functionality to deliver a more flexible VMS, including integration with access control. BVMS 10.0 is also secured using state-of-the-art IT technologies.

Cathexis: CathexisVision 2020 CathexisVision’s video analytics suite has been enhanced through the addition of Object Classification algorithms, which use sophisticated Neural Network technology. The algorithms allow an additional rule, only triggering events if the detected object is of a

pre-determined type, for example a person or vehicle.

FLIR: Elara DX The FLIR Elara DXSeries includes multispectral PTZ security cameras which provide full situational awareness.

Combining thermal and visible light imagers, the Elara DX-Series gives operators the ability to monitor large areas in complete darkness, glaring light, and adverse weather conditions including fog and snow.

Vicon: Valerus 20 Valerus 20 includes interactive mapping, bookmarking, and historical event search so users can react to events more quickly, monitor incidents more efficiently and perform thorough forensic investigations.

Access Control Solutions Paxton: Paxton10 Paxton10 offers a simple path to integrated access control and video solutions. It also enables interoperability with intruder and fire alarm systems as well as building management .It allows a return on investment, which makes the solution cost-effective.

3xLogic: infinias Corporate infinias Corporate access control software provides advanced features for securing and managing sites. The interface is presented as a simple, intuitive browser-based GUI. A powerful ‘rules engine’ makes it possible to perform a variety of functions based upon logical relationships.

Vanderbilt: BLE Readers Vanderbilt offers Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) readers in conjunction with the company’s ACT Enterprise software, enabling the use of smartphones as credentials. Vanderbilt offers a range of BLE readers, a contactless door release button, virtual credentials and an app.

Johnson Controls: EntraPass v8.2 EntraPass v8.2 simplifies how users remotely access the EntraPass go mobile app.

Improved search capabilities and other upgrades deliver remote and real-time access. EntraPass go Pass requests are not attached to a selected SmartLink, eliminating the need to configure every connection.

Users will now be able to access inbound connections with ease.

Proxyclick: Proxyclick Proxyclick is designed to create efficiencies when managing visitors and contractors.

Security functions alert users when a visitor checks in, or creates notifications if they fail to check out. Advanced reporting allows the user to collect data and spot trends, produce reports and use surveys to gather feedback.

39

awards jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_feb14 12/05/2020 16:23 Page 3

INNOVATION AWARDS

Site Protection Solutions TAKEX: PR-30BE The PR-30BE from TAKEX is a reflector-based photoelectric beam which uses Time-of-Flight technology. The PR-30BE has a 30 metre range.

It determines the distance of any beam break with a high degree of accuracy , ensuring that genuine alarms are not missed. Because the sensor does not require power at both ends of the link, installation costs are lower.

OPTEX: WX Shield The four models in the WX Shield series provide outdoor intruder detection with a wide (180 degree) coverage. The sensors feature two independent 90 degree detection areas with the flexibility to configure individual settings, sensitivity levels and triggering outputs for the left and right areas.

Texecom: Impaq SC-W The Impaq SC-W from Texecom is a wireless shock and contact sensor. The detector makes use of VIBER Accelerometer Technology, and

is independently certified to EN50131-2-8 Grade 2, the new Standard for shock sensors.

Redcare: Redcare Ultimate Redcare Ultimate uses a private IP connection on the Redcare network and also supports a back-up signalling path which is powered by two 4G SIMs. The signalling system includes battery back-up in the alarm panel to deliver continuity. Monitoring ensures problems with the signalling infrastructure are notified within 90 seconds.

Pyronix: ProControl+ Voice Push Notifications The ProControl+ app from Pyronix allows the use of voice-based push notifications when alerts occur. For example, with the use of a camera, the user can view the exterior of their property, receiving instant notifications when motion is detected. This then enables them to visually verify the security of the property.

Analytics Solutions Vaion: vcore

VCA Technology: VCAserver

Vaion’s vcore software incorporates embedded video and audio analytics powered by machine learning algorithms, along with intuitive interfaces to simplify operational and installation processes. The vcore VMS supports cameras with integrated directional audio analytics, security appliances and a hybrid cloud service.

VCAserver is an appliance which can be used to integrate VCA’s analytics with a VMS, or as a standalone server for smaller installations.

When used in standalone mode, it is ideal for projects of 128 channels or less. Scalable, it provides cost-effective Deep Learning analytics for legacy systems.

IPS: Critical Infrastructure Protection IPS Critical Infrastructure Protection is an intelligent video analytics module designed to deliver real-time alerts if an intrusion occurs at a sensitive site. The analytics uses a patented three-zone concept, and recognises suspicious behaviour, allowing exact ‘friend or foe’ recognition to be carried out.

40

Hikvision: AcuSense Technology AcuSense Technology provides accurate sensing. Powered by deep learning algorithms, it distinguishes people and vehicles from other moving objects.

Supported devices will only generate an alarm when the preset intrusion type (human or vehicle) takes place.

IDIS: IDLA IDLA is an artificial intelligence-optimised video analytics solution. By leveraging artificial intelligence and deep learning , the technology is claimed to have an accuracy rate of 98 per cent. The deep learning is based on an artificial neural network.

awards jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_feb14 12/05/2020 16:23 Page 4

INNOVATION AWARDS

Service-Based Solutions Arcules: XProtect Hybrid VMS Arcules-XProtect Hybrid VMS solution is a combination of Arcules’ VSaaS integrated with XProtect Corporate VMS. The result is a flexible hybrid video surveillance solution.

Customers can deploy systems to remote sites quickly, with minimal IT resources and downtime, while still benefiting from the capabilities of XProtect’s on-premise VMS.

Videoloft: Cloud Adapter The Cloud Adapter from Videoloft is a plugand-play appliance which allows cloud connectivity to be added to legacy or newly installed systems. It provides an additional layer of security and encryption to ensure systems are cybersecure. Purchase is a oneoff cost, with cloud services billed on a recurring basis.

Brivo: OnAir The Brivo security platform and Brivo OnAir API enables the design of access control systems making use of cloud-based services.

Users can create schedules, and personnel

can be managed, with permissions adjusted to grant different levels of user access.

Morphean: Management Platform Morphean’s Management Platform combines hosted video surveillance, access control, business intelligence analysis. Maintenance and updates are automatically provided by Morphean, and the ‘as a Service’ model is available with a monthly subscription.

Agent Vi: innoVi innoVi provides AI-powered video analytics for real-time detection of events, along with object tracking and quick discovery and export of events and related data from captured video. innoVi is available as cloudbased software as a service.

Business Intelligence Hanwha Techwin: Serverless ANPR Hanwha Techwin offers cost-effective serverless ANPR solutions. The use of camerato-camera IP-based communications enables up to four cameras to capture and transmit ANPR data. The cameras are configured as a single master unit and three slave units; the latter send data back to the master.

Genetec: Mission Control Mission Control is a decision management system that provides organisations with new levels of situational intelligence, visualisation, and incident management capabilities. It allows users to make the right decision when faced with unanticipated situations. It collects and qualifies data from sensors and devices, spotting complex situations and incidents.

AI Tech: AI-DASH-PRO AI-DASH-PRO is a dashboard tool for data collection and management. It collects data from AI-empowered IVA plug-ins. Data is sent

to AI-DASH-PRO, which can then be visualised in an intuitive web interface which aids the decisionmaking process.

Herta: Biomarketing Biomarketing iuses facial detection and analysis. The system allows parameters such as gender, approximate age and other characteristics or facial expression to be recognised. This information is used to target marketing messages to the individual.

Spica: Time and Space Time and Space is an access control and time and attendance solution. It provides real-time information about absence and attendance for employees, regardless of how complex the organisational structure, the number of employees or the number of locations.

41

awards jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_feb14 12/05/2020 16:23 Page 5

INNOVATION AWARDS

IoT Devices Axis: Network Audio Solutions Axis offers a range of networked audio devices which form complete high-quality audio systems, either as standalone solutions or integrated with other systems. Eventtriggered announcements and direct callouts can be initiated, and users can make live or scheduled announcements to different zones.

NVT Phybridge: FLEX24 The FLEX24 switch provides a cost-effective transition to IP-based infrastructure, allowing the use of numerous IoT devices in a simple, secure and cost-effective option. When the FLEX switch is paired with FLEX adapters, the enterprise-grade unit delivers fast Ethernet and PoE over multi-pair UTP cable with up to 610 metres reach.

SICK: LMS LiDAR Sensors The LMS series detectors are cost-effective 2D LiDAR sensors capable of delivering mid-

distance detection ranges. The sensors use multi-echo technology and algorithms to ensure reliable and consistent performance.

Data is output in real time, enabling applications to benefit from high accuracy.

Nortech: NorParc NorParc is a Windows-based counting and parking guidance system which provides centralised count management, monitoring and guidance control for parking facilities. It includes a range of RGB variable message signs using low profile LED matrices.

Mobotix: M16 Thermal TR The M16 Thermal TR is a thermal imager which features a calibrated sensor, allowing variances in temperatures to be detected.

Thermal radiation measurements can be used to trigger events based on the temperature increasing above or decreasing below a trigger level.

Infrastructure Intercoax: IPIFY Range The IPIFY range is made up of Ethernet over Coax (EoC) devices, including a comprehensive long range offering.

This allows transmission of data over any copper cabling, up to a distance of 2,400 metres. The links can include PoE, with power budgets of up to 60W for any IP end device.

Security and Safety Things: Camera OS and Application Store The smart camera OS allows third party manufacturers to leverage smart applications.

The operating system is based on the Android Open Source Project, and delivers developers’ libraries, an API framework, and codecs. The 42

Application Store allows users to download ready-to-use AI-based apps for cameras.

barox: RY-LGSP28-52/740 The RY-LGSP28-52/740 is a Layer 2/3 switch with L3 functions. Connected devices are supplied PoE, and support for 48 10/100/1000Mbps PoE+ allows use in projects where additional devices are deployed. It also supports four SFP 1/10Gbps ports.

Seagate: Seagate Secure Seagate’s self-encrypting drives offer hardware-based data security as an essential component of modern data protection. The integration of multiple levels of security protocols adds an additional layer of protection.

ComNet: CNGE20FX4TX16MS The CNGE20FX4TX16MS is a managed switch supporting 16 10/100/1000BASE-TX and 4 100/1000FX SFP ports. The hardened units are available for use with CAT-5e or optical transmission media. Plug-and-play design with no need for adjustments makes their implementation fast and cost-effective.

pp43 jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_apr15 15/05/2020 13:00 Page 1

LENSES

The Importance of Lenses he lens is effectively the ‘eye’ of the video system. It focuses light onto the sensing chip of the camera, which converts the light into an electrical charge, dependent upon its intensity, to determine the pixel value and intensity when creating an image.

Focusing light as accurately as possible onto the sensor is vital in creating quality images.

One of the most basic specifications when using megapixel, HD or 4K UHD cameras is that an appropriately-rated lens, in terms of maximum resolution, should be used.

An underspecified lens will rob the camera of its full resolution. There is a very simple reason for this: lenses are not perfect; it would not be cost-effective for them to be so.

Lenses are manufactured to finite tolerances, based on the specified resolution. They are only as good as they need to be. Putting an HD lens on an 4K UHD camera will deliver an image of lower quality than the camera can potentially resolve. The resolution designation indicates how accurate the lens will be. It will only be manufactured to a quality level which eradicates the visual aberrations thespecific resolution sensor might potentially display.

Good quality lenses should deliver the same quality at the very edge of the image as in the centre. Again, this is an area where under-specified lenses may struggle, especially as higher resolution cameras often employ larger image sensors.

There are many lenses in the video surveillance market which claim to offer 4K or HD quality (it’s a subtle difference between specifying resolution). Some of these will only deliver true 4K or HD resolutions in the image centre but not at the very edges.

Lenses are complex. A single element lens has limited capabilities, meaning it is difficult to get a viewed scene in focus. Adding more elements to the lens increases the number of variables that can be used to control the light, resulting in a better and tighter focused spot.

For the smaller pixels of a 4K UHD sensor, the light needs to be focused on a very small spot and so it requires many elements in the lens.

A lens of lower image quality may be able to transform a linear light-to-dark edge, but the transition on the sensor will not be as sharp as is required. This transform is called the lens MTF (modulation transfer function).

The transition may have a width of 4µm to go from white to black. If the pixels of the HD

T

In any video system, the lens has a critical role to play, and the selection of the right lens can significantly impact on performance. sensor are 3.1µm there is a pretty good match between the lens transfer function (MTF) and the pixel size. It’s okay for the MTF to be a greater than the pixel size because inter-pixel interpolation can use surrounding pixels to determine exactly where a line is in the image.

However if the same lens is used for a 4K UHD sensor with pixels of 1.55µm, there is too great a mismatch between the MTF of the lens and the pixel size (4µm versus 1.55µm). Small lines in the image such as the letters on a number plate will become fuzzy and gray.

A lens with higher image quality will be able to focus the light to dark edge to a width of only 2µm. The extra sharpness allows the image sensor to better determine the location of the edge, resulting in a sharper image with higher contrast.

There will always be a fine balance in image capture. A high quality lens is needed to create sharp, high contrast edges at the image plane. A high resolution sensor can see these edges clearly, and the image processing chip will not degrade the image more than necessary. The goal is to match the image quality of each camera element – lens and sensor – to avoid paying for a specified image quality which then cannot be realised.

The reality is 4K UHD cameras need 4K UHD lenses in order to take advantage of the available resolution on the sensor chip.

Using an under-specified lens might save money, but it is a corner-cutting exercise which will reduce the effectiveness of the system. If an end user has invested in 4K UHD cameras, then fitting inferior lenses makes such an investment pointless.

As the use of 4K UHD or higher megapixel video increases, so the specification of suitable lenses becomes more critical.

A high quality lens will also aid low light performance, as it allows more light to be focused on the sensor.

43

bulletin jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_apr15 12/05/2020 16:00 Page 1

BULLETIN

Bulletin Benchmark looks at news and product launches of interest to those involved in the design, implementation and use of smart solutions

Vodafone Lookout Mobile Security Vodafone has launched Lookout Mobile Security, a threat detection service to protect businesses and their employees from application, network, device and phishing attacks via mobile devices. It has been reported that cyber-attacks have already increased during the Covid-19 pandemic, and with the majority of UK employees currently working at home, maintaining robust levels of security is essential for all businesses.

Vodafone is offering the first three months of any Lookout Mobile Security subscription free of charge.

Lookout Mobile Security protects businesses from application threats, alerting users to malicious apps that seek to steal sensitive business or personal data, as well as identifying insecure apps that breach company policies or compliance requirements.

It alsom assesses network threats and sends an alert to users if they are about to join an unencrypted network.

Device threat assessment notifies users about operating system vulnerabilities, such as out-of-date software or the lack of password protection. Web management alerts users to phishing attempts from browsers, email and SMS messages.

Users can tailor the level of service they require, so only pay for the protection they need.

44

Report Identifies Smart City Growth due to 5G The advent of 4G and 5G IoT-based connectivity will spur the online migration of smart-city applications, helping generate a significant increase in smart city artificial intelligence (AI) software revenues by 2025, according to a report by Omdia.

The global smart city AI software market is set to increase to $4.9 billion in 2025, up from $673.8 million in 2019, according to projections. Wireless data communication standards will enable smart-city applications to move into the digital realm, where they can capitalise on the latest AI innovations. The growing capabilities of AI are enabling data and insights collected via IoT networks to be monitored, analysed and used to drive autmated smart decisions.

Smart city use cases include surveillance, safety and security, taffic management and building control, and are defined by the collection, management and use of data. In the past, trying to enable disparate systems to work together has been challenging due to the lack of solutions which can handle the heavy processing required tro make sense of data. These challenges are being overcome by leveraging advances in AI and connectivity.

The introduction of 4G and 5G wireless data technologies makes it easier and more cost-effective to collect and manage data, promoting the migration of smart city AI software to digital platforms. AI and associated machine learning technologies allow data to be analysed in greater detail than ever before.

The technology can identify patterns or anomalies within the captured data, which then can be employed for tasks such as automation of actions and decisionmaking.

Smart city systems can create municipal systems and services that not only operate more efficiently, but also provide significant benefits to workers and visitors.

These benefits can come in many forms, including reduced crime, enhanced safety, reduced pollution, managed traffic flows and more efficient provision of services.

One example of how smart cities are leveraging AI is via video analytics, which scans video streams to identify behavioral or situational anomalies.

bulletin jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_apr15 12/05/2020 16:00 Page 2

BULLETIN

Hanwha Techwin Wisenet Q Series NVRs Hanwha Techwin’s Q series NVRs boast the ability to record images captured by 8 megapixel cameras. The ONVIF compliant 4, 8 and 16 channel plug and play PoE recorders are supplied with an intuitive GUI, and are designed to be suitable for virtually any smallto medium-sized video surveillance application which requires a cost-effective, robust and reliable video recording and storage solution.

A dual track recording feature enables the NVRs to simultaneously record two streams of video from each camera, at different resolutions. Intended to ensure operators are able to rapidly verify what may be occurring at a remote site, this feature facilitates the immediate retrieval of standard resolution images and then enables operators to subsequently review the higher resolution recordings for post incident forensic analysis.

Support is available for H.265, H.264 and MJPEG compression, and WiseStream II – a complementary compression technology which dynamically controls encoding, balancing quality and compression according to movement in the image – is available. When WiseStream II is combined with H.265 compression, bandwidth efficiency is improved.

Installation time is minimised as it is possible to remotely connect to the NVRs via a smartphone or tablet with any port forwarding, using P2P and QR codes. Power over Ethernet (PoE) also reduces installation time and costs.

The 4 channel model has 1 HDD (maximum 6TB storage) with up to 40Mbps recording, and 4 PoE ports. The 8 channel variant also has 1 HDD (maximum 6TB storage) with up to 80Mbps recording and 8 PoE ports. The 16 channel NVR supports 2 HDDs (maximum 12TB storage) with up to 128Mbps network recording throughput. It also has 16 PoE ports and dual monitor display via HDMI and VGA outputs.

Panasonic iPro Video Insight Panasonic has upgraded its Video Insight VMS. Video Insight is an enterprise VMS platform with sophisticated plug-in architecture and versatile programmable features. It integrates with the i-PRO MonitorCast access control platform to deliver system management and control with unlimited scalability.

Video Insight combines surveillance and access control onto a unified platform. The latest release includes new smart sensor detection and privacy protection capabilities to address issues challenging today’s end users.

The smart sensor integration triggers alerts upon vape detection, as well as the detection of various other environmental impurities. It also supports visitor management integration.

Performance is boosted via support for Intel ninth generation chipsets. A new VITV+ client supports the use of Apple TV media boxes.

To meet privacy needs, the VMS offers facial recognition redaction to blur individuals’ faces on recorded video used in forensic investigations for privacy protection.

Other features include H.264 and H.265 support for live and recorded video, enhanced search and 360 degree camera de-warping.

45

bulletin jun20_v9_000_Benchmark_apr15 12/05/2020 16:01 Page 3

BULLETIN

Videx offers new GSM app Videx Security has strengthened its GSM intercom range by adding a new app designed for installers and engineers who fit and maintain Videx GSM systems.

The new app, which complements the existing GSM app, includes a new host of features which are compatible with all GSM models, and enable engineers to program an unlimited number of sites.

The new app provides a wide range of features to help make an engineer’s job easier. Within the app, integrators can store information about the site such as the address and contact details, and they’re able to programme all apartments and buttons, access codes, proximity fobs, dial to opens, time bands and general settings too.

Events for each intercom and site can be viewed from the app, and the data is also stored on a cloud server and sent directly from the intercom to the cloud allowingit to be viewed on multiple devices.

An advanced settings page and a diagnostics tools section assist the engineer should there be a need to diagnose a problem.

Dahua in deal with Risco Dahua Technology has announced a distribution partnership with RISCO Group.

Under the terms of the agreement, Dahua’s security solutions will now be available from RISCO’s distribution centre.

Dahua’s solutions analyse data, allowing them to be used in applications such as fire detection, video analytics, facial recognition, ANPR, retail analytics, etc..

Steve Riley, RISCO UK & Ireland Commercial Director, said, ‘Installers are demanding greater integration of intruder and CCTV applications to increase opportunities and lower operational costs with parallel installations.’

46

PAC launches new access range PAC has announced a comprehensive redesign of its range in order to meet the rigorous demands of today’s end users.

This streamlines PAC’s offering with products that combine the benefits of state-of-the-art hardware and software, delivering high levels of security, sustainability and ease of use.

Key components of the new PAC portfolio are PAC 512DC networkable access controllers, which replace the PAC 500 range. Future-proof and certified to the latest industry standards, PAC 512 comprises two variants: the 512DC analogue and 512DCi digital access controllers. Scalable from 1-2000 doors, these controllers support up to 75,000 unique identification devices via Access Central, PAC’s enhanced management software.

The controllers feature two inputs and two outputs, as well as providing functionality including local anti-passback, event to action, mustering, lift call and alarm point control.

By removing the need for ancillary equipment, PAC 512 offers a cost-effective solution which is easy to configure, install, maintain and use.

PAC’s PS50 energy efficient Power Supply boasts 80 per cent efficiency at most loads, and uses less power than PAC’s previously available power supply unit, at the same price point.

PAC’s Access Central management software replaces the company’s SecureNet solution. It can be adapted to suit every access control installation, whether a single site business or a global organisation. Backwards compatible with SecureNet, it is available via digital download in SE and professional licence editions.

The SE licence level delivers a high level of functionality in a free distribution.

Access Central can beconfigured to operate on a standalone PC or across a corporate network. It displays detailed, real-time event information, including alarms as they occur, across a facility, while also providing ease of management of any installed 512DC and 512DCi devices.

Other features include Active Directory integration, which reduces set-up and management of keyholders when connected to an Active Directory feed.

Project1_Layout 1 15/10/2018 18:58 Page 1

bulletin jun20_v9_000_Benchmark_apr15 12/05/2020 16:02 Page 4

BULLETIN

Lars Thinggaard to leave Milestone

Genetec Clearance at No Cost Genetec has announced it is making its digital evidence management system, Genetec Clearance, available free of charge to any organisation looking to efficiently share digital evidence.

Genetec Clearance allows organisations to manage and distribute media and files from surveillance systems, body cameras, cellphone footage from bystanders and witnesses, and other sources, while avoiding the need to create or distribute physical copies.

Public safety agencies, and other organisations are having to quickly adopt new strategies to address the changes to daily operations to allow them to continue to collaborate with different stakeholders in order to fight crime and solve cases faster.

They need to implement precautions to ensure the wellbeing of officers, first responders, staff and the public.

To assist organisations to continue to work together effectively when operating remotely, Genetec is making Clearance available at no cost until 31 December 2020.

Video is a valuable tool to solve crimes, but receiving video often requires staff to go onsite and collect recordings on USB sticks or disks. With Genetec Clearance, access to case and incident information can be shared with authorised stakeholders at the click of a button, while preserving all user activity to maintain the chain of evidence.

There are no file size restrictions in the application, and videos are automatically converted to a browser-friendly format, avoiding the need for recipients to download and install standalone video players.

Businesses and organisations who sign up for a new Genetec Clearance trial account will be provided with a free, personalised remote session to assist with the configuration of the account, and will receive a walkthrough of the application.

48

Milestone Systems has announced Lars Thinggaard, President and Chief Executive Officer, has decided to leave the company.

As a result, the Board has started an open search to appoint a successor. During the intervening period, Lars Larsen, Milestone Systems’ Chief Financial Officer, will serve as Interim CEO. Lars Larsen stated, ‘Lars has played a crucial role in the development of Milestone. Looking ahead, Milestone is a strong company and well positioned to continue as a leader in the open platform video management software business.’

Lars Thinggaard has been President and CEO of Milestone Systems for 17 years and before this worked as a member of the nonexecutive board. For the last six years, since the company’s acquisition by Canon Group in 2014, he has led Milestone as a standalone company in the Group.

Under his leadership, Milestone has developed into a growth company with a strong team. Looking ahead, as investor and non-executive chairman of several companies in the startup community, Lars sees now is the right time to move on and focus on these new initiatives.

Maxxess upgrades website to enhance support Maxxess Systems has launched a new website specifically designed to strengthen company communications and serve as a platform for providing ongoing value to the integrated security market. The new site features separate dedicated areas for each of the primary offered software platforms, and includes new spaces for case studies and blog posts to share market insights, trends, and examples to benefit the industry.

In addition to being fully responsive to ensure a positive user experience across all platforms, the site features the company’s new theme, ‘Coordinate Your Security’. This theme reinforces the wide range of customisation and implementation choices available for each platform, as well as integrations that have already been completed with dozens of manufacturers.

Maxxess has also stated it will welcome the opportunity to publish guest blogs, case studies, and other forms of contributed content from customers to add value for the community.

pp49 jun20.qxp_000_Benchmark_apr15 15/05/2020 13:02 Page 1

COMPLIANCE

A Solution to Compliance Issues? ompliance is a significant issue for many businesses and organisations. While a necessity to ensure legislation is adhered to, policies and procedures are correctly applied and standards are met, the monitoring, recording and management of compliance issues represents a drain on time and resources. With a growing emphasis on cost efficiencies, anything that can reduce the amount of time and/or resources is welcome.

In the majority of cases the requirements of compliance hang upon the implementation of processes and procedures in specified circumstances. First, there is a need to ensure that some type of action is taken when an event or incident occurs. Second, there will be a need to notify specified people of the situation and report details about the event and actions. Finally, the user will need to record that the action has been implemented.

Compliance is a key element of security procedures. In order to ensure the security operator takes the appropriate actions, a work-flow might be implemented which guides the operator through the processes, only allowing alarms to be cleared when the required actions have been taken.

While security compliance is important, most end users will expect a security system to support this functionality. Where the benefits of a smart system might surprise them is that it can also support other compliance monitoring and management.

The flexibility available from many smart systems enables the creation of logic-based rules which can be used to trigger actions, either using connected security equipment, other peripheral IoT edge devices or integrated systems. Advanced reporting can also create audit trails, and data can be shared via mobile devices or the cloud.

C

Compliance options There are three ways in which a smart system – such as one based on a VMS or software-based management system – can deliver benefits for compliance. These are the automation of actions, the creation of an audit trail and delivery of notifications.

The system can deliver any or all of these three benefits. Where rules-based event management is supported, additional criteria can be added to ensure filtering makes the delivery of actions more specific to changing demands.

For modern businesses and organisations, compliance is a critical element of day-to-day operations. Smart solutions can help.

Compliance often demands that specified actions are carried out when certain events or incidents take place. Using logical rules, the smart system can automate the instigation, ensuring the actions are always carried out.

These could involve evacuating an area, playing a prerecorded message, switching lighting, opening barriers, etc..

The event log of the system includes data about the event and subsequent action. This will include time, date, information about the event, the identification of the user who interacted with the system and the actions they specifically took, if the processes are not automated. The log will also include information about alerts which were cleared by personnel.

Smart solutions support mobile devices and cloud connections. This makes it simple for notifications to be sent to multiple users, ensuring that those in the relevant departments seeking compliance support can receive information only when it is relevant to their tasks.

In summary When it comes to compliance matters, integrators should be offering solutions to their customers. Most users won’t ask, so ensure they understand the smart solution you’re offering delivers flexibility.

49

www.qxp_000_Benchmark_april15 12/05/2020 15:57 Page 3

BENCHMARK – driving innovation and smart solutions in the security industry The Benchmark website is a supplement to the printed monthly magazine, and includes a variety of tests and assessments of the latest technologies, including videos where relevant, as well as guides to product selection, independent technology-based articles and information about the latest influential products and systems comprising security and smart technologies.

TESTS AND ASSESSMENTS All tests and assessments are fully independent, and manufacturers have no involvement in the process.

Additionally, Benchmark makes no charge, financially or of any other kind, for inclusion in tests. All products are selected by an independent team. In short, it’s the only way you can ascertain the truth about product and system performance in real-world applications! Tests are carried out by an independent team of experts, telling you the whole truth about the performance you can expect.

DRIVING INNOVATION Benchmark believes that the future of the security sector lies in the creation of innovative solutions which deliver credible security, flexibility and smart value-added benefits. With unrivalled technical expertise, Benchmark ensures you are upto-date in an increasingly technical environment.

LONG-TERM SYSTEM EVALUATIONS The Benchmark website now includes information from the newly launched long-term system evaluation. There are many theories about how systems can deliver added value; Benchmark sees what is and what is not possible by creating a long-term system to investigate the various possibilities.

@benchmarkmag STAY UP TO DATE Benchmark is always testing and assessing new products and technologies. Keep up to date with the latest reports by following Benchmark on Twitter. www.twitter.com/benchmarkmag

www.benchmarkmagazine.com

The only security event you need to be part of IFSEC International returns to ExCeL London on 8-10 September 2020 IFSEC International, Europe’s leading integrated security event, is critical to today’s changing landscape. Running for the first time alongside Counter Terror Expo and Intelligent Buildings Europe, IFSEC is your unmatched opportunity to showcase your security technologies to a global network of installers, integrators, end-users, consultants, distributors and government officials.

“IFSEC has been transforming over the years.

It is a must attend show for any stakeholder in physical and converged security.”

CTI/CISO Virtually Informed

“It was our first time exhibiting in the UK and Europe, as we wanted to expand our markets.

There was a good quality of visitors and foot traffic – we would definitely exhibit again.”

“We came to broaden our security portfolio, we wanted to explore the markets and understand ROI. It has been a really successful show with excellent networking opportunities.”

Business Development Manager, Telaeris Inc

Business Manager Siklu

For more reasons to exhibit and to book your stand visit: www.ifsec.events/international

Co-located with:

9917 IFSEC 2020 Save the Date Advert 297x210+3mm.indd 1

Plus:

26/09/2019 16:32

Bosch IP 3000i cameras. Extend smart video surveillance to general surveilance applications.

Bosch all-new IP 3000i cameras offer high-quality, 24/7 performance and something never seen before in such competitively-priced cameras; built-in Essential Video Analytics as standard. Micro dome, mini dome, bullet and turret options are available with resolutions of up to 5MP for indoor and outdoor use. This intelligent solution is an industry first for general, cost-effective video surveillance.

Find out more at boschsecurity.com