February 2016 by Security Africa Magazine

SECURITY AFRICA Green Shoots Lagos Nairobi Accra Kinshasa Johannesburg

February 2016 Security Africa Magazine

Twin Frontiers of Biometrics and Finance

How Smart is Smart Access Control?

Honeywell in David & Goliath Struggle

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INTRODUCTION

Introduction

n our first edition of 2016 we look at the different investment options on the African continent and highlight bright spots such as Lagos, Nairobi, Accra, Kinshasa and Johannesburg where growth remains robust and inves tors are prospering in the retail, financial services, technology and construction sectors.

Security Africa are confident that 2016 will be a key year in the development of Africa as an investment hotspot for the security sectors and look forward to continuing our frontline coverage.

Alan Goode MD of Goode intelligence looks at mobile deployments in the world of biometrics and financial services. We also have contributions from Honeywell, Microsoft, Axis and Baldwin Boxall in delivering our loyal readership the latest news across the Security, Fire, Safety and IT sectors.

Judith Adele Editor

Advertising Sales Ben Charnley ben@securityafricamagazine.com

Design & Analytics Alex Scott design@securityafricamagazine.com

Editorial & PR Judith Adele editor@securityafricamagazine.com

Accounts Sue Barker accounts@securityafricamagazine.com

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Contents 04 08 11 13 15

Investment bright spots: Africa’s biggest economies have been hammered by the collapse in commodity prices over the past 18 months but there are still investment bright spots to be found. Top trends for biometrics in financial services: Biometrics is certainly a technology that is rapidly being adopted by the Financial Services industry and this is not just confined to mobile deployments. Basic Data Privacy Principles: Flexibility is the name of the game when dealing with protecting data privacy. The problem with current ‘smart’ access control systems: By Hector Hoyos who is the founder and CEO at Hovos Labs, one of the leading innovative biometrics, authentication and identification technology companies. Axis software contributes innovative security App: Providing companies with the autonomy to design their own security solutions.

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Nigeria pushes ahead: The Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria (WFAN) in Kano state is set to establish a Flour Mills Company in Kano. Intervate launches ROBIT: a virtual personal assistant on Microsofts Skype for Business. Baldwin Boxall Announces LPCB Certification: Baldwin Boxall is delighted to announce that it has been granted certification by the Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) for their entire range of VIGIL2 voice alarm products. David & Goliath?: Can a small company from Portland, Oregon, successfully take on a multinational Giant like Honeywell.

FEATURE

Africa Powers On Africa’s biggest economies have been hammered by the collapse in commodity prices over the past 18 months but there are still investment bright spots to be found.

n cities such as Lagos, Nairobi, Accra, Kinshasa and Johannesburg, growth remains robust and investors are prospering in the retail, financial services, technology and construction sectors. This means investors can now re-adjust their strategy for Africa. Instead of taking a view on the continent as a whole, or choosing one country over another, they can seize opportunities city by city. Sub-Saharan Africa is urbanizing faster than anywhere else in the world and city dwellers have more money to spend. “In the current economic environment, investors want areas where success is proven, growth is strong and will remain strong. Big African cities give you that,” said Jacob Kholi, a partner at Abraaj, a private equity firm with $9 billion under management. “It has become even more important to focus on these key cities than before,” Kholi added. Nairobi is the most attractive destination for foreign investment, according to a 2015 report by PricewaterhouseCoopers, followed by Accra, with Lagos and Johannesburg equal third. Consumption per capita in Accra is 1.6 times greater than the average in Ghana, 2.3 times bigger in Lagos than the average in Nigeria, and 2.7 times larger in Nairobi than nationally in Kenya, Abraaj estimates. Lagos, one of the world’s fastest growing cities and with a population of 20 million, expects economic growth of 7 percent this year, twice the pace of the country as a whole. Even South Africa, which is grappling with youth SA December 2015

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FEATURE

unemployment of over 40 percent and could slip into recession this year, has areas where industry is booming. “Looking around here, you wouldn’t know things were so bad,” construction worker Sifiso Zwane told Security Africa in Johannesburg’s wealthy Sandton business district. “Rich people will always find a way to make more money,” said Zwane, with cranes filling the skyline behind him and billboards advertising new retailers like Krispy Kreme doughnuts and Hennes & Mauritz There are similar stories elsewhere. This year, Kenya is set to unveil the Two River malls in Nairobi, the continent’s largest shopping centre outside South Africa, with brands like Porsche, Hugo Boss and France’s Carrefour already booking space. “The economy still has opportunities,” said Gabriel Modest, a jeweller who says demand for the gold necklaces and bracelets he sells remains strong. “Sometimes you have to treat yourself,” he added, while ordering food at an upmarket coffee shop. 5

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In Lagos, plans are in place to develop the vast multibillion-dollar Eko Atlantic city, a Dubai-style gated community that will boast chrome skyscrapers, business parks, palm trees and a marina. “MEGA-CITY” By 2025, Mckinsey estimates that more than 80 cities in sub-Saharan Africa will have populations of more than one million, accounting for 58 percent of the region’s growth.

In a more risk-averse world, ‘urban bias’ – where there are proven returns - is likely to be reinforced. Investors will look at urban areas. This trend runs the risk of the rural electorate being marginalized – in especially unequal regions

FEATURE

This rapid urbanization means Africa’s big cities will need more roads, hospital and power stations, while growing numbers of new inhabitants will be buying consumer goods like instant noodles, washing powder and mobile phone cards. Though some big companies like Massmart, Barclays and Nestle have slowed expansion plans in Africa in the last two years they are still making healthy profits in the big urban centres, according to banking sources.

and will put pressure on politicians to direct more resources towards cities. Inequality in African cities is already among the highest in the world. African governments with stretched public finances will need to improve housing and social safety nets in cities and diversify their economies to support rural areas in order to avoid an increase in inequality that could stir up discontent.

“Our investment is focused on cities where we see the best opportunities even if the investment environment in the rest of the country isn’t as robust,” said Louis Deppe, partner at Actis, an emerging market-focused investment company. “The ‘mega-city’ trend is still very much on the cards.”

“In a more risk-averse world, ‘urban bias’ – where there are proven returns - is likely to be reinforced. Investors will look at urban areas,” said Razia Khan, head of Africa research at Standard Chartered. “This trend runs the risk of the rural electorate being marginalized – in especially unequal regions, it may raise political risks, and the potential for unrest.”

The share of Africans living in urban areas is expected to grow from 36 percent in 2010 to 50 percent by 2030, with cities expected to be home to 85 percent of the national population in some countries, according to the World Bank.

It is clear to Security Africa that whilst investment stays strong in Africa there will be lucrative opportunities for the security, safety and fire sectors as ‘Mega Cities’ and Corporate businesses construct their new establishments.

The rapid urbanization of mostly the young and unemployed is placing a huge strain on infrastructure

See also Pg 18: Nigerian Investment in Wheat

SA December 2015

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TECHNOLOGY

Biometrics and Finance

Goode Intelligence analyse the top trends for biometrics in financial services

iometrics is certainly a technology that is rapidly being adopted by the Financial Services industry and this is not just confined to mobile deployments. Mobile is a growing channel for the delivery of financial services and will start to dominate most financial sectors over the next five years but other channels are still a vital part of any delivery strategy. This is an important message that I have learnt after spending the second half of 2015 researching how biometrics is becoming an important tool within the security toolbox that can be utilised in the fight against financial fraud and identity theft. In a series of analyst reports that I authored in 2015 that were published in June, October and December 2015 by Goode Intelligence, I was able to carry out a deep-dive into the adoption of biometric technology in financial services. This included banking, payment and mobile-based biometric services. In the reports I identified five key trends that are currently shaping this market. Bye Bye PINs for ATM Security ATMs are unattended and when I type in my PIN I am always uber-aware of who is standing behind me in case they may be attempting to steal my PIN. Being a paranoid sort of person I go through a series of checks that includes checking for ATM skimmers or evidence that a camera may be pointing at the keyboard. Banks have installed awareness notices and stuck-on mirrors to help me protect my PIN but it shouldn’t have to be like this. Things are changing and banks are modifying their ATM technology to phase out PINs and to embrace biometrics. There is also choice in the biometric deployment method; a bank can either integrate a biometric sensor into the ATM itself (fingerprint, palm-vein, finger-vein and Iris

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TECHNOLOGY

are being used) to go either cardless (my biometric replaces the plastic) or keep the card (the biometric is stored on the card and a biometric is captured at the ATM and then matched against the stored template on the card). There is also a mobile biometric solution that also replaces the need for a plastic bank card or integration of specialist sensors at the ATM; Hoyos Labs has a neat solution where the mobile device interacts with an ATM using a combination of barcode and mobile biometric authentication technology. And if you like plastic cards then there are solutions as well; a number of vendors, including Zwipe, have integrated a fingerprint sensor into plastic cards to replace PINs. The plastic bank card will only work if the authorised user’s fingerprint is first placed on the sensor. Authenticated Contactless Mobile Payments One of the more visible success stories for biometric adoption in financial services has been the development of mobile biometric contactless payments. Apple Pay and Samsung Pay both use integrated fingerprint sensors to secure contactless mobile payments in physical locations. The PIN was adding friction to the physical payment experience so you can either forget about user authentication and limit the transaction amount (tap and pay for low value payments) or replace the PIN with a method that doesn’t slow down the experience but still adds a level of security. 9

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How to tackle rising levels of Card-NotPresent Fraud? Technology does reduce fraud. The deployment of EMV chip cards has led to a reduction of fraud at the physical point of sale. This has led criminals to move online and attack commerce channels that the EMV chip cannot protect. The rise of Card-Not-Present (CNP) fraud, especially for E-Commerce transactions, and the movement towards mobile commerce has created the need for secure and convenient user authentication and transaction verification. Biometrics offers a viable solution. Expect to see the payment networks start to roll-out mobilebased biometric solutions that aims to tackle the CNP fraud problem and even support in 3D Secure 2.0. Wearable Payments to support Biometric Authentication It is early days for wearables; the market is too fragmented and there are too few devices currently being used by consumers. This will change and as more and more apps are developed to support the delivery of financial services to bands and smart watches then the need to validate identity and to protect commerce will become critical. For wearables, it is important to pick a biometric modality that suits the device and the application so

TECHNOLOGY

expect to see technology such as heart-rate (ECG), behavioural and vascular being integrated into the next generation of wearable devices. Biometrics that can be captured when a device is close to the skin of its wearer. Brainwave for Glass perhaps? Financial-Grade multi-modal biometric authentication to become de-facto for mobile banking apps The final trend that I am pulling out of these reports is part of a movement to increase security of mobilebased biometric solutions without adversely effecting convenience and ensuring that financial services providers maintain ownership of identity. The industry needs to ensure that the biometric technology is hard to spoof, that the protocols cannot be compromised and that the vulnerabilities seen in existing 2FA solutions (including replay and man-inthe-middle attacks) are not introduced. And at the same time being easy to use, scalable and fit into existing identity lifecycle management tools (can I revoke a credential?). The use of more than one biometric modality, face and voice for instance, in a banking app can increase security and also provide choice for consumers. A service provider can also match the right biometric modality to the context of the login or transaction attempt; fingerprint may open the app but a challenge

using another modality may be needed to send a payment to a new beneficiary. To conclude; both established financial services organisations, challenger banks and the emerging FinTech providers now understand the importance of choosing the most appropriate user authentication and transaction verification technology that can work across all finance channels and can meet the needs of convenience and security. Biometrics certainly ticks the boxes for convenience with millions of customers around the world paying for products and accessing mobile banking with the touch of the finger or by taking a selfie. A number of biometric platforms are also being introduced that also tick security, regulatory and privacy boxes including IEEE’s Biometric Open Protocol Standard (BOPS). What is exceptional about this market is the sheer scale of deployment that has already taken place and the enormous potential that is yet to come. From millions of Brazilians daily withdrawing cash from biometricallyenabled ATMs, to mobile banking customers accessing their accounts with the touch of a finger or by taking an image of their face, the use of biometrics for financial services is improving security, reducing financial fraud and removing the need for cumbersome authentication solutions that are not fit for purpose in today’s hyperconnected world.

SA February 2016

TECHNOLOGY

Data Privacy Principles IBM Security Guardium offer optimum protection of data

lexibility is the name of the game when dealing with protecting data privacy. The beauty of databases is that they are designed to be multipurpose and support a wide variety of business applications and use cases. But the access requirements to that data are almost never the same across those different users and applications. Data privacy principles, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), require that private data be collected only for a specified purpose and users be protected against inadvertent disclosure of information. For example, doctors should only see medically relevant information about their own patients. Patient intake personnel should be able to see relevant insurance data and home addresses but should not have access to diagnoses or doctors’ notes. Application developers and testers who are testing enhancements or fixes should not have access to data that can breach the privacy of any particular patient or expose financial information. There are many — almost too many — options that have evolved for handling these use cases. We have

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come a long way from relying on database views to restrict access to rows and columns of data. Database vendors have created sophisticated access controls, such as Oracle Virtual Private Databases and DB2 Row and Column Access Control. These controls are sensitive to who is asking for the data and will appropriately subset the results for the user or role in a way that does not require the application to customize the database commands for each. Rather, the database command is modified to restrict results based on the user.

IBM Security Guardium has data privacy options that complement existing database controls. Implementation of this capability does require specification of security policies inside the database. As with any privacy controls, fine-grained access control

TECHNOLOGY

works best when there is time to design and implement it while the application is in development. You can change these security policies after application deployment or if you want to deploy a new application, but it will require a change ticket and access to the database server. This can take time that you may not have if you are dealing with an urgent privacy violation. IBM Security GuardiumÂ has data privacy options that complement existing database controls. Guardium has had data redaction for a long time, which can be used to dynamically mask query results based on runtime context. This is a fairly simple replacement system that can replace credit numbers with asterisks or other characters. There is no change to the database query itself. In V10, Guardium provides its own powerful version of fine-grained access control. Rather than simply masking data in result sets, Guardium can dynamically change the query sent to the database based on who is issuing the query, where they are, when it is and what they are looking for. This capability is known as query rewrite. It is similar to what is possible using native database fine-grained access controls but requires no database changes.

Guardium has much more extensive knowledge of the runtime context to protect against a broader set of threats and privileged user abuses. For example, a database may not know who the actual end user is to properly enforce the fine-grained access control policy, but Guardium can better help thwart such threats via the ability to trace back the UID chain. You could use finegrained access control to: > Enable ad hoc production database access to a new set of business users or testers without fear of exposing private data. > Rapidly correct critical security vulnerabilities while permanent solutions are developed at the database or application level. > Perform sophisticated logic to react to suspicious activity at odd times of day from unknown IPs, perhaps to redirect attackers to a honeypot and log their activity. Strongly enforce the fine-grained access control policy across all users, including database administrators. There is no data privacy silver bullet, but Guardium finegrained access control is a powerful addition to your arsenal. SA February 2016

ACCESS CONTROL

Smart Access Control? The problems with current ‘smart’ access control systems are set out by Hector Hoyos

here’s been an explosion in products that promise to make our facilities, assets, networks and cloud resources “smarter”, more secure and safe, but do they? With control system hacks on the rise and traditional lock/entrance manufacturers like Honeywell, Assa Abloy and Stanley developing more intelligent lock systems, it’s clear that enterprises in hospitality, healthcare and government are looking for a more granular access control that increases security. These smart access control systems frequently use an RFID, keypad entry, sensors or radio receivers for remotes or smartphones to grant access. To switch over to these systems, there’s usually a very large upfront cost as infrastructure of the network and power must be installed to all controlled access doors, the door hardware must be replaced, and a central system established. Additionally, these systems require backup power options in case of a power loss, and cards and badges must be issued to each employee. But what happens if your employee loses an access card? There’s a chance it could get into the wrong hands.

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This is certainly an issue for concern, but the true root of the problem with current smart access control systems isn’t simple human error. It’s that most of these current systems are connected to facilities’ business networks, like Z-Wave, NFC or WiFi, making the switches, gates and locks being controlled remotely accessible. This might sound convenient, but it’s actually making these smart access control systems accessible for remote attacks because of how easy their frequencies can be scanned and hacked into. It’s as simple as searching on YouTube to find “how-to” videos on hacking physical access control systems. Whether it’s a malicious attacker or disgruntled employee, if the attacker was to gain access into a server room or an office building they could put your whole organization at risk. Attackers could steal easyto-grab devices with sensitive information on them, delete and alter information, disrupt normal business operations, hack into a system and cause a data breach or worse -- physically harm your employees. So is there an alternative? Biometric security in smart access control systems have significant advantages over all other forms of identification, authentication

ACCESS CONTROL

and verification. It’s fast and easy to use; it doesn’t need a token or fob. And unlike a key code password, which requires memorization and is easily replicable, an individual’s fingerprints, irises, facial constructs and other biological traits should be impossible to duplicate. However, companies need end-to-end security frameworks that encrypt and protect biometric information to ensure the proper level of authentication and verification -- limiting access to a physical location. After all, the threats to data are everywhere.

In the coming years, biometrics have the potential to be the leading security metric for smart access control systems For instance, many companies believe that because their location is controlled remotely by their phone or computer, the data inside is safe. To the contrary,

thieves can install malware into the device and gain access into a location without direct contact. Data breaches have been similarly achieved through email, apps and the interception of a Wi-Fi connection. Standards also matter when dealing with biometricbased access control systems. Without having proper standardization in place to clearly secure and authenticate someone’s identity in a comprehensive manner, information is left open to attack. For biometrics, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has created the Biometric Open Protocol Standard (BOPS) or as it’s called, 2410. With this, organizations can create and use biometric-based technologies that allow people to safely and effectively authenticate access into secure locations without the need of key cards and passwords. In the coming years, biometrics have the potential to be the leading security metric for smart access control systems, but a single ultra-hack could derail this progression permanently. It’s up to today’s companies to recognize the importance of protecting biometric data, as this is vital step for protecting its assets in the future.

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TECHNOLOGY

Axis Security App Axis provides companies with the autonomy to design their own security solutions

xis provides system integrators and installers with an intuitive new web application that reduces the time and effort needed to design complete security solutions. AXIS Site Designer works online and offline to recommend cameras and recording solutions for small and mid-sized systems. It includes easy to use templates for a variety of security requirements and gives interactive guidance on the selection of cameras, recording products and accessories needed for a complete surveillance solution. AXIS Site Designer is a time-saving and easy to use tool that helps system integrators and installers design and implement an optimized security solution. Axis Communications, the market leader in network video, today introduced AXIS Site Designer tool. This tool offers systems integrators and installers a highly efficient way to design complete surveillance solutions for small- to medium-sized installations. The tool saves time when specifying and designing end-to-end solutions for sites with up to 100 cameras. The app features a selection of templates for common installation scenarios. A visual camera selector recommends cameras based on operational requirements such as required resolution, camera coverage and light conditions. It is easy to find the right

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mounts and other accessories for any camera, since the tool only presents compatible components. A storage calculator provides recommendations for suitable recording solutions based on typical scenarios. Finally, the tool produces a complete bill of materials that includes all components in the system. AXIS Site Designer is a web application that works online and offline. It is ideal for quick and easy on-site system design using tablets or laptops, even without an Internet connection. It allows installers and integrators to work on multiple projects on the go, and to sync them through the MyAxis portal when online. “We know that for our partners, time and efficiency is key to running their businesses. This is why we have developed AXIS Site Designer. It is a time-saving and easy to use tool that helps our partners design and implement an optimized security solution for their customers, without requiring in-depth knowledge of Axis products. The intuitive interface eliminates guesswork and makes professional site design much faster and more accurate, ensuring higher customer satisfaction,” says Peter Friberg, Director of System and Services, Axis Communications. AXIS Site Designer can be accessed for free at www. sitedesigner.axis.com. The tool can be used with tablets, laptops or PCs.

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FEATURE

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TECHNOLOGY

Acuity Market Intelligence on the Biometric Smartphone Revolution

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iometric Smartphones could soon be taking a bigger market share in South Africa if global trends are to be believed. According to research firm Acuity Market Intelligence, biometric smartphones are officially mainstream. More than 200 smartphones incorporating fingerprint, iris, and eye-vein biometrics been introduced since Q1 2013 under 70 brand names including Apple, Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, TCL, Oppo, Vivo, and ZTE. Acuity projects that 600 million biometric smartphones are currently in use representing 28% of the global

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installed base. According to Maxine Most, Acuity Market Intelligence Principal, “This explosion of biometric smartphones is just the beginning. The number of models available or announced increased from 52 a year ago to 197 today with additional announcements expected by the end of Q1. “Biometric smartphone prices have dropped dramatically as new low-end options expand adoption, especially in emerging markets,” says Most. “While 93% of all biometric smartphone models run Google’s Android OS and Fingerprint Cards sensors are used in more than 60% of current models, Apple maintains a dominant 45% total device and fingerprint sensor market share.”

Acuity’s “Biometric Smartphone Update” provides details of all biometric smartphones shipped since Q1 2013 and includes brand, model, OS, price point, release date, and availability as well as biometric type, vendor, and sensor, and links to complete specifications and reviews.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Nigeria Invests in Wheat Flour Mills Company in Kano to be subsidised by Nigerian Goverment

he Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria (WFAN) in Kano state is set to establish a Flour Mills Company in Kano, Chairman of the association in the state, Alhaji Faruk Rabiu has said. He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Saturday that already, the Federal Government had approved the project. He said the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Audu Ogbeh, conveyed Federal Government’s approval to the association when visited the state during the 41st National Council on Agriculture and Rural Development Meeting.He explained that the Federal Government would provide the Standard Compact Floor Milling Machine to the association at a subsidised cost of N50 million. According to him, the state has promised to give the association N50 million interest-free loan, to enable it pay for the machine.

“The Federal Government procured the machine at the cost of N100 million but will give us at subsidised rate of 50 per cent”, he said. He said the minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Audu Ogbeh had promised to deliver the machine in Kano next week. “The Minister has promised us that the machine will be brought to Kano next week. “As soon as it arrives, we shall commence the process of installing, as well as test running it”, Rabi’u said. The chairman said the decision to establish the factory was informed by the desire and of the association to boost wheat production in the state. “We will take the excess commodity to the flour mill factory and when the flour is produced, we take same to the market “, he said.

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TECHNOLOGY

Intervate Launch “Robit” Intervate introduce the new virtual personal assistant on ‘Microsoft’s Skype for Business’

> Locally-developed virtual personal assistant technology to help organisations extract more value from Skype for Business. > Known as ROBIT, the service delights users with a human-touch approach to workplace digitization. > ROBIT can be customised within any environment, and taught to learn how to perform specific tasks. Intervate has announced the release of ROBIT: locallydeveloped virtual personal assistant (VPA), enabling organisations to extract more value from Microsoft’s Skype for Business. Skype for Business, recently re-branded from the previous name of Microsoft Lync, facilitates instant messaging and live online meetings for multiple colleagues within a company – via video, audio, or textbased chat. ROBIT leverages the Skype for Business platform to act 19

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as a company-wide virtual personal assistant for all employees within an organisation. These could range from simple tasks like booking meeting rooms or resetting account passwords, to more complex queries that dive into line-of-business systems – such as one’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution. Using the text chat feature of Skype for Business, interactions are as quick and simple as any other form of instant messaging (like WhatsApp for example). Best of all, ROBIT has a quirky and sometimes irreverent personality. She can serve up jokes on request; or reply with cheeky responses like “we don’t have any meeting rooms with a time machine”, if one accidently tries to book a meeting room for a date that’s already passed. These light-hearted aspects help bring a human-like touch to each interaction, making it fun to engage with ROBIT. It assists in taking the drudgery out of trawling through complex line-of-business systems, which often

TECHNOLOGY

have less-friendly user interfaces or require additional user access licences.

“She’s always available, always replies instantly, and always provides accurate responses to any queries”.

ROBIT can be customised within any environment, and taught to learn how to perform specific tasks. So, the next time a staff member has the same request, ROBIT is able to deal with the query.

With fairly straightforward integration, ROBIT is able to draw information from any form of line of business system. Most commonly, information sourced by ROBIT is housed in one’s ERP, CRM and Intranet environments, but it can be plugged into any system. Williams explains that ROBIT is another illustration of the close partnership between Microsoft and Intervate. As a multi-award winning partner over the past few years (most-recently, Intervate was named South Africa’s Microsoft Partner of the Year for 2015), the two companies have enjoyed a long-standing relationship in Africa.

ROBIT is another illustration of the close partnership between Microsoft and Intervate. Bruce Williams, ROBIT Product Manager at Intervate, emphasises the importance of this innovation: “Organisations are increasingly looking to automation as a way of becoming more agile and responsive to their customers. ROBIT is an easy-to-use business process tool – designed to speed up many of the simple operational tasks that can consume much of one’s day.”

“From our origins of deploying Microsoft SharePoint to delivering content management services to local clients, we’re now evolving into other areas – like Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Azure, Skype for Business and the Internet of Things.” Intervate will be extending a free one year ROBIT license to all existing clients. SA February 2016

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FIRE NEWS

Baldwin Boxal On Top Baldwin Boxall Announces LPCB Certification for Fire Safety products

aldwin Boxall is delighted to announce that it has been granted certification by the Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) for their entire range of VIGIL2 voice alarm products. LPCB certification is considered by many to be the highest mark of quality and reliability available in the industry today, and it has worldwide recognition. Baldwin Boxall has always claimed that it manufactures a high quality product and now, with LPCB approval, this claim is reinforced. Amongst the products that have been approved is the company’s VIGIL Eclipse3 – a self-contained, wallmountable voice evacuation system. The Eclipse3 is already popular and this certification is expected to open up new markets for the system. Popularity for the Eclipse3 is not only due to its convenient size but also to its modular design, making it incredibly flexible. The Eclipse3 uses the same DSP-controlled routeing technology as for the manufacturer’s largest systems, meaning it shares the same great features as the company’s rack systems – including the fact that multiple units can be easily networked. VIGIL Eclipse3 can be adapted to suit the specific needs for any installation – from small, single-zone applications, to the largest multi-level, multi-zoned towers. Of great benefit is the fact that the Eclipse3

fits neatly within the risers of a tall building thus saving valuable floor space and potentially making the system conveniently placed for cabling. With the Eclipse3 come the many benefits associated with the VIGIL range, despite its compact size. Amongst these is that the system is capable of storing up to six high quality recorded messages for broadcast. Typically the messages will include an evacuation message, which is programmed to broadcast automatically when the fire alarm system is activated. All of the messages can be chosen from Baldwin Boxall’s library or can be individually recorded with a bespoke message in any language. There is a good choice of microphones and control options for the system – including touchscreen facilities. Nick Baldwin, Marketing Director, said “This is a great achievement and proves that the products and the services that we offer are among the best available on the market today. Our voice alarm systems are already in high demand and we are anticipating an increase in interest from EMEA following our LPCB approval. We are very excited about the future with many new products also in the pipeline!” Baldwin Boxall has also been awarded the ability to use the Made in Britain marque – and are proud to do so.

SA February 2016

COMMODITIES

Honeywell Loses Out Honeywell on notice as upstart company inks big pipeline deal

an a small company from Portland, Oregon, successfully take on a multinational Goliath like Honeywell (HON)? After inking a deal with Snam Rete, Europe’s largest natural gas transmitter, that small company, CUI Global (CUI), has taken the first step in that direction with a game-changing device called GasPTi. CEO Bill Clough explains, “It’s a gas properties transmitter ... it very quickly, very efficiently and very cheaply monitors the quality of gas in a pipeline and does it in a very unique way that really supplants 60-year-old technology. Clough says there are two main types of customers for his product. Pipeline operators can use the GasPTi system for “fiscal monitoring.” The instrument can give those companies a read on just how much potential energy is in the gas moving through its pipeline. The other kind of customer is a big compressor company or a big engine operator. “[They] would use the device to really control those big machines that are using huge amounts of natural gas and frankly operate much more efficiently if they are operated on a device like ours.” CUI announced the Snam Rete deal yesterday for 400 of its devices initially. The full project calls for 3,300 gas analyzers across the Italian company’s pipeline system in the coming years.

The sale is big news because last summer Honeywell acquired Elster, a company that makes similar technology but at five times the price of the CUI Gas PTi technology. “As you see the commodity price, in this case gas, get lower, those infrastructure costs mean something to those operators,” Clough says. “We can put our device in for about a fifth the cost the current technology is and we require almost no maintenance. The current technology is somewhere between $12,000 and $13,000 a year.” And it’s not just cost that Clough thinks gives his company a leg up. He says the Gas PTi system is faster and more accurate as well. “[Other companies in the space] all had pretty much the same technology for 60 years. It takes [it] minutes to analyze the gas, not seconds, and they simply cannot compete with us on that basis.” Clough believes CUI still has a leg up and can win with this product in particular.“The natural gas industry is like many industries - there’s a school of fish,” he says. “They all tend to move in the same direction. If we can peel off one or two of the right fish, the entire school will turn toward us. The Italians are one of those right fish.” And he hopes this deal in Italy will lead to more multi-million dollar sales in France, Germany, Norway, and yes, the United States.

SA February 2016

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