Genetec – the technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations and business intelligence solutions – is set to unveil Streamvault Edge. The Edge is a new line of connected appliances that enables the easy transition to a hybrid cloud infrastructure.
Ideally suited to multi-site operations such as banking, retail or businesses with remote or unmanned sites, Streamvault Edge enables organisations to modernise their security infrastructure, while at the same time leveraging existing legacy sensor infrastructure.
The Edge enables the gradual migration of security systems to a hybrid architecture without disrupting operations. The appliance is also a low maintenance, easy-to-install edge device that makes the commissioning, deployment and management of connected remote sites both simple and straightforward without the need for specialised IT expertise.
On initial launch, Streamvault Edge will focus on delivering a hybrid cloud architecture for enterprise-grade video surveillance, with more security and IoT devices to be supported in the coming months.
Edge platform strategy
“This is just the beginning of a new edge platform strategy and a more efficient way of delivering our solutions to customers,” said Christian Morin, vice-president of product engineering and chief security officer at Genetec. “We’re starting with video, but Streamvault Edge will soon evolve to power a broader range of capabilities from access control to advanced operations technologies.”
A connected Linux-based appliance, Streamvault Edge has little to no impact on IT resources and can be easily installed and configured by non-specialised technicians. It offers the simplicity of the cloud for easy connectivity, configuration/deployment, scalability, maintenance and updates, regardless of where sensor data is archived.
For systems integrators, Streamvault Edge offers an ideal solution to help modernise existing installations and extend the useful life of legacy equipment, while future-proofing new infrastructure.
*Further information on Streamvault Edge is availableonline
Business intelligence solutions specialist Genetec has shared practical guidance on how organisations can secure their operations in a way that respects everyone’s privacy.
To date, 107 countries have established legislation that secures the protection of data and privacy. This follows in the footsteps of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe, on the back of which 1,059,520,456 Euros’ worth of fines have been issued since its establishment in 2018. Despite that, only 59% of organisations say they meet all GDPR requirements.
“International Data Protection Day represents the perfect time to share what we’ve learned over 25 years,” explained Christian Morin, Chief Security Officer at Genetec. “Organisations should never have to choose between data privacy and security. As cyber threats and privacy regulations evolve, organisations need to remain vigilant. Security solutions that are built on privacy by design principles enable organisations to achieve their business goals, while at the same time maintaining compliance.”
Genetec recommends organisations ensure their security systems respect data privacy. They can do so in a number of ways.
Establish privacy governance
Designate a Data Protection Officer to guide strategies and comply with regulations. Map how data is collected and processed, where it’s stored, how long it’s kept and who can access it. Categorise data in terms of risk. Identify people outside of the organisation who may need to access your data and assess the risk your data processing operations pose to citizens’ rights.
Build a data protection strategy
Conduct a gap analysis of data processing operations. Evaluate existing systems’ ability to address privacy without draining resources. Implement new processes as necessary and document all privacy policies and procedures. Educate the entire workforce on cyber security and privacy Best Practice.
Assess the capabilities of technology and partners
Proactively seek out those that may offer to help uphold privacy and protection. Inquire about certifications and steps partners and vendors are taking to comply with privacy legislation. Choose solutions built with ‘Privacy by Design’ that enable privacy features by default. Consider solutions that enable the standardisation of processes and policies across different regions.
Build security systems with privacy in mind
Enable multiple layers of defence to protect personal information collected by physical security systems. Define user access to restrict those who can log into applications and what they can see/do. Implement privacy features like video anonymisation that blur identities in footage. Automate data retention policies to ensure that data is automatically deleted as required. Leverage a digital evidence management system to securely share information for investigations and citizen requests.
Remain vigilant
Stay current on data privacy laws and evolve policies and processes regularly. Leverage hardening tools to actively monitor cyber security compliance and keep up with software updates. Monitor user activity logs to check what data, systems and files are being accessed. Activate health monitoring in order to receive alerts automatically about system vulnerabilities or device failure. Consider a hybrid cloud implementation to streamline access to the latest cyber security and data privacy updates.
Genetec – the technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations and business intelligence-focused solutions – has been engaged by the management team at Westfield UK, which has now standardised on the use of Genetec Security Center across its Stratford City and London sites. Together, the two locations attract over 73 million visitors per year and generate a massive £2.1 billion in retail sales.
“It was immediately apparent that Genetec would be an important strategic partner for us,” explained Adrian Howles, security manager at Westfield UK. “The Security Center platform is comprehensive, intuitive and, as part of our five-year strategy, the open architecture gives us so many options.”
The unified security platform is already driving cost efficiencies and economies of scale across the locations’ operations, with further plans to extend its use over the next five years. With a shared platform in place, Westfield UK is now able to manage security functions from centralised Control Rooms, bringing economies of scale and added resilience to its operations.
The common interface has also brought greater uniformity in terms of how day-to-day security issues are addressed across the two sites.
Phased migration
The ability for Genetec Security Center to support a phased migration of security operations to the cloud also appealed to Howles and his security team. To maximise its return on past investments, Westfield UK is currently running most of its security infrastructure within its on-site Data Centres. However, the organisation is already preparing for greater cloud adoption when existing hardware reaches the end-of-life stage.
“Knowing the system is cloud-ready and can support centralised monitoring if and when we need it to is very attractive,” added Howles. “We can realise significant cost efficiencies and further improve our already high levels of security and resilience.”
Looking ahead, Westfield UK continues to push the capabilities of its Genetec systems, looking beyond ‘pure’ security to find other ways it can add value to the business as a whole. One example is the integration of Security Center with Westfield UK’s delivery management system which has automated the granting of access for pre-approved vehicles in and out of the yard. Another is the adoption of Genetec Mission Control and Genetec Clearance to streamline processes, support operators and simplify the General Data Protection Regulation-compliant sharing of video footage internally and with third parties.
All-encompassing role
“Front line security is an all-encompassing role,” concluded Howles, “so we rely on technology to support our people in responding predictably and effectively to whatever’s thrown at them.”
Francesco Serra, Genetec’s vice-president of sales for Europe, responded: “Westfield UK has consistently demonstrated its ability to thrive within a retail and leisure market that’s both dynamic and challenging. We’re proud to support them for the long-term with technology that drives smarter ways of working and even greater efficiency.”
OPTEX, the global sensor manufacturer, has announced that its Redscan PRO LiDAR sensors are now fully integrated with Genetec’s Security Center to provide enhanced perimeter protection for high-security sites.
The announcement follows a long period of engagement between the two businesses prior to the launch of the latest OPTEX sensor series to ensure the data and algorithms could be fully integrated and interpreted by the Genetec Security Center platform. By integrating the two technologies, a series of advanced features exclusive to Genetec have now been unlocked.
Genetec is the only company to leverage the live X&Y co-ordinates provided by the Redscan LiDAR to create critical area mapping and video tracking, including advanced intelligent features such as automatic target path fusion. This feature automatically merges singles out targets detected by multiple sensors together as one to help reduce the number of events presented via the Security Center Platform to the security staff and make them more relevant.
David Lenot, critical infrastructure practice lead at Genetec, informed Security Matters: “The integration of the OPTEX Redscan PRO Series into our Security Center solution is a game-changer for perimeter security. With detection, tracking and video verification all in one device, it’s not only more efficient and cost effective, but end user customers can now expect higher levels of security and surveillance than ever before.”
Automatic tracking
Automatic tracking of targets and camera handover is also enabled, duly providing a complete visual audit trail of events through a single interface. Additionally, the Redscan integration with Genetec can be used specifically in vertical mode to precisely map areas on a virtual wall. It could be mapping each window of a building façade, for instance, or each painting on a museum wall, in order to enable any intrusion or alarm to be quickly located and visualised.
Tomohiro Tsuji, general manager at OPTEX, believes that the shared beliefs and principles between OPTEX and Genetec have helped to build a strong working partnership.
“At OPTEX,” stated Tsuji, “we like to work in close collaboration with our partners to deliver the very best solutions. We have worked closely together with Genetec for a number of years now, with a clear focus on innovation and the integration of technologies to provide enhanced security solutions for our customers. Our latest collaboration enables a deeper level of integration between our technologies, delivering a truly advanced, secure and agile perimeter protection solution.”
The Redscan Pro Series – which includes two models, the RLS-3060V with a range up to 30×60 metres and the RLS-50100V offering up to 50×100 metres – provides highly accurate detection outdoors and indoors without any ‘gaps’ or the detection reliability ‘fading’ with range.
The rectangular detection patterns provide excellent coverage for virtual wall applications and for virtual planes to cover open areas, ceilings and roofs. Its innovative panoramic camera module means detection can be visually verified through pre- and post-event images, as well as video stream footage.
Genetec, the technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations, and business intelligence solutions has announced that Seagate Technology Holdings, itself a specialist in data storage and enterprise storage systems, has deployed Genetec Security Center to secure its global campuses and regional offices.
At the heart of this large-scale global deployment is the Genetec unified security platform which includes Security Center, the Genetec Omnicast IP video management system designed to manage more than 1,150 cameras, the Genetec Synergis IP access control system to manage more than 22,000 card holders, Sipelia for managing communications between intercoms and security operation and Seagate’s own high-efficiency, high-performance Exos X 5U84 mass capacity storage system.
All sites are connected using the Genetec Security Center Federation feature in order to centralise monitoring, reporting and alarm management across the entire organisation.
The solution realised enables Seagate to pull in up to 1.3 petabytes of HD video in a single disk enclosure from hundreds of cameras and other Internet of Things devices without losing a single frame or data packet.
Stringent performance test
“Video, and especially multi-source HD video, provides a stringent performance test for any storage solution,” said Ken Claffey, senior vice-president and general manager of enterprise storage systems at Seagate. “Likewise, the data availability expectation of a robust and unified security platform like Genetec Security Center is formidable. The sheer volume of HD video streams, frames and metadata coupled with increasingly long retention periods represents one of the most challenging IT infrastructures to deploy.”
This enterprise-scale deployment provides a clear blueprint for a state-of-the-art, unified, high-performance physical security environment for modern and large-scale facilities.
“Enterprises with global campuses and Data Centre environments have mission-critical requirements,” stated Christian Morin, vice-president of product groups at Genetec. “Securing a growing number of assets across huge facilities, while staying ahead of emerging threats, is an increasingly challenging task. Through our partnership with Seagate, this enterprise-scale deployment is a great example of how enterprises can implement an holistic approach towards security that encompasses physical and cyber security, while at the same time ensuring compliance with fast-changing regulatory mandates.”
Genetec – the technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations and business intelligence solutions – has announced an update to its camera registry module for Genetec Clearance, the digital evidence management system that facilitates collaboration between public safety agencies, corporate security departments, businesses and the general public.
Video evidence is an invaluable tool to help investigators review events, assist the public and solve crimes. However, the methods used to retrieve recordings from privately-owned cameras can be cumbersome and time-consuming as they rely on security officers manually collecting video from the scene.
The camera registry module for Clearance offers an entirely digital and automated experience to facilitate this process on a much swifter basis and provides a new avenue for law enforcement to work closely with residents and businesses in their community.
“Genetec Clearance is now our overall case file with everything in it, including all of our evidence and case-related documentation,” said Captain Mike Bell, Identification Division Commander at the Galveston Sheriff’s Office in Texas. “Where we used to keep paper records, we now store everything digitally in Clearance including crime scene photographs, patrol photos from mobile phones, interviews and all of our reports and records. Using Clearance means that, when we have to work with case files for whatever reason, all of the data we need is right there at our fingertips.”
Digital public safety
The module allows cities and agencies to create a digital public safety programme whereby businesses, public institutions and residents can enrol to assist with investigations. Once participants have registered their cameras, detectives can rapidly locate cameras nearby investigations and request recordings to facilitate evidence collection.
Recordings are provided voluntarily by participants and are sent back to the authorities through a secure web portal. Video exports from any camera system may be shared such that business owners and residents can continue to use their existing equipment without incurring any additional costs to participate in the programme. Detectives can then review and preserve videos received from these requests directly from Clearance.
Erick Ceresato, senior product group manager at Genetec, told Security Matters: “Investigators are under a great deal of pressure to solve cases. Our goal is to provide cities and public safety agencies with the technology that helps them to reduce the time spent on mundane tasks and provide methods for them to collaborate more effectively with businesses and the public.”
Cresato added: “We’re pleased to offer solutions like Genetec Clearance that can be used to build closer partnerships within communities and better leverage the full potential of evidence that’s available to improve public safety.”
Genetec – the provider of unified security, public safety, operations and business intelligence solutions – has now added privacy and performance monitoring features to its premium maintenance programme dubbed Genetec Advantage.
In addition to software upgrades, premium support and system monitoring, Genetec Advantage now includes licenses of the KiwiVision Privacy Protector and the KiwiVision Camera Integrity Monitor for all new and existing Genetec Advantage subscribers.
To meet the public’s growing expectations of privacy, and in order to comply with global regulations, the KiwiVision Privacy Protector automatically obscures individuals’ faces caught within a camera’s field of view such that security operators only see what they need to see.
Being able to access unobscured footage requires an additional layer of access permissions that’s only used when an event warrants an investigation. An audit trail is then maintained that shows who accessed the additional information and why.
With the addition of KiwiVision Camera Integrity Monitor, customers can make sure that their cameras are operational and efficient at all times. The Camera Integrity Monitor notifies operators when a camera may have been tampered with, if there’s a decrease in image quality or if there are abrupt changes in the position of the camera due to environmental or human causes. This is particularly useful in large systems involving hundreds or even thousands of cameras where it’s nearly impossible to manually check each camera’s image and field of view.
“As physical security systems become increasingly complex, it’s critical to know that these systems are up-to-date, performing as they should and integrating the latest privacy and performance features,” said Julie Gauthier, director of global operations and technical support at Genetec. “Genetec Advantage is the best way to derive the most from your Genetec solution and ensure that it’s operating at peak performance. By providing licenses of KiwiVision Privacy Protector and Camera Integrity Monitor we’re adding tools to help our customers maintain the integrity of their systems and also protect the privacy of individuals within view of surveillance cameras without sacrificing security.”
Genetec – the technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations and business intelligence solutions – has recently unveiled version 5.10 of its flagship unified security platform designated Security Center.
Among many new enhancements, this major release allows more system components to run in the cloud, thereby reducing the gap between cloud and on-premises security systems. It also makes it easier to connect external systems and tap external data for use in dashboards, maps and investigations without relying on complex and specialist integrations.
The new version of Security Center brings enterprise video surveillance customers new options to facilitate their migration to the cloud as well as support flexible hybrid cloud architectures. Taking a step further towards unified, enterprise Video Surveillance-as-a-Service, the new version of Security Center Omnicast – the video management system of Security Center – enables the seamless use of tiered cloud and on-premises storage to manage short- and long-term video archives according to customer needs.
In addition, it gives configuration flexibility and reporting capability and supports various scenarios for real-time or on-demand access to video footage stored in the cloud. Depending on its recency and criticality, video can either be stored in high performance storage for fast access or long-term storage to support flexible cost options as well as data compliance. To ensure maximum security, ingested video blocks are encrypted on-premises and then moved to the cloud using encrypted communications channels.
“Last year accelerated the digital transformation of organisations big and small, inside and outside of the security industry,” explained Francis Lachance, director of the video and appliances product group at Genetec. “Omnicast Cloud Storage is not just terabytes in the cloud. It’s a complete collection of media services that deliver the flexibility and sophistication enterprise customers need to successfully move to a hybrid cloud video surveillance architecture.”
Sipelia Communications Management, the module of Security Center that enables SIP-based communications between operators and intercom devices, has also been enhanced to offer support for cloud-based deployment.
Record Fusion Service
Security Center 5.10 introduces a new no-code solution to connect external data sources to enhance an operator’s situational awareness. The new Record Fusion Service feature offers a simple and fast path to integrate third party data streams from private or partner record publishers. Users can define tailored record types and consume data from a variety of sources including KML, JSON and CSV documents, or otherwise set up a REST application listening point to which these external services can push records.
The Genetec Record Fusion Service can be used across the entire unified platform to enhance awareness and response, provide contextual information on dynamic maps, be visualised in operational dashboards, in investigative reports or in the unified monitoring interface.
The service supports a broad range of applications, from displaying user-defined and filtered information on a map with custom graphical elements through to combining various records from a wide variety of sources to create custom aggregate records that are useful to specific operators or roles.
The Record Fusion Service increases agility, enables highly specific and relevant data to be quickly and easily added to the platform and makes security operators more efficient in accessing timely contextual information.
Mobility features
Security Center 5.10 further taps mobile devices to reinvent the way organisations accomplish routine tasks on-the-go. Genetec Mobile, a unified app that enables users to access cameras, doors and ANPR units from their smart phones, now supports Genetec Mission Control incidents as well as standard operating procedures. This allows end users to trigger or view active incidents on maps or in list format and record incidents in the field to notify colleagues in the Security Operations Centre.
A new specialised portal is also available to help customers manage mustering during evacuations. The Evacuation Assistant app connects to Security Center Synergis (the access control system in Security Center) such that, when an evacuation is triggered, the system automatically starts to monitor the safety status of all personnel and visitors. When people arrive at the safety area or muster point, they can badge their credential at a fixed or mobile reader, notify the ‘muster captain’ that they’re safe or inform them that someone might be at risk. If someone is shown not to have been evacuated, the system will then trigger a response so that security personnel can take immediate action.
Unified security, public safety, operations and business intelligence solutions specialist Genetec has announced that Security Center Omnicast, its video management system (VMS), has received the UL 2900-2-3 Level 3 cyber security certification for the second year in a row. Genetec is currently the only VMS vendor in the world to have achieved this certification.
The UL Cyber Security Assurance Program (UL CAP) is a robust certification program that evaluates the security of network-connectable products and vendor processes. It features standardised, testable criteria from the UL 2900 Series of cyber security standards for assessing software vulnerabilities and weaknesses in embedded products and systems.
The UL 2900-2-3 Standard for Security and Life Safety Signalling Systems was created with three possible levels of certification, ranking with an increasing level of security for each tier, to specifically test physical security systems for cyber security robustness.
Level 3, for which the Security Center Omnicast VMS is certified, is the most advanced. It includes a series of checks including fuzz testing, code and binary analysis, vulnerability assessment, penetration testing and risk management methodology validation.
“As a global safety science leader, UL is dedicated to promoting safe environments,” said Chris Hasbrook, UL’s vice-president and general manager of the Building and Life Safety Technologies division. “As part of that mission, the UL Cyber Security Assurance Program is a robust cyber security certification program for network-connectable products, and one which has to be renewed every year.”
Christian Morin, CSO at Genetec, added: “As a vocal proponent of cyber security Best Practice for many years now, we have always paid great attention to our own processes and operations. Being awarded this UL 2900-2-3 Level 3 certification for the second year is another testament to our continuous commitment to cyber security.”
Genetec, the developer of unified systems for enhanced security, operations and intelligence, has announced a new series of webinars designed to assist end users and system integrators in navigating these testing times.
The sessions outline ways in which customers from various industries are repurposing their existing physical security systems in order to solve specific pandemic-related issues. In addition, they will cover ways in which Genetec is evolving its own solutions to address critical new requirements.
The details for the upcoming webinars are as follows:
Thursday 16 July
Privacy now and after COVID-19 Amid a public health crisis, the global pandemic is raising questions about privacy. How can technology help?
Tuesday 21 July
Physical security innovations to help during the pandemic In this session, experts will discuss the new reality and how technology is being developed and deployed
Tuesday 4 August
Delivering new innovations Experts from Genetec, Quanergy and HID will discuss collaborative innovations that are supporting end users in the current environment
Tuesday 18 August
Identity as the new perimeter Experts will discuss why identity is now the backbone to infrastructure management and the enforcement of security policies
Wednesday 26 August
Machine Learning: Making sense of data Data scientists will explain the use of machine learning to improve product performance, give users greater insights into their physical security data and enable organisations to more effectively automate their processes
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