UVS integrates Lucidity video wall manager with Synectics’ Synergy Command and Control platform

Video wall technology expert Ultimate Visual Solutions (UVS) has announced that its UVS Lucidity video wall controller now integrates with Synectics’ Synergy Command and Control software platform.

The move is part of an ongoing strategic partnership which dates back more than 14 years, with the integrated Lucidity-Synergy solution now being installed across multiple client sites, subsequently helping to protect people and assets across the UK.

Synectics specialises in the design, integration, control and management of advanced surveillance technology for those myriad environments where security is operationally critical.

The Synergy Command and Control solution is highly flexible and user-friendly, helping to ensure customers can always access the information that counts. Mission-critical data is made manageable, meaningful and actionable.

Inaugural project

Based in the ‘Burnley First’ Burnley Business Centre, UVS provides video wall displays and audio visual solutions for a range of clients across the UK and the rest of the world. The company is led by four senior colleagues who, between them, have more than 70 years’ combined audio visual, Control Room and visual solutions experience.

The companies’ first project together using Synectics’ Synergy Command and Control platform was for Wakefield Metropolitan Borough Council’s Urban Traffic and CCTV Control Room back in 2007. Since then, the UVS-Synectics partnership has been involved in multiple security Control Room installations across the UK, including high-security prisons, Government facilities, local council security and Shopping Centre security monitoring applications (the latter including Manchester’s ever-popular Trafford Centre). These installations have provided hundreds of thousands of hours of protection for millions of people and multiple assets.

Large-scale viewing

UVS managing director Steve Murphy said: “The integration brings the significant display functionality benefits of the Lucidity video wall solution to Synergy users, including the display of multiple data sources such as web browsers, remote workstations, message boxes, RSS feeds and collaboration devices alongside traditional CCTV images. Any data source can be displayed anywhere on the video wall, thereby allowing large-scale viewing of data sources during specific incidents.”

Murphy went on to comment: “Via the integration, Synergy also provides detailed alarm configuration to ensure that relevant data is displayed automatically when specific events occur.” 

The most recent Lucidity-Synergy installation includes multiple video walls and provides multiple collaboration device inputs, allowing data from mobile devices such as iPads, phones and tablets to be instantly displayed on the video walls wirelessly via the integration. 

Sree Namelil, product manager at Synectics, concluded: “Synergy is designed to make sure Control Room operatives always have the information they need when and how they need it. Its ability to integrate with leading third party technologies is essential to this mission. We’re delighted to have partnered with UVS on this latest development.”

*For further information on UVS go to www.ultimatevs.co.uk

TDSi appearing with BSIA and ONVIF at IFSEC International 2019

Integrated security manufacturer TDSi will be appearing on both the BSIA and ONVIF stands at IFSEC International 2019, which runs from 18-20 June at London’s ExCeL. TDSi’s team will be available to discuss its latest products with customers and partners on the BSIA Stand (IF2755) and ONVIF Booth (2525) throughout the event.

John Davies, managing director of TDSi, commented: “We’re delighted to be appearing with the BSIA and ONVIF at IFSEC International. At this year’s event, we’ll be highlighting our new GARDiS security software and upcoming hardware range. The new GARDiS controller will be fully ONVIF compliant (Profile A and Profile C) and perfect for integrating with a variety of security and access control systems.”

John Davies

The GARDiS range was launched at the end of last year with the first version of the access management software and was recently updated by GARDiS Version 1.1, which provides extra functionality and support for installers and end users. A prototype of the new GARDiS Controller (the first hardware in the range) was also unveiled in April this year and will shortly be available to order.

Davies added: “IFSEC International will provide the perfect opportunity for visitors across the UK and internationally to learn more about the benefits of the TDSi GARDiS range and to discuss specific requirements or project needs with our team. The event is a must-attend for anyone in the security industry, providing access to world-renowned industry leaders and networking with security directors and managers, installers, system integrators and distributors from across the globe.”

Software development manager Tina Baker celebrates 13 years with TDSi

Tina Baker, software development manager at integrated security solutions manufacturer TDSi, is celebrating 13 years of service with the company. Having reached this impressive milestone, Baker has also been reflecting on the developments and evolution of the security software industry and what this could lead to in the future. 

“Since I joined TDSi there have been enormous changes in the security industry, especially in the software systems and applications connected to them,” urged Baker. “TDSi has been leading the move towards fully-integrated security software for a number of years now, and it’s gratifying to see the rest of the industry has followed suit as well.”

Baker began her career in security when she answered a job advert for a summer placement on display at Bournemouth University while nearing the end of a degree course in Software Engineering. “I knew that software would dominate many industries and wanted a career that would allow constant growth. I wanted to gain more experience developing software using different programming languages and TDSi offered me the opportunity that I was looking for.”

TDSI’s Tina Baker: reflecting on 13 years with the Poole-based security solutions developer

Baker’s personal development has fittingly mirrored that of TDSi and the security industry it supplies. “TDSi has really nurtured my personal development, right from software programmer to development manager. At the same time, the industry has become far more integrated with building management systems which now commonly incorporate intruder alarms systems and CCTV as well as access control.”

A view of the future

While reflecting on the past and present, Baker also has an eye firmly fixed on the future and is clear on how she believes the security software sector will develop: “All the signs are that there will be continued and increased integration with building management systems, especially to comply with environmental legislation.”

Baker continued: “We will also see further biometric integration to heighten security and remove the need for ID cards. The market is also demanding more bi-directional integration, with security systems working even more closely with one another. More and more, we’re being asked for our SDKs so that other security companies can integrate our systems into theirs.”

Baker also has advice for young people looking for a career in security software development. “You need to enjoy continually learning new skills if you’re to keep up with the changes in technology. It’s also important to have a keen understanding of the close connection between physical access security and software security. Further systems integration means that the prevention of cyber attacks is essential.”

Focused and interested

When asked what has kept her focused on and interested in working for TDSi, Baker concluded: “The company champions professional development of its employees and, on a personal level, I really enjoy the interesting challenges that TDSi faces with ever-increasing integration needs. It’s a great company to work for, and I very much look forward to seeing what the future will bring in terms of technology and progress.”

30% of NHS Trusts have experienced a ransomware attack” finds SentinelOne

30% of NHS Trusts in the UK have experienced a ransomware attack, potentially placing patient data and lives at risk. One Trust – the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust – admitted to being attacked 19 times in just 12 months. These are the findings of a Freedom of Information (FoI) request submitted by SentinelOne.

The Ransomware Research Data Summary explains that SentinelOne made FoI requests to 129 NHS Trusts, of which 94 responded. Three Trusts refused to answer, claiming their response could damage commercial interests. All but two Trusts – Surrey and Sussex and University College London Hospitals – have invested in anti-virus security software on their endpoint devices to protect them from malware.

Despite installing a McAfee solution, Leeds Teaching Hospital has apparently suffered five attacks in the past year.

No Trusts reported paying a ransom or informed law enforcement of the attacks: all preferred to deal with the attacks internally.

Ransomware which encrypts data and demands a ransom to decrypt it has been affecting US hospitals for a while now. The Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles notoriously paid cyber criminals £12,000 last February after being infected by Locky, one of the most prolific ransomware variants.

With the infected computers or networks becoming unusable until a ransom has been paid* or the data has been recovered, it’s clear to see why these types of attack can be a concern for business continuity professionals, with the latest Horizon Scan Report published by the Business Continuity Institute highlighting cyber attacks as the prime concern. This is a very good reason why cyber resilience has been chosen as the theme for Business Continuity Awareness Week in 2017.

“These results are far from surprising,” said Tony Rowan, chief security consultant at SentinelOne. “Public sector organisations make a soft target for fraudsters because budget and resource shortages frequently leave hospitals short changed when it comes to security basics like regular software patching. The results highlight the fact that old school AV technology is powerless to halt virulent, mutating forms of malware like ransomware. A new and more dynamic approach to endpoint protection is needed.”

Rowan continued: “In the past, some NHS Trusts have been singled out by the Information Commissioner’s Office for their poor record on data breaches. With the growth of connected devices like kidney dialysis machines and heart monitors, there’s even a chance that poor security practices could put lives at risk.”

*Note that the data isn’t always recovered even after a ransom has been paid