ONVIF reflects on 2018 activities at 10th Annual General Meeting

ONVIF, the global standardisation initiative for IP-based physical security products, held its Annual General Meeting earlier this month, with an overview of important activities in 2018 and perspectives on the year ahead the order of the day. Attendees heard presentations on the final release of Profile T, an advancement which represents how ONVIF is keeping pace with technological advancements that affect product development and interoperability between IP-based physical security products.

In an acknowledgement of the organisation’s 10th Anniversary, ONVIF chairman Per Björkdahl highlighted the forum’s achievements over the past decade, including an overview of the six ONVIF Profiles, with a clear emphasis on the newly-released Profile T for advanced video streaming.

Collectively, the ONVIF Profiles provide support for more than 10,000 conformant products that are increasingly included in various bid and specification processes in projects around the world. Björkdahl also cited the continued involvement of ONVIF as part of the work of the International Electrotechnical Commission’s TC79 for international standardisation.

ONVIF also recognised the contributions of four individuals from various ONVIF Technical Committees for their work on different profiles and committees. Fredrik Svensson of Axis Communications and Dora Han of Hikvision were recipients of the ONVIF Award acknowledging individuals and companies who have made significant contributions to the organisation. As chairman of the Profile T Working Group, Svensson was a leading force in the development and successful final release of the Profile T specification. Han received anaward for her extensions to the specification, and also for supporting the development of other members’ extensions to the specification.

Distinguished Service Awards

One of two 2018 ONVIF Distinguished Service Awards was bestowed upon Baldvin Gislason Bern of Axis Communications for his role in developing and proofing the evolution concept as chair of the Technical Services Device Test Tool Evolution. Joining him in receiving this award was Dr Hasan Timucin Ozdemir of Panasonic, who served as chairman of the ONVIF Video Enhancement Working Group from 2009-2018. This Working Group is directly responsible for formulating and prototyping new features for the ONVIF specification.

“All of our award recipients have shown their significant and long-term commitment to the organisation as a whole, and in turn have directly and positively impacted the work of ONVIF,” enthused Björkdahl. “The success of our organisation would not be possible without the innovative contributions and hard work of our members. For that, we say Thank You.”

ONVIF Technical Committee chair Hans Busch of Bosch spoke to members about the specification development roadmap and its alignment to the standardisation activities within the IEC TC 79 Working Groups for video surveillance and physical access control standards. Technical Services Committee chair Andreas Schneider of Sony gave an overview of the Committee’s work on new and existing profiles, client and device test tools, updates to the conformance process and tools and Developers’ Plugfests.

ONVIF Communications Committee chair Tim Shen of Dahua provided a recap of ONVIF communication efforts in 2018. There has been a continued focus on market education about the specific Profiles through presence at industry events coupled with much media activity. Shen also reported on the success of the first-ever ONVIF Open Source Spotlight Challenge that took place earlier this year.

ONVIF chairman Per Björkdahl

Election results

The results of the annual elections for ONVIF’s committees were announced by Kevin Schader, ONVIF’s executive director.

Re-elected to the ONVIF Steering Committee were Mayur Salgar of Honeywell and Stuart Rawling of Pelco by Schneider Electric. For the Technical Committee, Hanwha Techwin’s Sujith Raman, Pelco by Schneider Electric’s Steve Wolf and Tyco Security Products’ Stephen Serplus were re-elected, while Hikvision’s Dora Han joined the Technical Committee as a new member.

Bob Dolan of Anixter and Giri Guntipalli from Honeywell were re-elected to the Technical Services Committee, along with new member Marwan Obeidat of Pelco by Schneider Electric.

Tim Shen of Dahua, Jens Berthelsen of Hikvision and Xinming Kang of Honeywell were re-elected to the ONVIF Communications Committee, while Cathy Zhou of Huawei joined as a new member. Founding members Axis Communications, Bosch and Sony automatically retain seats on the Steering, Technical and Technical Services Committees.

*Further information about ONVIF-conformant products, including member companies and their conformant models, is available on the ONVIF website at www.onvif.org

 

Tyco Security Products announces C•CURE Partner of the Year

Representatives from many of the UK’s leading security system integrators attended the recent Software House C•CURE Awards Dinner which saw Vindex Systems acknowledged as C•CURE Partner of the Year.

The award was presented to Clive Talbot, CEO of Vindex Systems, by Gordon Morrison, GB sales director for the Tyco Security Products access control and video brands, at an awards dinner which took place on 7 December at the Old Mutual private dining facilities within Millennium Bridge House in central London.

On the night, it was also announced that the Project of the Year Award had been won by Frontline Security Solutions.

“Our congratulations and thanks go to the Vindex Systems and Frontline Security Solutions’ teams,” said Gordon Morrison (pictured, above right) with Paul McCann and Clive Talbot). “Their ongoing support for C•CURE has been a major contributing factor in a significant growth in sales during 2017. Our thanks also go to all of our other Enterprise Partners. It’s with the help of their expert input that we’re able to maintain C•CURE 9000’s reputation as being the most feature-rich and user-friendly access control platform available.”

Morrison continued: “The evening was a great success. We plan to hold the awards annually in order to recognise the achievements of our loyal network of system integrators who are growing their businesses, while also enabling their clients to capitalise on the real life practical benefits offered by C•CURE.”

Tyco Security Products enhances Connected Partner Programme with launch of dedicated web portal

Tyco Security Products has developed a new partner portal for its Connected Partner Programme to further simplify the third party integration process with various Tyco Security Products brands. With a simple online application, enhanced access to the latest integration resources and ongoing support, the new portal enhances the partner experience and improves the speed of delivering integrated solutions to market. 

The new portal enables third party technology providers looking to integrate with Tyco Security Products brands to have a single online access point. It also allows them to easily find comprehensive integration documentation, download SDK/Web Service and APIs and brand software, as well as access online training resources and FAQ documents to assist in the integration process.

Using a self-certification process, partners can manage the integration timeline through its various stages at their own pace, including application, pre-development, development, testing and launch. Qualified technology partners have private access to Tyco Security Products’ fully-equipped laboratories and can receive support from Tyco Security Products’ engineering professionals.

“Offering such a breadth of unique integrations provides our customers with robust and reliable platforms that can work with the customer’s current systems or others of their choosing,” said Conleth Donaghy, senior product manager for the Connected Partner Programme at Tyco Security Products. “The new streamlined portal enables a faster and more comprehensive development process for our technology partners. By using the online tools and support resources dedicated to the Connected Partner Programme, our customers have more insight into these integrations and more choice at their fingertips.”

*The Connected Partner Programme encompasses nearly 200 partners with over 400 integrations across several of Tyco’s leading brands, including Software House, Kantech and American Dynamics

**Participation in the Connected Partner Programme begins with an online application on the Connected Partner Programme website. Interested applicants can contact the Connected Partner Programme team at tspconnect@tycoint.com. For more information on the Connected Partner Programme visit www.tycosecurityproducts.com

Tyco Security Products unveils all-new Cyber Protection Programme

Tyco Security Products is introducing its Cyber Protection Programme, a multifaceted initiative designed to provide an holistic approach towards cyber security protection for physical security through each phase of the product development lifecycle.

The company has developed its cyber security expertise after many years of providing critical solutions for the US Government and other large multinational customers, and holds several industry-firsts, including FISMA-ready access control and video solutions.

“Our Cyber Protection Programme was born from our unique and broad experience in complying with Government regulatory standards and meeting the highly complex needs of multinational deployments,” said Steve Carney, senior director for integration platforms at Tyco Security Products.

“Our deep understanding of these regulatory issues helps us to better partner with our customers to more effectively mitigate risks from hackers, activists or other malicious threats when it comes to their physical security systems.”

The Cyber Protection Programme is led by a team responsible for monitoring the product development process and authorising final product release to ensure compliance with secure development Best Practice. Some of these Best Practices include:

*Developing and maintaining the company’s security standards for product development

*Performing security evaluations and testing on devices, applications and systems

*Providing guidance to help end users configure systems to comply with standards

*Performing in-house and independent third party security testing of Tyco Security Products solutions

*Evaluating and developing responses to possible vulnerabilities potentially affecting Tyco Security Products’ solutions as they’re discovered

The Cyber Protection Programme has already been implemented across several product lines, including Software House, American Dynamics and Illustra, while the Cyber Protection team is managing the long-term strategy for embedding the same cyber safety mindset across other product lines within the Tyco Security Products portfolio.

*To learn more about the Cyber Protection Programme visit: www.tycosecurityproducts.com/cyberprotection.aspx

Tyco’s Fire Protection and Security Products now BIM ready

Tyco Fire Protection Products and Tyco Security Products are launching their own living Building Information Modelling (BIM) library from this month. Users will be able to access Tyco’s extensive range of BIM objects for security and fire protection products, including detection, mechanical and suppression solutions.

The library will also feature the company’s BIM user guide to support architects and engineers, providing additional information about Tyco’s BIM objects.

Raj Arora, vice-president and general manager for Fire Detection and Special Hazard Products at Tyco Fire Protection Products, commented: “The creation of BIM tools and families of objects is critical in supporting the technological advances in the design, construction and maintenance industries. At Tyco, we’re already seeing demand for BIM. Our investment in creating a range of BIM content based on a selection of our core products means we’re well placed to help designers, specifiers, contractors and engineers working within the BIM framework.”

By increasing the amount of data available and making it fully sharable from building design through to construction and maintenance, the BIM process enables users to immediately access and interrogate objects and models, helping to save time and unnecessary costs.

The technology will also enhance the accuracy of the planning and design stages of fire protection and security systems, improving efficiencies and delivering cost savings for the construction sector.

Available in Revit format, Tyco’s BIM objects will prove invaluable to users thanks to the depth of information made accessible. The files will comprise a 3D geometric representation of the product and contain all details about its specification, including size, dimensions and materials.

BIM objects for Tyco’s fire detection solutions will also provide further relevant information such as voltage, colour code and electrical data. Translated versions of Tyco’s BIM files will be available this year.

New era of digital modelling

“This is an exciting time for the construction industry,” said Peter Ainsworth, director of marketing across the EMEA region at Tyco Security Products.

“Tyco is ready to be part of the new era of digital modelling, supporting the UK Government’s Construction Industry Strategy mandate that all public procured construction projects from 2016 achieve BIM Level 2. Thanks to its future-proofing ability, BIM can provide facility management information throughout a building’s life, making maintenance and repairs simpler and more cost-effective.

Raj Arora added: “Offering BIM objects for our security, detection, mechanical and suppression products will enhance the design process for architects and engineers, providing them with an abundance of valuable information such that they can work more efficiently. A key feature of BIM when looking to install fire protection solutions in a building is the process’ spatial co-ordination capability. BIM enables multiple trades to integrate objects concurrently as if they were in a single model, therefore detecting any potential clashes which can be resolved in the design process ahead of the construction phase. That saves on both time and money.”

By making its fire protection and security products accessible through BIM files, Tyco is helping the construction sector in its mission to reduce build and operation costs, lower carbon emissions and save production time by 2025.

*For more information and to download Tyco’s BIM objects and user guide visit: www.tyco-fire.com/BIM

Investigation management tools enhance victor Video Management System

Tyco Security Products has introduced version 4.8, the newest version of the victor Video Management System (VMS) and VideoEdge network video recorders (NVR , in turn adding several new investigative tools to further simplify incident reporting for busy surveillance operators.

The newest version of victor enables operators to quickly build and edit video clips of a specific incident, reducing the time spent searching for video evidence from hours to just minutes.

Using the new clip builder and image editor features, operators can split, cut, crop, delete and add relevant segments of video to a clip while also adding information directly on the image to better document actions occurring in the scene.

These new incident management tools make case reporting faster and more efficient for internal and external law enforcement investigations.

Operators tracking a subject can now use victor’s surveillance window recording tool to collate with ease all the related video clips into a single file to capture the entire incident, without having to collect the clips individually from multiple recorders.

All streaming video in a selected layout can be simultaneously recorded into a single clip file for export or internal viewing.

Investigation and productivity tools

“The ability to quickly and efficiently collect the right evidence immediately following an incident is a critical time saver in building a case,” said Stuart Bettle, video product marketing manager EMEA at Tyco Security Products.

“These latest enhancements to the powerful victor platform provide an industry-leading suite of enterprise-class investigation and productivity tools. The intuitive interface is designed to maximise operator time and resources in mission-critical Control Room environments.”

The new schedule clip download tool enables surveillance operators to schedule the automatic retrieval of reoccurring video clips they need to review daily, saving on bandwidth usage and freeing up operator time spent manually queuing video for download.

Schedule clip download allows users to customise the length of the clip, saving location and clip expiration. Users can also create and save custom surveillance layouts.

Beyond the standard layouts, end users can define number of rows, columns and aspect ratio and merge cells together to create the view that works best for their specific needs.

Enterprise customers can apply corporate branding to deactivated surveillance panes for added customisation options.

Additionally, victor offers enhanced camera management capabilities, including 360 fisheye camera client-side dewarping for exacqVision NVRs. Client-side dewarping records one video stream and eliminates the possibility of redundant recording, allowing users to zoom in and navigate within the image for greater detail.

End users will also be able to specify minimum and maximum camera recording rates and receive notifications on their specified levels through the VideoEdge NVR and VideoEdge Hybrid NVR Client or through victor. This gives VideoEdge customers automated recorder monitoring to ensure optimal storage capacity.

Proximex Surveillint PSIM solution from Tyco Security Products offers “unparalleled situational awareness”

Tyco Security Products has announced the newest release of its Proximex Surveillint PSIM solution, which provides Security Operations Centres with “unparalleled situational awareness and communication capabilities” through enterprise dashboards, contact management, social media integration and a new module that raises operator alarms based on correlated events.

A new Analysis Module enables alarms to be raised on combinations of events that are separated by time or space without the clutter of extraneous alerts. For example, a site might want to raise an alert only when a combination of sensors (eg a fence motion sensor and video analytics) report an event in the same location.

The Analysis Module can also trigger operator alerts for events that may otherwise be ignored (for instance, raising an invalid access attempt alarm if someone repeatedly tries to access a secure location by using a card at multiple doors).

“We’re committed to giving end user organisations around the world as much information as possible about potential threats and the quickest, most cost-effective ways to communicate with their communities,” explained Michael Mesaros, group product manager at Proximex, which is part of Tyco Security Products.

“Operators can now receive automatic notification of weather events, for example, and they now have the ability to deploy a cost-effective mass-notification solution. This capability can be used to implement a crowdsourced ‘Say Something, Text Something’-style incident reporting system.”

This latest release of Surveillint features a new development tool that allows deployers to quickly build custom dashboards that display real-time operational information from security, building management and enterprise application systems. Security Operations Centres can, in one convenient display, monitor the number and types of open alarms, operator response times, the status of doors, cameras and sensors in the environment and other operational metrics.

“Our customers want to be able to continuously monitor their security and operational status,”  said Stephen Moody, business development manager for Ireland-based systems integrator ViS Security Solutions, which deployed Surveillint for a local hospital. “This new ability to design custom enterprise dashboards which combine data from a variety of security and operational systems will help us to address that need and deliver additional value for our end customers.”

*For more information on the entire Proximex product line visit: www.proximex.com

CEM Systems releases OSDP v2 compliant door controller to support HID Global’s iCLASS SE reader range

CEM Systems – part of the Security Products business unit of Tyco – has released the Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP) v2 compliant eDCM 350. The CEM eDCM 350 OSDP is a two-door intelligent IP controller that’s designed to interface with OSDP-compliant smart card readers and provides a secure encrypted communication channel between the smart card reader and the door controller.

OSDP is an Open Supervised Device Protocol for peripheral devices. With added Secure Channel Protocol (SCP) specification, it pro­vides bi-directional communications and advanced security features for connecting to OSDP-compliant card readers.

With the CEM eDCM (Door Control Module) 350 intelligent internal database, cards can be validated even while offline, in turn ensuring the highest levels of system uptime and reliability.

Detail of the eDCM 350 door controller

The eDCM 350 OSDP may be configured to support two OSDP-compliant readers on two separate doors with optional exit push buttons, or to support two OSDP-compliant readers on a single door for entry/exit control.

In addition, the CEM eDCM 350 OSDP supports a range of HID Global ODSP v2 compliant readers, among them iCLASS SE R10, R30, R40 and RK40.

“HID Global’s OSDP SE reader range can be perfectly integrated with the CEM eDCM 350, providing our joint customers a wider range of highly secure solutions,” explained Volker Kunz, sales director for the EMEA region at HID Global.

“HID Global is at the forefront of developing industry standard-based compliant products and the successful partnership with CEM Systems reinforces our leading position in the marketplace.”

HID Global’s iCLASS SE reader

Rick Focke, senior product manager at Tyco Security Products, added: “This newest version of our CEM eDCM 350 cost-effective intelligent two door controller, offering full OSDP v2 support, provides our customers with an even greater choice of secure readers and card technology solutions and the potential for enhanced functionalities. We’re delighted to have completed this integration and to be supporting a select range of HID Global’s OSDP v2 readers.”

Tyco Security Products answers small business surveillance needs with affordable IP video solutions

Tyco Security Products has unveiled a new range of IP cameras and NVRs that meets the budget of SMEs while at the same time satisfying their need for high quality video surveillance.

lllustra Essentials – which which features 1 and 2 Megapixel resolution variants (including bullet cameras and mini-domes with IR LEDs and an indoor mini-dome option) – is the latest addition to Tyco’s extensive Illustra camera portfolio.

All Essentials versions offer H.264 and MJPEG dual-stream, a 3.6 mm fixed lens, 30 images per second at 1080p or 720p for crisp, clear images and IR illumination up to 20 metres.

The Essentials outdoor mini-dome and bullet cameras are equipped with IR illuminators, true day/night filter and Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) to capture quality video in a variety of indoor and outdoor settings. The WDR capabilities of the Essentials indoor mini-dome also assist in capturing video in challenging lighting conditions, rendering the domes ideal for a range of indoor applications.

The Essentials IR Mini-Dome

The second part of the low-cost IP surveillance equation is Tyco Security Products’ new Holis range of four and eight-channel NVRs featuring 1080p resolution, video search and export functions.

With PoE support on all ports, a start-up wizard that includes automatic camera discovery and simple installation, Holis NVRs greatly reduce the total cost of ownership and minimise labour costs/time on site.

Models in the Holis range have been specifically designed to support small camera count installations in an economical and efficient manner for independent retailers, small offices and restaurants, subsequently providing the dependable recording solution upon which such end users rely.

“There’s a growing segment within the commercial community, ranging from corner shops to doctors’ surgeries, that want to embrace security for their premises, but they need products that are inherently trustworthy, easy to operate and budget friendly,” said Julian Inman, product marketing manager for video across the EMEA region at Tyco Security Products.

“With the affordable addition to the Illustra IP camera portfolio and the new Holis NVRs, we’ve struck the right balance between high quality features and a truly affordable price point.”

*For more information visit: www.illustracameras.com

Tyco’s Illustra Edge cameras with exacqVision recording software deliver “complete IP solution” for end users

Tyco Security Products has now introduced Illustra Edge, a complete HD video system combining an IP camera, pre-installed exacqVision Edge video management software (VMS) and SD storage in one out-of-the-box solution.

Ideal for smaller installations of up to ten cameras or remote sites where server hardware installations are rendered impractical, the Illustra Edge solution provides an easy and effective means to deploy an HD IP video system without incurring separate server hardware installation and configuration costs as the server software and video storage capability reside on board the camera.

For system set-up, simply mount the camera, connect and start monitoring live and recorded video. Illustra Edge is supplied pre-configured with an included server licence for simple and automatic installation.

For larger applications and enterprise solutions, a simple licence upgrade to exacqVision Edge+ makes this solution expandable to unlimited servers.

With the included exacqVision Edge software, end users have the ability to view live or recorded video from multiple Illustra Edge devices or server-based recorders simultaneously. The included VMS allows users to export video search results, display alarm events on screen and access instant replay of both video and audio events via exacqReplay.

Tyco Security Products’ Illustra camera in detail

Windows, Linux and Mac computers

The exacqVision client software runs on Windows, Linux and Mac computers. Additionally, end users can install the free web service software on a separate PC in order to view video on a web browser, tablet or smart phone.

The Illustra Edge recording solution offers high reliability as there is no single point of server failure. If one camera fails, the others will continue to stream and record video. The camera-to-server traffic is internal and not on the customer’s network, thus yielding low overall network traffic.

“This is a complete solution for end user customers looking to create their own video surveillance solution without the added costs of servers and complex installation,” said Julian Inman (video product marketing manager for the EMEA at Tyco Security Products).

“Whether it’s a small business or retail store, or an end user who needs to supplement their enterprise system because of a remote location or intermittent wireless coverage, the Illustra Edge solution can be deployed to fit their needs.”

Illustra Edge is available in three camera models: the Illustra Pro 5 Megapixel Fisheye, the Illustra Pro 2 Megapixel Compact Mini-Dome and the Illustra Pro 2 Megapixel Compact Mini-Bullet. The Illustra Edge Fisheye camera boasts in-camera de-warping offering real-time 180º/360º panoramic views or a quad view delivering four independent ‘Quad’ 4×3 normalised video streams. Its 5 Megapixel capacity affords this camera solution the power of two-to-four cameras for many indoor applications.

The Compact Mini-Dome and Mini-Bullet offer end users HD video with a wide field of view, IR illumination and wide dynamic range. Although discreet, these versatile cameras are equipped with multiple viewing angles including corridor mode, making them highly useful for hallways, aisles and alleyways.

*For more information about Illustra and the new Edge solutions line visit: www.illustracameras.com