IDIS marks 25th Anniversary by producing ‘tech’ innovations film

Surveillance solutions developer IDIS has marked its 25^th Anniversary (and cementing its position as Korea’s foremost in-country video manufacturer) by producing a celebratory ‘tech’ video and running a prize draw. The company also plans on making more donations to charities and other good causes, orchestrating a series of innovative ‘tech’ launches and introducing a Premier Partner Programme for systems integrators and distributors.

The celebrations kick-off this month with the release of the video, which commemorates a quarter of a century of innovations that have helped to improve lives for people and communities around the world, while at the same time delivering security and efficiency benefits for organisations operating across and within multiple sectors. The film also looks ahead towards future possibilities.

The video is running on the IDIS YouTube channel as well as on the company’s Facebook and LinkedIn pages, giving followers the opportunity to participate in the celebrations and offering the chance to win Amazon vouchers.

End-to-end solutions

Since 1997, IDIS has built a reputation for high-quality, end-to-end solutions and achieved consistent year-on-year growth through a strategy of close collaboration and mutual loyalty with a global network of partners.

IDIS now operates across 50 countries, with more than two million recorders and over 17 million cameras installed, and supports its end users with reliable single-source, true ‘plug-and-play’ ‘tech’. Through the years, the business has won the trust of distributors, system integrators and end user customers due to the delivery of a responsive personal service spanning everything from proof-of-concept demonstrations through to long-term customer support.

Since 2019, IDIS has also been praised for its ‘Create a Better World’ campaign, which has seen video equipment donations made to community groups, social welfare projects and charities. One of the latest good causes set to benefit is the Kurnell, the NSW Men’s Shed depression support-focused organisation, whose premises will now be protected by an end-to-end IDIS video solution supplied by distributor Hills Limited as it builds back from a break-in and the theft of equipment.

This year, IDIS has also donated Apple Watches to individuals for their outstanding actions during the pandemic, including those who administered vaccines, delivered COVID test kits to peoples’ houses and took meals to those who were sick or isolated.

Technology launches

Technology launches unveiled during this 25^th Anniversary year will include the latest Artificial Intelligence (AI) Retail Box release, which gives retailers all the benefits of AI-powered business and customer intelligence without the usual price tag, easy and affordable options for public display and spot monitoring, new parking management solutions and a range of edge AI cameras.

“As we mark 25 years of success,” commented Joon Jun, president of the Global Business Division at IDIS, “the whole IDIS family is coming together to celebrate and look forward to an even brighter future. We all know that imagining, designing and manufacturing the best solutions is a shared endeavour that involves many committed people working in partnership. All of us here at IDIS are looking forward to the next 25 years of delivering innovations and earning the trust of those whom we help to protect.”

*More information on IDIS’ solutions is available online at www.idisglobal.com

Baba Devani appointed CEO at The SmartWater Group

Risk management and crime deterrent solutions developer The SmartWater Group has announced the appointment of Baba Devani as CEO. Devani becomes the first externally appointed CEO in The SmartWater Group’s near 30-year history.

The SmartWater Group comprises a broad portfolio of integrated security solutions that enable customers to predict, prevent and detect criminal activities. In addition to the traceable forensic marking liquid for which the company first became known, its capabilities span real-time crime analysis, rapidly deployable video surveillance and solutions for access control and intruder detection.

With operations in the UK and Europe, the Group services hundreds of clients in sectors spanning critical infrastructure, construction, retail, leisure and hospitality, transportation and industry.

Backed by The SmartWater Group’s majority shareholder Freshstream and a refreshed senior leadership team, Devani will be responsible for driving the continued strategic growth and geographical expansion of the business.

Baba Devani

Critical business services

Previously the CEO of Survitec Marine, a global leader in critical safety equipment, Devani brings more than 25 years’ experience in critical business services and has held leadership positions at organisations including Berendsen, British Airways and Babcock International.

Devani commented: “I was immediately drawn to The SmartWater Group because of its excellent reputation and the unparalleled levels of knowledge and customer focus that exist within the business. I’m passionate about leading a business whose growth is achieved through providing peace of mind to our customers and communities.”

Andrew Tyler, chairman of The SmartWater Group, added: “We’re very much looking forward to seeing how Baba seizes upon the opportunities that lie ahead to expand our geographic reach, further develop our offer and serve our customers even better and faster.”

Wisenet Viewer 1.0 introduced by Hanwha Techwin

Hanwha Techwin, the specialist developer of video surveillance products and solutions, has launched Wisenet Viewer 1.0, a new NVR/DVR viewer that makes it simple to view and manage different video sources through one interface. 

Wisenet Viewer 1.0 is designed to make video management an easier proposition and works with all Wisenet recorders. It removes the need for a dedicated server to manage all video sources, leading to cost reductions for the end user and assisting when it comes to the preservation of existing investments without new licences or replacing all recorders.

Through Wisenet Viewer 1.0, operators can view multiple applications on multiple monitors including web pages and images, monitor live video, search and play recorded video and set event rules for alarms, video and audio analytics, face detection, tampering and object detection. The software supports Windows and macOS operating systems.

Easily adapted

Operators can easily adapt Wisenet Viewer 1.0 to suit their needs with custom layouts that can include multiple tabs and windows. Video files can be easily organised and re-sized. User permissions can also be set and removed through the software.

Uri Guterman, head of product and marketing for Hanwha Techwin Europe, stated: “Our aim is to continuously raise the bar for video surveillance and help our customers innovate with video technology. The Wisenet Viewer 1.0 will support these goals, making it easier for organisations to manage different video streams and triggered events. Overall, they can gain greater intelligence of events happening on the ground.”

Wisenet Viewer 1.0 is easy to set up and saves time and maintenance overheads. It’s free when organisations buy a Wisenet recorder.

*Full product information can be found online at https://bit.ly/3q9BTln

Vemotion promotes deployable surveillance streaming applications

Vemotion Interactive is promoting its range of low-latency, high-performance, plug and play live video streaming solutions to provide installers and end users with highly effective temporary or fixed remote surveillance coverage for use at incident hotspots, or to otherwise extend the coverage of an existing video surveillance scheme.

Deployable CCTV camera surveillance systems typically consist of PTZ cameras or domes, towers and vehicle or drone-mounted wireless surveillance imaging solutions. HD real-time deployable surveillance can be used across a variety of temporary deployment CCTV sectors, such as for the police, the rail industry, at construction sites, for Critical National Infrastructure locations, public spaces, the utilities, traffic monitoring, live events and the military.

Deployable CCTV camera systems can also provide proactive support to assist in the reduction of crime (or the fear of crime), vandalism, anti-social behaviour and fly-tipping.

Meeting the demanding needs of temporary deployment CCTV camera applications, the versatile range of Vemotion live streaming HD video transmission solutions over GPRS, 3G, 4GLTE, 5G, Wi-Fi and Satellite networks enables live video surveillance and play-back for any mobile, rapid deployment, temporary or permanent deployment CCTV video surveillance application.

Maximising budgets

Vemotion’s range of encoders and cameras enable a host of remote camera surveillance applications to be configured and deployed, such as beyond the economical reach of existing fixed CCTV networks. This flexibility allows entities wanting to maximise their surveillance budgets and efficiency to be more proactive at capturing off-grid incidents, rather than missing events.

HD streaming video, low power consumption, proven reliability and rugged construction are just some of the reasons why Vemotion streaming software and hardware technology is currently being chosen by many temporary/wireless deployment CCTV camera solutions OEM manufacturers. Video streaming solutions provide the surveillance power behind the latest deployable integrated CCTV camera systems.

By harnessing this technology, previously hard to reach or diverse applications can now benefit from the ease of use and evidential video quality of Vemotion streamed CCTV images.

Sector coverage

Temporary deployment CCTV cameras can also be used to provide highly effective security for remote sites and assets, including utility sites, trackside and non-trackside rail deployments (such as level crossing monitoring), as well as managing major and minor roadworks.

Local councils often have good CCTV coverage in areas easily served by fixed location cameras, typically inner cities. However, the costs involved in connecting cameras sited in outlying and remote areas back to a central Control Room has hitherto precluded their use.

Vemotion streaming solutions can provide cost-effective CCTV coverage in outlying areas or more central areas not adequately covered by an existing fixed camera network. The technology can be used for the remote monitoring of crime and anti-social behaviour, as a highly cost-efficient alternative solution to fixed position cameras in outlying locations and provide a dynamic CCTV solution to keep pace with rapidly developing hotspots in cities.

Combating environmental crime, Vemotion technology is also being used to assist enforcement agencies in dealing with an ever-increasing workload due to fly-tipping. Hotspots for this activity can cost environmental agencies and councils many thousands of pounds each year to clear-up in addition to the environmental effects of the rubbish being illegally discarded.

Vemotion technology deployed within cameras covertly or overtly can catch and discourage perpetrators. High-quality images are easily distributed using Vemotion streaming technology over what are usually limited, rural communication networks. These images can then be used to identify and prosecute individuals quickly and simply, in turn helping to reduce the spread of this form of environmental crime.

Drone operations and management

Video transmission technology is revolutionising the traditional drone/operator/management relationship as well, delivering key operational advantages for companies using drones for remote inspection, support or reconnaissance.

Increasingly deployed for disparate applications, drones can be used to complement existing CCTV networks at large-scale events, make land surveys quick and simple and assist building surveys without the need for expensive physical inspection, scaffolding or location closures.

In the event that local video transmission over radio is lost due to distance and bandwidth, Vemotion’s V-Box technology provides the drone operator with an alternative communications path using cellular networks to see and control the drone. In addition, it can simultaneously provide live video feed to a Control Room and remote operatives anywhere in the world.

In short, Vemotion technology enables companies to make real-time management or support decisions based on live footage from drones, thereby providing an effective Command and Control solution.

Additionally, thermal drones are increasingly essential for emergency response. Instead of sending in first responders, a drone can scan the area to locate hotspots and assess the overall situation. Using Vemotion images, thermal drones can detect people and animals instantly in adverse and other low-visibility scenarios often associated with emergency situations.

Beneath gound level

Under the ground, Vemotion images are being used to locate problems simply and effectively in drains and sewers. One of the difficulties of keeping domestic and public drains and sewers in good working condition is the fact that they’re hidden and difficult to assess. That means it’s hard to spot potential issues until they’ve developed into serious problems.

Using remote rovers equipped with Vemotion technology, HD images are delivered to operators and recorded to identify and assess drain damage quickly and simply, with the images supplied to councils, customers and contractors for project management and rectification.

Designed to be ‘plug and play’, ONVIF-compliant and suitable for a wide variety of video transmission applications, Vemotion wireless streaming solutions for deployable surveillance solutions are now being used across an ever-increasing range of vertical market applications that, until now, have previously not been able to harness the advantages of HD recorded and real-time CCTV images.

*Further information is available online at www.vemotion.com

Glasgow Science Centre invests in Hanwha Techwin video surveillance

The management team at the Glasgow Science Centre has invested in a new video surveillance system from Hanwha Techwin to help create a safe environment for visitors who wish to enjoy the site’s extensive facilities which include over 400 interactive exhibits, a planetarium and a space zone.

As one of Scotland’s most popular visitor attractions, the Glasgow Science Centre – which is located at Pacific Quay on the south bank of the River Clyde that runs through the city centre – is an educational charity that seeks to inspire and motivate people to engage with the subject of science. Its work is supported by a not-for-profit visitor experience in addition to other revenue streams, with all the income it generates being reinvested to support its charitable purpose.

The contract to install the new video surveillance system, which features cameras sourced from Hanwha Techwin, was awarded to the Scottish Communications Group, itself one of the UK’s leading independent communication and electronic security system integrators. In fact, the company installed the original analogue CCTV system when the site first opened in 2001.

Glasgow Science Centre

“We have had a close, long-term business relationship with the Glasgow Science Centre and we’re delighted to have had the opportunity to build on this partnership by being entrusted to design, install, commission and maintain the new system,” commented Stuart Leslie, sales director for the Scottish Communications Group.

“The old analogue system had done an excellent job over the years,” added Leslie, “in helping to keep visitors safe by ensuring staff and contractors comply with Health and Safety procedures. However, in terms of features and functionality, as well as the image resolutions of the cameras, the system wasn’t able to deliver the benefits offered by the latest generation of cameras.”

Camera installation

A total of 68 new Wisenet cameras have now been installed at the Glasgow Science Centre by the Scottish Communications Group, 48 of which have been deployed as replacements for what was the old existing analogue cameras, while 20 additional cameras are installed in new locations to negate any blind spots and afford the Control Room operators greater situational awareness.

Leslie and his colleagues took advantage of the advice available from Hanwha Techwin Europe’s pre-sales team to ensure that the most suitable Wisenet internal and external cameras were specified for each of the 68 camera locations. As a result, 40 cameras were selected from the Wisenet Q IP network Series which. The models feature built-in IR illumination and are able to capture clear, sharp 2 MP and 4 MP images, regardless of lighting conditions.

These bullet and mini-dome cameras also feature Wide Dynamic Range, which performs at up to 120 dB to produce clear images from areas that present a challenging mix of bright and dark areas. For example, the Glasgow Science Centre’s reception area can receive strong sunlight at times.

The remaining 28 bullet, PTZ and mini-dome cameras have been selected from the Wisenet HD+ Series of analogue models and are able to deliver “superb quality” 2 MP HD images over coaxial cables. Wisenet HD+ cameras minimise the cost and disruption of installing new data cabling as they can support the transmission of HD images using standard coax cabling – without any latency or image loss – at distances of up to 500 metres. 

Further, without the need to incur the cost and time of installing encoders, converters or switches, yet more savings can be achieved.

Images from the cameras are recorded on either a Pentabrid ‘hybrid’ recorder or a Wisenet NVR, with each of the five devices offering up to 12 TB of storage.

Foremost priority

“The safety and security of our visitors is always our top priority,” affirmed Robbie Galbraith, facilities manager at the Glasgow Science Centre. “We have therefore invested in the very latest technology in order to significantly upgrade the capabilities of our video surveillance infrastructure and, in doing so, provide our security colleagues with a powerful tool which will allow them to respond quickly and effectively to any incidents that may occur.”

Galbraith concluded: “We’re very happy with the performance of the new system and pleased that we could take advantage of the cost-saving benefits of the Wisenet HD+ cameras without compromising on quality or functionality. We firmly believe that we now have a video surveillance system which will be fit for purpose for many years to come.”

Cloudview appoints Mark Gibson as head of sales

Cloud video surveillance company Cloudview has appointed Silicon Valley sales enablement leader Mark Gibson to be its new head of sales.

Gibson has gained extensive experience in international sales and business development, and has been consulting with leading technology companies since 2004. He has helped to develop many high-tech start-ups in California, the EMEA region and the Nordics by specialising in Artificial Intelligence applications for anti-money laundering and cyber security.

In addition, Gibson has spent time running his own sales and marketing consultancy, focusing in particular on the B2B technology sector. As head of sales at Cloudview, Gibson will be helping to develop sales staff to achieve their full potential and capitalise on market opportunities.

Mark Gibson

He stated: “The only constant in selling today is change, so my aim is to help build a learning organisation at Cloudview whereby every employee is given the opportunity to advance in their career. Salespeople wanting a career in selling must adopt a lifelong learning approach as there’s so much to learn and know. I’m delighted to be joining Cloudview at what is such an exciting time, when event-based Video Surveillance-as-a-Service is showing significant market traction and buying behaviour is crossing the chasm from early adopters to the mainstream.”

Keith Cornell, Cloudview’s CEO, is excited about Gibson joining the company. “Mark’s background in IT sales and marketing, together with his coaching and consultancy experience, makes him ideal for this new role,” asserted Cornell. “I know he will be using his skills and experience to galvanise and inspire our sales team and introduce cutting-edge sales techniques and technology.”

TDSi’s GARDiS software now features full integration with Hikvision’s face recognition terminals and ANPR cameras

Integrated security solutions manufacturer TDSi’s powerful GARDiS access management software now supports full integration with Hikvision’s face recognition terminals and ANPR cameras.

John Davies, managing director of TDSi, commented: “Integration with Hikvision’s latest generation of intelligent cameras is part of TDSi’s ongoing mission to ensure that our powerful integrated access control solutions work directly with the best third party products on the market.”

Davies continued: “Our GARDiS software is perfectly placed to help end users cope and deal with rapidly changing and evolving needs. Our ethos is that customers must be able to choose the right components for their security network to meet their specific needs and budget, with the whole solution overseen by our powerful, centralised, but flexible GARDiS software.”

Providing options for Wiegand and Clock & Data protocol inputs, TDSi’s GARDiS software delivers quick and simple, but powerful integration with Hikvision’s face recognition terminal and the wider security network. This includes integration with ASSA ABLOY Aperio and SimonsVoss SmartIntego wireless locks, along with a wide choice of intruder alarms and CCTV systems.

GARDiS includes Lift Control, Area Occupancy and ANPR, all of which are designed to assist with not only security, but also the ongoing safeguarding of health requirements.

Key features

Integration with Hikvision’s face recognition terminals adds considerable functionality to any security network, with features including:

*Temperature measuring range: 30 °C to 45 °C (86 °F to 113 °F), with an accuracy of 0.1 ° C, deviation ± 0.5 °C

*Face mask wearing alert

*Multiple authentication modes (card and temperature, face and temperature, card and face and temperature, etc)

*Triggered voice prompt when detecting abnormal temperature

*Configurable door status (open/close) when detecting abnormal temperature

*6,000 face capacity, 6,000 card capacity and 100,000 event capacity

*Six attendance statuses – check-in, check out, break-in, break out, overtime in and overtime out

*Watchdog design and tamper function.

John Davies concluded: “The last 18 months have demonstrated the need for security and safety systems that can be rapidly deployed and installed and have the flexibility to evolve and grow to meet future user requirements. Be it individual end user projects or the delivery of rapidly expanding Security-as-a-Service solutions, the GARDiS integration with Hikvision’s systems is a perfect example of the potential for modern systems to work closely together and deliver potentially life-saving benefits.”

*For more information on TDSi’s GARDiS and the full range of integrated security and safety solutions visit www.tdsi.co.uk

**For further details on Hikvision’s range of products access www.hikvision.com/uk/

Veracity appoints Ashley Wyton as Group sales director

Veracity, the network video products developer, recently appointed Ashley Wyton as Group sales director. Wyton joins the company’s management team with a focus on strengthening the organisation’s relationships with security system integrators and installers and managing and expanding its worldwide distribution network outside of North America.

Veracity concentrates its attentions on IP transmission, data storage, video wall display controllers and sophisticated integrated Command and Control systems for the global surveillance and security industry. Headquartered in Prestwick, Veracity operates development, sales and support offices across the UK, North America, the Middle East and India.

Ashley Wyton

Welcoming Wyton to the business, Alastair McLeod (Veracity’s chairman and CEO) stated: “Ashley brings over 18 years of international security sector experience to our company. He has held a number of senior commercial roles with FLIR, Honeywell and, most recently, the Comelit Group. He will now work closely with me and the rest of Veracity’s management and expert staff to develop, support and extend the reach of our global business activities, building and growing long-term sales channels in both mature and developing markets.”

On joining Veracity, Wyton enthused: “I’m thrilled to have joined Veracity in what is a pivotal role. It’s a business built on innovation that supports its customers, and which provides solutions for a multitude of surveillance and system integration issues that exist in the market.”

Wyton continued: “We have some exciting plans to expand the reach of the business into new high-growth regions such as South East Asia. Indeed, the Veracity global business is well positioned for significant growth over the next five years, and I’m very much looking forward to working closely with our customers and business partners in order to positively influence the strategy of the organisation going forward.”

*Further information is available online at www.veracityglobal.com

Milestone Systems promotes Dr Barry Norton to vice-president of research

Milestone Systems has promoted Dr Barry Norton to the role of vice-president of research. Norton joined the company back in May 2018 as director of research. In his new role, and in addition to continuing his leadership of Milestone’s growing research department, Norton will also be responsible for an increased collaboration with universities to move forward the state-of-the-art in machine learning, notably in relation to applications for computer vision.

This latter element of the role, in fact, is going to be instrumental in helping to create the next generation of video software technology that will not only be innovative, but also assist the greater societal good.

“Milestone Systems has high ambitions for the future,” explained Bjørn Skou Eilertsen, CTO for the business. “We need to understand and predict future technologies and megatrends to help accelerate Milestone Systems’ ambitious growth journey. Increasing our focus on research will gear this journey.”

Dr Barry Norton

Eilertsen added: “Barry is always more than one step ahead when it comes to applying future technologies because of his profound knowledge and ingenuity. I’m confident that he will play a key role in taking Milestone’s video software technology to the next level.”

Dr Barry Norton responded: “Milestone’s ‘Make the World See’ mission is a clarion call to bring together the latest achievements in Artificial Intelligence from the lab to deliver true situational understanding in the real world. The commitment to deliver such technology in a responsible manner makes Milestone the ideal environment for me to work on this vision.”

Over the years, Milestone Systems has gradually increased investment in research capability and expertise. With the newly-created role of vice-president, Milestone Systems will further develop its business and core strategic initiatives to accelerate the company’s ambitious growth journey with more cutting-edge, high-quality product features. 

In his new role, Norton will report directly to Eilertsen.

Zicam Integrated Security selects Wisenet as preferred video surveillance brand

Zicam Integrated Security Ltd – one of the UK’s fastest-growing installers of electronic security systems – has selected Hanwha Techwin as its preferred single source provider of IP network video surveillance solutions. 

“As a systems integrator always looking to innovate and provide end user clients with added value from their video surveillance systems, we’ve decided to work ever-more closely with Hanwha Techwin,” stated David Salisbury, managing director of West Midlands-based Zicam Integrated Security, which has specialised in state-of-the-art surveillance and detection security systems for over 25 years now.

Salisbury went on to state: “While we always offer objective advice to end user clients in respect of the best cameras, recording devices and VMS available to meet their specific requirements, we’ve found for most projects we’ve been involved in over recent years that, via authorised distributors, we’ve been able to source everything needed from the Hanwha Techwin Wisenet product range.”

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Remote monitoring

Although Zicam Integrated Security is able to take advantage of the full Wisenet range when recommending the most suitable products for specific applications, the business has recently been specifying Wisenet P Series AI cameras for almost all projects where the video surveillance systems are being remotely monitored.

“In addition to the superb quality of the 4K images captured by these cameras,” continued Salisbury, “they’re also equipped with deep learning AI video analytics which deliver a high level of detection accuracy while minimising false alarms. This is proving to be extremely valuable to our clients, such as DHL, in terms of them efficiently and cost-effectively protecting their assets, people and property.”

STEP Partner

As a Gold level Hanwha Techwin STEP Partner, Zicam Integrated Security is able to benefit from the support offered by the partnership programme, including an enhanced five-year warranty, access to a wide range of technical support resources, lead sharing and co-marketing activities.

Ben Speakman, UK country manager for Hanwha Techwin Europe, observed: “We’re naturally delighted that a knowledgeable and highly professional systems integrator such as Zicam Integrated Security has committed to recommending Wisenet-branded products to its clients wherever possible. We’re very much looking forward to helping the Zicam team capitalise on the new business opportunities being created by our next generation products, many of which are equipped with deep learning AI video analytics.”

*For more information visit www.zicam-security.co.uk