SSI Bench Test products reviewer and well-known industry consultant addresses top integrator challenges. My April issue editorial discusses security integrators’ top 10 challenges as indicated inSSI’s annual Systems Integration Study. I consulted with a handful of trusted colleagues and contributors to the publication for ways integrators can best overcome these challenges, perhaps even turning them […]
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The Truth About License Plate Recognition Technology
After numerous questions about the merits and drawbacks of cameras designed to capture images of the license plates of vehicles entering and exiting a property, I wanted to put something together to clarify the two approaches to this application. These cameras are often referred to interchangeably as “license plate cameras” and “license plate readers”. In […]
Overpromising & Underdelivering: How Cutting-Edge Tech Is Often a Waste of Money
We are all familiar with the business mantra imploring you to “underpromise and overdeliver”. The concept is that by managing expectations in such a manner that you are positioned to exceed them, you stand a greater likelihood of leaving behind a happy customer. Or spouse, or child, or co-worker, as the concept really works anywhere […]
Protecting Your Video Surveillance From Leaks
While there are a number of opinions and methods as to the best ways to capture and manage video images for investigation and evidence, we tend to focus on the technical aspects. What’s the best resolution, frame rate, compression method, or retention time for a given application? How will we get images off of the […]
Keeping Surveillance Networks Secure
The bad guys aren’t supposed to be able to hack a video surveillance system, period. Recent headlines about a casino scam in Melbourne brought the consequences of an insecure security system front and center as scammers allegedly walked off with $32 million after using the casino’s surveillance system to cheat at cards. While we may never know […]
Hacking Surveillance Cameras in Casinos
A high roller and his accomplice scammed a casino in Melbourne, Australia, by hacking into the surveillance system to cheat (and win) at a series of card games in his suite. The Herald Sun in Melbourne reported that the gambler was able to use information from security cameras about his opponent’s cards to scam the […]
Maintenance and Repair Needs for a Digital System
As facilities have moved from their analog tape based systems to the digital world, many believed that the system maintenance aspects were gone. Sure, we were used to repairing or replacing VCR’s – there were tons of mechanical parts, tapes shed grime and particles into the units, and VCR’s were pretty cheaply made to begin […]
Recycling Is Green, but It Can Make You Some Green Too…
Most of us are bombarded with constant reminders about the importance of recycling, and I can imagine anyone arguing with the overall concept. And, many of us take it further than bottles, cans and paper — where I live, anything even slightly useful that is placed out at the curb is “recycled” by a passerby […]
Upgrade or Replace? It Depends – Campus Safety Magazine
May/June 2008 by Robert Grossman – Campus officials face a common dilemma: Should they improve their current electronic security technology or adopt a completely new system? Those who do the proper footwork and planning will have the tools they need to choose the best course of action for their organizations.
What End Users Should Reasonably Expect – Security Sales & Integration
January 2004 by Robert Grossman, Despite the best of intentions, there is often a “disconnect” between the people who design, manufacture, distribute, sell, and install electronic security products, and those who specify, purchase and use them.
