Day: January 9, 2019

A chain of one-stop shopping destinations is one of the pioneers of discount shopping centers in UAE and Dubai. With a selected chain of suppliers, they offer the widest choices of products at very affordable prices. The products of this retail chain range from daily food items to beauty products and perfumes. Household items such as kitchenware, tableware, appliances, decors, and electronics including mobile phones and computer accessories are also available here. The stores offer apparels such as ladies wear, menswear, and children’s wear, in addition to shoes, bags, school and office supplies. Branches of this retail chain are located in more than eight locations with the one in Sharjah, being the biggest branch till date. Challenges Since branches of this retail chain are spread across UAE, managing attendance of every employee became a tedious task. Moreover, keeping track of each of their IN and OUT timings, overtime, leaves, and shift management for multiple locations from a single location was another challenge the retailer faced. Attendance management, multiple shift management and over time calculation became tricky chal lenges to deal with. Apart from that, they required specific type of reports to map everything department or location wise. Solution offered Matrix offered its dynamic range of biometric hardware products along with the software solutions to complement the devices. As the retail chain is an exponentially growing company building stores at several locations, Matrix offered its Time-Attendance module along with fingerprint and card based door controller, COSEC DOOR FOT. This solution assisted in easy attendance management of employees along with their shift and overtime management. The solution also allowed generation of several specific types of reports with de tailed filtering options for smooth process and analysis of employees’ attendance details. Results Matrix people mobility management solution assisted the retail chain achieve following results: Centralized attendance management and monitoring. Easy shift & schedule management. Elimination of overtime issues. Smooth HR process with various precise reports. Products COSEC DOOR FOT: Fingerprint and card based door controller for time-attendance. COSEC CENTRA ME: Application server platform with 500 or more users and expandable up to 1,000 users. COSEC ME TAM: Time-attendance module for 500 or more users. COSEC USER 100: User license for 100 users

During the last couple of years, most enterprises have been accelerating the pace of their digital transformation based on the adoption of leading-edge ICT technologies like cloud/ edge computing, big data and the Internet of Things (IoT). At the same time, organizations are still suffering from security attacks, which are among the most important barriers in the implementation of their digital transformation agendas. Earlier this year, the famous ‘Wannacry’ ransomware attack affected major organizations all around the globe such as UK’s NHS (National Health Service). Another example was a fraudulent cyberattack against the SWIFT international transactions system that took place in February 2016 and resulted in the theft of $81 million from the Bangladesh Central Bank. These attacks highlight the vulnerabilities of modern cyber infrastructures, as well as the importance of cybersecurity as an integral element of an organization’s digital transformation strategy. It is important to understand the main drivers and trends in future cybersecurity solutions to make the most of security investments. Drivers of future cybersecurity The expanding scope and sophistication of cybersecurity systems are based on the following: Technology evolution As a result of the introduction of new technologies like cyber-physical systems (CPS) and IoT, enterprise IT infrastructures are gradually growing in size and complexity. These paradigms are typically based on systems and devices that bridge the physical and digital worlds such as sensors, smart machines, connected cars, robots and more. While these systems provide opportunities for enhanced productivity and improved decision making, they also broaden the scope of potential vulnerabilities. For example, a large-scale Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack that exploited vulnerabilities of IoT devices took place last year and affected major Internet sites like Amazon, Twitter and Spotify. Regulatory complexity Nowadays several organizations operate in complex regulatory environments, which impose a need for compliance with many security regulations and standards. For instance, U.S. financial organizations must adhere to regulations associated with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX, P.L. 107-204), the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999, and more. Cybersecurity systems are evolving in order to support organizations in their alignment to the required regulations and standards. Sophistication of attacks Over the years, cybersecurity attacks are increasing in sophistication through becoming asymmetric and less predictable. For example, ransomware attacks have been added to the list of phishing, DDoS and social engineering attacks, while the methods used by cybercriminals are constantly evolving based on the use of advanced sniffing and encryption techniques. Limited resources Many businesses lack the resources, expertise and equity capital needed in order to cope with modern cybercrime. This is particularly the case with SMB (small medium businesses) typically on the hunt for cost-effective solutions. Emerging cybersecurity solutions & services Driven by the above factors, emerging cybersecurity solutions feature the following characteristics: Security automation and intelligence The automation of cybersecurity solutions is the key to coping with the growing number and sophistication of cybersecurity threats. This gives rise to the implementation of machine learning systems, which are able to detect attack patterns in a fully or semi-automated fashion. There is also a trend towards employing deep learning and artificial intelligence technologies to identify indicators of complex attacks, which are hardly identifiable based on conventional machine learning. Cybersecurity datasets and data-driven approaches The collection of security related datasets is becoming very important for the development of future cybersecurity systems. These datasets are a key prerequisite for training and validating the data-driven systems including machine learning and AI algorithms. Without large amounts of data about the operation of the cyber assets and the attack incidents against them, the deployment of security automation and intelligence isn’t possible. Standards Standards development organizations tend to incorporate latest technologies and best practices in their work. So, standards based solutions are usually more effective in increasing the cyber resilience of modern organizations. The latter need to adopt and implement not only conventional and well-established standards (e.g., the popular ISO27001), but also emerging ones such as the Industrial Internet Consortium Security Framework (IISF). The latter provides a blueprint for securing CPS systems in the era of Industry 4.0. Integrated policies for cyber and physical security As part of the integration of IoT and CPS systems there is a close interaction between cyber and physical systems including an inter-play between their security mechanisms. For example, electronic access gates and CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) systems are increasingly used as primary physical security technologies. This close interplay is gradually leading to an integration of physical and cybersecurity measures and related policies. Sectors that operate both cyber and physical infrastructures (e.g., energy, transport, buildings) have the leading role in this integration. Vulnerability databases Following many years of collecting information and knowledge about cyberthreats, the cybersecurity community has established a range of vulnerability databases, which are used to maintain and disseminate information about known security vulnerabilities. NIST’s National Vulnerability Database is one of the most popular databases of this category, which provide developers and deployers of cybersecurity systems with the means to automatically access up-to-date information about cyber threats. This is important because of the need to support the collection and processing of large amounts of data towards security automation and intelligence. Managed Security & Security as a Service There is a surge of security solutions that are offered based on the Security-as-a-Service paradigm or as a pay-as-yougo option. Typical examples are the popular managed security solutions (MSS), which are a primary choice for SMBs and other organizations that operate based on constrained budgets. Solutions for small organizations come with easy web-based interfaces for their configuration, which makes them appealing to employees with low security expertise. Decentralization & Blockchains The advent of the BitCoin cryptocurrency has revealed the capabilities of the distributed ledger technology towards decentralizing and securing transactions across IT systems and devices. Distributed ledger technology is currently exploited as a secure, privacy preserving and anti-tampering infrastructure in a wide range of applications beyond financial transactions and it’s therefore likely to become mainstream…

Across the world, many urban road networks are already saturated. This causes long delays for drivers, increasing frustration and reducing productivity. It also creates major public health risks due to poor air quality. Together, the effects of excessive traffic negatively impact city dwellers’ quality of life and the sustainability of cities. According to one study from INRIX, a leading provider of transport insights, Los Angeles commuters spent over 100 hours a year in traffic jams in 2017 – more than any other city in the world. Additionally, London traffic jams cost drivers the equivalent of £2,430 (USD$3,135) each, equal to more than £9.5 billion (USD$12.3 billion) across the city as a whole. A major headache for city authorities Needless to say, traffic has become a headache for city administrators, particularly in cities where rapid urbanization and economic growth have led to increased ownership of vehicles. To find long-term solutions, city authorities are looking into the root causes of traffic congestion. In Hong Kong, the city’s Transport Advisory Committee published a report identifying the top-three causes of excessive traffic. These are ‘too many vehicles on roads,’’illegal parking,’ and ‘too much road works.’ All these factors contribute heavily to traffic jams in cities worldwide. How technology can help I n many cities, building new roads is not an option because of either availability of space, disruption to economic activities, or budgetary constraints. Under these circumstances, city authorities are beginning to look to smart technologies to make people’s journeys faster and safer. In the portfolio of available traffic easing technologies, latest-generation video technology is the star. In particular, innovations in artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning have transformed standard video monitoring with features that alert operators about traffic issues in real time. This allows them to take immediate action to keep lanes clear and to keep traffic flowing. Next generation video solutions are already helping city authorities to reduce congestion and deliver major time savings for drivers. Three examples are: Traffic guidance This kind of solution uses smart cameras installed at intersections to monitor and report on real-time traffic flow. It works by constantly observing the flow of traffic lanes, and by counting vehicles within defined areas of the road. Data is then sent to traffic management control centres where operators can see the build-up of traffic across the city. Critically, the citywide view of traffic allows operators to take action in real time to reduce the root causes of congestion such as misuse of bus lanes or illegal parking. In the event of a traffic incident, traffic guidance solutions are also great news for drivers. Congestion information is displayed for them at each intersection, helping them predict their arrival time and – if delays are serious or persistent – to choose alternative routes or travel options. While video is a critical element of the solution, full integration with thirdparty systems and algorithms is also needed. In this way, traffic data can be visualised on city maps and transmitted effectively to the control centre, drivers, emergency services, and others. Traffic signal control Traffic signal control solutions allow traffic lights to be coordinated to keep traffic flowing as freely as possible. They consume traffic data from traffic guidance systems to understand where traffic is building up at an intersection. To do this, intelligent traffic cameras count vehicles that cross an intersection as well as detect the length of vehicle queues at an intersection. They simultaneously share the real-time data with the traffic signal system. Based on this data, traffic lights can be coordinated automatically to even out the traffic flow, giving traffic more or less priority, as needed, by extending or reducing the time available to cross the intersection. This helps to speed up journeys, reduces drivers’ frustration and eliminates the need for manual intervention by traffic police when traffic builds up in one direction. Traffic enforcement I n many cases, traffic congestion is caused by illegal or irresponsible road use such as illegal parking and use of bus lanes. With traffic enforcement video solutions such as wrong-way driving detection, illegal U-turns and illegal parking detection, these kinds of incidents can be identified in real time, allowing operators in traffic control centres to alert the authorities in immediately. This makes it faster to react to incidences of illegal or irresponsible driving and remove obstacles on urban roads, while also holding drivers accountable. As well as helping to reduce traffic congestion, traffic enforcement video solutions can also help to improve public safety. They can be used, for example, to detect drivers who run red lights or otherwise drive dangerously, and to take action against them. A better future for congested cities With urban traffic management now topping the agenda for most city authorities, intelligent video technology is a beacon of hope. By monitoring traffic in real time, these kinds of solutions allow city authorities to take immediate action to ease bottlenecks – reducing drivers’ frustration, reducing lost productivity and improving urban air quality. Additionally, real-time incident detection helps improve overall driving standards, which ultimately reduces the number of accidents and saves lives. As more and more city authorities begin to see the huge value of latestgeneration video solutions for traffic management, adoption is accelerating. This is especially the case where cities have been able to implement a suitable regulatory and funding structure to support the implementation of these kinds of solutions. By Ashish P. Dhakan – MD & CEO, Prama Hikvision India Pvt. Ltd.,    

Hikvision participated in the 12th edition of the International Fire & Security Exhibition and Conference (IFSEC India 2018) at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from 5-7 December, 2018, where it unveiled the latest AI applications, products and solutions for India market. Hikvision also won the ‘Excellence in Security Technology implementation’ Award at the forum of IFSEC India Awards 2018 for its security solutions implementation at Indofil Chemical.   Commenting on the IFSEC India participation, Ashish P. Dhakan, MD and CEO, Prama Hikvision India Pvt. Ltd. said, “Being a leader in the Indian security market, Hikvision has showcased its best-in-class technologies and innovations in IFSEC India 2018. We unveiled the latest products and innovative technologies including Artificial Intelligence, AI Cloud, Big Data and IoT. We have introduced PIR cameras, face recognition terminals & swing gates, smart pole and ECS (Emergency Call Switch) for the first time in India. We are elated to see the positive response from our partners. The latest IFSEC Award has reaffirmed our faith in pursuing excellence in security technology implementation.” At the sprawling IFSEC India exhibition floor, Hikvision set up a gigantic booth where it showcased a whole new range of vertical specific solutions including PPOG, intelligent traffic management solution (ITMS), mobile, education, healthcare, hospitality, tourism, retail, and banking. It demonstrated the latest innovations in the AI technologies and AI Cloud, the signature DeepinView series IP cameras, DeepinMind series NVRs, and AI based applications for face recognition, people tracking and perimeter protection.   The other latest products displayed were in the categories of IVMS, HDTVi 5.0, Easy IP 3.0, transmission, UVSS, machine vision, intrusion alarm, video door phone (VDP), access control solutions (ACS), professional products, edge devices, swing barriers, DarkFighter X, EZVIZ and storage. Hikvision partner Seagate showcased their innovative solutions for various advanced applications at the booth. Ashish Gujarathi, AVP – Products (access control, intruder alarm and VDP), Prama Hikvision India gave a presentation on the theme ‘Next Gen Future Technologies’ at IFSEC India Conference on 6th December and showcased Hikvision’s giant strides into Robotics, Machine Vision, AI and Machine Learning. Mr. Gujarathi elaborated on Hikvision’s latest product innovations in UAV (unmanned ariel vehicle), UVSS (under vehicle surveillance system), PanoVu camera and thermal camera segments. As commented by the Hikvision team, the show provided them the ideal opportunity to meet new and existing customers and demonstrate Hikvision’s on-going commitment to innovative product development, high quality solu tions and great customer support. Hikvision is the world’s leading provider of innovative video surveillance products and solutions. Featuring the industry’s strongest R&D workforce, Hikvision advances core technologies of audio and video encoding, video image processing, and related data storage, as well as forward-looking technologies such as cloud computing, big data, and deep learning. In addition to the video surveillance industry, Hikvision extends its reach to smart home tech, industrial automation, and automotive electronics industries to achieve its long-term vision. Always creating value for its customers, Hikvision operates 38 regional subsidiaries all over the world to achieve a truly global presence.

As cities are growing, so are the challenges of the urban sector. To cater to this evolving market, Axis Communications, one of the market leaders in network video, exhibited their suite of end to end solutions and integrated range of thermal and video surveillance technologies at International Fire & Security Exhibition and Conference (IFSEC) India Expo.   As a part of their safe and smart city initiative, Axis along with their technology partners Allied Telesis and Milestone demonstrated their leadership in intelligent security solutions at the event. Axis believes in building the right sustainability strategy and more importantly, how it can be delivered to not only an organisation, but to the whole supply chain involved in today’s complex business models. So, with sustainability embedded in their approach, the company has introduced several innovative and energy efficient technologies in their products. The challenges posed by rapid urbanization and increasing crime rate have put the government under immense pressure to recognize the vulnerabilities leading to possible threats. Our demos at IFSEC 2018 are thoughtfully curated to showcase how our integrated allin-one intelligent solutions can help put crimes in check and build a smart and safe city. With an estimated budget of ₹2.09 lakh crores for smart city programmes by the Government, there is a requirement for new age network video integrated end to end solutions. Axis’ plethora of smart solutions aims to provide a better quality of life along with the promise of making the city safer. Sudhindra Holla Sales Director – India and SAARC, Axis Communications The video surveillance industry sees a paradigm shift in India. With increasing number of cyber-attacks, security is becoming a priority for both the government and enterprises, and providing highly protective network infrastructure becomes vital. For Axis, IoT and cyber security are extremely important, which means the camera can have no back door. Axis makes all cameras as secure as possible from a firmware perspective so that it is not easy to hack them.   The products and solutions displayed helped educate all stakeholders and end customers on the need for smart upgradation of technology, and the importance of adopting smart solutions to keep their business and clients secure. Axis innovative outdoor ready cameras and their audio solutions are versatile tools that can be used by city authorities, retailers, urban planners and the government bodies, to build ‘role model’ smart cities of tomorrow. These technologies provide necessary surveillance infrastructure for tracking, monitoring and alerting the concerned authorities even during the most difficult situations. Axis products also work on an open source platform that can be integrated with any thirdparty software providers to cater to larger installations across the country. Some of the major Indian implementations include Aurangabad Smart City, Vizag Sea Port, Café Coffee Day, Mysore Palace, Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Novotel Goa Shrem Hotels, Hyderabad Community, among many others. IFSEC India is south Asia’s largest Security event organized by UMB India. The 12th edition of the event brought over 300 Indian and global brands, industry leaders, decision makers and end customers all under one roof to exchange knowledge on the cutting-edge technologies, industry best practices and surveillance trends to build a digitally safe world.