Month: October 2019

Hikvision is providing advanced video technologies for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in the Amur region of Russia to observe and protect Oriental Storks, one of the rarest birds in the Russian Far East. The Oriental Stork is endangered and listed in the red book of the Russian federation called International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), and Annex I of the Convention on International Trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora (CITEC). As the final link of the local food pyramid, the Stork is sensitive to water and soil pollution, drying wetlands, Hikvision Cameras Help WWF Russia Observe the Hatching of Endangered Oriental Storks and climate change. The Oriental Storks are an indicator of the well-being of the Amur basin ecosystems, and an observation of the numbers and survival rates of this species plays an important role in local ecosystem protection efforts. Every spring, the Oriental Stork flies back from the Yangtze river plain in China to the Amur region. They often choose to build their nests on tall trees or towering objects, which means they are not easy to observe. Researchers have to spend hours on watching without a movement, sitting or lying very still and very close to the nest. This year, six Hikvision cameras provided by WWF Russia were installed by the NGO ‘AmurSEU’ on four Oriental Stork nests in Amur province. The real-time, high-definition footage provided by the Hikvision cameras around the Storks’ home now helps ornithologists observe the hatching of baby storks and observe their growth. An important part of this work is determining if there is any difference between raising baby Storks in natural versus human-made nests, which have been built by WWF Russia to increase survival rates. The first two Oriental Storks eggs hatched in the Amur river basin were observed in May this year. Although the nest was situated on a very tall power pylon on the edge of a wetland, ornithologists and bird-watchers located far away were able to witness it thanks to Hikvision video technology for live broadcast. It is worth mentioning that this is not the first time Hikvision cameras have been used to observe and protect birds. Previously, Hikvision cameras were used in the Green River program to provide continuous monitoring and protection of bar-headed Geese in their natural habitat.  

Simple IoT systems can streamline everyday operations – delivering real savings to companies and benefits to end users. This is exactly what Axis partner SmartNet has achieved deploying its IoT platform for managing operations and security at Caruso Place Boutique & Wellness Suites in Naples, Italy. Caruso Place Boutique and Wellness Suites, located in the heart of Naples, is the perfect choice for travellers looking to mix Neapolitan style and culture with luxurious modern relaxation. Located next to the historic Galleria Umberto shopping gallery and the Royal Theatre of Saint Charles opera house, this independent luxury hotel offers its guests a stylish and charming atmosphere by using Internet of Things (IoT) technology to deliver superior guests services as well as streamline its own hotel administration costs. Vision to reality: A luxury design hotel that suits both classic and modern tastes Modern convenience was one of the key requirements for the owners of what would become Caruso Place Boutique & Wellness Suites. The management wanted guests to have clear connections to the history and music surrounding this area of Naples – hence the hotel’s name, which is a tribute to the great Neapolitan tenor Enrico Caruso. Another, equally important priority was to provide superior convenience, services and experiences to the guests. These objectives set their overall requirements framework. “We wanted to see if we could use technology to provide guests with smooth, comfortable services,” said Manuela Cicala, Hotel Manager at Caruso Place, “We chose Smartnet to put together the components and manage the IoT system.” Guest booking and check-in without staff Easy booking, convenient access control, secure video surveillance and efficient hotel administration – all in one IoT system. That was the focus for Smartnet Srl, an Axis partner. “We provided one IoT system to connect all their existing hotel management software with VoIP phones, access control and video surveillance devices,” said Marco Pirone, Managing Director of SmartNet, “It handles everything – online guest booking with immediate and secure provision of access control codes that grant guests access into the hotel and their individual rooms.” The SmartNet ConsolONE platform unites the hotel’s reservation and booking functions with hotel security and building access control. It all starts with integration to the Hotel4 hotel software from Ericsoft, which enables dynamic association of access codes for guest room doors as well as their automatic removal at the end of the room’s reservation period. Customers booking online immediately receive their own personal identification number (PIN) code for their room sent to them via email or SMS. This code is all they need to access their room during their stay at any time – which means that there is no need for physical keys or plastic cards, which can be easily lost or stolen. Thanks to this system guests now don’t have to wait in line anymore to do their check-in. “The use of a key or electronic badge at the hotel is now an old concept for the opening of rooms. In a world more and more based on new technologies, it seemed appropriate to give an additional service to our customers,” declared Cicala. Further, ConsolONE is integrated with camera-based intercom devices, which provide audio/ visual two-way communication and control. Everything is managed entirely over IP by either the hotel staff or remotely by SmartNet. Through the installation of an open IoT platform, open IP-based technologies and open standards, IP-based technology has enabled Caruso Place Boutique & Wellness Suites to reduce maintenance requirements by using a system that can be remotely controlled. “The open standard of Axis’ solutions allowed us to build a system that is functional, yet at the same time simple,” Pirone explained, “The solution was also appreciated by the suppliers of the hotel software, who were quite impressed with the system’s simplicity of integration, underlining that prior to this they had never been involved with such sophisticated and advanced systems.” For Cicala it is simple – “Technology helps us provide more personal, efficient services to our guests, and keep our hotel and guests safe and secure. This technology reduces our administration time and costs. It means we can focus on providing high-quality services to our guests.”  

Acknowledging that in sport as in business, the ability to quickly analyse data for insights to competitive advantage is critical to success, SAS has been working with New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and the All Blacks for seven seasons and became the ‘official analytics supplier’ late last year. The relationship between the two organisations goes back to 2013 when NZR adopted SAS Visual Analytics to replace a spreadsheet-based reporting process. Since then, the ability of rugby’s national sporting body to take advantage of player, team, match and competitor data has come a long way, as Jason Healy, NZR Performance Analytics Manager explained. “Before SAS, we were reliant on data collected by a third party which was also available to our competitors. Today, we import data from a very wide range of sources, including video, and use the SAS platform to get it all in one place to sanitize it and make ready for analysis and reporting,” commented Jason Healy, “Where, with the old spreadsheet system, it could be one or two days before we produced something for the coaches, we can now do so within minutes of the data being available. SAS saves a huge amount of time dealing with massive volumes of data.” NZR collects and manages data for all national teams including the All Blacks on the SAS platform as well as those playing in the international Investec Super Rugby competition and the national provincial competition, the Mitre 10 Cup. Individual coaches use the system in different ways but all with the objective of seeking insights that can lead to improved player and team performance, better understanding competitors’ strengths, and challenge any biases. Jason Healy said that some coaches prefer customised reports, while others take advantage of the ease-of-use of the SAS platform to do their own exploring. “You don’t need an analytics background to get massive value out of the data. The beauty of our environment is that it gives the end-user coaches licence to go on their own journey with it,” he added. Speaking of the announcement, Vice President of Global Marketing for SAS Asia Pacific, Alastair Sim said, “We are delighted to have been recognised in this way as an important contributor to the ongoing success of NZ Rugby and the All Blacks. SAS is widely used in sport around the world and we look forward to continuing our analytics support for true champions of the sport that its followers everywhere call the game they play in heaven.” New Zealand Rugby (NZR) leads, supports, grows and promotes the game of rugby union with the goal of inspiring and unifying New Zealanders. NZR has offices in Wellington and Auckland as well as a number of staff working in the community game across New Zealand. SAS is the leader in analytics. Through innovative software and services, SAS empowers and inspires customers around the world to transform data into intelligence. SAS gives – The Power To Know®.  

Bosch’s video-based fire detection solution AVIOTEC IP starlight 8000 can now also be used in tunnels to ensure reliable and early detection of smoke and flames. Therefore, it is a quick and cost-effective addition to the linear heat detectors commonly used, which react only to noticeable increases in temperature and are unable to detect smoke either. In addition, the viewing of incidents also enables immediate verification of alarms and is a valuable aid for the emergency services.   Reliable fire detection even in challenging lighting conditions The new version of AVIOTEC is based on smoke and flames detection algorithms specially developed for use in tunnels, which have been optimized in comprehensive tests in real environments. The cameras require only seven lux ambient light to reliably detect smoke and flames using the integrated intelligent video analysis. For use in tunnels, Bosch has also more than doubled the detection range from 50 to over 100 meters by using new lenses. This corresponds to the usual distance between cameras for video surveillance in such environments. Thus, AVIOTEC allows the same cameras to be used for video surveillance as well as fire detection and thereby reduces investments and operating expenses. Minimizing accident risks through simultaneous video surveillance In such scenarios, video surveillance also benefits from the intelligent video analysis in the cameras. By continuously tracking movement curves, they can automatically detect stationary vehicles as well as drivers driving the wrong way or people on the road. As with the detection of smoke or flames, a message is also generated in these cases so that the safety personnel can immediately take appropriate measures and minimize the risk of an accident. Intelligent video analysis is implemented in the cameras themselves and therefore does not require a central server, which could represent a so-called ‘single point of failure.’ AVIOTEC also records machine-searchable meta data of all scenes, thus enabling very rapid forensics when investigating the cause of a fire or an accident. Even before this update, AVIOTEC was the first solution for video-based fire detection to pass the demanding test procedure of German VdS Schadenverhütung GmbH. VdS had conducted the test procedure in accordance with the VdS guidelines 2203 ‘requirements for fire protection software,’ and the ‘specifications for testing flame detectors.’ In April 2019, AVIOTEC IP starlight also received certification according to the Australian standard CSIRO TS010 for video-based fire detection systems. Apart from tunnels, as a VdS and CSIRO certified solution, AVIOTEC is suitable to improve early fire and flame detection in almost every building with large dimensions as it avoids the need of smoke or heat to migrate to the sensor. AVIOTEC can thus be used in large warehouses, hangars, extensive shopping centers, generator halls and similar structures. Operators who are already using an AVIOTEC solution can upgrade to the new version with a free firmware update. In existing applications where a longer range is required, an upgrade can also include a purchasing of the new lens.  

As an electronic money issuer, Treezor is bound by a variety of data privacy regulations and requirements including requirements from the French Regulator (ACPR), the Mastercard network and the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Treezor is required to implement strong data security controls to protect personal financial information and other sensitive data. After evaluating several providers, Treezor selected SafeNet Data Protection On Demand (DPoD) due to its ability to provide a cost-effective and easy-to-use cloud HSM service as a highly secure root of trust for cryptographic operations. “Innovation is the lifeblood of how we operate, but it should never come at the expense of security or vice versa,” said Eric Lassus, CEO of Treezor, “Part of our ethos is to work extremely closely with our clients to understand their needs, which led to the creation of our payment platform using standard APIs. As a result, we need a solution that meets our security, management and commercial needs.” Treezor, recently acquired by Societe Generale, was familiar with the security advantages of HSMs, but wanted to minimize investments and on-going overheads, so it began investigating cloud-based offerings. Taking advantage of the 30-day free evaluation offered by Thales for its cloud-based HSM solution, Treezor was impressed by the ease of use and the speed it was able to deploy at its test environment. During the evaluation phase of SafeNet Data Protection On Demand, the ‘point-and-click’ ease of use convinced Treezor that SafeNet Cloud HSM On Demand service provided the best solution in terms of cost, security and ease of implementation. With SafeNet Data Protection On Demand, Treezor benefits from: Rapid deployment and easy integration: Cloud HSM services were up and running and integrated into their systems in minutes. Service level availability: Unlike other Cloud HSM services on the market, SafeNet Data Protection On Demand comes with a 99.95% SLA. Predictable costs: Pricing is provided in a predictable way with all costs like redundancy and back-up services inclusive, meaning no hidden charges for high availability Treezor’s strategy has led to a dramatic growth in two years, from issuing 100,000 cards and €400,000 of transactions in 2017 to over 500,000 cards and €5 billion in 2018. With the scalability of SafeNet Cloud HSM On Demand, alongside its separation of duties, Treezor can offer each customer their own dedicated HSM service, bringing them safety in the knowledge that their financial and other sensitive data is segregated and protected. “Working in the financial sector, trust is an extremely high parameter with which companies are judged by customers,” Lassus continued, “We chose Thales because of its stellar reputation in security, the easeof-use of the whole solution and the high SLAs it guarantees. It’s vital too that we’re able to give our customers a clear insight into costs and availability of our services. The transparency and reliability we’ve received with SafeNet Data Protection On Demand is ideal for our needs of offering services simply, secure and costs effectively across our entire payment chain, from traditional banks to the most innovative fintech companies.” Todd Moore, Vice President of Encryption Products for Cloud Protection and Licensing Activity at Thales said, “The financial industry is one of the most regulated in the world, so it can sometimes be tricky for some to find that balance between innovation and compliance. With SafeNet Data Protection on Demand, Treezor can offer innovative solutions across its payment platform, while ensuring a transparent and secure approach that satisfies both regulators and customers.”