Month: October 2019

Allegion UK, a leading specialist in fire safety and security products and solutions, recently took an impressive 500,000 steps towards raising £500 in aid of Fire Door Safety Week (FDSW) and The Fire Fighters Charity. Using two treadmills, 35 employees from the Allegion UK team worked as one to take part in their corporate challenge to walk, run, jog or dance 500,000 steps in four days. During the challenge, the team joined forces with the West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS), who visited the Allegion offices in Aston, Birmingham, to help them achieve their ambitious goal. James Marriott, Station Commander from WMFS said, “We had a fantastic time supporting Allegion UK and thank the staff who took part in this challenge. I’m certain that the funds raised for the charity will make a significant difference to fire fighters and their families who are going through difficult times. “With our mission being to ‘make the West Midlands safer, stronger and healthier’ and Allegion’s purpose of ‘creating peace of mind by pioneering safety and security,’ I am in no doubt that we will continue to work together to promote fire safety.’’ Pete Hancox, Commercial Leader UK & Ireland, celebrated the combined efforts and said, “In current circumstances, it is more important than ever to make people aware of fire safety. Each year our team makes a huge effort in raising awareness – this year was no different. “It was also brilliant to welcome the fire service to help us reach our target. Each step taken truly did count towards us raising money for such a worthy cause.’’ FDSW (23-29 September 2019), run by British Woodworking Federation (BWF) and the BWF Fire Door Alliance, aims to increase public understanding of the fundamental role fire doors play in protecting life and property. This year’s campaign explores the crucial role fire doors have in protecting us when we are asleep, with a particular focus on specialised housing and HMOs (house in multiple occupation). Last year, the campaign reached a new high, gaining support from more than 350 individuals, organisations and businesses.  

ASIS International released its Enterprise Security Risk Management (ESRM) Guideline, which takes a different approach to traditional security. The new guideline is the first strategic security management tool of its kind, elevating the security function by estab lishing a partnership between security professionals and business leaders to manage security risks. The objective of ESRM is to identify, evaluate, and mitigate the likelihood and/ or impact of security risks to the organization with priority given to protective activities that help enable the organization to advance its overall mission. ESRM positions the security professional as a trusted advisor to help guide asset owners through the process of making security risk management decisions. “We’re very proud to provide this foundational tool to ASIS members – and the security industry at-large – to help guide them through adoption of ESRM within their organizations,” said David R. Feeney, CPP, PMP, Chairman of the ASIS ESRM Guideline Technical Committee. ESRM recommends that security professionals maintain an understanding of the organization’s overall strategy including its mission and vision, core values, operating environment, and stakeholders. Understanding this context will enable security professionals to effectively support and align with the organization’s strategic goals. The new guideline further outlines how the ESRM Cycle is built on a foundation of transparency, governance, partnership with stakeholders, and holistic risk management. By continually repeating the ESRM cycle, security professionals can bring ESRM practice to maturity and maintain high performance over time. “We remain committed to the global development of ESRM, and the release of our ESRM Guideline demonstrates the ASIS Board of Director’s ongoing support to formalize ESRM globally,” said Tim McCreight, ASIS Global Board Sponsor of the ESRM Initiative.  

MOBOTIX has taken another step towards making its technology available and integrating it in partner systems. After extensive development processes and testing, all MOBOTIX IoT camera solutions have been integrated in Gentec’s cloud-based Stratocast video management system. Genetec has been one of MOBOTIX’s most important technology partners for many years. “The integration of our camera systems in Stratocast, whose high level of cybersecurity is put to the test in annual stress tests and evaluations, is another milestone in the long-term cooperative relationship between MOBOTIX and Genetec,” says Hartmut Sprave, CTO of MOBOTIX AG. “When we make our technology available and integrate it into other solutions, it is paramount to us that we do not compromise on the cybersecurity of our systems,” Thomas Dieregsweiler, Head of Product Management at MOBOTIX AG added, “Genetec and MOBOTIX speak the same language. We are one of the world’s first camera manufacturers to successfully integrate in Stratocast.” The cloud-based video management system Stratocast (VSaaS) is designed specially for small and medium-sized businesses. When using Stratocast, customers can always rest assured that their company is protected and that seamless operation is ensured. Using a PC, laptop, tablet, or smartphone, Stratocast guarantees access to live videos and video recordings that are stored cyber-safe in the cloud. Many customers across the world rely on the cloud solution, which is tailored to small applications under 50 cameras, or in other words, small and medium-sized companies. The end-customer themselves requires only basic computer expertise, as no computer infrastructure such as additional servers have to be installed on site and no maintenance or updates are required. This makes the solutions affordable and very transparent for the customer. They only pay by usage. Stratocast allows the customer to circumvent typical server-based problems such as additional IT infrastructure or employees, lack of storage space, loss of records, and unscalable prices or functionalities. The scope of functions provided can also be extended by using the Genetec Security Center for central monitoring. This means the cloud-based network can grow and develop according to the customer’s needs. Perfect synergy between Genetec and MOBOTIX technologies As is the case for MOBOTIX, cybersecurity and data protection are the highest priority at Genetec. For example, all communication between the on-site system and the cloud is fully encrypted with TLS (transport layer security). Genetec guarantees 99.5 percent availability (availability and access to video). All data is backed up three-fold in the cloud. Genetec works exclusively with hardware and software partners who meet the high quality standards for cybersecurity and data protection. Camera solutions from MOBOTIX have an excellent reputation around the world for good reason. They are robust, durable, and cyber-safe. No successful hacking attacks have been recorded anywhere in the world to date. “We have integrated our technology into Stratocast’s technology over the last six months. All test series were completed successfully,” explained Thomas Lausten, CEO of MOBOTIX AG, “The excellent quality of our video solutions combined with a keen focus on cybersecurity and our global sales network is how we became one of the first camera manufacturers to integrate our technology in the cloud-based Stratocast video surveillance system from world market leader Genetec. It proves once again that the decentralized intelligence of our camera systems makes MOBOTIX one of the most important players on the global market.”  

Sophos has recently been named the 2019 Best Small Business Endpoint security solution by SE Labs in its inaugural ‘Annual Report.’ The new report recognizes Intercept X Advanced as the industry’s best for endpoint threat protection based on strong product performance following months of in-depth testing. “SE Labs tested more than 50 different products using over 5,000 targeted attacks. These attacks were run in a realistic way using publicly available hacking tools,” according to the report, “To ensure our testing is as realistic and useful as possible, we monitor real-world breaches from a technical point of view. This allows us to adapt and change our testing in a similar way to how real attackers operate.” Intercept X Advanced consistently ranks best at detecting and stopping attacks. It achieved 100 percent total accuracy ratings for enterprise and small business endpoint protection in SE Labs’ 2019 endpoint protection test reports. It’s also earned AAA ratings in every SE Labs test to date. “Cybercriminals are constantly evolving their methods, launching new attacks in attempt to go undetected,” said Dan Schiappa, Chief Product Officer at Sophos, “Automated, active attacks targeting businesses of all sizes are on the rise, and organizations need advanced endpoint protection now more than ever. Sophos is committed to stopping never-before-seen, zero day cyberattacks, plus ransomware and other attacks that cybercriminals are persistently using. This award is validation that we’re helping organizations stay one step ahead.” Intercept X Advanced is the industry’s most sophisticated endpoint prevention solution, offering multiple layers of security to deliver unparalleled protection against advanced attacks. Leveraging deep learning and anti-exploit technology, Intercept X Advanced stops the widest range of threats by employing a comprehensive defense-in-depth approach to endpoint protection.  

Expansion of the Genetec Stratocast™ portfolio gives users unparalleled flexibility and freedom of choice when selecting their cameras Genetec Inc., a leading technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations and business intelligence has recently announced that Stratocast™, its cloud-based video surveillance-as-a-service (VSaaS), powered by the Microsoft Azure cloud-computing platform, now supports new camera models from Bosch, MOBOTIX and EUKLIS. Stratocast also supports hybrid-cloud deployments for users wishing to keep certain on-premise storage and infrastructure hardware while gradually transitioning everything to the cloud. Thanks to the Stratocast open architecture, the portfolio of supported devices is also continually expanding and will now support cameras from Bosch, EUKLIS and MOBOTIX, in addition to existing support for hundreds of models from Axis and Vivotek. “A driving force behind Stratocast is to deliver a cloud-based video management system based on an open architecture with no need for a local bridge or recorders. At Genetec, we want to offer users a non-proprietary solution in the cloud so that they have the flexibility to integrate a variety of cameras to address their specific needs,” said Oktay Yildiz, Product Line Manager – Stratocast, Genetec, “With Stratocast, users can transition to a cloud-based infrastructure while potentially leveraging their existing investment in camera hardware or choosing to install new cameras from a variety of supported brands.”  

“Placard is a strategic technological addition to the ASSA ABLOY Group. The company reinforces our current offering within secure cards. The acquisition of Placard considerably enhances the Group´s position in the Pacific smart card market and will provide complementary growth opportunities,” says Nico Delvaux, President and CEO of ASSA ABLOY “Placard’s large installed base of customers in the Australasia region demonstrates the continued strength of secure cards and their relevance in the lives of millions of people every day,” says Stefan Widing, Executive Vice President and Head of HID Global, “Adding Placard to the HID portfolio will expand our value-add services and enhance our capabilities for trusted identities, while striking the balance between offering a broad range of card solutions and providing customers with the choice of digital IDs.” Placard was founded in 1987 and has some 170 employees. The main office is located in Melbourne, Australia. Sales for 2019 are expected to reach about AU$63 million (approx. SEK 520 million) with a good EBIT margin and the acquisition will be accretive to EPS from start.  

Forensic science can be a powerful force in support of justice and public safety. Properly applied, it clears the innocent and helps convict the guilty. The Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science (OSAC) is working to strengthen forensic science by facilitating the development of technically sound standards and encouraging their implementation. In recognition of National Forensic Science Week 2019, held September 15-21, OSAC took to LinkedIn and highlighted several standards and guidelines currently on the OSAC Registry or in the registry approval process that will be beneficial for the forensic science community. Take a look: Interdisciplinary training & continuing education The forensic science disciplines exhibit wide variability regarding techniques, methodologies, research, general acceptability, and education. For example, there are multiple types of practitioners with different levels of education, training and standards for performance. An interdisciplinary standard currently in the OSAC Registry approval process, ASTM E2917-19 standard practice for forensic science practitioner training, continuing education, and professional development programs, outlines minimum training criteria and provides general information, approaches, and resources for all disciplines. Fire and explosion investigations A re-constructive investigation such as a fire or explosion scene, may be subject to independent, subjective and sometimes biased thinking. To help individuals who are charged with the responsibility of investigating and analyzing fire and explosion scenes and rendering opinions as to the origin, cause, or responsibility of such incidents, OSAC’s Fire and explosion investigation subcommittee supported the placement of NFPA 921:2017 guide for fire and explosion investigation on the OSAC Registry. DNA mixtures Results from DNA mixtures and trace DNA analysis can be ambiguous and difficult to understand, sometimes even for experts. OSAC’s biology/ DNA interpretation and reporting subcommittee, in collaboration with AAFS standard board’s (ASB) DNA consensus body, developed ANSI/ ASB 020, standard for validation studies of DNA mixtures and development and verification of a Laboratory’s mixture interpretation protocol, to provide laboratories with the requirements for designing and evaluating their internal validation studies and interpretation protocols for mixed DNA samples. This ASB published document is currently in the OSAC Registry approval process. Drug evidence For police and forensic chemists, opening a bag of suspicious powder that might contain fentanyl can be dangerous because of the risk of accidental inhalation. More of the powder becomes airborne than you might think. But cur rently, one has to open the package and scoop out a bit of powder in order to test it. Check out the recent research our colleagues in NIST’s forensic science research group have been doing to help the forensic science community find a safer Credit: Pixabay way to test drug evidence.