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MassMediaLink India LLP SecurityLink India

Celebrating Private Security Day

On 4 December 2009, the then President of India Smt Pratibha Patil graced CAPSI annual conference held at Vigyan Bhawan. She was requested to be the Supreme Commander of Private Security Services like Defence forces. She accepted the request with a smile and promised to take care of the industry. It was a Red Letters Day for the Private Security Industry. She became one & only PRESIDENT of a Nation in the WORLD to grace annual conference of private security organisation. Internationally renowned security leaders from many countries came to witness that historically unique event, and .to commemorate that great event the industry has celebrated 4th December as Private Security Day. The security personnel discharged their duties and responsibilities in the most befitting manner during the lockdown period and thereafter. They worked in the most hostile conditions and guarded the assets of organisations like frontline warriors. This is the time to appreciate their role and the professional commitment exhibited at that time. On the initiative of CAPSI, the event has been celebrated not only in all parts of India but global partners of CAPSI have also celebrated it. A large numbers of events have been planned to recognise the services of security guards. Some of the events included Parade, flag hoisting, motivational talk by Head of Service taker and thanks giving by PSA officials. Besides this, some of the PSAs organised friendly games, lunch and entertainment programmes to make the day memorable. It also brings a sense of pride amongst security personnels.  

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Security Made Easy with AI-powered AcuSense Technology and Video Security Systems

Security isn’t a core activity for any homeowner or small business, so it’s not necessarily something you want to think about very much, or dedicate too much of your time to. But just because you have other priorities, you can’t afford to be complacent. After all, security is absolutely critical for protecting your property and – for businesses – your people too. The question is, how can you spend as little time, energy, and resources on your security as possible, while still keeping your property and your people safe? “Until recently, AI-powered security used to be reserved for enterprises and other large organizations with large budgets – but no longer. Now, small businesses can also harness the power of AI to improve your security, save time, and reduce costs – thanks to Hikvision’s AcuSense technology” Kevin You Product Management Director, Hikvision AI security is your biggest ally From washing machines and cars, to vacuum cleaners to computers, technology innovations have saved humankind millions and millions of hours of unproductive, routine work. Even more recently, AI technologies have helped to automate many of the tasks that used to take up our time – and security is a great example. So what is AI security, and how does it work? With AI security, cameras and other equipment basically do a lot of the security ‘heavy lifting’, which takes a lot of pressure off you. For example, AI security cameras can differentiate between humans and vehicles and other moving objects like animals or falling leaves. This means they can detect real security threats immediately, and send an alarm to your mobile phone. At the same time, AI security can help you minimize your false alarms, which reduces costs and saves you even more time. With ‘tags’ in your video timeline, you can also search for people and vehicles extremely quickly and easily, with no need to spend hours poring over footage manually. Sounds great, but doesn’t it cost too much? Until very recently, AI-powered security solutions have been quite expensive, and really only in reach for enterprise customers. However, this has all changed with the latest generation of AI security cameras, NVRs, and DVRs. In fact, Hikvision’s Pro series with AcuSense offers cameras in a similar price range to traditional security cameras. This means that you can take advantage of cool, labour-saving AI features with just a small incremental increase in equipment costs. Also, with very few false alarms, and automated monitoring of your home or business, you’ll start saving on operating costs from day one. That means AcuSense will pay for itself extremely quickly and generate major RoI over the lifecycle of the equipment. Why is AcuSense ‘the easy upgrade to AI’ There are lots of reasons why Hikvision’s AcuSense provides the easiest upgrade path to AI security. First, there’s the fact that the cameras are cost effective, and extremely easy to install and configure. Second, you can monitor your home or business from anywhere, playback videos and receive alarm notifications via a mobile app Hik-Connect. And third, you can upgrade by renewing your camera estate, or by deploying a new AcuSense-enabled NVR or DVR – whichever makes better sense for your business. All this means there’s no easier way to get the benefits of AI security. Also Read:- Hikvision India Premiers Latest Solutions for Transport Security, Traffic Safety and Smart Mobility at TrafficInfraTech

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Fortinet Unifies Zero Trust, Endpoint, and Network Security to Lead the Work-from-Anywhere Era

Fortinet®, a global player in broad, integrated and automated cybersecurity solutions, recently announced the industry’s most complete solution to enable organizations to secure and connect work-from-anywhere. By unifying Fortinet’s broad portfolio of zero trust, endpoint, and network security solutions within the Fortinet Security Fabric, Fortinet delivers security, services, and threat intelligence that seamlessly follow users whether on the road, at home, or in the office to provide enterprise-grade protection and productivity. These capabilities – designed for the way business is done in the Work-from-Anywhere Era – are available now. Work-from-anywhere expands to benefit workers and cybercriminals The COVID-19 pandemic has surfaced as the forcing function that greatly expanded the work-from-anywhere model. A forecast analysis from Gartner® reveals, “by the end of 2024, the change in the nature of work will increase the total available remote worker market to 60% of all employees, up from 52% in 2020.” Also according to Gartner, “Organizations are facing a hybrid future, with 75% of hybrid or remote knowledge workers saying their expectations for working flexibly have increased.” At the same time, multi-stage sophisticated attacks like ransomware are plaguing organizations at an increasing rate. According to the 1H Global Threat Landscape Report from FortiGuard Labs, ransomware incidents have increased nearly 1100% from June 2020 to June 2021. And in a recent global ransomware survey conducted by Fortinet, an astonishing 67% of organizations report having been a ransomware target. It’s clear that remote and hybrid work is now the status quo and cybercriminals will continue to take advantage of this expanded attack surface. To address the shift in the workforce and threat landscape, enterprises must now take a ‘work-from-anywhere’ approach to their security by deploying solutions capable of following, enabling, and protecting users no matter where they are located. Fortinet delivers security built for work-from-anywhere As users move between travel, office, and home, they access applications from the cloud, data center or SaaS. Because of this continual flux, it’s imperative that zero trust, endpoint, and network security are all unified by a common set of APIs and integration points to ensure users can seamlessly shift from one location to another, enjoying a consistent user experience that is adequately protected with contextual security. Fortinet is the only vendor capable of delivering this unification to enable security customized depending on where users are and what they are accessing. Here’s how Fortinet enables the three use cases of work-from-anywhere: Travel: Users working outside the office or primary remote space (and the layered security it provides) potentially introduce unique threat exposure when connecting to the applications and resources necessary for work while using unknown and often unsecured networks and locations. This enables cybercriminals to snoop on exposed communications or launch attacks from inadequately protected devices. To secure users on the go, Fortinet delivers an integrated combination of: Endpoint Security: EPP, EDR, XDR (FortiEDR, FortiXDR). Zero Trust Access: ZTNA (FortiClient, FortiOS, FortiGate) + Identity (FortiAuthenticator, FortiToken). Network Security: SASE (FortiSASE Remote). “Empowering users to move seamlessly between different work environments has critical implications for maintaining user productivity as well as security. Cybercriminals have been quick to exploit the expanded attack surface and security gaps created by this shift in work patterns to get a foothold into the corporate network. Today’s enterprise organizations require work-from-anywhere security that is as flexible and dynamic as today’s business demands. Fortinet is the only vendor capable of delivering unified security built for the Work-from-Anywhere Era that seamlessly adapts based on a user’s environment and risk profile” Rajesh Maurya Regional Vice President, India & SAARC at Fortinet Work-from-Home: Remote and hybrid employees typically log in from a set remote location that has some infrastructure to enable work such as a monitor, home network, and external webcam and microphone. However, home networks are full of non-secure IoT devices as well as other users who might be consuming bandwidth with productivity-reducing video streaming or online gaming. They are also often outside the security of the corporate network and its controls. To provide managed, enterprise-grade security to users at home, Fortinet delivers an integrated combination of: Endpoint Security: EPP, EDR, XDR (FortiEDR, FortiXDR) Zero Trust Access: ZTNA (FortiClient, FortiOS, FortiGate) + Identity (FortiAuthenticator, FortiToken) Network Security: Linksys HomeWRK for Business – Secured by Fortinet Office: Even when users are working from a location managed by the organization that provides networking and security to employees, strong endpoint security remains an important part of a layered defense given the potential for vulnerabilities to be exploited or third parties to be compromised, providing an entry point for cybercriminals to bypass corporate controls. To secure users, devices, and servers in the office, Fortinet delivers an integrated combination of: Endpoint Security: EPP, EDR, XDR (FortiEDR, FortiXDR). Zero Trust Access: ZTNA (FortiClient, FortiOS, FortiGate) + Identity (FortiAuthenticator, FortiToken). Network Security: Next-generation Firewall (FortiGate + FortiGate-VM). All of the above are available as part of the Fortinet Security Fabric for stronger security, easier management, and superior total cost of ownership. Fortinet is the only vendor to support ZTNA across travel, office, and work-from-home, and is the only vendor capable of delivering all the required components to support the three use cases of work-from-anywhere as part of an integrated and automated cybersecurity platform. Simplifying services to support work-from-anywhere To further accelerate secure work-from-anywhere, Fortinet is committed to expanding its FortiTrust security as a service portfolio, which offers simplified consumption and unified licensing models designed for the way companies do business in the work-from-anywhere era. Unlike most complicated licensing that includes a mixture of device-based, appliance-based, and cloud-based fees, FortiTrust brings everything together under one user-based license that seamlessly follows users across any environment or form factor. This allows organizations to dynamically adapt to work-from-anywhere challenges such as shifting connectivity needs, hybrid workers, or resources that may need to move back and forth between physical and virtual environments and form factors. FortiTrust’s simplified licensing model allows true network flexibility and enables organizations to easily deploy new technologies designed for dynamic networks. Work-from-anywhere security enhanced with AI/ ML-driven threat…

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Virtual International Conference on Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity 2021

Cyberspace saw the holding of the mammoth International Conference on Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity, organized by Cyberlaws.Net and Pavan Duggal Associates, Advocates from 24th to 26th November, 2021. The Conference 2021 was supported by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India; Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law & Justice, Government of India; Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India; and also by the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India alongwith various international and national organizations and institutions. The Conference 2021 had 44 different sessions with more than 165 speakers over three-day deliberations from different parts of the world. The conference discussed and deliberated upon some of the important aspects, issues and challenges concerning cyberspace. In the past years, the International Conference on Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity has been supported by 125+ international and national organizations. These include UNESCO, ITU, and UNU-EGOV in the UN Family, as also by Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications, Europol Cybercrime Centre, Interpol, Internet Society, World Federation of Scientists, International Association of Prosecutors, Global Prosecutors E-Crime Network and Asia Cloud Computing Association. The world’s famous International Conference on Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity, saw a glittering inaugural ceremony on 24th November, 2021. This annual Conference, which has become the only authoritative Conference in the world looking at the intersection of Cyberlaw, Cybercrime & Cybersecurity, got off to a flying start. The conference was virtually inaugurated by Hon’ble Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Judge, Supreme Court of India. Inaugurating the Conference, Hon’ble Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, highlighted the significance of Internet for societies and the massive misuse of Internet that is emerging across the world. He also highlighted the need to have greater knowledge about Cyberlaw and various cyberspace related aspects concerning the law enforcement agencies, prosecuting agencies and the courts of law. He particularly also highlighted how the Internet is being used to target the sovereignty of countries, which is emerging as a big trend which need to be appropriately addressed. He flagged the tremendous increase in cyber terror and cybercrime cases and advocated the need for judiciary to adopt more proactive approach towards cyberspace related issues and challenges. While talking about the access to justice and virtualization of courts, he emphasized on the need of ensuring access to justice to the last man. The inauguration of the conference was further addressed by various national and international dignitaries including Vint Cerf, Chief Evangelist, Google and the Father of the Internet; Dr. Hamadoun Toure, Former Secretary General of International Telecommunications Union & Former Minister of Communication and Digital Economy Government of Mali; Ms. Renu Pall, Additional Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs; Alfredo M. Ronchi, General Secretary of the European Commission-MEDICI Framework; R. Adm. Mohit Gupta, VSM, Director General, Defence Cyber Agency, Government of India; Prof. Sarah Jane Fox, Associate Professor in the School of Justice, Security and Sustainability at Staffordshire University; Ms. Rosa Delgado, Chair/ International Consultant of Internet of Things (IoT), New Internet (IPv6) and Internet Top Level Domain Names; and Hon’ble Justice Rajesh Bindal, Chief Justice, High Court of Judicature at Allahabad. The conference was addressed by Hon’ble Justice Madan B. Lokur, Former Judge, Supreme Court of India and presently Judge at Supreme Court of Fiji, who highlighted various pressing challenges of cyberspace which need to be addressed internationally and also in India. In his sterling Cyberlaw session, the Conference Director Dr. Pavan Duggal specifically spoke about the evolving legal landscape, as far as Cyberlaw across the world is concerned. He highlighted the distinctive new trends in Cyberspace due to COVID-19 and how there is a need for addressing the same. He specifically addressed the need for expeditious evolving of norms of behavior in cyberspace. He emphasized on how distinctive national approaches on cyber security can become a predominant approach for regulating security and why there is a distinctive need for coming up with international common denominators to deal with cyber security regulation at global level. He also highlighted various cyber legal challenges that emerging technologies like artificial intelligence have brought forward to the world at large. The three-day of the conference marked massive discussions, deliberations and debates amongst various stakeholders. The conference had different sessions relating to Covid-19 and its impact on cyberlaw, cybercrime & cyber security, darknet, regulating artificial intelligence, freedom of speech online, digital transformation etc. on the second day. The remarkable capacity of the conference was its unique multi-stakeholder approach where attendees saw different stakeholders from different verticals coming in, deliberating, discussing and analyzing not just the present trends but also the future trends that are emerging on the horizon concerning cyberspace issues and how appropriate proactive approaches need to be adopted in this regard. The conference specifically talked about darknet, personal privacy in cyberspace. The conference also talked about artificial intelligence, cybercrime and cyber security. Other sessions of the conference include norms of behaviour in cyberspace, Cybercrimes, Trolling, Cyber Bullying, Cyber Harassment & Cyber Nuisance, Critical Information Infrastructure Protection, Free Speech Online, Cryptocurrencies, Blockchain etc. The Conference was addressed by distinguished global experts and thought leaders as also Indian digital thought leaders and important towering personalities in the digital world including Lt. Gen. Rajesh Pant, National Cyber Security Coordinator, Government of India; Hon’ble Ms. Justice Gita Mittal, Former Chief Justice, Jammu & Kashmir High Court; Alfredo M. Ronchi, Secretary General, EC MEDICI; Alan Brill, Managing Director, Kroll; Dr. Triveni Singh, Superintendent of Police, Cybercrimes, Uttar Pradesh Police; Harshdeep Marwah, Chief Growth Officer, iValue Info Solutions Pvt. Ltd.; Kenneth Adu-Amanfoh, Member (Security & Intelligence) Africa Cybersecurity and Digital Rights Organisation (ACDRO); Ajit Balakrishnan, Founder and CEO, Rediff.Com; and Prof. Dr. Christoph Stueckelberger, Founder and President, Globethics. Net amongst others. The conference had a unique format where interactivity amongst the panelists and the audience was highlighted. There were immense discussions and debates amongst the participants of the conference on coming up with new approaches on how to deal with newly emerging cyberspace issues. The valedictory session of the Conference was addressed by Hon’ble Justice Anup Bhambani,…

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Hikvision India Premieres Latest Solutions for Transport Security, Traffic Safety and Smart Mobility at TrafficInfraTech

Hikvision India had participated in the 9th edition of TrafficInfraTech Expo 2021 to showcase the latest technologies, products and solutions for the India’s fast growing transportation sector. The Asia’s largest integrated expo on traffic transport, parking and smart mobility was recently organized at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The ornately designed booth at the expo showcased Hikvision’s latest solutions for transport security, traffic safety and smart mobility segments. It was one of the well-organized exhibitions after lifting of pandemic restrictions. “India’s transportation sector is fast evolving with the latest smart mobility trends and security solutions. We at Hikvision India are offering innovative solutions for the various transportation segments. The Trafficinfratech Expo continues to be a relevant platform to demonstrate the latest technologies, products and solutions to the key stakeholders of the transportation ecosystem,” said Ashish P. Dhakan, MD & CEO, Prama Hikvision India Pvt. Ltd. At the expo Hikvision showcased its latest products and solutions, including intelligent traffic management solutions (ITMS), mobile solutions, automatic number plate recognition solution (ANPR), artificial intelligence (AI) technology applications, vehicle surveillance, smart parking solutions, smart boom barriers, command and control, under vehicle surveillance solution (UVSS), emergency call box (ECB) and smart pole etc. The three-day Smart Mobility Conference was organised with the TrafficinfraTech Expo covered eclectic mix of contemporary themes on transportation, traffic management, logistics, mobility, smart cities parking management. The opening session started with address by Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Member, Niti Aayog. On the first day of the Smart Mobility Conference the Session II – round table discussion was on the theme ‘Effective Collaboration among Government, Infra Developers & Technology Providers for Highways and Urban Project.’ Rajiv Arora, National Manager-Roadways and Waterways, Prama Hikvision India Pvt. Ltd., gave a detailed presentation about Hikvision’s wide range of transportation solutions. It was followed by a panel discussion with eminent panelists, Amit kumar Ghosh, Additional Secretary Highway, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, R.K. Pandey, Member (Projects), National highways Authority of India, S.K. Nirmal, Secretary General, Indian Roads Congress and additional Director General Ministry of road Transport & Highways, and J.K. Goyal, Senior Principal Scientist- Bridges and structures Division, CSIR-CRRI. During the session these policy makers addressed the issues put forward by the infrastructure companies and technology providers. The Smart Mobility Conference had contemporary transportation themes and insightful panel discussions for three consecutive days. The conference got an overwhelming response from the conference delegates. The TrafficInfraTech Expo 2021 provided a networking forum for government representatives, experts, project heads, system integrators and service providers to collectively find solutions to urban transport challenges. The event got concluded with relevant insights on latest updates on the India’s transportation sector.  

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Paradox of Relationship between Police & Private Security – The Way Forward

Anil Puri CMD, APS group A first generation serial entrepreneur, thought leader and an action catalyzer rolled into one – Anil Puri is a rare combination of a visionary, an innovator and a strategic thinker. He has used this combination to innovate and implement on-ground many new business ideas. His rich experience in various businesses has enabled him to nurture & mentor innovative ideas and scale them up. Introduction The interpretations, connotations and comprehensions about the ‘only public’ character of security is undergoing metamorphosis. A large part of this change is attributed to the phenomenal rise of private security. In the recent past, the private security has witnessed a rapid growth both in terms of quantity as well as quality. A host of factors are responsible for this including – cost, accessibility, flexibility, perception of security and the limitations of public security. Private security has provided many security seekers with a 24×7 kind of reliable and cost-effective option for safeguarding their life as well as property. The internal security in India has been marred by the feelings of all pervasive deep ‘insecurity’ amongst the citizens on account of innumerable challenges. The challenges include persistent terrorist activities, growing spatial spread and consolidation of Naxalism, simmering social fault-lines of caste, religion, gender, ethnicity, region and language, crisis of governance including the failure of Police to enforce the rule of law; rising crime rate; dilatory and ineffective criminal justice system and politicized and unprofessional approach of Police. It is pertinent to mention here that shortage of manpower is one of the key factors hampering the public security in overcoming these challenges. The heightened threat perceptions emanating from terrorism and other disruptive issues have also pushed individuals and companies to look for tailor-made and reliable security beyond public security. No wonder, the number of private security agencies and private security personnel have increased manifold. The growth is also visible in terms of foray of private security agencies into multiple sectors including banks, industries, education, hospitals, hotels, shopping malls and airports around the world. In case of certain agencies, a great deal of specialization has also been seen. Private investments in security continue to expand and public/ private partnerships of myriad types proliferate, even as budgets for public policing stall or decline. Current Shape of the Relationship The boundary between public and private security is messy and complex. Police executives deal with some aspect of it almost every day. The police and private security, both function in order to provide security. The orientation, though, is different on account of public law enforcement functions being society- or community-oriented, whereas private security functions are essentially client-oriented. In this context while the public police acted in the public interest, private police acted for private interests that were often, if not always, at odds with the public interest. Further, there are limitations on private security personnel in terms of the possession and exercise of police powers – that is, the power of arrest. These differences, however, do not wean us away from realizing that for the sake of security at large, their roles should be complementary in nature. A state-centred view saw order maintenance as a quintessential function of government. In recent decades, a laissez faire view has emerged that celebrates ‘private-public partnerships’ and sees private policing as an industry providing both a service and a public benefit. Public law enforcement and private security agencies should work closely together, because their respective roles are complementary in the effort to control crime. Indeed, the magnitude of the nation’s crime problem should preclude any form of competition between the two. In spite of the emphasis on the advantages of working together and complimentary roles of the police and private security, there are issues of concern between the two causing strains in their relationship. However, continued growth in the private sector has forced the two sides to coexist. PSARA 2005, Central Model Rules 2020 and Rules framed by the State Govt. The Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act, 2005 through its provisions have also established the framework for relationship between the two agenciesthe police and private security. 4th clause of Section 7, Section 9, Section 10, Clause (1) sub clause (l) of Section 13, Clause (1), Clause (2) and Clause (3) of Section 18 and Section 21 of the Act need special mention. A look at the subsequent Rules framed by the Union as well as State Governments also reveal that there is a lot of interface between the police and private security on account of these aspects. This framework attempts to regulate the private security agencies as well as their personnel and controlling authority as well as police have been given powers in this regard. The private security agencies have raised concerns and fears of being over regulated, but when compared to the previous un-regulated era, one can easily comprehend that for the sake of standards, regulation is essential. Barriers in the Relationship As mentioned earlier, despite common goals of security and manifold benefits of cooperating, the police and private security have several issues of concern causing strains in their relationship. There is a feeling that these issues have resulted on account of misconceptions and lack of understanding about each other: Lack of mutual respect. Lack of communication. Lack of law enforcement knowledge of private security. Perceived competition between the two on the common turf of security. Lack of standards for private security personnel. Perceived corruption of police. Jurisdictional conflict. False alarm rates. Looking ahead, there is a possibility of some challenges continuing and others emerging in the context of relationship between the two. These challenges include permitting private security to enter into the areas hither to meant only for Police; understanding of the roles of each other, evolving coordination mechanisms between the two and level of arming the private security along with the requisite training balancing the public interest vis-à-vis private interest in the domain of security. It may sound radical in our context at this juncture, but five forms…

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Latest IDIS Vms Improves Visual Awareness, Incident Response and Investigation

IDIS has released IDIS Solution Suite (ISS) version 3.5, its most powerful enterprise-class VMS yet. New features and service modules are designed around increased situational awareness, efficient response coordination, and speeding up investigations. Improving real-time monitoring, text-to-speech allows operators to configure verbal multilingual notifications to pre-determined events. Operatives can now also benefit from real-time pop-ups based on the GPS location of a triggered alarm, providing enhanced wide-area awareness from cameras ranging from a 10 to 100 kilometre radius. A new centralised audio feature enables control of multiple devices, giving security teams the capability to automate audio alerts for day-to-day operations, and issue warnings in the event of a security or safety breach or emergency situation. A new Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) service also enables seamless and stable video and voice relay to third-party devices and software without an SDK or API, increasing system flexibility and helping security teams coordinate responses to threats and incidents. To speed up investigations, IDIS Person Match extracts a person’s characteristics based on deep- learning video analytics from multiple streams to present a clear timeline of events and last known locations. Synchronised playback also presents operators with precisely time-synched screen views of video streams across single or multiple sites, removing the need for manual configuration, and reducing stress and complexity particularly during time-critical events. All the new features work in harmony with enterprise-class streaming, recording, and administration functionality, and come with a fair pricing structure – no annual license fees or OPEX burden – to make ISS significantly more affordable than traditional enterprise video management software. As a result, IDIS Solution Suite continues to cut annual costs for customers, making advanced video management available to more users, including medium-sized organisations and those with single sites. A modular solution, it allows users to choose the right service modules to meet their unique security, operational and compliance needs, meaning customers never pay for functionality they don’t use. The choice of modules includes federated architecture to manage an unlimited number of devices and sites using centralised and local command and control; multi-layered failover and redundancy offering protection against a range of fault conditions; video wall multi-stream management; and highly accurate IDIS Deep Learning Analytics (IDLA). “With our latest version of IDIS Solution Suite we are making it easier than ever for users to manage an unlimited number of devices and sites, giving them enterprise-performance without the usual associated price tag or ongoing lifecycle costs,” said James Min, Managing Director, IDIS Europe.  

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Mobilizing Global Action Against Intellectual Property Crime

With a clear link between illicit trade networks and other types of crime such as human trafficking, drug trafficking, corruption, bribery and money laundering, illicit trade is a global phenomenon with underlying activities across multiple countries and crime areas. In this respect, law enforcement officials, public sector representatives, as well as security and industry experts from all regions are meeting to boost combined efforts and best practices against the fast-evolving trade in fake and pirated goods. The 14th International Law Enforcement Intellectual Property (IP) Crime Conference (11-13 October) has gathered over 1,000 participants from some 120 countries to address the enforcement challenges posed by digital piracy, the health and safety aspects of IP crime, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The event is co-hosted virtually by Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Department and INTERPOL, in partnership with UL (Underwriters Laboratories Inc.) A transnational organized crime The trade in fake and pirated goods is a transnational crime, run by extensive and complex criminal enterprises. Criminal groups manufacture and sell a wide range of illicit goods and medicines, endangering the public worldwide with substandard and often dangerous products. The impact is felt across the whole of society and nations. Counterfeiting harms businesses which produce and sell legitimate products; and governments lose tax revenue from products manufactured or sold on the black market. Keynote speaker Costa Rica’s President Carlos Alvarado Quesada said at the meeting, “Intellectual property is a fundamental pillar for the economic, social and cultural growth and development of our country and any nation in the world; without a doubt we are talking about a tool which helps boost productivity, innovation and competitiveness.” “It is important that governments commit to developing intellectual property training programmes and enforcement procedures, and shape best practices for the various police, judicial and administrative bodies so that they can effectively support intellectual property rights holders and put in place more effective contingency measures against alleged IP crime infringements,” added President Quesada. Shaping a coordinated response I NTERPOL provides operational and investigative support against IP crime and the global trade in illicit goods, collecting data and disseminating intelligence, coordinating transnational law enforcement operations, and supporting multi-agency task forces to improve cooperation between police, customs, regulatory bodies and the private sector. “With illicit markets expanding globally, INTERPOL’s role is fundamental in facilitating capacity building and enabling a coordinated response. This includes regional and global operations aimed at dismantling the transnational organized crime groups involved in illicit trafficking,” said Secretary General Jürgen Stock. “COVID-19 has brought a stronger public awareness of illicit markets with criminals exploiting every stage of the pandemic. From creating websites and social media accounts claiming to sell protective equipment and medical supplies, to the manufacture and distribution of fake vaccines as well as ransomware attacks on critical infrastructure,” added the Head of INTERPOL. With online copyright piracy a growing threat around the world, INTERPOL recently launched its Stop Online Piracy (I-SOP) initiative to counter online piracy and crimes involving intellectual property rights infringements, identify and dismantle illicit online marketplaces, target criminal networks and confiscate their assets. The initiative will coordinate the global law enforcement response to digital piracy which can be highly lucrative for criminals with very low risk. It also has a negative impact on the creative sector and economies, ultimately affecting consumers. Online training and best practices To keep pace with the fast-evolving criminal world, police and stakeholders need to continually upgrade their skills, be capable of leveraging high-tech tools and have the latest data at their fingertips. Through its global network, INTERPOL provides capacity building via its online International IP Crime Investigators College (IIPCIC) in its capacity building and training directorate, facilitating access to specialized training and best practice sharing. Its digital training initiatives have also developed significantly during the pandemic, highlighting the value and impact of virtual training platforms allowing participants to access videos, e-learning modules, podcasts, articles, case studies as well as webinars.  

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Hikvision Announces Technology Partnership with Yeastar for IP-based Video Intercom Integration

Hikvision, an IoT solution provider with video as its core competency, announced a new technology partnership with Yeastar for IP-based video intercom integration. The integration provides a convenient solution for customers in small-to-medium size enterprises (SMEs) to control and manage their intercom systems remotely, as well as communicate with visitors. For SME customers, when the employees are out of the office, welcoming visitors is nearly impossible. But integrating Hikvision’s video intercom with Yeastar’s IP PBX system enables customers to easily and remotely communicate with visitors. Even the receptionist who is not at a work station won’t miss company visitors, since the integration provides SMEs with visualized call management, video communications, and anywhere, anytime connectivity – performing across web browsers, mobile devices, and desktop computers. With the integration, SME customers can: See who is at the front door and answer from anywhere. Converse easily via IP video phone and even open a door. Auto-forward calls initiated from the door phone to a mobile number. Avoid expensive and separate paging servers – the PBX built-in paging system easily broadcasts from the devices customers prefer (IP phone, mobile or PC). “We are happy to announce this partnership with Yeastar, which will expand the scope of Hikvision’s intercom solution and create more value for our customers. More collaboration across the industry is benefiting the market with greater variety and functionality. Hikvision will persist in openness and work closely with technology partners to build a strong and mutually beneficial ecosystem,” said Adler Wu, Global Technology Partner Alliance Manager at Hikvision. “Hikvision has a proven record of providing high-quality IP-based intercom solutions, and we’re pleased to now call them an official Yeastar technology partner. With Yeastar and Hikvision, our mutual customers can take advantage of a market-leading, award-winning business phone system and also benefit from an integrated PBX-Intercom solution that improves productivity, streamlines operations, and cut overheads,” added Prince Cai, Vice President of Yeastar. Yeastar provides cloud-based and on-premises VoIP PBXs for SMEs and delivers unified communications (UC) solutions that connect the workforce and clients more efficiently. Founded in 2006, Yeastar has established itself as a global leader in the industry with a worldwide network of value-added distributors and resellers and over 200,000 customers. Yeastar customers enjoy the easy-to-own and easy-to-manage communications solutions that have been consistently recognized for high performance and innovation.  

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How Does The Pandemic Change The Way We Protect Systems From Internal Threats?

Sergey Ozhegov, CEO of SearchInform During these two years of the lockdown being on and off, business processes moved outside the offices and back inside, some security weak spots were disregarded, some of them emerged, some time was spent not working, some – wasted on financial recovery from inevitable slowing down. These factors might play a role in several biggest data breaches and security incidents India has recently faced. Air India had gone through a cyberattack on its servers which was announced in February 2021, Domino’s India’s data breach compromised the details of about 180 million orders exposing a million credit cards and other data in May – the information has recently become available outside the dark net and could be simply Googled by anyone curious. MobiKwik app’s user data was allegedly put up for sale violating the privacy of 110 million people, Facebook put at risk the contacts of 6 million Indians, 2.5 million Upstox clients got their data misused due to a third party failure to secure a data-warehouse. Juspay, payment processor, endangered the processing of records belonging to 100 million of users due to a leaked database in 2020. If last year we talked about going remote, today we see that most organisations leave employees the opportunity to work from home permanently or several days a week. We can see this tendency happens to our clients – if in 2019 the companies had slightly more than 10% of remote employees, and in 2020 they relocated most of the staffers to work remotely, then in 2021 the percentage of remote workers decreased, but not significantly. Therefore, now the information security solutions need to be developed with this factor in developers’ minds. It is well known that the transition to remote work has exacerbated information security problems. After all, it is much more difficult to control employee activity in a hybrid office (a significant part of employees has the opportunity to work at home for a certain amount of time) than in an enterprise in which information circulates exclusively within the corporate network. At the same time, under the influence of the pandemic, the number of hybrid enterprises has increased markedly. For example, according to the IDC survey, if before the pandemic in 38% of the enterprises which took part in the survey no one was allowed to work at home, then after the first wave of the coronavirus the share of such enterprises decreased to 8%. At the same time, under the influence of the pandemic, the share of companies in which over 50% of employees had the right to spend more than half of their working hours at home increased from 15% to 35%. The mindset of information security experts has changed. In the context of remote work, blocking of document transfer (financial documents, information to which the access is limited, personal data, etc.) has become critical. Therefore, the developers have strengthened and expanded the types of blocking in DLP systems. Previously, blocking features were implemented only for specific communication channels and specific applications. However, now insiders have access to hundreds of data transfer and communication channels – zoom, skype, instant messengers, video conferencing systems, etc. Therefore, there is a need for technologies that are not tied to a specific application. We are seeing an increased demand for open-source APIs. Customers want to be able to modify products for their own unique business processes, for rare or self-written software. Companies need seamless interoperability of all IT infrastructure components. We also noted that if previously the topic of moving to the cloud was practically a ‘taboo’ for information security specialists, now the use of cloud technologies for many companies started to be the new normal. The Internet is becoming more reliable and end users have less and less questions about protecting cloud storage. What do insiders leak, where to and in which ways? 80% of companies believe that internal information security incidents are more dangerous than external ones, according to SearchInform analysts based on the company’s research. The cause of these incidents can be both deliberate actions and disregard for the elementary rules of ‘cybersecurity hygiene.’ Moreover, unintentional actions of employees are the causes of information security incidents more often than deliberate and malicious ones. Alexey Drozd, head of the SearchInform information security department, believes that SMB is most exposed to information security risks. The reason is that, as a rule, they do not use specialised software that allows automated control of employee actions and information movement. Therefore, managers can’t assess the likelihood of risks and the effectiveness of possible data protection measures. To dig deeper, SearchInform analysts summarised information received about incidents in 50 SMB companies in six industries (wholesale and retail, manufacturing, services, IT, construction, thermal power), which was collected while outsourcing information security and data protection to professional services. The data collected using DLP systems showed that during the study (it lasted several months), attempts to leak data were recorded in each of 50 enterprises. It also turned out that during the attempts to leak corporate data, employees most often (in 56% of cases) used external media – flash drives, hard drives, mobile phones and other equipment. Also, email (21% of cases) and cloud (19%) follow by a wide margin. “To prevent employees from leaking data while uploading it to external media, the employer may prohibit copying data of a certain format. Or any documents on particular PCs. However, at the same time, there is a risk of slowing down some business processes, because then employees will not be able to perform part of their job duties. Therefore, such a measure must be applied pointwise. It is more efficient to use a data encryption tool – the document will be copied to an external storage, but the user will be able to open it only on authorised PCs, or if there are specific permissions (a password, for example). This will allow employees to share data, but will prevent data transfer outside the company,” as…

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