Category: Interview

Special Interview with Ashish P Dhakan MD & CEO, Prama Hikvision India Pvt. Ltd. We are now out of the unfortunate pandemic phase. How did you manage your business during Covid? It was a very challenging phase, but a great learning experience. We were resilient and agile during the Pre-Pandemic and Post-Pandemic phases that helped us to mitigate risks and overcome the challenges. The company faced the multiple challenges of supply chain disruptions during the pandemic. After a long spell of pandemic impact now we can see that. The surge in demand is spurring the growth of the security industry. It was a great learning experience for all of us to evolve further through the various phases of pandemic challenges and recovery. During this phase we focused on the digital transformation by optimizing our digital assets and apps. It further helped us to enhance our marketing collaterals and ecosystem partners to add value through digital initiatives. What are your aftermath strategies to cope up with the lows occurred during pandemic? We had the requisite resilience and innovative strategies on our side to communicate and engage the target audience in a simple and effective manner. We are following the ‘Make-in-India’ vision and it is a perfect manufacturing roadmap for the future. The key priority for our management leadership at Hikvision India is to keep on innovating and evolving as an organization while navigating through the evolving challenges and opportunities. We have set the strategic priorities of our goals based on capacity, capital and capability. Our focused marketing initiatives are based on the evolving market trends, technology advantages, customer and employee demand for societal impact. The customer expectations are very high, there is an intense pressure to deliver results despite increasing competition, economic uncertainty and upheaval. How do you find the security market today in India, and what are your competitions? The Indian security market is expanding due to a big surge in demand. The competition is on the rise due to various new players joining the fray. The Indian security market is poised for an unprecedented growth due to various factors related to Indian economy, infrastructure development and ongoing projects. We are grateful to our channel partners and end-users for showing extraordinary resilience and impeccable trust. We are also thankful to the security professional community comprising of dealers, distributors, installers, system integrators and consultants. Hikvision India is consistently leading the Indian security market with the largest market share in the segment. We are happy to share the good news that Hikvision India is leading from the front with a long term commitment to ‘Make-in-India’ vision. We promise our ecosystem partners and end-users of consistent customer centric approach, product innovation, excellent quality and agile service support. We are a pure play business to business channel driven company based on growth, mutual trust and long term relationship. We work through partners to empower the network and invest resources to spur growth. Our channel partner network is going through a robust growth and expansion cycle. The channel partners are the real heroes of our success story. The year 2022 saw marked growth in the market for the majority of the Security 50 companies in video surveillance and access control. Hikvision has topped the global security rankings for the seventh year in a row since 2016. The revenue reported by Hikvision for the financial year 2021 exceeded the US$10 billion mark, standing at US $ 10.1 billion, growing 16.9 percent from 2020’s $8.64 billion. What are your latest products and which products are in pipeline to come? Hikvision India has introduced a slew of new products in the Video Security, Access Control, Video Door Phone, Inspection and Alarm Product segments. The significant product launches, included eDVR, ColorVu Pro series PTZ Cameras, 8-K NVRs, MinMoe Iris Recognition Terminal and Hikvision Solar-Powered Security Camera Setup apart from the high-end project oriented product offerings. Hikvision India has introduced the Deepinview Series camera for high –end project marked. These latest product offerings are adding value. Hikvision India offers comprehensive products across the segments of Video Security, Access Control, Intrusion Alarm, Inspection and Perimeter Security. The end customers’ reaffirmed their faith in our innovative Video Security (ColorVu and AcuSense Range of video security cameras) and Access Control (MinMoe Face Recognition Terminals and Video Door Phones). Our Intrusion Alarm and Inspection products (AX Hub, Emergency Call Box and Smart Poll) generated lots of interest among end-users. What are the new emerging trends in security industry and where do you compete? The security industry has continued to shift, adapt, and develop in spite of challenges. Several trends have even accelerated. Beyond traditional ‘physical security’, a host of frontiers like AI, cloud computing, IoT, and cybersecurity are being rapidly pioneered by entities big and small in our industry. By all appearances, the security industry is in a stage of redefining itself. It is moving from mere security and safety protections to encompass a wider scope of activity that will expand safety while also bringing new levels of intelligence and sustainability to communities, companies and societies. Here, Hikvision would like to share some of our ideas and expectations about the key trends that will likely shape the security industry in the future. AI will be everywhere Nowadays, Artificial Intelligence is quite common in the security industry. More customers in the industry have recognized the value of AI, and have found new uses for AI applications in various scenarios. Along with ANPR, automated event alerts, and false alarm reduction, AI technologies are being used for wider applications, like personal protective equipment (PPE) detection, fall detection for the elderly, mine surface detection, and much more. AIoT will digitize and pervade industry verticals With more security cameras and other security devices being connected to the network, the security industry is becoming an important part of an IoT world, enriching its visual capabilities. It’s apparent that the boundaries of the security industry are blurring, going well beyond the physical security arena. Meanwhile the popularization of AI technology…

Pankaj Jain Sr. Group Director & Digital Head, Informa Markets We spoke to Pankaj Jain, Sr. Group Director & Digital Head, Informa Markets in India to understand the new initiatives for IFSEC India Expo, new pavilions and exhibition showcases this year, the IFSEC India Awards and the conference for CSOs to be held in parallel at the venue. The 15th edition of IFSEC India Expo this year promises to be the biggest ever in terms of both technology showcase and end-user participation SecurityLinkIndia: The 15th edition of IFSEC India Expo is scheduled to be held from Dec 1st – 3rd this year at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. How enthusiastic you are about this edition? Pankaj Jain: The physical expos have returned with a bang this year post the decline in COVID-19 infections globally. This is the trend with international shows as well and this is what we have experienced in our previously concluded shows across industry verticals organised this year. IFSEC India in the last 14 editions has majorly been held at Pragati Maidan and last year we organized it in the swanky new Hall 5. This year for the 15th edition we are once again pleased to be back in Hall 5 which provides all new, modern facilities and easy access for both exhibitors and visitors. There is a renewed enthusiasm among all stake holders to come together in big numbers and we are making all arrangements for their confluence at the venue. Some of the big brands that have confirmed their participation till date include Prama, Hikvision, ZKTeco, Godrej, Matrix Comsec, TVT, Mantra, Globus Infocom, MARKON, TimeWatch and TrueView. I have no doubt that this 15th edition of IFSEC India Expo is going to be the biggest ever security expo in the entire South Asian region. SLI: What new initiatives should we expect at IFSEC India Expo 2022? PJ: Each year IFSEC India showcases cutting edge products and solutions such as CCTVs, video surveillance, biometrics & RFID, access control, AI, IoT, Safe Cities, information security, GPS systems, video analytics, and intelligent building systems. While we continue to exhibit these solutions in ever greater numbers, there is growing interest among the Commercial Security professionals about Drones and UAVs, so we will have special focus and attractive packages for the Drones and UAVs community. Home and Building Automation is another segment which has gained increasing interest among urban dwellers and architects as well as in the commercial space, where some of these technologies are being used for Building Management Systems. We welcome these communities to be part of the biggest security congregation and experience the best in the world of technology. Also, we would organize a hosted buyer program for CSOs as part of the IFSEC India Expo. This would enable a direct contact between the key vendors of security solutions and CSOs of very large organisations to help each other understand the security challenges and solutions available to mitigate those better. SLI: What makes IFSEC India the No. 1 security show held in the South Asian region? PJ: Being part of the IFSEC Global portfolio which includes shows such IFSEC International UK, FIREX International, IFSEC Philippines, IFSEC Bangladesh, IFSEC South-East Asia and SECON; IFSEC India not only draws on the expertise of these blockbuster security shows from across the globe but also builds on its connects with all key stakeholders and experts within the global security community. On the regional front, IFSEC India over the last 14 years has brought the community together through roadshows, hosted programs and conferences in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. On the digital front, IFSEC eConnect, the fortnightly newsletter has in the past five years brought the community together through interviews with brand owners, key influencers and CSOs. The newsletter also highlights the latest product launches & Industry news. SLI: Tell us about the IFSEC India Awards which are back this year after a COVID-19 induced hiatus of two years. PJ: IFSEC India Awards is a unique initiative intended to recognize industry end-users who implement path-breaking security solutions across various industry verticals. This year, in the fifth edition of the Awards, we will be soliciting nominations from Security Heads, entrepreneurs & companies who have continuously helped build awareness around security solutions, implemented new ideas, and created a robust security system for their organisations. IFSEC India Awards provides them an industry-acclaimed platform to showcase their finesse in the implementation of best security practices. To give you an idea of the scale of the awards, we received 219 nominations in the last edition in 2019 and aim to surpass this number for this year’s awards. The pre-jury advisory meet to deliberate on the various categories has already been held virtually on 25th July wherein valuable inputs were assimilated from key influencers and veterans in the security fraternity. The final jury meet to select the winners will be held during the month of November. Ernst & Young (E&Y) are once again the process advisors for these awards and the winners will be announced at a glittering ceremony on 1st December 2022 at the Hotel Lalit in New Delhi. To increase our outreach, we are also going to telecast the ceremony on CNBC-TV18. SLI: IFSEC India Expo also has a colocated conference that witnesses participation from CSOs from across industry verticals in large numbers each year. What value the security fraternity can draw from their deliberations? PJ: The world is increasingly moving towards an era of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in security and surveillance systems. Deep Learning takes it a step further with by enabling even more powerful analytics to recognise suspicious activity without much human supervision. So, as ICT gets tightly embedded into security and surveillance systems, the conference dwells on the new-age security challenges faced by large organisations, the changing role of the CSO in light of technological advances, the need for CSOs to keep themselves abreast with the latest technology, as well as case studies that showcase the benefits they are drawing through…

Harsh Wardhan Chief Executive Officer, CSC India SecurityLinkIndia (SLI): Kindly explain the entity called Contemporary Services Corporation (CSC) USA (World). CSC was established in 1967 in Los Angeles, CA by Damon Zumwalt. CSC is the global leader in Crowd Management, has 55 years of service, 200+ cities served, 48+ branches nationwide, 25000+ events annually, 200+ cities served, and millions of patrons served annually. CSC provides services to 150+ stadiums, amphitheaters, arenas, over 120 universities, and high schools. Competent professionals are on hand to mitigate and resolve any possible problem. 50+ convention centers and numerous clients with the MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL, NHL, and NASCAR. SLI: What does CSC deal in – manpower, technology, or both? Kindly elaborate CSC has more than 60,000 active and trained team members nationally. CSC provides crowd management, and related services to more than 190 stadiums, amphitheaters, and arenas, including 110+ universities and scholastic institutions, 50+ convention centers, 10 NFL teams, 6 MLB teams, 4 NBA teams, 7 MLS teams, and 6 NHL teams. CSC is dealing with both manpower and technology. SLI: CSC is known as one of the leaders in Crowd Management. What else products and services do CSC predominantly provide? What is its specialty? CSC has also delivered crowd management services for all types of sporting and entertainment events, including 31 Super Bowls, 4 MLB All-Star Games, 8 World Series, 9 NCAA Men’s Final Four, 5 annual College Bowl Games, 5 Presidential Inaugurations, 4 Papal visits, 7 NBA Finals, 10 Olympic Games, 2 FIFA World Cups so far, and the list continues to grow. SLI: What makes CSC different from any other else? How does it stand out? By establishing a suitable crowd management strategy and comprehending the situation threats be effectively controlled, and losses reduced. This can only be accomplished by specialized organizations like CSC who have the expertise in providing the full spectrum of crowd management services topped with a world-class experience. It involves incorporating flexibility, utilizing the latest technology that’s proven to be effective. CSC has many X-factors, but professionalism of trained officials with effective measures stands out the most. SLI: Give a brief of CSC India. How has CSC India been formed? Crowd Management is the need of the hour in India, and there are not many professional services available in the country right now. Thereby, CSC stepped in to form a base in India too. Our goal is to live up to the standards and original vision of CSC USA, using a futuristic approach to extend its roots in pan-India. India is a country where religious and political gatherings take place frequently; events, concerts, election rallies, festivals, sporting events like IPL have become very entertaining; hence, crowd control and management becomes essential in such a diversified society. SLI: What are the objectives of CSC India? Public Safety in India can obtain better world recognition if crowd management systems get reformed and go hi-tech. India is the second most populated country in the world, soon to be on top of the charts. Crowd management in a country like India becomes even more important to avoid any stampede-like situations during big or small events. Our objective is to continue striving for excellence, to raise our standards and ensure that we are delivering every client with the best possible service. SLI: What is the modus operandi of CSC India in terms of completing a project – Government or private? Our team will include ushers, safety supervisor, crowd marshals and trained officials to look after the project. For the events like IPL where large gatherings take place, we will also ensure the crowd’s safety by adding doctors to avoid any medical emergencies. Our team will be connected through hi-tech tools to communicate with each other and maintain decorum at the venue. “CSC is coming to India, which I am really excited about. CSC has been operating in North America for the past 54 years, delivering services in a variety of fields. Initially, we want to cover all of India’s major cities and have more than 20,000 employees in less than three years, organically or inorganically, as the finest service provider in the market, and we’ll start operating from our Gurgaon headquarters in January 2022” Dr. Abraham Kumar Vice Chairman and Managing Director of CSC India, based in the United States Checking of restricted objects, explosives for the safety of the people are also taken care of. We will be ensuring fire-control systems, and announcement systems (if necessary) can also be integrated to avoid panic. CSC’s Quick Response Team will be fully trained and equipped for damage control in real-time. Covid safety measures will be included as per the guidelines, individual safety, coordination with the ambulances, fire brigades, police authorities, ticketing system, and efficient strategies will be incorporated into the plan based on the number of people and the crowd’s profile. “I thought of having professional abilities to manage crowd in India therefore I discussed the possibility of bringing CSC expertise to India with Dr Abraham Kumar and Damon Zumwalt, Chairman of CSC, USA. They are Leaders in crowd management. They agreed and formed CSC India Pvt Limited. We must plan crowd management to save lives. The launching of crowd management services in India by CSC is going to be a game changer in the manner we are handling our large public, religious and sports events. We must learn lessons from festivals and political event tragedies and make professionally devised systems and protocols to ensure public safety and security. Let people enjoy sporting events and religious congregations without any fear of unforeseen accidents. Crowd management is a collaborative outcome of risks analysis and security professionalism. The venue organizers and event personnel jointly anticipate potential problems and prevent emergencies. Crowd management will allow safe movement and enjoyment of attendees within a confined area where crowd control is defined to manage a crisis after crowds become rowdy or emergencies arise. It includes methods used to prevent injury when participating public have reached safe behavior…

Milind Borkar VP – Sales Infinova, MEIA (SAARC) SecurityLinkIndia (SLI): 2020 has been the year of Covid 19, fatal for all – more so for business and economy; and future is also not certain. How do you explain it with your experience? Milind Borkar: I do not think it has been fatal for the industry. It has been bad yes, with more than four months of lockdown, travel restrictions and what have you. I personally was stuck first in India and then in Kuwait for the mandatory period of quarantine before being able to do work related travel. SLI: How far has the security industry – both in India and globally – stood resilient during this Corona pandemic? Milind Borkar: A survey carried out in the US shows that end-customers will now be more willing to accept IP based solutions and the acceptance of AI will accelerate. SLI: Covid 19 has brought various unforeseen challenges to the fore. What specific challenges did you identify the most difficult for you and how did you tackle them? Milind Borkar: Business continuity was a major challenge in these times with everything shut down. The other challenge was maintaining employee security and safety. The business needed to develop strategies to take care of both these challenges. We took care of the business side of the challenge by developing required strategies. As far as staff security is concerned, we took all the necessary safety precautions as mandated by the Government of India in its lockdown notifications and lockdown opening circulars. SLI: Lockdown was horrible that brought the whole world to standstill – how did you spend your time personally as an individual and socially, and how as the VP of Infinova? Milind Borkar: For me lockdown was not at all horrible. It gave me time to connect with my family and with myself. I have been travelling all over the world most of the time and staying away from family. This was like God’s message to take it easy and spend quality time with family, introspect, exercise and meditate. There was very little social interaction because of the lockdown though of late we have been meeting friends and relatives all the time while maintaining the safety protocols. As VP of Infinova I encouraged team work. SLI: What opportunities did you explore and enable during and post lockdowns to keep your business intact? Milind Borkar: The team did a great job by conducting several training sessions with SI tech teams virtually. SLI: Work from home has been a new normal. How did you manage your workforce during and post lockdowns and how far has that impacted the manufacturing – especially of hardware? Milind Borkar: Even though work from home has become the new normal – for me it was always so in a way, as I have always been traveling and have been in touch with my office and clients digitally through e-mails and phone conversations. The impact on manufacturing has been severe with the restriction on import of material and the time taken for it to clear customs. The lead time to delivery thus has gone up. Our production of cameras also took a hit because of the lockdown and it is only now that things are easing out a bit. SLI: What has been the business of the company so far in this FY, and how far have you been able to achieve the target? Milind Borkar: Yes indeed, this FY has been a bit tough upon the industry, and we are lagging slightly behind our vied upon goals. However, in last three months the speed has really picked up and have been able to cover up almost 80% of our targeted numbers till now, and as in India major billing and closures happen by the last quarter of the FY which is currently in progress, effectively if not surpassing we shall be able to break even with our expected plans. SLI: What are your updated and revised business strategies in the scenario to achieve the target at the earliest? Milind Borkar: At this juncture the most important aspect is the relations and the brand value that we have created, along with delivery capabilities. As the JFM schedule is all about deliveries and billing before the FY closure on March 31, we are targeting those clients and cases which we are sure of closing within next 30-45 days so that the deliverables can be met within stipulated time. SLI: Which new products/ innovations/ adaptations befitting COVID scenario have you brought out in security during this phase, and which ones are in the pipeline of production? Milind Borkar: Innovation is the ever changing need of the industry, and with pandemic looming over the business, new strategies and products were devised to reach out to the market and gather the maximum advantage. In the line of sight we started immediately thereafter with thermal body imaging cameras with AI based algorithm to identify human temperature aspect, and initiating preventive mechanism to stop the further possible spread. We did not stop at that, we also ensured that our production capabilities are well sorted and planned the fulfillment of orders which were getting delayed and the prospective projects which went on hold, so that as soon as the lockdown is relaxed we are all geared to supply and fulfill the requirements of the customers with minimum delays. Additionally we have been working on an additional IR module which can be integrated with any camera and can use the metadata integration at camera level or at software level and can provide an easy cost effective replacement for high valued thermal cameras. SLI: Layoffs or wage cutting, and termination of contract labours have been global phenomena during Covid 19. What has been Infinova’s policy on the issue? Milind Borkar: We have not laid off anyone in the India office though there have been a couple of resignations. We believe in taking care of our staff through thick and thin. SLI:…

Ashish P. Dhakan MD & CEO Prama Hikvision India Pvt. Ltd. Prama Hikvision’s key focus in the year 2021 is to stay relevant to the fast evolving requirements of the vertical markets SecurityLinkIndia (SLI): 2020 has been the year of Covid 19, impact was felt by all the stakeholders of security industry – more so for business and economy; and future is also not certain. How do you explain it with your experience? Response: The pandemic was a black swan event in the history of Indian security Industry. After a decade of robust growth security industry faced the downturn for the first time. The disruptions had an adverse impact on the entire security ecosystem of channel partners, dealers, distributors and system integrators. It led to a multitude of security challenges for security industry stakeholders with temporary supply chain issues. The security industry has followed a resilient approach while pursuing a cautious strategy to counter the impact with technologies, innovations and customised solutions. The Indian security industry has shown extraordinary resilience, and it is slowly and gradually bouncing back to normalcy. Despite the disruptions and downturn, the pandemic has also created demand for new solutions to help control the impact of a pandemic and support the cause of public safety. We at Prama Hikvision have lived up to the challenge of pandemic crisis by doing extensive research and development to offer public safety solutions (temperature screening, face mask wearing alerts, social distancing and flow control solutions). We were the first movers in the industry to offer temperature screening solutions. Despite all the disruptions caused by the pandemic, hope floats and resilient spirits persist, the Indian security market is still confident of the industry’s robustness and prospects for growth. SLI: Which new products/ innovations/ adaptations befitting COVID scenario have you brought out in security during this phase, and which ones are in the pipeline of production? Response: The new normal scenario has created a high demand for applications based on AI and thermal technology to meet health and public safety challenges. Prama Hikvision has come up with an impressive line-up of solutions. To ensure health, safety and well being of all the stakeholders across the verticals, Prama Hikvision offers a Temperature Screening Solution, a Flow Management Solution and a Social Distancing Solution. These health and safety monitoring solutions are designed to help safe reopening of all sectors across India. Moreover, they are also instrumental in ensuring strict compliance of the government’s public safety guidelines. SLI: Kindly throw some light on your thermal screening solutions and what makes it different from others. Response: A thermal imaging camera is an effective screening device for detecting individuals with elevated skin temperature. This type of monitoring can provide a rapid screening approach at high-traffic areas like airports, hospitals, office buildings, and other areas where people congregate, to help identify those whose body temperature is elevated. Using a non-contact screening solution is one of the current measures to discover quickly individuals with elevated skin temperature (EST). The detection method is designed to help initial screening of EST, with the use of medical equipment to further verify symptoms, while reducing manual testing time and the safety risk to those involved in detection. Hikvision’s Temperature Screening Solution, with various product types and wide range of applications, is designed for the detection of skin-surface temperatures to achieve rapid and safe initial screening in public areas. Its flexibility means it can be used in a multitude of scenarios. Temperature screening with fast deployment: For high-traffic scenarios such as urban traffic (train station, bus station, subway, airport, etc.), buildings (such as schools, enterprise parks, office buildings, shopping malls etc.), a temporary temperature screening scheme can be used. Fast deployment is achieved separately with various devices (thermographic cameras/ thermographic hand cameras/ metal detector doors etc.) This temperature screening with fast deployment is economical and practical, and the deployment process and subsequent disassembly are easy and convenient. The temperature measurement accuracy is guaranteed to be within ± 0.5°C or ± 0.3°C (with a Blackbody calibrator) to meet the needs of the initial screening. Temperature screening with access control: In enterprises, schools, factories, communities and other internal areas where people are moving through, the MinMoe wall-mounting touch-free temperature screening terminal (DSK1T671TM-3XF) can be used. The touch-free nature of the terminal makes access easier and safer, suitable for long-term temperature screening with access control for any building with a high footfall of people. Temperature screening on patrol: The temperature measurement on patrol solution can also be called a manual inspection program on the move. It can be quickly put into use at fixed entrances and exits for emergencies, for example at external events or building sites, or checkpoints. It can also be used for flexible inspection in highspeed exits, cabins, and engine rooms. SLI: What is the future of technologies like artificial intelligence in security industry and how far Hikvision is adopting/ promoting it? Kindly explain with examples. Response: To compete and thrive in today’s crowded markets, businesses and institutions need to work smarter. Based on a technology called deep learning, artificial intelligence (AI) ‘trains’ computers to do tasks faster and better than people previously could. For example, in the application of video technology, AI makes it possible for security and business systems to recognise people, vehicles, as well as identify customer interests, and certain scenarios that used to have human oversight like shelf items running out of stock, and more. This capability means that it’s now possible to automate many key surveillance tasks and business processes. Work smarter and safer with Hikvision: When it comes to delivering the insights today’s organisations need, Hikvision is a pioneer in security and beyond. Our industry leading smart cameras and infrastructure solutions, engineered with AI technology integrate a range of tools to support smarter decision making, from people counting and facial recognition, to vehicle recognition and automated security alerts. The application for Hikvision’s smart technologies is virtually limitless. We help banks to protect employees, customers, branch offices and…