Security and Surveillance Industry News

As the internets largest supplier of security cameras, EZWatch has been providing innovative new surveillance camera systems for over 9 years. Since the creation of the incredibly powerful EZWatch-PRO professional grade video surveillance system in the spring of 2000, the company has released a steady stream of cutting edge products that have allowed it to remain at the forefront of the video surveillance industry.

The latest product to come out of EZWatch is a remarkable little pan tilt zoom camera that will fit in the palm of your hand, yet still offers all of the features and benefits of their full size PTZ camera line.

Dubbed the EZ-PTZ series these miniature high resolution color cameras utilize 480 line Sony CCD Sensors for exceptional .03 Lux low light capabilities. With 360 degree rotation, auto-focus and a 10x optical/10x digital zoom these cameras can handle just about any surveillance application. Each camera can support 32 preset positions and 6 programmable patterns. Check out the video samples from this incredible camera.

These tiny little cameras look exceptionally cool and they will blend in with just about any environment. You can mount the camera to a ceiling with the included mount, or you can purchase an optional wall mount bracket. No matter where you mount it, no one will ever guess that such a small camera is so incredibly powerful.

The new EZ-PTZ camera line starts at just $ 489.00 for an outdoor high resolution mini pan/tilt camera. With versions available for indoor and outdoor use and a large selection of optional camera mounts, the new EZ-PTZ series of security cameras is sure to be a big hit with consumers.

Did I mention they look cool….

In my role as a Security Consultant, I have been on countless appointments at companies that do not have a comprehensive key management plan in place. It’s not really that uncommon of a problem and it can quickly get out of control.

Almost every home and office is secured with a lock and a key. Most people have a key chain to help them keep track of these important symbols of modern society. House keys, office keys, garage keys and several car keys usually rattle around in most people’s pockets or purses.

Even though lock and key mechanisms incorporate many modern security features they are still susceptible to being lost, stolen or copied. Another inherent weakness in lock and keys is that anyone with a key can enter your building any time they want.

Each year, companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars re-keying buildings because someone lost a set of keys or an employee was fired who did not return a set of building keys?

Do you know how many grand master keys have been issued in your building? Can you reasonably say with confidence that none of your keys have been copied by less than ethical employees? Do you have employee’s entering your office at odd hours? Has your building ever been left unlocked?

If you have experienced any of the preceding issues, perhaps an Electronic Access Control System is the “key”. An Electronic Access Control System can provide you with an effective solution to your key management nightmare while providing a very potent tool in your overall security management plan.

Take back those keys! A properly deployed electronic access control system will allow you to secure your facility and deter crimes by limiting access to authorized personnel and separating public from private areas.

The capabilities of electronic access control systems vary greatly. They range from single door stand alone systems that you program through a keypad, to medium sized computer based systems, to the top of the line enterprise systems that have the ability to communicate control thousands of card readers on multiple continents.

Electronic Access Control Systems have some very basic things in common. Each of them will allow you to control who goes where and when in your facility by requiring the presentation of a unique credential at a Card Reader or a PIN pad and they can be set up to provide you with a report of who has entered your building.

There are several manufacturers that provide 1 to 4 door solutions that are programmed through a keypad or a remote software package. Some of the higher end burglar alarm systems can also control access on up to 4 doors.

These smaller systems provide fully controlled access to individuals based on the door, the date and the time. Some of them allow you to hook up a form feed dot matrix printer directly to the controller in order to get reports. Most of these systems are limited to less than 4 doors and a couple of hundred users/credentials.

Many people who use the 1-4 door systems will usually program cards to work 24 hours a day because it can be difficult and time consuming to manage multiple time groups or limit an individual’s access.

That’s not to say that you cannot provide full date and time limited access control with a 1-4 door system, but if your application requires periodic updates and multiple users, you may want to consider a more sophisticated solution. A good application for a 1-4 door system would be a remotely managed multi-tenant building without an on site manager.

Lower to mid range P.C. based solutions can be provided that control access on 1 to 32 doors of access. Systems in this range can provide controlled access to several thousand users. They are a good choice if your intention is to allow keyless entry on a limited number of doors at a single site and run some limited reports.

Most electronic access systems in the low to mid range are Windows based software applications that use MSDE or other off the shelf database software; therefore the reporting features are fairly limited.

In addition, the low to mid range systems have limited abilities to monitor alarms, provide video badging, integrate with 3rd party databases or interface with other systems such as CCTV or Burglar Alarms.

There are literally dozens of manufacturers flooding the small to mid range market and their offerings vary greatly. You would be wise to perform some due diligence and ask for local references from any vendor that you may be considering.

Enterprise Level Access Control Systems occupy the top tier of entry control systems. There are only a handful of manufacturers that can truly call themselves an “Enterprise Level” solution. These highly sophisticated systems are true security management systems that can easily and effectively handle thousands of card readers, hundreds of thousands of cards, and a multitude of workstations spread all across the globe.

An Enterprise Level Solution has integrated single point of entry video badging, seamless integration to CCTV systems and Digital Video Recorders, true real time alarm handling with live on line graphics pages and full blown database solutions like SQL Server or Oracle.

Enterprise Level Access Control systems utilize door processing units or access control panels that can communicate via RS422/485 and TCP/IP Protocol. Enterprise Level Systems are only sold through factory trained and authorized systems integrators who have a proven track record and fully staffed service departments.

If you need an Enterprise Level Access Control System, I highly recommend that you perform your due diligence on both the manufacturer and the security companies that you are considering. Make sure that you choose a reputable Security Company or a Systems Integrator that has a strong computer networking background to perform and support the installation. Ask for several references of projects of a similar size and scope from both the manufacturer and the Systems Integrator. Interview each reference thoroughly before you make a purchasing decision.

You will thank me later!

Many prominent economists and lawmakers feel that the unprecedented $ 700 billion financial rescue plan that was signed into law Friday isn’t a cure-all for the ailing American economy. Some feel that too much damage has already been done and that the governments offer to buy up bad dept and unwanted assets will not spur any real growth in the economy for many years.

As the treasury department prepares to purchase the first round of assets from troubled lending institutions, the economic outlook is disturbing. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that employers cut 159,000 jobs in September and that so far this year the economy has dumped more than 760,000 jobs.

As a business owner I have found myself asking the same nagging question as most Americans. What does the threat of a long term economic downturn mean to me and my business?

If there is one thing that my experience over the last 23 years in the security industry has taught me is that as long as there are immoral and unethical criminals; people will have a need to protect their personal property and assets.

Does this make the security industry recession proof?

The electronic security industry as a whole has been growing steadily at about 7 percent annually since 1996. When I speak of the electronic security industry, I am referring to the business of protecting personal property and assets. A rather broad stroke which encompasses the hundreds of thousands of people and companies involved in the manufacturing, distribution, marketing and installation of electronic security devices.

The growth in the security industry has been fueled by many factors including; crime, terrorism and perceived threats; economic growth and expansion; new innovations in security technology.

First let’s talk about crime, terrorism and perceived threats. The security industry has continued to grow despite the fact that property crimes, especially burglary and theft have been steadily declining since 1975.

How is this possible? Many factors have contributed to a society that lives in a constant state of fear from crime, terrorism and other perceived threats to our survival. The main contributing factors are the speed of communications which allow instant notifications of terrible events from across the globe and a media that sensationalizes news events with shocking headlines and fear inducing reporting. I don’t see this changing anytime soon.

Now how about economic growth and expansion? When a new building is built, wealth is created and distributed throughout the economy. The plumber makes money as do the framer, the mason and the security contractor. Contractors of all trades buy supplies, pay wages and hopefully make a profit. When the new building is completed, it should be worth more than the total cost to build it even though many people profited from its construction. At least that is what the banks are betting on.

The government understands that construction is a fundamental building block of economic expansion. Hence the bailout plan, which is primarily designed to take some of the risk out of lending money so that banks and financial institutions will continue to invest in new construction projects.

Until home prices across the country settle down and lending requirements loosen up a little, I fear that growth and expansion in this market segment will be a little stagnant for the next few years.

The third factor that has contributed to the overall consistent growth in the security industry has been new innovations in technology. The world is changing quickly and new ground breaking security products are being designed, released and updated at an unprecedented rate.

Technology is moving so quickly that entire market segments are being created and destroyed virtually overnight. Just as cell phones shattered the pager and pay phone industries, innovative new products in video surveillance and access control systems promise to change the way people think and feel about security.

By weighing the factors that have contributed to the phenomenal growth of the electronic security industry over the last decade, I have come to the conclusion that the industry as a whole is recession resistant, but not entirely recession proof.

I feel that the national media’s propensity to sensationalize crime and to use fear to sell newspapers coupled with the release of many innovative new products will balance out any losses in market expansion due to a shrinking economy. Let’s just hope I am right!

Pre-Wire your Home – Save Money and Prepare for the Future

The world as we know it is changing rapidly. Every day, innovative new electronic devices are being introduced that are changing the way we work, communicate and interface with the society around us.

Out of convenience or necessity, electronic devices now saturate our daily lives. From cell phones and I-Pods to flat screens and intercom systems, like it or not we are living in an electronic jungle.

Our own homes are on the front lines of this high-tech renaissance. In the not to distant future, the appliances in ultramodern homes will be able to talk to each other. The furnace will have the ability dispatch a service technician or order a replacement part via the internet. Rather than trouble you with the fact that you are almost out of milk, the refrigerator will simply place an order for more with an on-line supermarket.

If what I am saying sounds a little far fetched, just wait a few years. The speed at which things are changing is multiplying exponentially and the homes of the future are rapidly approaching. If you happen to be from my generation, you probably remember black & white televisions with 2 or 3 channels that stopped broadcasting at 10-pm. Now we have satellite televisions in our cars broadcasting hundreds of channels 24-7.

Modern appliances such as LCD televisions or home theater systems require specialized wiring that is not included in most homes. I am speaking from experience when I tell you that there is nothing more frustrating than having to cut into your freshly painted walls to run audio and video cables for your new television. The marriage counseling costs alone were astronomical.

That is why I suggest if you are currently building a new home or remodeling an existing home, you should seriously consider pre-wiring the home to incorporate the latest technology. It is infinitely less expensive and much easier to run wire in a home that is under construction than it is to try and run them later.

Besides the basic telephone and cable television wires, you might want to run wire for home theater systems, security systems, central vacuum systems, heating and air conditioning, computer networks, intercoms, and audio sound systems.

Make sure there are electric outlets at locations where you plan on installing any major appliances such as televisions, computers, powered speakers or video projectors. Absolutely every network outlet connection should have an associated outlet for power.

If your home theatre project goes beyond the basic television and surround sound, you might also need to plan for specialized lighting, dimmers, sub-woofers, projection screens and theater seating.

Taking it a step further, you can even pre-wire for a smart home automated control system that will allow you to control all of your security, entertainment and lighting systems, HVAC systems, lawn sprinklers or even your drapes and blinds from custom touch screen controllers located throughout your home. An automated control system can allow you to monitor and manage every aspect of your homes electronic systems from anywhere in the world via the internet.

There are specialized wall boxes, enclosures, hubs, routers, distribution systems, modulators, amplifiers, converters and splitters to help you complete your structured cabling system. Most of these are available at Home Depot or other local electrical supply houses.

Depending on the complexity of your design, you might want to enlist the help of a professional security supplier to help with the planning process. Even if you do not install all of the components right now, you will be money ahead if your home construction or remodeling plan includes a structured wire distribution system.

Just make sure your wife tells you exactly where she wants that new TV before you get started!

In the computer age, advances in technology are moving at breakneck speeds and new developments in the security industry are no exception. Exponential leaps in knowledge and expertise have allowed manufacturers to bring new and improved systems to market in record time.

As a security consultant with a busy schedule, it can be extremely difficult to keep up with all of the latest products and developments in an ever changing market and as systems become more sophisticated, training and support become essential to systems integrators if they want to flourish and prosper in the marketplace.

CCTV manufacturers such as American Dynamics face challenges when they bring new state of the art digital IP-centric video solutions into a market that has for many year’s embraced analog technology. How do you teach wire pulling alarm guys to sell, install and service state of the art IP video security systems?

For American Dynamics, the answer to all of these challenges was to partner with the premier manufacturers representative in the rocky mountain region, Intermountain Marketing.

For over 20 years, Intermountain Marketing (IMM) has helped leaders in the security industry bring their products to market in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Montana, Idaho and Arizona.

IMM has achieved its success by bringing products to market through direct contact with security systems integrators, security equipment distributors, architects and specifying engineers. The company also utilizes internet advertising, e-mail campaigns, direct mail promotions, catalog distribution, newsletters and product training seminars to promote security products. The IMM secret to success is simple; Total Customer Satisfaction.

The president of Intermountain Marketing, Bob Fruchey believes that product training and support are essential to success in today’s technology driven marketplace. Bob told me in a recent meeting that “training and support programs insure proper performance of the product and create satisfied dealers and end users”.

IMM recently invested over $ 500,000.00 in a new state of the art security training facility at its Denver facility that provides a hands-on learning environment for end users and promotes brand recognition for equipment manufacturers.

Jim Hawver, the western regional sales manage for American Dynamics, informed me that the new training center is the first of its kind in the country. “Intermountain Marketing has created the first and only factory authorized training facility outside of Tyco Fire & Security’s corporate infrastructure”.

IMM’s new training facility will provide security dealers and end users with advanced technical certification training on Tyco’s broad line of security products including American Dynamics video surveillance, the Intellex video management system and the Kantech access control system.

The new facility has a complete Cat-6 structured cable system with 10/100/1000 POE ports, 14 Dell work stations, a Novell server, a Windows BES Blackberry server, a server for Video analytics, and a Video Edge NVR and a stack of Dell 2950 servers used for distributed digital NVR training.

“We are a certified HP Procurve and Foundry Switch gear resellers with full design and consulting credentials. All of our security cameras, data, VOIP, intercom and emergency communication systems are running on our network.” Bob explained to me as he described his vision for his new training facility.

As security systems become more complex and video surveillance moves towards IP solutions, Intermountain Marketing’s commitment to providing security dealers and end users with factory certification and training at its Colorado facility will pay monumental dividends. At least that’s my opinion.

So you are considering the purchase of a Security Alarm System for your home or business. For some, the on-going monthly expense associated with Alarm System Monitoring is one of the major factors taken into consideration when choosing a vendor.

With monitoring fees ranging anywhere from $ 25.00 to well over $ 40.00 per month, what are you getting for your money? Let’s take a closer look at the monitoring services offered by most alarm companies.

In its simplest form, a Burglar Alarm System utilizes a control panel, an arming station and a combination of perimeter and interior protection to provide a deterrent shield to protect your most valuable assets. When an unauthorized entry is detected by a perimeter or interior sensor the system will initiate an alarm.

Similar to a facsimile machine, every Security Alarm Panel that is capable of being monitored uses an industry standard Digital Communication Format. The panel uses this digital language to communicate with an Alarm Receiver at the Central Monitoring Facility using standard or cellular telephone lines.

If an alarm occurs at your premises, the alarm panel will immediately utilize your telephone line to send a digital signal to the Central Station. A unique account number is programmed into your alarm panel to allow it to identify itself to the Alarm Receiver.

The Alarm Panel will transmit the account number and a 3 or 4 digit event code to the Alarm Receiver. The Alarm Receiver will interpret the digital signals and immediately pass the information along to a large network of computers which are manned 24×7 by Central Station Operators.

The Central Station Operator is provided with the call list information that you have provided to the alarm company during the registration process. The Central Station Operator that receives the alarm signals immediately tries to verify that the alarm is real.

Depending on the type of alarm, the Central Station Operator will first call the premises to try and contact the alarm user. If the user answers the phone, they are asked to provide a unique pass-code that identifies them as an authorized user. If they can provide the correct pass-code, the alarm is logged, but authorities are not dispatched.

If no one answers the phone, or if the person answering the phone cannot provide the correct password, the authorities are dispatched to the scene immediately. After the authorities are dispatched, the Central Station Operator will attempt to reach a call list of individuals who can meet the authorities at the site to let them in to investigate the cause of the alarm.

There are a couple of circumstances, where the Central Station Operator will not call your premises and try to verify the alarm. The special circumstances include Fire Alarms and Panic Alarms.

A fire can quickly get out of control and completely consume your home or business in a matter of minutes. Therefore, if your Fire Alarm is going off, the 1st order of business for the Operator is to dispatch the Fire Department. You cannot call and ask the dispatcher stop the Fire Department. Once the trucks roll, they will not stop.

If your panic alarm goes off, be forewarned, the police department takes panic alarms very seriously. No one from the central station will call your house to try and verify the alarm. Usually a 911 dispatcher will call your house after there is a large posse of Police Officers outside your door. Don’t be surprised if you are asked to come out with your hands up and you find several guns in your face.

Now, that is what you can expect from your $ 29.00 monthly fee, although many Central Stations will charge more for “optional” services such as Code Changes, Opening & Closing Reports, Alarm System Partitioning and Fire, Panic or Medical Alarm Monitoring Services.

Before you make that purchasing decision, have each alarm company that you are getting bids from outline exactly which monitoring services are included in the base price and which services are optional. Then you can factor in the monthly monitoring and management fees into any purchasing decision.

How a Security Alarm System can raise your appraisal

As an off shoot of reality based television, home improvement and remodeling shows are all the rage these days. Several television channels are completely dedicated to designers who refashion entire homes in a weekend. Little did Bob Villa know that he was years ahead of the trend.

Since I am a self declared handy-man, I myself have gotten hooked on some of these television shows with one in particular catching my attention. The premise of the show deals with people who buy run down houses, fix them up and then resell them for a profit.

The key to turning a profit on most of the properties is to make changes in paint, floor coverings and landscaping which make the home more appealing to today’s discerning buyers. Major upgrades are usually focused in the Kitchens and Bathrooms as they are areas of the home that provide the largest return on investment.

For most people, buying a home is probably the biggest single investment they will ever make. Homes normally appreciate over time and any upgrades and additions made to the home will typically add value.

Having spent over half of my life in the security industry, I cannot count the number of times I have been asked if a Security Alarm System will add to the value of a Home.

The answer is simply and emphatically, yes!

How much value a security system adds to the appraised value of a home depends on many factors. When calculating in the added value of a security system, one must consider the size and complexity of the system and the type of technology it employs.

An older system installed in a smaller home whose only protection is perimeter door positions switches will not be worth nearly as much as a brand new, state of the art system with complete perimeter and interior protection, that has been installed in a larger home.

Home Appraisals are calculated largely on the appraiser’s opinion as to what your home is worth based on what similarly sized and outfitted homes in your neighborhood have sold for.

If two nearly identical homes are appraised in the same neighborhood, with the only difference being one has a security system and the other does not. The appraised value of the home with the security system should be more. Depending on the size of the home, the added value can reach into the thousands of dollars.

With today’s technically savvy homebuyers trying to get the most value for their dollar, having that state of the art security system installed just might make the difference between keeping out that For Sale Sign or hanging up a Sold Sign.

The following is a legal opinion from Ken Kirschenbaum, a New York attorney that specializes in alarm inudstry issues.

QUESTION:

Hello Ken,

I have had a couple of customers ask if there is an increase in liability for them if they install CCTV. One customer’s corporate office will not install cameras unless the video is monitored 24/7.

If cameras are installed and someone is attacked or their property is stolen what is the legal responsibility/liability of the owner? Thank You,

Jim Robinson
The Bowan Company

ANSWER:

Building owners have legitimate concerns regarding the installation of cameras. But that same concern should exist no matter what type of security measure is employed by the property owner. Cameras do not pose any greater exposure for increased liability.

Increased exposure is a function of perception and expectation. Those coming onto the premises, whether they be tenants or visitors, all those lawfully on the property, should be able to rely upon security measures that reasonably appear to be intended for their protection.

Perhaps an easier example is a posted security guard. He sits in the lobby of a residential building. His instructions limit him to sitting behind his desk. If there is any problem his action is limited to picking up a telephone and calling 911. Does this limitation expose the guard company or the owner? A tenant is accosted in a mail room or laundry room and her shouts are heard by the guard. Maybe he has a CCTV picture of what is going on. He does not leave his desk. He promptly calls 911. By the time the cops get there the situation is over and the tenant suffers severe damages.

Although you may be drawing certain conclusions, you don’t have sufficient information. Does your conclusion change if I change the facts? There are signs at the desk and posted around the building that the guard will not leave his desk and will only alert the police. The injured tenant testifies that she has lived in the building for years and never saw a posted guard leave the desk. Or, she testifies that the guard frequently leaves the desk, patrols the lobby and building, and on occasion has intervened in altercations and illegal activity. So the answer depends upon the tenant’s, or public’s, perception of that security the guard actually provides, and what expectation the tenant or public can reasonably expect.

Cameras have the same analysis. Covert cameras unknown to the tenants would offer little expectation of security, unless of course the owner represented to the tenants that the covert cameras where there and the building was secure for their safety. Highly visible cameras can raise the level of expectation, and therefore the exposure of liability. Installers need to be careful to point out limitations in the security they provide, for both equipment and services. You should not take for granted that your subscribers understand the limitations of their systems or your services. You would be surprised how naive these subscribers become when they suffer a loss and blame it on your equipment or services not living up to their expectations. They perceive your security as preventative, not merely as a deterrent. I will take this opportunity to again urge you to use the Disclaimer Notice which you get at Alarm Contracts That will help defend against
claims of expectation from your subscribers.

So should owners take the posture that it’s better to provide no security rather than risk some? Better to have no cameras then those not watched? Better to have no burglar alarm then pay for UL certified AA? The answer is of course not. First of all, some level of security may be required by law. For example, fire alarms are required in many buildings. Access control with intercoms are often required in multiple dwellings. You need to know the statutory requirements for your systems. But there may be legal requirements that are not as clear. Property owners in high crime areas are required to provide more security then property owners in areas where crime frequency is low. Again, its a matter of expectation.

Why would a property owner whose building is next to a police station, where there has been
no reported crime in 50 years, need to invest in elaborate security systems and posted guards? But a building owner in an area where crimes are a daily happening needs to provide protection to those lawfully in and on the premises, because that is a requirement for building owners. The building owner’s security obligation has a direct correlation to the risk associated with the building. High risk, more security; less risk, less security.

Though the loss and damage to a victim may be the same in either location, the building owner
will face a different standard for the measure of the security before liability is imposed.

As the security professional don’t increase your own exposure because your subscriber limited you to a budget that paid for less than what you would have liked to recommend for adequate security. That limitation belongs in your contract terms and it belongs in the Disclaimer Notice.

Headline News: Russian Hackers Use Turkish Computers to Attack Georgian Government Computers

Last week, I was in California to attend a wedding. I arrived at the airport 2 hours ahead of my scheduled departure figuring that I had plenty of time to make my flight. When I walked into the airport, it was pure pandemonium. Apparently a construction crew had inadvertently cut off the power.

Computers were down, metal detectors not working, baggage carousels and conveyors all dead. Huge lines formed from the thousands of commuters trying to check baggage, get boarding passes, clear security checkpoints and make their flights.

When the power was finally restored, it took many hours for the lines to clear. Planes were delayed; thousands of people missed their boarding calls or their connecting flights. A simple power outage in Orange County caused massive confusion that rippled all the way from the ticket windows through the security checkpoints, on to the airplanes and airports all across the county.

What does this have to do with Russian hackers and cyber warfare? Well I found an article this morning at GSN News that I found very interesting and I wanted to share it with you. The article has some disturbing implications about our reliance on technology.

According to Don Jackson, the director of threat intelligence for SecureWorks, Inc. When Russia’s military attacked Georgia last month, a coordinated denial of service attack was launched by Russian hackers against local Georgian government networks and local media web sites a few minutes before Russian aircraft began their bombing runs.

The coordinated effort between Russian computer hackers and the military made it impossible for local authorities and the news media to warn Georgian citizens of the impending military assaults.

Most of Georgia’s Internet traffic enters the country via Internet Service Providers (ISPs) based in Turkey. Many of these Turkish computers were compromised by Russian hackers who introduced viruses and took control of them in what has come to be known as “botnets.”

While it is difficult to backtrack to the originating “bad guys,” Jackson has concluded that many of these Turkish botnets were controlled by loose confederations of Russian hackers, largely operating out of Moscow and St. Petersburg, who utilized multi-layered proxy networks and cable modems sitting in anonymous Russian apartment buildings that had been rented under bogus names. It is virtually impossible to backtrack further upstream than those apartment buildings, he said.

Russia’s overt military campaign may have ceased in Georgia, but the covert cyber campaign continues, Jackson told GSN Magazine in a recent telephone interview. Many of Georgia’s computer databases have been thoroughly corrupted. The nation’s mail servers and Web servers have been overrun with millions of queries. “To this day, their infrastructure has not been rebuilt,” he added.

This coordinated cyber attack begs the question. Have we become too reliant on technology?

No one will argue that advances in technology and communication have made our lives better. Well, perhaps some people will. But isn’t it amazing to have news and information broadcast worldwide within minutes of it occurring?

Don’t you love the fact that Home Depot and every other retailer that you have ever purchased from have you on file so they can call up your information and save you time at the checkout.

What about cell phones? My cell phone downloads my e-mail, let’s me surf the internet, provides me with directions, keeps me up to date with birthdays and anniversary’s and gives me quick access to my favorite music. How did we ever live without them?

Now take this up a notch and examine how reliant our corporate and Government infrastructure have become on technology. How well would we deal with a coordinated attack on our communication and technology infrastructure?

If a recent power outage at Orange County Airport offers any assessment of our ability to withstand a cyber attack, we would not do very well at all.

Just some food for thought……

IP Video Camera System

IP Video Security Cameras are quickly becoming the benchmark of video surveillance systems. Internet security cameras are extremely flexible and easy to install and use. They can stream video to users located anywhere in the world, and they offer non-centralized viewing and recording options.

Web ready internet security cameras can literally provide you with eyes and ears all over the planet. An internet security camera system can let you see, hear and even talk to your dog when he is home alone. Want to check on your vacation home and see if it is snowing? With an IP based security camera the answer is just a click away.

If you own a chain of convenience stores in 4 different cities, an IP based security camera system can provide you with the ability to view and record video from every store simultaneously from a remote location. Want to show people your new store front? Install a web based security camera and place a link on your website for live viewing.

Are you managing a large scale construction project? Place a web ready IP based security camera on the construction trailer and allow your investors to monitor the construction progress live!

As networks and computer use continues to expand, the applications for internet based security cameras are endless. Web based security cameras are quickly becoming the standard in the security industry.

Recent innovations have allowed IP video cameras to become very similar in design and capabilities as standard CCTV video surveillance cameras. The main difference between a standard CCTV camera and a web based video surveillance camera is the way that the video signal is treated after it leaves the camera.

Standard CCTV cameras require a dedicated transmission path (closed circuit) from the security camera to the digital video recorder or the security monitor. This normally requires a centralized and dedicated location for monitoring and or recording of the video signals.

IP surveillance cameras stream video over a dedicated network connection using internet protocol. The IP web based signal can be received and de-coded from any computer or workstation that is properly equipped. Web based security cameras can support multiple users in multiple locations. This provides for a completely non-centralized video surveillance system that can be monitored and recorded from multiple locations, simultaneously from anywhere in the world.

With a web based security camera system, you can monitor locations in India, Europe and America from a site in Mexico City. You can also monitor and record that same video from your office in Canada. Take your laptop on a business trip and you can check on your production line during a business meeting in Moscow. Imagine showing your customer their product being produced and packaged live!

Some people shy away from IP and network security camera solutions because they appear to be complicated and difficult to set up. The fact is the initial set up does require some expertise and knowledge but the operation and day to day use of the systems are no different than using any other PC based security camera system.

I found a great open source document written by John Honovich at IPVideoMarket.info which is a good resource for learning more about the IP video market.

Download John’s book here: security_manager_guide_video_surveillance_v1_0