Monitoring
RealSense spins out from Intel, raises $50 million to drive robotics AI vision
July 11, 2025SSN Staff
SAN FRANCISCO—RealSense, a developer of AI-powered computer vision, has announced its successful spinout from Intel Corp. and the close of a $50 million Series A funding round.
With investment led by a renowned semiconductor private equity firm and participation from strategic investors, including Intel Capital and MediaTek Innovation Fund, RealSense now operates as an independent company focused on advancing innovation in AI, robotics, biometrics and computer vision.
The new capital...
Dealer focus is driving force behind unified leadership structure at Netwatch, NMC
July 11, 2025Cory Harris, Editor
LAKE FOREST, Calif.—Netwatch Group CEO Kurt Takahashi says a new streamlined leadership structure that further unifies Netwatch and National Monitoring Center (NMC) will be a win-win for their dealers and partners.
The announcement came following the departure of NMC co-founder and President Woodie Andrawos, who was named as CEO of ORR Protection on June 16. Takahashi now has direct oversight over Netwatch operations in the U.S. and Ireland, as well as NMC.
“We worked...
The limits of AI: Texas tragedy highlights infrastructure failures
July 9, 2025Ken Showers, Managing Editor
HUNT, Texas — Devastating floods swept through Texas in early July, killing more than 100 people and revealing critical gaps in the AI-powered public safety measures used to respond to emergencies.
The tragedy at Camp Mystic and across the Texas Hill Country has sparked public concern over emergency preparedness, especially after deep staffing cuts to agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS). These agencies...
TMA appoints Erika Shugart to serve as interim CEO
July 9, 2025SSN Staff
MCLEAN Va.—The Board of Directors of The Monitoring Association (TMA) has announced the appointment of Erika Shugart, PhD, to serve as the organization’s interim chief executive officer (CEO).
Shugart, who began in her new role on July 1, 2025, will fully assume all executive management responsibilities of current TMA CEO Celia T. Besore, MBA, FASAE, CAE, upon her retirement on July 18, 2025, and until a permanent CEO is hired.
"We are thrilled to welcome Erika Shugart as TMA’s...
HID, ASSA ABLOY recognized with Red Dot Award
July 8, 2025SSN Staff
AUSTIN, Texas — HID and ASSA ABLOY announced that their self-boarding biometric eGate — the BG100 Speedgate — has received a Red Dot Award: Product Design 2025 in the interior design elements category.
The BG100 Speedgate is a next-generation solution that integrates the HID Facepod and document reader with ASSA ABLOY’s Speedgate.
At the core of the BG100 Speedgate is the HID Facepod, a facial recognition solution featuring an advanced camera system and algorithms, intuitive...
‘If we’re not protecting our protectors, the whole system breaks down’ – Sullivan says
July 2, 2025Ken Showers, Managing Editor
COUER D’ ALENE, Idaho — Following the tragic shooting on June 29, 2025, when a lone gunman struck two firefighters in a deadly ambush, “the line between public safety and personal danger has never been thinner,” fire safety expert Joshua Sullivan said.
Sullivan, master instructor and COO of A.L.I.V.E. Active Shooter Survival Training and an active firefighter, weighed in on the greatest concerns currently facing firefighters and public safety agencies.
“Today’s...
DMP celebrates 50 years in business
July 1, 2025SSN Staff
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.—Digital Monitoring Products (DMP) commemorated 50 years since its founding in 1975 with an anniversary celebration at its Springfield, Mo., headquarters on June 12. Approximately 500 guests attended, including dealers, vendors, non-profit partners, dignitaries, friends and family.
The program began with a panel discussion, which included DMP CEO and President Rick Britton, Vice President of Fun Jan Britton, COO Marc Mills and Vice President of Training David Peebles.
Mills...
Hikvision ordered to cease operations by Canadian government
July 1, 2025SSN Staff
OTTAWA, Ontario — Hikvision has been ordered by the government to cease all Canadian operations and close its businesses in the country following an assessment of its practices.
In a statement released on social media the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly announced her reasoning with the government having completed a National Security Review under its Investment Canada Act, determining that its continued operations would be “Injurious to Canada’s national...
Elite Interactive announces investment from CIVC Partners
June 30, 2025SSN Staff
LOS ANGELES — Remote video guarding and real-time crime prevention provider Elite Interactive Solutions has received an investment from Chicago-based private equity firm CIVC Partners.
Coordinated by security-sector investment bank Barnes Associates, Elite Interactive said that this transaction marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of both it and the broader remote guarding industry.
“This is a defining moment not just for Elite, but for the entire category of proactive security,”...
Cancer center announces savings from Axis partnership
June 25, 2025SSN Staff
CHELMSFORD, Mass. — A.C. Camargo Cancer Center, an oncology treatment center in São Paulo, Brazil, has announced that its partnership with Axis Communications has produced savings of more than $2 million over its first two years, all of which will be reinvested in patient care.
A.C. Camargo has deployed more than 2,000 state-of-the-art video surveillance cameras throughout the Center’s corridors, complex care units, and parking lots, embracing a more holistic approach to security...