Archive: March 2007
DSC unveils home automation partnership with Life|ware
March 29, 2007L. Samuel Pfeifle
LAS VEGAS--Occupying its traditional front right-hand corner on the show floor, DSC has reserved significant space to showcase its home automation collaboration with Exceptional Innovation, the manufacturer of Life|ware software that allows consumers to control devices through their television remotes. This collaboration offers dealers a single package that features a television, Hewlett-Packard media center computer running Microsoft Vista, eight zones of security and two zones of lighting for what...
Berlin welcomes ASIS International
March 29, 2007Steven Sachoff
BERLIN--ASIS International's sixth annual European security conference, entitled "Security Management: The Way Forward," kicked off in Berlin, March 26. The three-day event, aimed at security practitioners, especially managers, had a packed program consisting of 44 sessions that ran the gamut from the exotic, such as espionage and stalking, to more nuts-and-bolts issues like standards, supply-chain security and the value security can add to a company's bottom line.
Former German Interior Minister...
Jouret kicks off ISC West; companies jockey for position
March 29, 2007Martha Entwistle
LAS VEGAS--Cisco's Guido Jouret issued a "call to action'' during his March 28 keynote address here, urging physical security professionals to "think about a convergence-ready business strategy."
Close to 700 people crowded into a room at the Sands Convention Center Wednesday morning to listen to and pose questions to Jouret, who is CTO of Cisco's Emerging Markets Technology group.
Cisco and fellow IT giant IBM had an official show floor presence for the first time ever, sporting large-scale booths...
ARM enters American monitoring market
March 29, 2007SSN Staff
LAS VEGAS--Active Response Monitoring, a division of Canadian security solutions provider Voxcom, made its American debut here at ISC West yesterday. Active Response Monitoring, which features a wholesale dealer program, employs SecureNet, a monitoring, notification and video services platform developed by Infinity Systems, a software development company based in Australia.
Russell Keddie, vice president of business development at Active Response Monitoring, said "Technology is changing. The convergence...
IP cameras proliferate at ISC West
March 29, 2007Martha Entwistle
LAS VEGAS--Speco Technologies jumped on the IP bandwagon March 28, introducing a new series of IP/network cameras at ISC West. Similarly, Pelco used the show to introduce its first line of IP cameras.
Why was it the right time to enter the IP camera world? Gary Perlin, vice president of video products for Speco, said Speco had previously "taken a backseat approach," saying that the first IP cameras that came out were expensive and difficult to set up. Two years ago, Perlin said he predicted Speco...
Monitronics shows new face at ISC West
March 29, 2007SSN Staff
LAS VEGAS--Mitch Clarke, who became the new vice president of marketing at Monitronics in January, saw an opportunity when he migrated from the cable and telephony world to the security industry. Clarke felt that the security industry "was immature in its marketing and polish. We want to be more up-to-date and competitive." To this end, Monitronics has rebranded and rolled out its new logo here at ISC West, along with a slick new ad campaign. "We're hoping to bring in some motion and color," said...
IEI board recommends rejection of Risco takeover offer
March 22, 2007L. Samuel Pfeifle
CANTON, Mass.--Responding to Risco's $3.50-per-share offer to buy all outstanding shares of the company, International Electronics' board of directors "recommend that IEI shareholders not tender their shares to Risco and reject Risco's unsolicited offer," read a press release dated March 16. In the release and in an SEC filing, management of the access control manufacturer cited a "belief that the offer price is inadequate," optimism that current management plans are just now bearing fruit, and a...
AvaLAN, SunWize, Mobotix partner for wireless surveillance package ew
March 22, 2007Martha Entwistle
PALO ALTO, Calif.--In a move that wireless Ethernet provider AvaLAN expects will "be very disruptive" to the market, AvaLAN announced March 15 a partnership with solar power manufacturer SunWize and IP camera manufacturer Mobotix to provide a wireless surveillance system that's designed for remote locations.
"The reason AvaLAN, SunWize Technologies and Mobotix are launching this is because we can provide a sub-$4,000 wireless package that can be used anywhere," said Ray Shilling, AvaLAN's vice president...
"Largest PERS contract ever" still up for grabs?
March 22, 2007SSN Staff
On Thursday, March 22, Security Systems News reported that New York Protective Merchants Company and its monitoring division, Nationwide Digital Monitoring, had been awarded the “largest PERS contract ever,†getting that information from New York Protective Merchants Company. Upon further reporting, “They have not been awarded the contract,†said Robin Berg, Director of the Bureau of New York City, Human Resources Administration. “We...
HID Global buys Integrated Engineering
March 22, 2007L. Samuel Pfeifle
IRVINE, Calif.--HID Global, a division of Assa Abloy and an access control manufacturer, announced last week the purchase of Integrated Engineering, an Amsterdam-based company that develops and manufactures contactless smart card solutions. Terms of the deal were not released.
Integrated Engineering will continue to operate as a separate business, but its management will now report to HID Global's European management. With technology partners such as Johnson Controls, Siemens, Lenel and Giesecke...