Blogs

This week in Monitoring Matters, we look at all the money flowing through the border, namely out of our pockets and toward the border. That’s right, President Trump’s recently released discretionary budget has no room for science, art, or education, but a blank check for so called border security enforcement. Towards which end the administration has called for 20,000 new ICE agents who, according to current events, don’t answer to the courts. To say the situation...

After Gov. Kathy Hochul’s announcement this week restricting phone use in K-12 schools throughout New York State, beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, it’s time to revisit a topic I addressed in a blog almost a year ago.  Hochul’s decree, which will take effect in the fall as part of the agreement on the FY 2026 State Budget, will see the implementation of bell-to-bell restrictions on smartphones throughout the entire school day. As a result, Hochul envisions “distraction-free”...

The current U.S. administration’s fixation on the dismantling of public agencies has set its sights on the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and it couldn’t be at a worse time. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s oversight at the agency recently has painted a bleak picture of the future of the CISA, and all signs point to yet another tombstone on Capitol Hill in the name of “Returning money to taxpayers.” If you think any of that...

In the category of “how could this happen,” combined with a tinge of irony, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's handbag was stolen by a brazen purse snatcher while dining at a Washington D.C. restaurant on Easter Sunday. Let me address my own question – with two Secret Service officials present in the restaurant, mind you, the thief somehow managed to enter the Capital Burger establishment, sit near Noem’s table, inch closer to the table and use his foot to slide...

I want to take a step back this week from discussing the security industry to discuss a personal topic, the passing of a friend and a colleague who shaped my views on journalism. On April 7, former reporter and then editor of the Copper Era newspaper, Walter “Walt” Mares,  passed away at the age of 71. He was there when I began my first job in the newspaper industry, and he can’t be described as having been anything less than larger-than-life. He was as old-school as the...

Now, I don’t want to say I told you so, but if you follow this blog and you thought this wasn’t going to come up again you owe me a whole basket of Easter candy, or at least the acknowledgment that we are still going to be talking about tariffs. If you follow our articles and blogs closely, you’re probably not shocked by this week’s topic (or just read the news in general).  Editor Cory Harris talked about this in February, I posted my own blog about it in November...

It’s time to pack your bags, hop on the plane, and head over to the biggest security industry event of the year. That’s right, it’s ISC West week, which means that nearly 30,000 security professionals - covering access control, video surveillance, AI technologies, alarms, smart home, cybersecurity and so much more - will gather in Las Vegas at the Venetian Expo for a whirlwind couple of days featuring education sessions, awards presentations, corporate functions, a charity run/walk,...

If you smell something burning this week don’t be too concerned, it’s probably U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s ears. I really, and I cannot stress this enough, REALLY didn’t want to discuss politics this or any week, but I don’t think we can let such a huge disruption in the security sphere pass by without comment. Operational Security (OPSEC) has been a guiding principle for members of the military since antiquity, and the word has entered the lexicon in...

Alphabet made its largest acquisition yet with a $32 billion deal to buy Wiz, formerly the world’s largest cybersecurity unicorn and now the upcoming face of Google’s cybersecurity ambitions. Alternate blog titles: G-Wiz, or Alphabet, sup? No time to workshop that one I’m afraid as I’m all business to discuss what is likely the biggest news ever for cloud security, or so far at least. Last time we discussed Wiz on this blog, a little more than a year ago, I talked...

I guess someone must have been reading my mind at PSA TEC, because a session I attended this week in Denver touched on the topic of our next Security Insights webcast (which is May 29, BTW. Details to follow). That topic – the collaboration among integrators, manufacturers, and end users – was addressed during the State of the Industry panel, a session which I always pay close attention to each year at PSA’s annual gathering of integrators. After all, this annual session features...