My Point of View: Secured Cities Insider Preview

June 28, 2013
Conference returns to Baltimore with new look and content

Implementing a Secured Cities roadmap is not simply about technology, but building partnerships that help develop lasting security and emergency risk management solutions. The 5th Secured Cities Conference returns to Baltimore on November 14-15 for the first time since 2011, looking to engage all public and private urban security stakeholders who are tasked with these responsibilities.

Since its inception in 2010, the Secured Cities Conference has carved out a premier niche in the ever-expanding world of the “Safe City” initiative. Secured Cities is the only conference in the industry that serves the public/private partnership initiatives that are driving emerging video surveillance, hosted and cloud-based security solutions, and integrated risk strategies across every enterprise.

This unique venue offers a peer-to-peer experience with ranking participants from government, law enforcement, transit, campus and healthcare, in addition to high-level security management from both the physical and IT sides of the house.

Focus on Problem Solving

The Secured Cities Conference is not a trade show but rather a solutions summit.  The event’s content-driven focus attracts decision-makers. High-end attendees at Secured Cities are those asking the “why” questions as opposed to the “what” — meaning they have a specific need and are looking for companies that provide solutions and peer interaction that offers a roadmap for success.

This year we are excited to announce that Secured Cities will be partnering with the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS), the only organization solely dedicated to professionals involved in managing and directing security and safety programs in healthcare institutions. IAHSS will be providing their expertise in several healthcare security sessions and will be helping to promote the event through its association membership.

City Surveillance Booming

It is interesting to note that a recently released study from IMS Research says the global market for electronic security equipment aimed at city surveillance applications will more than double in size from 2012 to 2017, as metropolitan areas adopt mobile technology to deal with threats more efficiently

IMS is predicting that revenue worldwide for electronic security equipment in city security will expand at a compound annual growth rate of 17.8 percent from 2012 to 2017. By 2017, wireless infrastructure and CCTV and video surveillance equipment will amount to just over $3.2 billion, up from $1.4 billion in 2012.

With the mounting pressure to protect employees, visitors and assets, urban business districts, healthcare facilities, schools and universities, and transit operators must collaborate to optimize available funding and integrated technology solutions. City surveillance is a key tool for police departments and municipal leaders to help reduce crime and prepare for emergency response scenarios.

“I think CCTV now is bigger than just video,” says Lt. Samuel Hood III, a 17-year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department and the current director of law enforcement operations for its CitiWatch program. “We see it across all disciplines: video is tangible — it’s what everybody can put their hands on; but, you see the true interoperability where it reduces cost and you have better proficiency for public safety.” Lt. Hood and his group are also this year’s Secured Cities hosts.

As conference director and content chairman, I encourage you to join your peers from the city center, campus, healthcare and transit sectors for what promises to be the most interactive and rewarding event and educational experience of 2013.

We will strive to keep you engaged throughout the year with a new monthly Secured Cities Today newsletter providing solutions to your problems, targeted webinars and both pre and post-conference conversation, focus groups and social media interaction.

You can see the complete program of more than 55 concurrent sessions, as well as register and take advantage of early-bird pricing, on the Secured Cities Conference website at www.securedcities.com.