The SecurityInfoWatch.com and Cygnus Security Group crew is back from ISC West 2008. It really was a great show, and from what SIA's Richard Chace told me after the show, the numbers looked really good. The second day of the show, Thursday, was jam packed with attendees in the tradeshow floor, and although session attendance was apparently hit or miss (that probably depends more on the subject matter than the number of people there), it was clear that ISC West was the place to be! In fact, all you had to do was to send an email out to the industry, and judge by the number of "out of office" replies you received to tell how well the show was doing!
Finally, here are some more photos of the tradeshow floor, ranging from access control to chemical threat detection. There's always cool technology to see at this show, and I've been amazed at how ISC has transitioned from a alarm dealer's show to be a real, widespread gathering place for everything security, from computer access systems to mobile surveillance trucks. It really is an amazing place to see the industry.
From left: Alexander Ivanchenko of the Security Industry Association of Russia (RASI); Inna Svyatenko, deputy of Moscow City Council in charge of security; Sara Scroggins, product marketing manager with Pelco and a Women in Security Electronics (WISE) member; and Dale Eller, executive director of WISE. The four caught up after the show to discuss security in Moscow and advancing the role of women in the security industry. Svyatenko and Ivanchenko were on hand to review security solutions that could be used in Moscow for community protection.
What's a tradeshow without a hands-on contest? This one pitted techs and dealers against a clock and a retrofit project.
OK, you get the sneak preview here if you didn't make it to ISC West 2008. The Ford Transit Connect is a commercial delivery vehicle that would work especially well in urban environments and for small projects where you don't need as much delivery space. It's no E-150 full-size van, but it's probably just right for technicians, and the 4-cylinder engine won't drink up your business profits.
...but if you want to go heavy-duty, here's the bigger brother from Ford with a nice custom storage system. This thing is built to be a workhorse.
We caught up with Kevin Wine, who recently made the move from Lenel to ICx. The firm provides a broad array of security and threat detection solutions, designed to be integrated together. Here he is with the company's Fido detection unit for scanning liquids for chemical threats. The unbelievable thing is that this particular unit can detect liquid chemical threats through a sealed plastic bottle. That's right, you don't have to remove the cap (and potentially expose the environment) to test for liquid threats.
I wrote that ICx wants to integrate security. It may start with things like the Fido (or a cool card reader that tested for explosives residue), but the data can end up in the company's CommandSpace situational awareness system for linking video surveillance, sensor data and a lot more.
As the show ended, I ran into the staff of ScanSource Security Distribution, and got them together for a group shot. The beach theme had everyone smiling in the booth (or maybe those smiles were because the show was over and they could all get home!).
See you all at the next show...
-Geoff
