Entering the halls of the NEC, site for the IFSEC 2008 tradeshow in Birmingham, England.

The halls of the NEC are set up in such a way that there is a focus to different areas of the tradeshow floor. And the exhibits are where the focus is for this show. There are some good content sessions, but not nearly as many as you would expect from attending a comparable show like ISC West or ASIS International’s Seminars and Exhibits.

One of the startling things about the IFSEC show is the quality of booth presentations. Two-story booths with extensive meeting rooms and lounges aren’t uncommon here, as evidenced in Panasonic’s showcase booth for the surveillance solutions.

Visit IFSEC and you’re sure to come across huge UK security products distributor Norbain. They’re holding a promotion to let some lucky attendee win this Brig Eagle powerboat.

The SecurityInfoWatch.com team was able to catch up with Baruch Peled, CEO of Mango DSP (left) and Erez Meir, sales manager (right), to take a look at the companies unique approach to embedded technologies. Mango DSP has been strong in the U.S., but is ready to make a big push into the European security technologies space.

IP video company IndigoVision was showing their end-to-end IP solution. Ray Ede, in their technical sales group, was able to show some of the new features of the ControlCenter system, including analytics, a handy video incident bookmarking tool and other features that are boosting usability. IndigoVision CMO Joanna Brace reiterated a feeling a lot more about networked video: “IP is no longer an early adoption technology,” she said, though she admitted the market has been a bit confused about discussion of open standards and open architecture. Open architecture, she said, is not about connecting different hardware systems. Rather, she said, it’s about the ability to integrate entirely different platforms.

I was quite impressed by Risco Group’s new SynopSYS system, which integrates building management and security/access/surveillance into one easily managed solution.

UK-based access control firm Paxton Access was on my list. Trish Bambury, the marketing manager, had a lot to show off, including a really unique system for using license plate recognition for access control (and it doesn’t need a DVR or NVR — instead, the camera works like the access reader, and the system verifies whether a plate number is listed in the system to determine whether to grant access).

The real product showcase at Paxton, however, was a number of door hardware pieces. On site were the Marine reader which is built for harsh and maritime environments, and still quite stunning in its design, and the Architectural reader, which fits in with architects needs and can be customized to match building designs.

Sometimes you just have to deal with vandals. Paxton’s vandal resistant keypad deals with them and even manages to retain a nice sense of style.

Of course, if you’re looking for Paxton’s most haute designed reader, it’s this one. The LCD screen allows the user to upload four unique images, so that the customer could put their logo on the screen. Images could be anything from just welcome messages to an event image like “Access Denied, please visit Security Office in building 2″ or anything the integrator or client could come up with. Slick, indeed.

Okay, this wasn’t on the exhibit floor, but here’s a name you don’t see much of in our industry anymore: Philips.

And finally, as tradition at IFSEC seems to dictate, one of the smiling faces on the IFSEC tradeshow floor.

More coverage tomorrow, stay tuned.

-Geoff

I had the opportunity to attend the opening mixer Tuesday night and walk the show floor Wednesday.  Judging from the fact that the ballrooms for the opening mixer (and lunch the next day) were packed, this PSA show does well.  The foot traffic on the show floor did pick up during the day (like it did last year), but obviously some booths get far more traffic than others. 

In talking with integrators at the show, it was obvious that most of them know what they’re looking for in a product or solution.  One trend that I noticed was that many integrators are interested in learning more about the different solutions available for video management.

Some vendors went above and beyond to answer questions for potential (or even current) customers.  Exacq Technologies, for instance, had TJ Johnson, manager of software engineering, on hand at the booth to take tech questions (and suggestions) about their software.  If a change were to be made to Exacq’s software, he’d be the one to do it.

Here are some photos I took at the show:

 
Above: Here’s a shot of the show floor from above–about half of the floor is shown. (This photo was taken through a window, so I’m sorry for the reflection.)

Above: Everyone took a break from the exhibits for lunch at noon.

Above: Over at DynaLock’s booth on the left we have Scott Youzva, national sales manager, and Michael Liebensohn, sales engineer. (Youzva and Liebensohn are also known by some as the ”Dynamic Duo.”)

Above: Middle Atlantic Products had its new and improved LCD Desk System on display. Here you’ll notice the front panel comes off to allow for easy (and tidy) management of cables throughout the desk.

Above: Pelco had some fun handing out prizes at the end of exhibits day. Their grand prize winner received a $500 gift card for Apple Inc. 

-Greg

In February I wrote a blog about Wegmans grocery stores deciding not to sell tobacco products anymore. (View article) Last week there was a front page article in USA Today about pharmacies “putting out their smokes”.According to Wendy Koch of USA Today the San Francisco Board of Supervisors will approve a ban on city pharmacies from selling tobacco products, taking effect on October 1, 2008.  Ah, but you say this is San Francisco - one would expect nothing less from them.

According to USA Today similar Bills are pending in New Hampshire, Illinois and Tennessee with pharmacies that have walk-in clinics.  A Bill in New York would apply to all pharmacies, including industry giant WalMart. According to the article Wegmans was not the only grocer to remove tobacco product in February. New York- based chains Budwey’s and DeCicco Family Markets followed suit. Some ShopRite stores joined the bandwagon in March.

In the February blog piece I asked if this trend was going to catch on.  I have my answer.

Curtis Baillie, Principal Consultant - Security Consulting Strategies, LLC

Wal-Mart is not alone. There are other companies like Target and K-Mart that perhaps love those signs that announce the presence of video, but are they just a guise? Are dummy cameras still around and being used in these instances and many more around the country?

No cameras at Lane Bryant
Surely they have the money to install some modicum of security. Same with the Lane Bryant murders of several store associates and shoppers in February in Tinley Park, Ill. In this instance, they didn’t have security cameras at all. The police used surveillance tapes from surrounding stores in a two-mile radius, but without results. There are still no details in those murders in which five women were shot execution style.

A sixth woman, shot in the neck, escaped death by playing dead, according to news reports. She is currently in protective custody. She was the one who provided some details about the gunman so police artists could create a sketch and there were others who tried to provide identification.  But that provided a rendition only and not the truth, which is what a security camera brings to these incidents.

Come on retailers. Get with it! Technology doesn’t come cheap, but if your customers are dead, they obviously can’t shop anymore. By the way, if you can help the Tinley Park Police Department in Illinois solve the Lane Bryant crimes contact them. You might make someone’s Mother’s Day a bit more bearable.

–Deborah L. O’Mara, editor, Security Dealer & Integrator magazine

Above: NBFAA President George Gunning addresses members during breakfast as the association’s lobbyist, John Chwat, looks on.

Above: Representative Paul Broun (R-GA) addresses the members during breakfast. He spoke about the importance of enabling the security industry to do federal background checks on people they hire in order to protect both themselves and their customers.

Above: Representative Michael Arcuri address members during lunch, thanking them for their commitment to security.

Above: NBFAA members gather for a group photo during lunch at Rayburn Building.

Above: A view of the Capitol Building from atop Honeywell’s headquarters at 101 Constitution Avenue.

Above: NBFAA President-Elect Mike Miller (left) shares a moment of solidarity with current NBFAA President George Gunning.

Above: From left to right: Zach DeWaters, VP, Chwat & Co., Inc.; John Chwat, President, Chwat & Co., Inc., and Director of Governmental Relations for NBFAA; Samantha DeBee, Director Governmental Relations, Chwat & Co., Inc.

Above: Honeywell, a $37 billion dollar company last year, gave NBFAA members a tour highlighting the company’s wide range of technologies and products.

Above: During the tour, Honeywell displayed a model city to showcase how its technologies work in the real world. (In the upper left-hand corner is an airplane; in the upper-right is a satellite.)

Stay tuned for a report in Security Dealer & Integrator as well!

-Greg

Not long ago I spoke before an Interpersonal Relationship class at an American Management Association seminar about using neuro-linguistic movements to determine truthful and false statements. At the end of the first day I told the attendees to try an experiment at home to test what they had learned. Those with small children had them tell a bedtime store; one that the child knew well. They were told to look for right and left brain reactions as the child told the story. They then told their children to tell another bedtime store, this time making up the story as they went along. The next day the results were as I suspected. Many participated in the exercise and reported that they were astounded by what they had learned from their children. They now were able to, more accurately; determine when their children were telling them the truth. Many years ago I taught my wife this technique as she was really fustrated one day and asked me, “How do you always know when the kids are telling the truth?”

Try this with your children - you’ll be amazed by the results. Here’s a guide to use. Let me know about your results.

The following guide is reprinted with permission from W-Z & Associates -

Neuro-Linguistic Eye Movement - The eyes are used by each of us as we begin to recall or create information from our visual, auditory, or kinesic channels.  By determining which representational system a subject is using, the interviewer can ascertain whether or not the information is being recalled or created.

Eye movement of subject
Up and to the left:   visually recalling
Up and to the right:  visually creating
Straight across to the left:  recalling something heard
Straight across to the right:  creating something heard
Down and to the left:  internal dialogue
Down and to the right:  internal feelings, touch

- Curtis Baillie, Principal Consultant - Security Consulting Strategies, LLC

The thing about these devices is that they are so easily stolen. A criminal can throw a laptop under an arm or drop a Blackberry in a pocket. Such, it seems, was the case with a Mexican embassy official who attempted to steal Blackberries from White House staffers in late April. According to a report on Fox News’ website and an Associated Press report, the Mexican staffer simply grabbed some Blackberries that were left on a table outside a meeting room (security and custom dictate that these devices don’t get into high-level meetings with President Bush) and almost got away with it, were it not for surveillance video systems set up by the U.S. Secret Service.

Can you imagine the intelligence information that was sitting on that table? [Also check out a new blog post on this same White House Blackberries topic from our friend Kevin Beaver at his Security on Wheels blog.]

-Geoff

Get to the fun at Shockwave’s Airport Security game landing page.  — Geoff

• Our friend Steve Hunt is an analyst and general industry rabble-rouser. He’s also got some sharp insights into the world of vendors and hot technologies. Go to http://www.securitydreamer.com/
• Bruce Schneier is THE MAN when it comes to all things encryption. If you want to geek out on encryption or enjoy his lively commentary, get yourself over to http://www.schneier.com/blog/
• I had mentioned before that Frank DeFina (Panasonic Systems Solutions President) has a blog, but that post has been buried in the archives. Frank’s blog can be reached at http://blog.panasonic.com/frank/
• I just learned at ISC West that Dr. Bob (last name Banerjee, for those of you outside of the Bosch Security loop) is blogging — mainly about video surveillance. It’s good to have another familiar name in the security industry blogosphere. Go here: http://blog.boschsecurity.us/
• And although we mentioned it before on the main news site, I want to repeat to you all again that our friend Curtis Baillie, a security consultant from Pennsylvania and general retail loss prevention whiz, is now blogging for SIW: http://www.securityinfowatch.com/blog/category/security2lp/ 

-Geoff

Good tips for making estimates and proposals easier on you:

- Create a list of your top 100 products and detail basic information such as your product cost (from distributor), your MSRP (or MSRP range).
- Create a list of estimated time it would take your installers to install and configure each of these common pieces of hardware. Consider also including estimated time for training the end-user.
- Create pre-configured system packages (4 cameras plus a DVR plus cabling, power supplies and mounting kits, for example).
- Create a number of common pre-configured accessory packages (an accessory list for a standard analog fixed camera might include power supply, enclosure, mounting kit, etc.)
- Create checklists of products that are essential to any system (e.g., single and double-gang boxes, flex conduit, hard conduit, etc.) to make sure these easy-to-forget items are included in your costs when making proposals and bids.

We’re sure there are more good suggestions of things to have pre-planned to make proposals and bidding easier. Share your ideas with the industry by adding a comment to this blog post.

-Geoff