One trend that is beginning to rapidly take hold across the technology landscape is the concept of what has been dubbed as the “Internet of Things” or IoT for short, which is essentially the proliferation of web-enabled devices throughout all industries. In fact, Cisco, which was one of the pioneers behind the IoT phenomenon, predicts that by 2020, there will be somewhere between 20 to 50...

I was thrilled to be invited to the Diane Rehm Show (WAMU) this week to participate in a special program on preventing violent acts in public places, which also featured Dr. Lisa Gold, of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and Bruce Shapiro of Columbia University’s Center for Journalism & Trauma, who was a victim himself of a stabbing in New Haven, Conn. With recent events in...

  Home automation technologies may have received a huge amount of headlines at the recent Consumer Electronics Show, but, when it comes to security-related technology, ISC West was certainly not far behind the giant consumer show. I caught up with a variety of vendors that were featuring home automation products in my travels at ISC West, and the depth and breadth of different products...

Look past the bells, whistles, flashing lights and other hoopla at ISC West this week and you’ll see more than hardware and boxes.  You’ll discover new ways to bring recurring monthly revenue (RMR) and cash flow to the solutions you sell. Shifting your focus from hardware and a "break-fix" mentality to "everything as a service" can be a difficult transition, but ISC West is the perfect...

Editor’s note: The article below was written by IAPSC President, Frank Pisciotta, CSC. This is a great conference that every security consultant should consider attending. It features great vendor displays, discussions and sharing. There is something for everybody. I will be attending and look forward to seeing colleagues and other consultants there.  – Curt The International...

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has to be the most maligned federal agency in history. Everyone who flies seems to have their own version of TSA hell, spanning the security line purgatory of incidental groping and rude behavior to theft and intrusive scanning. I do fly on a regular basis, and I will say that my negative experiences with TSA agents have been minimal. Except...

In building a winning project team for physical security installations, lead project managers must carefully assess the skills of the project team to insure that proper representation of stakeholders is present, with a clear delineation of the roles and responsibilities of a project. In addition, there are several cultural, technical, process methodologies, and integration strategies that must...

A recent comprehensive study by ASIS International and the Institute of Finance and Management (IOFM) shows a booming market for security. It’s $350 billion, to be exact, according to "The United States Security Industry: Size and Scope, Insights, Trends, and Data." Some $282 billion consists of private sector spending. What’s more, 17 security companies made the 2013 Inc. 5000 list that...

This time they went too far… No, I have not joined the ranks of ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, Congressman John Fleming, or the online version of China's Communist Party newspaper — my eyes are wide open and I’m no “victim” of satire. Today, The Onion posted a story with the headline: “ 16-Year-Old Excited To Have Whole Summer To Plan Shooting For Next School Year” . You...

Editor's note: Edward Dunham, an attorney with Kleinbard, Bell & Brecker, co-authored this blog entry. If your company recently suffered a power outage or other hurricane-related damage you may be tempted to put any potential insurance claim to the side and focus on getting your operations up and running again. First things first, but you may have rights under the insurance you’ve purchased...