An outsider’s perspective of ISC West

April 17, 2015
Industry tech on display provides a glimpse of security’s future

As a guest contributor for the Cygnus Security Group, I offer a slightly different perspective on ISC West.  On the opening day of the conference, I picked up my badge and headed onto the exhibit floor with expectations of seemingly magical technology and more aggressive sales pitches (as compared to the law enforcement market).  What I actually experienced thought the day was quite different and, ultimately, very surprising.

The technologies I was exposed to the first day weren't as much focused on access control and physical security, which is what I had expected, but instead were a conglomeration of "mixed tech;" integrated systems of various access control or asset tracking tools that provided full spectrum over watch capabilities such as I have not been previously exposed to.  I was surprised by the depth of detail that was analyzed for hardware design and the foundation it presented for an overlay of ever more sophisticated software suites.

By the end of the day, I had seen something that did seem almost magical thanks to the technology combination - top of the line hardware combined with futuristic (yet real) software.  The result was a wearable camera that transmitted a seamless live view of whatever environment it was in.  I'm not talking about delivering a live stream of a forward looking camera, or a rear view camera, or any other omni-directional device.  I'm talking about a camera that shows the viewer or recording device full surround: 360 degrees on the horizontal and 360 degrees on the vertical.  I know the term isn't welcome in the industry, but on the law enforcement side we call that a 720 degree "real world."

With examples like that (and you'll get more information about that particular technology in the near future), I actually came away from day one eager to see what day two would hold. And I simply never expected to have that outlook.  The show floor at ISC West honestly is a peak into tomorrow's capabilities, thereby demonstrating what anyone in a successful security field had better be familiar with.  It goes beyond sales demonstrations/pitches, and crosses into the world of valuable education/familiarization.

About the Author

Frank Borelli | Editor-in-Chief, Officer.com

Lt. Frank Borelli (ret) is the Editor In Chief for Officer.com, and has been producing equipment evaluations and articles for the police and military communities since 1999. Pulling on his 7 years of military service, more than 25 years of police experience and over 20 years of instructor experience, he stays active in police work, training, and writing.