ISC West Opens Its Doors

• By Megan Weadock
• Mar 24, 2010

As ISC West 2010 opens its doors to the security industry, today promises to be an exciting -- and, at times, hectic -- day for many attendees. Sometimes it seems as if there’s simply too much to see and do at ISC West, especially in a year that includes so many new educational tracks, expos and panel discussions, not to mention the vast show floor itself.

First and foremost, the winners of the SIA New Product Showcase will be revealed this afternoon. There are an impressive 81 products competing for the top spot in 20 different categories, including IP Devices, Products and Software; Video Storage and Distribution; Security Solutions Services; Judges Choice; and, of course, Best New Product. This last designation goes to the product or solution “that demonstrates the most impressive technological advances,” as well as “increased functionality, improved ease of use and/or cost reduction.”

Last year’s top winner was Pivot3’s Serverless Computing storage solution.

Don’t miss the awards ceremony today at 3 p.m. in Booth No. 11074 to find out who will be No. 1 this year. (In the meantime, the showcase products are all on display in the exhibit hall, giving attendees a one-stop source for both the winners and other entries.) 

If you’re reading this while you’re having your morning coffee, there’s still time to attend the conference’s opening event, State of the Industry, Part 1: The Industry Expert Roundtable. Before the exhibit hall doors open, hear key industry leaders, including Bill Bozeman from the PSA Security Network and Sandy Jones of Sandra Jones and Co., discuss security trends and how they effect manufacturers, dealers, installers, integrators and end users. The event is being held at 9 a.m. at the Wayne Brady Theater in the Venetian.

Other noteworthy sites at this year’s tradeshow include the Public Security and Safety Expo, which provides resources for homeland, municipality and infrastructure security. Clearly, protecting schools, cities, healthcare facilities and the like is a huge challenge facing the industry. According to the ISC West Web site, attendance by public security officials has increased 40 percent since PSS Expo was introduced. So if you’re a government integrator, local government official or campus security officer, keep an eye out for PSS Expo exhibitors, which include ASSA ABLOY, Sarnoff and GE Security.

Don’t miss the Physical Security Interoperability Alliance’s special technology demonstration on Thursday at 3 p.m. PSIA is a global consortium of physical security providers that works to promote the interoperability of IP-enabled devices. During the demonstration, members will showcase various PSIA-enabled products, including video surveillance, access control and intrusion detection, from Texas Instruments, UTC Fire and Security, Milestone Systems, IQinVision and others.

"PSIA continues to make significant strides in not only developing specifications but garnering additional support from all sectors of the industry," said Robert Hile, chairman of PSIA, in a press release. "This technology demonstration will showcase our efforts, and we look forward to welcoming the industry at large to view the benefits of IP standards at our event at ISC West."

No matter your place in the industry, IP technology is surely affecting your work in some way. Now is the time to get up-to-date on network-enabled devices and where the trends are heading. In fact, in addition to the PSIA event, the IP Technology Advancement Center offers attendees the chance to examine a fully integrated security system on an IP network, including video, analytics, access control, and communications and intercom. Visit Booth No. 24068 to learn from the system and attend IP-TAC’s vendor Q&A sessions today and tomorrow. For a schedule of speaking times, visit http://www.iscwest.com/en/ISC-West/Attendee-Info/IP-TAC/.

And while you’re cruising the exhibit hall today, make sure you stop by Booth No. 4055 to visit with Security Products. We’re always interested in hearing what you think about the tradeshow and the year ahead.