Top 3 Trends Gleaned from Day 1 at ISC West 2015

ISC West 2015 opened to a packed floor, and I'm not just talking about attendees. The number of booths have increased as well, making the show room footprint a little bit bigger. And, just like we say in Texas, "bigger is better," this largeness didn't stand in the way of the normal camaraderie and friendship that is typically felt at this security event. Many heart-felt embraces were to be seen as if long-lost friends who haven't seen each other in 20 years.

When I attend security events, of course, I'm focused on products and services being represented; however, I also take another approach to soaking up all I can in a short amount of time when hundreds of security companies are contained together in one space. I look for emerging trends.

Here are the three main trends found at ISC West this year:

A New Way of Doing Business

Yet, some companies chose to embrace the power of intimate conversations as a large number of them decided to set up in meeting rooms as opposed to having a booth on the showroom floor. This provided a tranquil, relaxing venue for interactions to take place. Some even supplied much-needed nourishment, such as granola bars, and the even more needed commodity of this tradeshow: coffee.

In my opinion, this was a rather smart move and a sort of new way of doing business in a tradeshow environment. Maybe it's because we are such a web-enthralled society, but it seems people in general crave real, human-to-human interaction and these companies took care of that basic need. If you think about it, wouldn't you rather do business with someone you know?

The "New" Buzz Word of Video Surveillance

After meeting with a few different camera manufacturers, a certain word emerged from all conversations: "multisensor." Without getting too technical, this simply means that a camera has and uses more than one sensor when recording data so that it can be viewed in the highest definition possible for extreme clarity. Obviously, for security applications, the ability to identify as many details as possible in recorded data is the main goal.

What I found to be rather humorous, though, is the way in which "multisensory" was presented by each company. One claimed to be the "first" one to bring this technology to the market, while another claimed that their cameras stitched images together better than the others and still another claimed their cameras to produce the clearest images on the market.

Integrator-centric

From an integrator's perspective, it's so important that the companies they choose to do business with support them, and I don't mean just with training, marketing materials, friendly voices at the other end of the phone when questions arise. Although all of these are a must, too, integrators are searching for companies that when the inevitable happens, a product fails, the company steps up and helps instead of placing the blame on the way the product was installed or referring to a warranty that may have already passed.

I spoke with an integrator who had a very dissatisfied end-user as from day one the chosen product didn't function correctly. At his wits end, the integrator reached out to the company for help and support. Not only did the company replace the product for FREE, no out-of-pocket cost to the integrator, but the company sent out one of their own installers to install the product for the integrator as a way of directly interacting with the end user on behalf of the company with apologies and superior customer service.

Wow! Talk about not only a HUGE positive impression on the integrator, but now that integrator and the company, too, has a customer for life!

All the companies I met with claim to be extremely integrator-centric, supporting their integrators 1001%. I sincerely hope that this is what they meant.

About the Author

Ginger Hill is Group Social Media Manager.

Featured

  • Report: 47 Percent of Security Service Providers Are Not Yet Using AI or Automation Tools

    Trackforce, a provider of security workforce management platforms, today announced the launch of its 2025 Physical Security Operations Benchmark Report, an industry-first study that benchmarks both private security service providers and corporate security teams side by side. Based on a survey of over 300 security professionals across the globe, the report provides a comprehensive look at the state of physical security operations. Read Now

    • Guard Services
  • Identity Governance at the Crossroads of Complexity and Scale

    Modern enterprises are grappling with an increasing number of identities, both human and machine, across an ever-growing number of systems. They must also deal with increased operational demands, including faster onboarding, more scalable models, and tighter security enforcement. Navigating these ever-growing challenges with speed and accuracy requires a new approach to identity governance that is built for the future enterprise. Read Now

  • Eagle Eye Networks Launches AI Camera Gun Detection

    Eagle Eye Networks, a provider of cloud video surveillance, recently introduced Eagle Eye Gun Detection, a new layer of protection for schools and businesses that works with existing security cameras and infrastructure. Eagle Eye Networks is the first to build gun detection into its platform. Read Now

  • Report: AI is Supercharging Old-School Cybercriminal Tactics

    AI isn’t just transforming how we work. It’s reshaping how cybercriminals attack, with threat actors exploiting AI to mass produce malicious code loaders, steal browser credentials and accelerate cloud attacks, according to a new report from Elastic. Read Now

  • Pragmatism, Productivity, and the Push for Accountability in 2025-2026

    Every year, the security industry debates whether artificial intelligence is a disruption, an enabler, or a distraction. By 2025, that conversation matured, where AI became a working dimension in physical identity and access management (PIAM) programs. Observations from 2025 highlight this turning point in AI’s role in access control and define how security leaders are being distinguished based on how they apply it. Read Now

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.