Government


What the Government Really Wants

Federal government buildings pose similar security challenges to commercial facilities: They need to control access, visually monitor daily activity and manage intrusion-prevention. To meet these demands, the government must integrate with numerous security manufacturers that supply a means to protect different functions, such as single sign-on for individual computers, or large servers to provide redundancy and fault-tolerant needs.

Beyond the Door

For many years now, the promise of biometrics has not been fully realized. This is, in large part, because performance in the lab is not representative of performance in the field. That’s the reason major programs for Citizen ID and others have never really been fulfilled.

The Other Story

When border security comes to mind, people typically think of long lines at border crossing stations, fence lines, and the reported apprehension of illegal immigrants. Although those quintesssential images accurately depict daily life at the border, they certainly don’t tell the whole story.

killswitch

Senators Seek Ban on Internet 'Kill Switch'

The proposed Cybersecurity and Internet Freedom Act explicitly states that “neither the President, the Director of the National Center for Cybersecurity and Communications or any officer or employee of the United States Government shall have the authority to shut down the Internet.”

New U.S. Green Cards to Contain Optical Security Media

LaserCard Corporation has received an order of approximately $8.6 million for optical security media cards to be issued under the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) program. Delivery is scheduled for completion in August.

Growing the Government

A critical element of protecting troops in the field of battle is proper identity management. A military installation in the Middle East, for example, must ensure that only authorized personnel can enter the camp. For soldiers, losing an access card to an enemy could be disastrous. Personal identification numbers are too easy to steal or share. To solve this problem, the military turned to biometrics just as other government entities have done as well.

Full-Service Security

The Hillsborough County Sheriff ’s office (HSCO) in Tampa, Fla., is a full-service law enforcement agency comprising more than 3,400 employees. Leadership and officers value integrity, professionalism and community-oriented policing as the top priorities of agency operations. Today, HCSO, led by Sheriff David Gee, is one of fewer than 20 public safety agencies in the nation to attain law enforcement, jail and medical accreditation.

What Contractors Should Know

Funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the $787 billion economic stimulus package enacted and signed into law in February 2009, are now being disbursed. According to http://www.recovery.gov, the government’s official ARRA spending website, of the $25 billion in ARRA funds that had been awarded, only $18 billion has been disbursed.



U.S., China Cooperate on Fighting Spam

The report will present voluntary best practices for reducing spam which, according to MAAWG, accounts for about 90 per cent of email traffic.

Survey: 60 Percent of Parents Think College Campuses are Unsafe

Just four in 10 parents of college-bound students think college campuses are safe, and only 3 percent of parents believe colleges are well-equipped to deal with emergencies, according to a recent survey conducted by Kelton Research.

FLIR Systems Wins Multi-Million Dollar Coastal Infrastructure Security Contract

FLIR Systems Inc. has teamed with Sonardyne International Ltd. on a multi-million dollar project in the United Arab Emirates. The companies, with FLIR as the project leader, will provide a commercial, off-the shelf, integrated perimeter and coastal protection solution for a key coastal facility.

Kevin Donovan Named Federal Security Director for Will Rogers World Airport

Donovan will be responsible for handling day-to-day security operations, which includes both passenger and baggage screening at OKC.

FLIR Systems Receives $5.6M Delivery Order From USSOCOM

This stabilized, lightweight, multi-sensor system will support the Long Range Ground Mobility Visual Augmentation Systems program and ground vehicles.

Shanghai Financial Services Area Implements Verint IP Solution

Shanghai International Financial Centre (IFC) in China’s Pudong Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone is implementing the Nextiva IP video portfolio from Verint Video Intelligence Solutions.

Opera Solutions Adds Former IBM Deputy CTO to Leadership Team

Herb Kelsey will pilot Opera's initiatives for new product development in cybersecurity and intelligence analysis.

U.S. Secret Service Uses Gaming Technology, 3D Modeling To Train For Incidents

Chemical releases, suicide bombers, air and subsurface threats: the U.S. Secret Service needs to be prepared to handle these real-life incidents. Training to respond to such incidents, however, has been more theoretical than practical. Now, with help from the Department of Homeland Security Science & Technology Directorate (S&T), the Secret Service is giving training scenarios a high-tech edge: moving from static tabletop models to virtual kiosks with gaming technology and 3D modeling.

Fujitsu Appoints Charles Yanak as Dir. of Product Management and Partner Development

Yanak will report directly to Christer Bergman, vice president of Fujitsu’s biometric solutions, who joined the company in December.

HID Global Facilitates Secure Network Access For More Than 85,000 U.S. Government Employees

HID Global, provider of solutions for the delivery of secure identity, recently announced it has secured an 85,000-unit order from a major U.S. government agency for the company’s OMNIKEY contact smart card readers for network authentication.

SightLogix Highlights Video Security Trailer at the Border Security Expo

At the Border Security Expo, SightLogix will highlight the Video Security Trailer (VST), a self-contained, rapidly deployable perimeter security solution for temporary or long-term surveillance that is applicable to border security applications.

Cisco Makes MorphoTrack an Ecosystem Provider

Cisco has selected MorphoTrack (Safran group) as an ecosystem provider, making the company’s MorphoAccess biometric readers available as an integral component of Cisco’s IP-based access control system.

Featured

  • The Evolution of IP Camera Intelligence

    As the 30th anniversary of the IP camera approaches in 2026, it is worth reflecting on how far we have come. The first network camera, launched in 1996, delivered one frame every 17 seconds—not impressive by today’s standards, but groundbreaking at the time. It did something that no analog system could: transmit video over a standard IP network. Read Now

  • From Surveillance to Intelligence

    Years ago, it would have been significantly more expensive to run an analytic like that — requiring a custom-built solution with burdensome infrastructure demands — but modern edge devices have made it accessible to everyone. It also saves time, which is a critical factor if a missing child is involved. Video compression technology has played a critical role as well. Over the years, significant advancements have been made in video coding standards — including H.263, MPEG formats, and H.264—alongside compression optimization technologies developed by IP video manufacturers to improve efficiency without sacrificing quality. The open-source AV1 codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media—a consortium including Google, Netflix, Microsoft, Amazon and others — is already the preferred decoder for cloud-based applications, and is quickly becoming the standard for video compression of all types. Read Now

  • Cost: Reactive vs. Proactive Security

    Security breaches often happen despite the availability of tools to prevent them. To combat this problem, the industry is shifting from reactive correction to proactive protection. This article will examine why so many security leaders have realized they must “lead before the breach” – not after. Read Now

  • Achieving Clear Audio

    In today’s ever-changing world of security and risk management, effective communication via an intercom and door entry communication system is a critical communication tool to keep a facility’s staff, visitors and vendors safe. Read Now

  • Beyond Apps: Access Control for Today’s Residents

    The modern resident lives in an app-saturated world. From banking to grocery delivery, fitness tracking to ridesharing, nearly every service demands another download. But when it comes to accessing the place you live, most people do not want to clutter their phone with yet another app, especially if its only purpose is to open a door. Read Now

New Products

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction.

  • Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden Door Controls is pleased to announce that, in response to soaring customer demand, it has expanded its range of ValueWave™ no-touch switches to include a narrow (slimline) version with manual override. This override button is designed to provide additional assurance that the request to exit switch will open a door, even if the no-touch sensor fails to operate. This new slimline switch also features a heavy gauge stainless steel faceplate, a red/green illuminated light ring, and is IP65 rated, making it ideal for indoor or outdoor use as part of an automatic door or access control system. ValueWave™ no-touch switches are designed for easy installation and trouble-free service in high traffic applications. In addition to this narrow version, the CM-221 & CM-222 Series switches are available in a range of other models with single and double gang heavy-gauge stainless steel faceplates and include illuminated light rings.

  • 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.”