Ask the Expert: Ron Ludvigsen

The safety and security of millions of business and pleasure travelers each year is a major concern for the hospitality industry. Terrorists and other more common criminals looking to cause harm to property or guests have increasingly targeted hotels. Recent high-profile attacks in India and Indonesia have highlighted the danger at hotels around the world. We spoke to Ron Ludvigsen, president of CGL Electronic Security, to find out more.

Issue: What are the first steps a hospitality facility should take to best deter attacks?

Solution: A large number of visitors pass through a hotel each day, presenting a number of immediate and important challenges to address. Access control can be a simple and effective procedure to implement. Systems are most likely already in place for keycard access to rooms. But access control also should be extended to other areas. Think about securing the pool, gym, office, meeting rooms and parking facility.

Use access key cards that enable visitors to enter their room and common areas, while blocking unwanted persons. Electronic keycards make it easy to block entry to a former guest who no longer has access privileges.

Keeping undesirable visitors away is a very important step for guest safety. Bollards installed outside the lobby will help provide a zone of safety between vehicles and the facility. Plant bushes and hedges around ground fl oor windows to ensure privacy for guests and provide another layer of security.

Issue: What role can video surveillance play in hospitality security?

Solution: A video surveillance system can serve as both a deterrent to criminals and a way to monitor live and recorded video. Cameras should be placed in the most visited areas of the hotel: the lobby, hallways, elevator banks, restaurants and bars, and HVAC and other equipment rooms.

Well-placed signs reminding visitors that they are being monitored can serve as an effective deterrent. Video analytics can offer a long-term return on investment by providing a constant monitoring presence with a reduction in the number of security staff required. The analytics can signal an alarm when the software detects a potentially dangerous situation, such as a person behaving erratically or a car parked in an unauthorized space.

Parking lots are another area that should be monitored by cameras and secured with access control. Use gates that only allow entry to keycard holders, and strategically place cameras in appropriate areas—an experienced security integrator will be able to determine the right spots.

Although cameras are extremely valuable, they cannot completely eliminate the need for security personnel. Ensure that the facility has security guards patrolling the grounds, especially at night. The presence of guards also is reassuring to guests. Other security concerns often overlooked are threats that may be invisible to the naked eye. Carbon monoxide and fire monitoring systems should be in place to protect guests and abide by local laws and building codes.

Consult an experienced and recommended integrator to help handle a range of issues from where to place cameras to what type of access control equipment to install.

Reader Question: I am a biological scientist by training who has been asked to head our small pharmaceutical company’s security committee. We are looking into a video surveillance system to monitor our production and shipping areas. We require quality video but don’t have much in the budget for cameras. What type of cameras and recorders would you recommend for us?

Solution: Although budgets are always a concern, regardless of the industry, it should not be the deciding force in selecting a video surveillance system.

There are many cameras and recorders that have very attractive price points but suffer from a quality standpoint, in both the image presented and stored by the recorder.

Network-based IP cameras provide cost-effective solutions by allowing you to leverage existing infrastructure such as the facility network and storage solutions. Traditional analog cameras require a separate cabling structure for both power and video. On the other hand, IP cameras are network appliances. You plug them into an available network port, and they use the network infrastructure to deliver the images to monitoring workstations and recording systems.

Megapixel cameras provide a denser image, allowing a single megapixel camera to provide video coverage equivalent to four standard resolution cameras. They allow you to zoom in without the image becoming blocky or pixilated.

Since this is a network-based solution, you should include your IT groups as part of your security committee. Bottom line, if you want more value and performance for your money, IP network surveillance cameras and recorders is the way to go.

Featured

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

  • Overwhelming Majority of CISOs Anticipate Surge in Cyber Attacks Over the Next Three Years

    An overwhelming 98% of chief information security officers (CISOs) expect a surge in cyber attacks over the next three years as organizations face an increasingly complex and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital threat landscape. This is according to new research conducted among 300 CISOs, chief information officers (CIOs), and senior IT professionals by CSC1, the leading provider of enterprise-class domain and domain name system (DNS) security. Read Now

  • ASIS International Introduces New ANSI-Approved Investigations Standard

    • Guard Services
  • Cloud Security Alliance Brings AI-Assisted Auditing to Cloud Computing

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, today introduced an innovative addition to its suite of Security, Trust, Assurance and Risk (STAR) Registry assessments with the launch of Valid-AI-ted, an AI-powered, automated validation system. The new tool provides an automated quality check of assurance information of STAR Level 1 self-assessments using state-of-the-art LLM technology. Read Now

  • Report: Nearly 1 in 5 Healthcare Leaders Say Cyberattacks Have Impacted Patient Care

    Omega Systems, a provider of managed IT and security services, today released new research that reveals the growing impact of cybersecurity challenges on leading healthcare organizations and patient safety. According to the 2025 Healthcare IT Landscape Report, 19% of healthcare leaders say a cyberattack has already disrupted patient care, and more than half (52%) believe a fatal cyber-related incident is inevitable within the next five years. Read Now

New Products

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • 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.

  • 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.”