A Day Full of Interesting Things at ISC West 2015

• By Ginger Hill
• Apr 16, 2015

With the first day in the history books, ISC West 2015 opened its doors to a sea of attendees who flooded the showroom floor in anticipation of what security products and services were to be found. It's almost like a scavenger hunt, searching and seeking, stopping here and there to ask questions, engage in conversations and then move on to the next booth.

One of my first visits was with Speco Technologies' Peter Botelho, vice president and general manager, who informed me that their new identifier as a company is an "HD company" as the major focus of their products is high definition.

Highlighting their HD-TVI line of analog cameras and recorders, this family of products produces high definition over coax cable, making the installation process less complex than IP installations.

Moving on throughout my day, I stopped to visit with HID Global's Mike Klein, corporate communications manager, who introduced me to their Electronic Visit Verification tag. In essence, this is a little sticker that can be attached to anything, such as a light switch or poster, and acts as an authentication or proof of presence tool. It is cloud-based so there is no need for an app or special software, just a mobile device. The most popular use case is in home healthcare, where the tag is adhered to a light switch in the patient's home. When the nurse arrives, he or she taps the tag with his/her smartphone, the data is sent to the cloud and is authenticated there, proving that the nurse was present in the patient's home.

Next, Francois Wolf, CMO, Pivot 3 schooled me in the world of data storage.

"Security isn't just about cameras," Wolf said. "So, we're beginning to run other security applications on virtual SAN." End users don't just want a bunch of recorded data sitting around; they are seeking ways to process video data, use it for identification purposes and to streamline other business processes.

My next stop on the ISC West booth trail was with Micropower Technologies' Dave Tynan, vice president of global marketing and sales who spoke of their integrated, solar, wireless video surveillance solution, Solveil, for perimeter and remote location security.

"The secret sauce is power management," said Tynan. "Solveil reduces power consumption to ¾ of a watt with a modestly-sized solar panel."

Tynan went on to explain the reliability of solar power and how Micropower Technologies actually used a data base of weather patterns from years of NASA research so that weather could be predicted at a minimum of 5 days out.

Toward the end of my day, I met with a new company, BeOn, who hopes to add a whole new category to the security industry with their smart lightbulb. Their main focus is residential security by using a homes' lighting patterns and LED lighting. There's no special installation, minus screwing in a light bulb, which immediately starts learning the lighting patterns of a household. It then replays the lighting pattern as normal when the home owners are away for an extended period of time, creating the illusion that someone is home; therefore, deterring would-be burglars.

I'm excited to see what day two of ISC West 2015 has in store.