The International Security Conference – ISC West – is the largest trade show in the USA. Our lady in North America, Una Riley, was there last month.
The event hosts over 1,000 exhibitors and more than 28,000 attendees drawn from all corners. This year’s between April 6 and 8 was at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Las Vegas that houses over 1.8 million square feet of combined meeting and event space. The mostly electrotechnical security channel was represented including manufacturers, dealers, installers, consultants … and Professional Security. One of the main purposes for attending was to see how it compares with the UK equivalent, IFSEC. But even before I reached the venue I was reminded of differences. Instead of hopping on the ‘Rattler’ for the trip into town to the ExCel in London, I was leaving Los Angeles for a sun-drenched drive of almost 300 miles much of it skirting the Mojave Desert. We were staying in one of the headquarter hotels for the exhibition – the splendid Venetian/Palazzo Resort Hotels, a short walk from the show floor … thank goodness! As a seasoned campaigner at security conventions I know the value of staying close to the action and as I have previously enjoyed weekend breaks at the Venetian, I was able to quickly secure a reservation … slightly reminiscent of the Hilton at the NEC back in the day … but not quite! Although on this occasion I elected to stay in the sister hotel The Palazzo. I am pleased to report that it was excellent and the daily visit to the show was all the better for the leisurely walk through the atrium leading to the entry to the show. En route I passed delightful garden features and a huge waterfall … and of course the xasino. Whilst this exceptional venue is great for such a show in Las Vegas and would be welcomed anywhere, the reality is this type of space would simply not be available in London … so comparing the location of IFSEC and Las Vegas is not really on. However, the content and the vibe of the show is. The ISC West is where the security community gathers to see new products and technologies first, to network with others, and to stay on top of emerging security risks with education just like in the UK with IFSEC. They also have the same type of seminars with the SIA (Security Industry Association) . As I approached the main entrance it felt familiar because I was immediately able to recognise many of the same exhibitors that attend IFSEC. There was Sony, Panasonic, ADT, Tyco, Paxton, Axis, Siemens, Pelco, Bosch and more familiar brands. It felt somehow comforting to see the companies that I have been involved with over the years as a customer or as a colleague. I approached the Winsted control room furniture stand. I had always thought that it hailed from Bromsgrove … but in fact it is a USA company. I chatted to Brent Leimer, Marketing Manager on the stand and spoke about the difference between this show and IFSEC and although he was aware of IFSEC he had never attended. What was interesting was that on almost all of the global stands that I approached not one of the personnel on attendance had either attended IFSEC or heard of it. I guess that might be the same if I tried it in reverse and asked personnel on the same global stands at IFSEC if they had heard of the ISC West exhibition?
However, I did find one chap on one of the American stands (who wanted to remain anonymous) that explained he had once worked for a global player and had attended IFSEC with that company over the years. He said: “IFSEC is the best international security exhibition as far as I am concerned. It has a professional air that does not exist anywhere else in the world.” I understand what he meant but I think that the casual attire and probable lack of stand rules at ISC plays a contributory factor. I saw one young lady on a small stand peeling an orange; she obviously did not intend shaking hands with anyone soon. There was also the munching of food and drink on the stands … not the hospitality kind; by the people who were manning them. Although that is just a little thing I think it is the little things that contribute to the overall environment of the show. However, all that said the vibe of the show was good and very busy. People were outwardly networking and taking in all that the show had to offer. This huge event showcased products like access control, alarms and monitoring, biometrics, fire control, networked security products, public security and safety, systems integration, video surveillance, wireless applications and more … with the occasional ‘odd’ stand that was slightly out of place in my opinion, but each to their own. One such company was called Bionyx. It produces an anti-ageing skin care treatment, I wasn’t sure if it was a new security range created for installers or catering for women in security?! I remember when I exhibited at IFSEC one year with my company – Euro Alarms, I had the usual biz card competition but the prize was a weekend at the exclusive Champneys Health Resort … initially it was so unusual back then that I was laughed at for introducing such a promo at what was a majority male attendance … but it was amazing how many cards I collected! So thinking about it maybe the cosmetic stand is not that odd after all?
Many of the recognised stands were launching new platforms and products. Axis introduced a new line of cameras targeting the small business sector. The Companion line is aimed at small business and although here in the USA this has not been their traditional target market, they recognise that smaller systems have a larger market share. Axis also introduced a new 360 multi-sensor network camera for its middle range client market. Another familiar company – Panasonic, introduced the AeroPTZ camera, a PTZ for extreme weather. The fibre glass body resists salt-air corrosion, and image stabilisation eliminates shaking from cameras mounted on tall poles. On the other hand relatively new entrants such as AtHoc a division of Blackberry are more established here than in the UK. Although I think that will change in the near future, simply because of the government take up.
BlackBerry launch
On April 5 BlackBerry announced the availability of their AtHoc hosted networked crisis communications platform from BlackBerry’s secure data centres in Europe. The new offering will serve European and global customers that plan to support public safety using the BlackBerry AtHoc cloud, which enables people to exchange critical information in real time during business continuity and life safety operations. In the USA the Blackberry’s AtHoc Crisis Communication Platform integrates with customers’ legacy systems and can assimilate historical systems and upgraded systems. This type of crisis communication platform is used to get all sorts of messages out to mobile phones from potential earthquakes to missing children. A lot of cloud video surveillance and storage companies were about. One of these was Eagle Eye Networks Inc. I briefly spoke to Dean Drako, President and CEO who said: “Eagle Eye Networks is leading the IT and cloud revolution of physical security. We are the first company to build a truly large scale infrastructure for storing and managing video in the cloud. Customers no longer have to manage DVRs on premise and can enjoy all the benefits of the cloud. I asked if he had plans to cross the Atlantic. He said: “We have six data centres worldwide and just opened our first data center in London to serve the UK market. In 2015 I acquired a company called Brivo, a world leader in providing cloud based access control.” We talked about the amount of IT and IoT products on the market and Drako went on: “As the technology level increases in video and access control more IT experienced individuals are getting involved. The need for cyber security is one of the things driving this. We have also seen physical security professionals expanding their own knowledge and becoming more IT-savvy.”
The merging of security technicians and IT providers is resulting in clients able to derive the advantages of cloud management and cloud storage including; lower TCO (total cost of ownership) on demand deployment, and centralised management, with complete flexibility to store video in the cloud. The IoT (Internet of Everything) platforms and crisis management packages featured high at the exhibition. What was interesting was the IT Pavilion featuring the latest cyber security solutions and the noticeable emergence of consumer products sold direct to the public such as NEST by Google – called Nest Protect. A package that comprises of a learning thermostat that not only learns your preferences but also saves money by saving energy when you don’t need it. The AI (Artificial Intelligence) will inform you of what it thinks your requirements are. The same sort of approach works with the smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector. This highly designed industrial-grade smoke sensor, tests itself automatically, and lasts up to a decade. It’s also the first home alarm you can hush from your phone without any extra hardware required. And just like the original Nest Protect, it tells you what’s wrong and can even alert your phone. Nest Protect has a friendly human voice that gives you an early warning. To complement this duo enter the plug and play Nest Cam. It has 24-7 live video streaming camera that allows you to view your home on your phone. Again it will send motion and sound alerts so you know if anything happens in your house if you are not there. It is quick and easy to set up and can be bought over here for low cost or in places like John Lewis in the UK. In the USA they have partnered with insurance companies to help provide the Nest Protect at no cost or 5pc insurance discount if you buy your own system and connect it to wi-fi and tell them it is working! Cyber security was a big topic at the show. Panasonic highlighted its use of embedded Symantec technology to protect camera streams and ensure data integrity. Tyco Security Products are implementing some of the cybersecurity measures developed in its government business sector and calling it their ‘Cyber Protection Program’. Tyco is applying its compliance with US government standards such as FISMA (US Federal Information Security Management Act) and the NIST cybersecurity framework which specify the required protections to their non-government business and other vertical markets. It all revolves around bespoke risk management pertaining to IT departments and their level of support.
Cyber theme
There were a lot of cybersecurity offerings but the same theme seemed to emerge. As many installers are aware, security of operational assets includes ensuring cybersecurity of video and access control systems. This historically has been an entry point for malware into a company’s IT system. At the show was a company called Wurldtech (a division of General Electric) that addresses cybersecurity of operational assets such as various types of computer-driven machines, focusing on vertical markets such as power, healthcare and transportation. The company offers a hardware ‘box’ as the solution to address such issues. Wurldtech calls the protection of operational assets their “cyber-physical security” range of services which include assessment and evaluation of people, processes and technology. It is not possible to talk about all the products at the show but I have to mention a stun gun that was on sale for $40 that was selling like hot cakes. Both women and men were buying these products and shoving them in their bags. I was intrigued and spoke to Billy Pennington the President and owner of the company – PS Productions Inc. A personal protection company that sells stun guns. My favourite was the ZAP Blast Knuckles 950,000 Volt Stun Gun … aim and press the trigger! This is America … so it’s legal (in most states) and is advertised as good for joggers and easy to operate. Pennington was very proud of his company and the designs. They started by selling pepper sprays and now the ZAP range is a well-known brand.
