From the Show Floor: Considering 2013's Strategic, Smart, Secure Solutions

Geoffrey Craighead, 2013 President of ASIS International, opened the ASIS International Seminar and Exhibits on Tuesday morning with an extravaganza of music and art – speed painters illustrated the exhibition’s theme “Strategic. Smart. Secure.” with murals while a local cover band and brass band provided background music.

But all of the flash didn’t overshadow the message, as Mr. Craighead said: the goal of ASIS, an 38,000-member organization, is to help security leaders and users understand their business and how best to contribute to the bottom line (Strategic); enabling them to seek knowledge, collaborate with partners and pursue additional education while being aware of and participating in the development and adoption of standards (Smart); and  are you working “to give the word ‘secure’ a new and higher meaning” (Secure).

                So how did vendors meet these expectations on the opening day of ASIS International 2013? By building on cooperation between stakeholders, users and technology, we saw an increase in convenient security, often made possible through biometrics (iris-authenticated access control, for the most part, with some fingerprint verification). While weaknesses were certainly acknowledged concerning the iPhone 5S’s fingerprint biometric verification, the consensus was that the application will introduce biometrics and smartphone security to more people, which would be a big step forward.

                Many manufacturers are also adapting their residential products for the commercial and enterprise security field, especially small and mid-sized businesses – this includes building automation, surveillance and operational mobility (typically controls and monitoring from iPads or iPhones).

                In 2014, several companies are looking for the continued strength of the switch from analog to digital security. However, Genetec just introduced a “Smart Analog” promotion within a Bosch and Ingram ecosystem, to offer a 16-channel encoder, 16 camera licenses and one year of maintenance for a low price point, which would bring IP benefits to users with a strong legacy investment in analog cameras.

                What trends are you seeing at ASIS 2013, and what solutions are you considering as you move forward in 2014? Let us know in the comments section below, or email me directly at meyerc@bnpmedia.com