Security Technology & Design

The Insider

"It is a pleasure for me to welcome each of these individuals to the ASIS Board of Directors, as they have already done so much to advance both the Society and the profession as a whole," says Steve D. Ghupa, GPP, 2007 President of ASIS International. "We look forward to their contributions to the efforts of the Board, and the positive impact their increased involvement will have on ASIS."

Getting On the Same Page

I first started asking this month's question to security practitioners at security conferences and meetings several months ago. The answers didn't surprise me, but I was not expecting the level of pent-up frustration that was voiced in most security practitioners' answers.

Security Innovation Award Winner: Building On Success

During the project, the Loyola security office received a mandate from the university's Vice President's office to upgrade surveillance at the Lake Shore campus, so the team got to work finding the right camera technology: IP and IP mega-pixel cameras. "Our selection committee [for cameras] was looking for image and cost performance," says [Frank Dale], Loyola's manager of physical security. "Among the 15 different IP camera models, our committee felt the IQeye was the best camera...

Mass Notification Solutions Roundtable-in-Print

Ladin: First, when evaluating mass notification systems, almost every vendor tries to accomplish the same goal - notifying a large number of individuals in a small amount of time. A prudent evaluation necessitates looking at what types of devices you will contact your audience on.

Product Showcase

The Model 5140C/3 maximum security shredder from security Engineered Machinery (SEM) has a built-in oiling system that keeps the cutting blades sharp even under constant use. Shredding paper to 1 mm ? 5mm particles, it meets the requirements as set forth in NSA/CSS 02-01 for paper destruction.

The Front Page

Asis President the Model of a New Order

We know as an organization that we need to elevate the educational aspects offered our members, but we need to go beyond that. We must make the events interactive venues to not only see and learn about the new technologies on the floor and bring that knowledge back to the workplace, but also to further the move towards migrating security issues to the boardroom.

The Insider

In Brief

* HID Global has launched a new version of the company's RP40 multiCLASS reader, which now supports Indala 125 kHz proximity and AWID, in addition to HID proximity. New enhancements combine 125 kHz proximity and 13.56 MHz contactless smart card and reader technologies into a single reader.

Video Surveillance

Troubleshooting Utp Cctv Systems

Faint or blurry picture with little or no color: This symptom most often indicates loss of signal strength. Check for excessive wire distance, incorrect equalization of adjustable UTP transmitter or receiver, improper camera adjustment or output level, the use of shielded wire or water damage to wire. Testing for possible water in the line involves measuring the capacitance between the conductors that have been disconnected from other equipment.

Case In Point

Tennessee Youth Villages Campus

Additional Vicon infrared camera models VC620 and VC621 were furnished throughout the campus, as well as VC600 mini domes. Local viewing and control from each of the cottages is accomplished via Vicon's Rollector Pro digital video recorders. A fiber network was installed across the vast campus to bring all video signals back to the DVR, which acts as the head-end workstation for the entire facility.

Retail Security

Taking Loss Prevention to a New Level

Viewing specific transactions on video is now 75 percent faster than with the old system," the retailer's operating vice president says. "The system maximizes the productivity of our loss-prevention staff - especially in smaller stores that have only one or two loss-prevention members." He expects to add more PTZ cameras and has IP cameras in some locations. As new video analytic technology becomes available, he envisions the system becoming much more than a security system.

It Security On The Road

Avoiding the Parent Trap

An intriguing way to look at these interpersonal roles was developed by the late psychiatrist Dr Eric Berne in the 1950's. He called his theory transactional analysis. In short, he postulated that each of us has three internal alter egos: the parent, the child and the adult. A way to look at this is that our parent is our "taught" concept of life, our adult alter ego is our "thought" concept of life, and our child is our "felt" concept of life.

Securityinfowatch.Com

What's On the Web

If you're looking for live coverage from top industry tradeshows like ISC East and ASIS 2007, you can find them at securitylnfoWatch.com. ASIS will have live coverage from Cygnus' editorial group and a dedicated daily news page (see link below) as well as live e-newsletters from the show.

Access Control & Id Management

A Wireless World

There are other blockage issues to consider when using wireless in security applications. For example, a microwave transmitter can be set up to send closed circuit television (GGTV) video from one location to another location many miles away. Signal blockage can occur with the construction of a new structure that is in the signal's path. This problem is exacerbated when there are changes of elevation along the wireless signal path.

Web-Hosted Access Control: The Business Case

This effectiveness was demonstrated in a recent application, when the Village of Hoffman Estates of Illinois installed Brivo Systems' ACS WebService, a Web-hosted solution that includes wireless control panels and multiple DVRs recording more than 20 surveillance cameras. The solution is part of a complete security plan for which the Village recently won the 2007 Exceptional Performance in Safety award from the Chicago Metro chapter of the American Public Works Association.

The Business Of Security

Workplace Violence: Prevention and Response

Training and communications: People may not instinctively recognize the early indicators of potential violence, and they certainly will not raise their concerns unless they have been made to understand their roles and duties under the program and why it is their responsibility to raise concerns to appropriate channels.

Gaining a Foothold

When asked when they might achieve their ideal state of convergence, the respondents were evenly divided. Thirtyfive percent said they were already there or would reach their ideal state within a year. Thirty-two percent expect to achieve their ideal in 2-3 years and another 33 percent said the pace is unpredictable, and it is unlikely that they would achieve their ideal state of convergence in the foreseeable future.

Information & Data Security

Security Cooperation

According to the article, "Since the attacks of Sept. 11, law enforcement/ private security partnerships have been viewed as critical to preventing terrorism and terror-related acts. Because the private sector owns and protects 85 percent of the nation's infrastructure, while local law enforcement often possesses threat information regarding infrastructure, law enforcement/private security partnerships can put vital information into the hands of the people who need it.

When 'Delete' Is Not Enough

John Livingston has served as Absolute Software's chairman and CEO since 1995, growing the company from its infancy to 135 employees in 2007. Absolute introduced "Computrace" in 1994. Under Mr. Livingston's leadership, Absolute has evolved to offer a full range of business solutions encompassing physical, data and network security as well as IT asset management. Prior to taking the helm of Absolute, Mr.

Career Link

Understanding Compensation Philosophy

The only issue is that this individual's compensation is significantly higher than your position requisition, or your company's compensation target for the position. The candidate expects at least a 15-percent salary increase to make the move, but you are eager to show how much you value the candidate's qualifications.

Educational Credentials

Sometimes, these "universities" will create their own accreditation and membership organizations to help them appear more legitimate, while in reality they are simply online diploma mills. We have become aware of one online school, allegedly based in Phoenix, whose accreditation certification association program was operated by a mainland Chinese organization with a Web site hosted out of Singapore. There appears to be a number of other organizations owned and operated by the same groups.

Metrics For Success

Create a Measures Map

Risk Management Strategy: We have limited time with senior management, so we need creative ways to influence change, to inform and demonstrate our competence. The "measures map" above is a visually engaging method of presenting findings from an incident postmortem. It enables measurement of performance, status and cost tracking during the reporting process. It is also a useful way to brief constituents or staff on a proposed risk mitigation strategy.

Convergence & Integration

Lessons Learned: Physical Security &Amp; It Collaboration

Thus, "card management" refers to the issuance of cards, such as the smart cards used for both physical and IT access control. "Credential management" refers to managing electronic credentials, which commonly consist of electronic digital certificates. "Key management" refers not to locks and keys, but to the means of managing data encryption keys more commonly known as PKI (Public Key Infrastructure).

Yes No: Compliance Scorecard

Is Your Security Awareness Program All It Can Be?

Your organization may have to (or, in the case of standards, feel compelled to) comply with any number of regulations, such as HIPAA, CTPAT, PGI, NERG Gyber Assets, Title 18 (sentencing guidelines) or ISO 17799. What do all these regulations have in common? Security awareness and training program requirements.

The Business Of Secuity

Selecting a Pre-Employment Screening Solution

Since there are scores of companies that offer employment pret screening services, some cautionary advice is in order with respect to making a choice. First, an employer should look for a professional partner and not just an information vendor selling data at the lowest price. second, an employer should apply the same criteria that it would use in selecting any other provider of critical professional services.

Fire & Life Safety

The Future of Fire Systems

Another critical system component that's becoming smarter is the power supply. Future power solutions will be designed to provide greater feedback on the system's status to the main FACP. "Today's power supplies, for example, tell us when a battery is not able to be charged.