The Intelligent Integration Zone at IFSEC ran for the second time this year having been hailed a huge success on its 2010 debut.
The Zone – located on Stand E140 in Hall 4 at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre – was once again specifically designed to showcase the talents of numerous solutions providers working in harmony to realise genuinely integrated, joined-up security systems for the benefit of integrators, installers, consultants and key end users.
“Last year we met thousands of visitors in the Intelligent Integration Zone,” enthused Steve Smith, sales and marketing director at Crawley-based Intergrated Security Manufacturing (the company sponsoring the Zone for the second time in succession) as we sat down to talk on Day 4 of IFSEC 2011.
“Together with our partners, we ably demonstrated the multifaceted benefits of holistic integration at IFSEC 2010. It proved to be a winning formula. The Zone was a magnet for visitors.”
Feedback at the 2011 show
What has been the feedback this time around, though?
“Even better,” enthused Smith. “At IFSEC 2011 ISM has been awarded a major project and we’re due to give three product demonstrations next week as a direct result of our attendance at the show. We also now have a trip booked to the Middle East on 6 June, with contacts made at Government level for a potential multimillion pound project.”
In fact, Tuesday 17 May was so hectic for ISM’s representatives that not one member of the team could take a break from 10.00 am when the NEC’s doors opened right through until show close at 5.00 pm.
“The Intelligent Integration Zone has worked really well,” continued Smith. “There has been a spread of quality end users visiting the Zone, including professionals interested in Critical National Infrastructure protection, representatives from the prison service and major High Street banks. Lots of security managers and directors have visited the Zone to discuss solutions for a whole raft of different projects.”
Indeed, Smith went as far as to state: “Come Tuesday evening, the stand had been so busy and we’d done so much business that it wouldn’t have mattered if no-one had pitched up to talk to us on either Wednesday or Thursday. The Intelligent Integration Zone really was that successful.”
Smith added with a wry smile: “The one time I did manage to go and grab some lunch I was called back pretty much immediately to speak to an important prospective customer. We’ve been so busy I haven’t even had time to assess the rest of the show.”
Partners in the Zone
In 2011, the Intelligent Integration Zone was populated by ISM in conjunction with Wavesight (specialist in wireless transmission solutions), Industrial Control Systems (the developer of panic systems), personal alarm system producer Pinpoint, Access Control Services, digital video concern Visimetrics and Allen’s Total Perimeter Security (the designer of high security fencing, bollards, blockers, barriers and security gates).
ACT was one of the partners in 2010, but its own high levels of success post-show led to the company taking its own stand this time around.
“The Zone has again generated business for all the partners involved,” explained Smith. “With the topic of Physical Security Information Management now so much to the forefront of peoples’ thinking it’s perhaps not surprising that we’ve generated so much interest this year.”
IFSEC 2011 saw the worldwide launch of Genesys2. Four years in gestation, this fully-integrated security management system developed by the team at ISM has been designed to challenge ‘archaic server-based systems’.
No-one can deny that the market for integrated security systems is indeed changing, and dramatically so. Go back a few short years and it was perfectly viable to rely on a few PCs to control the security of a given building or site. That’s most definitely not the case today.
“Security Control Rooms are now responsible for running multiple sites,” urged Smith. “60, 70 or sometimes even more sites, in fact, and often in many countries across different continents. It has become a responsibility of scale.”
With the traditional and now archaic server-based systems, the end user is wholly reliant on the server. What happens when the server goes down? That’s right. Security’s compromised, quite possibly on a severe scale.
Genesys2, it seems, is designed to remove that scenario from view.
Capability to integrate multiple systems
“Genesys2 is capable of integrating multiple systems and enabling interoperability from one holistic platform,” urged Smith, who works for one of the recognised industry specialists when it comes to designing, developing and manufacturing graphical security Control Room management software and intercom systems built on VoIP.
“We firmly believe that Genesys2 takes innovation in security systems management to a new level by distributing control across all of the end users’ workstations. It literally takes power to your PC and multiplies that by the number of PCs on your network.”
Further, the Version 2 software – which itself builds on the Genesys Classic solution – facilitates the integration of many types of third party security equipment, including CCTV matrices and DVRs, access control systems, intruder and fire alarms, intercoms, PA and paging systems.
In simple terms, then, if one PC should happen to fail for whatever reason, control may be migrated to another on a seamless basis. There’ll be no interruptions and no downtime. Surely that’s what every end user craves when it comes to overall control of their security solution?
Genesys2 also benefits the user by adopting the very latest Microsoft.NET platform in unison with Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) for an enhanced graphical user experience, all wrapped up in the pioneering – and patented – migrating 3+ redundancy.
News from around the Intelligent Integration Zone
You can read up on Visimetrics’ excellent FIND solution by accessing the dedicated link at the foot of this page, which takes you to an interview conducted with the company’s business development director Gary James.
Visimetrics also demonstrated Playerbook, an automated light-immune facial recognition system designed for the technically challenging illumination environments typically found within casinos.
Real-time recognition highlights the on-site presence of self-excluders, barred individuals or other ‘undesirables’.
Elsewhere in the 2011 Zone, Wavesight showcased its range of wireless point-to-point and point-to-multipoint transmission solutions designed to meet the needs of CCTV practitioners. Visitors were able to see at first hand high resolution, low latency video transmitted via these systems.
Strike-Point, the latest development at ICS, was also on show. Suitable for use by the police service and the courts as an affray/panic switch in areas such as custody suites and within prisons, this linear switch strip incorporates continuous illumination along its entire length to provide visual confirmation of status and activation.
Meantime, Access Control Services (ACS) showcased a variety of autonomous links between other Zone partners’ systems and non-security card solutions.
Specifically, the desire was to show end users how to establish a common provisioning link between access control, cashless catering, T&A and logical access, etc – all fed dynamically from existing HR data or linked to an active directory.
There was also a demonstration of the convergence opportunities available to existing PLAN system users, incorporating ID badging, e-registration and touch screen visitor management.
The PLAN system actively supports open platform access control hardware. That being so, ACS showcased its ‘native’ support for Assa Abloy’s Aperio wireless e-cylinders and lock sets as well as HID’s Edge PoE reader controllers.
Pinpoint showed its Advanced 5000 personal alarm system for staff at risk of violence at work, and also how this solution integrates with ISM’s own Genesys offering.
Extending the Zone in 2012
Last but by no means least, Allens Total Perimeter Security concentrated on PAS 68 bollards, blockers, barriers and gates, high security and power fencing designed to SEAP Class 2, 3 and 4 and BS 1722 Part 1 respectively and general perimeter intrusion detection systems.
“We’ll be looking to extend the stand next year and showcase the work being done by more integration partners,” said Steve Smith in concluding our interview.
Looks like the Intelligent Integration Zone is the place to be at IFSEC 2012.
Scroll down to watch the video interview with Steve Smith from ISM…
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