As a former security integrator, Joseph Ndesandjo knows how tough it can be to grow a business. Under his 20-year leadership, 3Sixty Integrated was recognized as an SDM Top Systems Integrator before it was acquired by The Cook & Boardman Group LLC in 2021.

Today, as founder and CEO of SiteOwl, based in San Antonio, Texas, Ndesandjo oversees a business that provides electronic security professionals with a cloud-based product that compiles all the data involved in the security system process, from design to installation to management, in a single scalable suite of applications.

“SiteOwl takes integrator pains and builds a platform that allows them to be heroes to their customers while still improving efficiency internally … whether you’re running one or a hundred projects,” said Su Subburaj, chief marketing officer for SiteOwl.

A comprehensive, stand-alone software system, SiteOwl consists of three mobile apps and one web app, in two modules: SiteOwl Projects and SiteOwl Live. SiteOwl Projects deals with design and installation, while the newest option, SiteOwl Live, is for system management, asset management, maintenance, and other post-installation functions.

“Site Owl is a cloud-based suite of purposeful applications, usable for salespeople to project managers to technicians in the field, providing a full life cycle of management in the cloud,” Subburaj added. “What’s different is there is a service component baked into the platform that allows integrators to generate RMR.”

Using a simple drag-and-drop design, the SiteOwl apps can be used by sales teams and engineers in the field, allowing them to build designs and immediately sync them from the field to the office. This eliminates paper job recording and allows project managers to visually verify completed work without having to repeatedly return to job sites, a real convenience on multiple projects with big multi-location installations. Users can take photos of the project, submit, and seconds later, the project manager has detailed information, from which technicians installed what, to the percentage of the project that’s completed.

On the security integrator operational side, this tool enables them to track technician activities, including which are the most productive, which need help with installation, and more, without having to go to the job site.

SiteOwl was designed to shift the integrator sales dynamic from a project-based model that only generates revenue while the project lasts, to a way to enhance the relationship with the customer by offering post-installation services that can’t be provided by another integrator, Subburaj said.

For example, in a security system integration at a hospital, the head of security may not have a single point of information for all the assets: “They don’t know when warranties expire, how many models of camera they have; they don’t have that info handy,” she said. “They’re not actively managing that information, and neither do the integrators, because they didn’t have the platform before. With SiteOwl, they can do that.”

If an integrator delivers a 50-camera add for a customer in January and they come back at end of the year for an access control project with 10 doors of card readers, traditionally this was two different projects, with information maintained in two different places, Subburaj explained. SiteOwl aggregates this information on the floor plan level on a live system, providing an audit trail and capturing information like IP addresses, model numbers, whether a camera was moved, and who installed each item, or changed the status of a camera.

“The floor plan is one of the most critical components of an integrator’s business, but it’s often the least updated after product completion,” she said. “It’s a static document that doesn’t have the ability to evolve. But with SiteOwl, floor plans become one thing you can look at for up-to-date information on a security structure.”

This detailed, individualized information can help integrators become trusted security advisors to their clients, helping them to make future security investments based on what they’ve already done.

“You have the central, single window view of everything from an asset standpoint that a customer has that uniquely positions you to deepen your relationship with your customers … by collaborating with them on design, installation, service, and more,” Subburaj said.

Integrators typically use SiteOwl to sell more service contracts, usually on the back end of a project they’ve delivered. It can also start with a site assessment by using SiteOwl to digitally inventory all security aspects at all sites, visually with all metadata captured, and then maintain that system with service agreements.

The SiteOwl Projects app is available as a user-based license, while SiteOwl Live is priced on a sliding scale by device, starting with as few as 250 devices. SiteOwl currently has more than 800 projects so far in 2022, with more than 1,000 end-user organizations, and more than 275,000 devices.

For more information, visit here

OpenEye Adds Bosch Intrusion Panel Integration

IMAGE COURTESY OF OPEN EYE

OpenEye, the cloud video platform company, has added Bosch to the OpenEye Web Services (OWS) ecosystem. Users can now leverage sensor and alarm events from their Bosch intrusion panels to generate more actionable alerts and operational intelligence.

With the Bosch intrusion integration in OWS, users can expect:

• Real-time intrusion event notifications with links to associated video.
• More actionable alerts thanks to event thumbnails and sensor/area names included in alert details.
• Video verification of intrusion events for complete situational awareness.
• Reduced false alerts by using panel armed state as part of alerts logic.
• Faster and more intuitive video search.

Bosch panels send intrusion event data over the LAN to a recorder, which transmits it to the OWS cloud. The integration supports any Bosch Mode 2 compatible, including the B and G Series hardware. This integration requires specific OWS license levels.

For more information, visit https://www.openeye.net/solutions/integrations/bosch

Calipsa, SureView Integrate False Alarm Reduction With PSIM Platforms

IMAGE COURTESY OF SUREVIEW SYSTEMS

SureView Systems, the open response platform provider for running security operations, and Calipsa, provider of deep-learning powered video analytics for false alarm reduction, have integrated their cloud-based flagship technologies. The integration of Calipsa’s software with SureView’s next-generation physical security information management (PSIM) platform improves the ability of security command centers to manage and respond to video alarm events.

Calipsa’s false alarm reduction software easily integrates with the SureView PSIM platform and quickly deploys with no on-premises hardware required. Once a video alarm is triggered on a connected camera, a SureView server sends video to a Calipsa server, where algorithms look for human and vehicle movement before returning genuine alarms. Filtering up to 95 percent of false alarms reduces the chance of SOC operators missing or being delayed in their response to an actual event. The filtering process takes about a second to complete.

Brian Baker, chief revenue officer for Calipsa, said the integration of false alarm reduction technology into the PSIM platforms is an example of SureView’s dedication to protecting its customer’s people and assets.

“SureView’s PSIM platforms automatically filter and prioritize input from multiple disparate security and related systems to present the SOC with alarms and events requiring immediate attention,” he said. “The addition of our software vastly reduces false alarms, enabling operators to respond more effectively and efficiently without unnecessary delays.”

Simon Morgan, chief product manager of SureView Systems, said the integration of Calipsa false alarm software is a valuable enhancement for users of SureView’s next-generation PSIM platforms.

“The number of video alarms in a typical SOC can overwhelm even the best-trained staff,” he said. “This partnership with Calipsa virtually eliminates nuisance alarms and the many operational bottlenecks they cause. End users may deploy the Calipsa software right out of the box with our PSIM platform.”

Calipsa’s artificial intelligence-based false alarm reduction software uses deep-learning technology to automatically identify humans and vehicles while ignoring alarms generated by weather, blowing foliage or stray animals.

For more information, visit https://www.calipsa.io/

Tech Briefs

IMAGE COURTESY OF HANWHA TECHWIN AMERICA

Hanwha Techwin America, a global supplier of intelligent video surveillance solutions, officially opened its new Hanwha Innovation and Technology Experience (HITE) on March 29, 2022. The center highlights the company’s newest products and solutions for security and surveillance applications, all showcased through interactive demonstrations, videos, training sessions, certification classes and presentations.

 Located in the company’s New Jersey headquarters, the 5,000-square-foot space is the result of more than three years of planning and creative collaboration among Hanwha teams in the U.S and Korea. The space features more than 80 network cameras, six WAVE servers, 18 workstations, 35 monitors and can accommodate more than 60 people. Its multimedia classroom-style space seats about 32 for hands-on product training, certification courses, partner education and more, with full online capabilities to support remote participants. A dedicated area focuses on Hanwha’s third-party video management software integrations with partners, including Genetec and Milestone. The space also includes kitchen facilities for luncheons and catered events.

For more information, visit https://www.hanwhasecurity.com/.

IMAGE COURTESY OF DRONESHIELD LTD.

DroneShield Limited, a global provider of AI-based platforms for protection against advanced threats such as drones and autonomous systems, announced an enhanced version of its DroneSentry-C2 command-and-control software, in partnership with location intelligence firm Nearmap. Nearmap provides city-scale 3D content, artificial intelligence data sets, geospatial tools, and high-resolution aerial imagery in Australia, New Zealand, and North America.

DroneSentry-C2 provides an intuitive and feature-rich software platform, providing counter-UAS awareness and reporting capability. It integrates both DroneShield and third-party C-UAS sensors and effectors. Those include multiple AI-enabled sensing and tracking products, such as RfOne long-range direction-finding sensors for UAS detection and tracking, and camera-agnostic DroneOptID optical/thermal camera AI software.

For more information, visit https://www.droneshield.com/

IMAGE COURTESY OF VIDEOLOFT

Videoloft, the cloud video surveillance platform, has partnered with Navtech Radar, a commercial radar solutions manufacturer, to add video verification to radar intrusion detection systems.

Video verification adds a crucial step to Navtech Radar’s AdvanceGuard radar-based solutions, which can detect and track intruders within a 3km radius. By integrating with Videoloft’s API, AdvanceGuard radar-based solutions can trigger cameras to record when intruders are detected, track their movements and save the recorded video events to the Videoloft cloud. Those video events are then easily retrieved through the AdvanceGuard solution, allowing intruder alerts to be quickly verified.

For more information, visit https://videoloft.com/product/.