Today is a big day! In just an hour or so I’ll be leaving for O’Hare Airport to board a flight to Atlanta, to join thousands of other security professionals at ASIS International 2008 – 54th Annual Seminar and Exhibits.
The American Society for Industrial Security calls it “the most comprehensive event in the security industry.” More than 23,000 people are expected from around the world, representing industry, government and law enforcement.

 

From experience – having attended ASIS shows for many years past – it’s HUGE! This year ASIS expects approximately 2,700 booths to showcase for 950 companies demonstrating security solutions that will shape the world tomorrow. There are also more than 175 concurrent educational sessions – covering topics from critical infrastructure protection to identity fraud to workplace violence, as well as everyday issues such as security best management practices.

 

The keynote speaker -- and this is someone I'm looking forward to hearing -- is the highly-respected NBC broadcast journalist Tom Brokaw. The keynote address will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 17, from 8 to 9 a.m.

 

 

Johnson Controls Inc. will be providing the details about a new strategic alliance with Carter Brothers, a Minority Business Enterprise, on Sept. 15 at ASIS. The alliance will make it easier for customers to meet their MBE participation goals/requirements. It also extends both companies’ network of local branch offices. At a press conference there on Monday, Johnson Controls is expected to unveil its new five-year security business strategy: global capabilities, local execution, enterprise approach. The Carter Brothers alliance is a key component.

 

“The alliance will help both Johnson Controls and Carter Brothers reach customers in new and creative ways,” said Carolyn Woznicki, vice president, global purchasing and supply chain, Johnson Controls. “Carter Brothers has a great project management approach to commercial projects, strong local fire alarm presence, and solid construction management experience in multiple markets. Johnson Controls has a global network of branch offices, relationships in a variety of markets and deep enterprise technology expertise.”

 

“This is an exciting milestone,” said John Carter, president and CEO of Carter Brothers. “We are proud to align with Johnson Controls, a Fortune 100 company, to provide our customers with local presence, expertise and the scale at a national level to meet their fire and security needs.”

 

 

 

 

 

Vicon Industries Inc. will make the ASIS International Show the site of its formal launch of ViconNet version 5.0 digital video management software. With this introduction, ViconNet will now offer open platform flexibility, allowing for easy integration with most major IP camera manufacturers, including Panasonic, Sony, Arecont Vision, ACTi, Axis, IQinvision and others. ViconNet 5.0 will support both Vicon and third-party megapixel cameras at resolutions ranging from 1.3 to 12 megapixels. – www.vicon-cctv.com

 

 

Bosch will debut the fully integrated line of Extreme CCTV products, with built-in Bosch Intelligent Video Analysis technology, at the ASIS show. The integration, which brings together IVA expertise from Bosch and advanced IP infrared imaging from Extreme, can be tested in person at the Bosch booth by taking part in the Extreme IVA challenge. Participants will be tasked with stealing an object from a staged scene under video surveillance by Bosch Extreme cameras featuring embedded IVA capabilities. When the cameras recognize the item has been removed from the scene, they will generate an alarm to notify the person monitoring the area. – www.boschsecurity.com

 

 

Digital Monitoring Products (DMP) invites security professionals attending ASIS 2008 to visit the DMP show booth and see the latest enhancements to alarm panel technology. Recent innovations on display include the new XT Series Burglary/Fire/Door Access Panel, the 463G Digital Cellular Communicator, Version 202 software and Entré Access-control and Alarm-management Software for the XR500 Command Processor Panel. Booth visitors will have the opportunity for hands-on exploration of these and other DMP innovations. – www.dmp.com

 

 

Honeywell plans to debut a new energy-efficient pan-tilt-zoom dome camera at ASIS International. The ACUIX ES is a more energy-efficient model that offers ease of installation and operation. It operates on less than 15 watts of power, compared with the 29 watts of power consumed by other ACUIX models. A mere 8 in., the ACUIX ES has a reduced footprint that fits into most surveillance environments. The camera streamlines operations through Honeywell’s IntelliBus technology, which allows users to remotely upload firmware to all domes and securely store all camera settings such as labels, presets, tours and privacy zones. www.honeywellvideo.com

 

 

Proximex Surveillint 3.5 presents new capabilities designed to alleviate risk across an enterprise. Version 3.5 extends many of the existing out-of-box workflow activities through bulk configuration and programmable workflow definitions for real-time implementation of security policies and procedures, and sharing best practices with customers. The breadth of Integration Modules has been expanded and a new SDK helps integrators implement and lower project risk. – www.proximex.com

 

 

Middle Atlantic Products will be announcing availability of its DLBX Series DVR Lockboxes in custom configurations at ASIS 2008. Security integrators can now order lockboxes in varying heights, widths and depths to fit their very specific size requirements. Custom thermal management configuration is also available to accommodate DVRs featuring unique cooling patterns. – www.middleatlantic.com

 

 

Showing ScanPort, an engineered turnkey security solution that optimizes the Brijot GEN 2 passive millimeter technology in a rugged, portable whole-body imaging system for use in extreme environments. The nerve center for ScanPort is a customized Security Operations Center that is monitored remotely at a safe distance from imminent threats. – www.brijot.com

 

 

Raptor allows a base station to monitor radio communication between policemen, firemen and emergency medical technicians. The ABM Data Systems solution provides its government and private security customers with easy entry of radio assignments. Raptor customers can retrieve archived data and design custom reports. – http://www.abmsystemsllc.com/

 

 

Learn about the new Fluidmesh 2200 Duo, an upgraded version of the Fluidmesh 2200 series of wireless mesh routers which operate on multiple frequencies. Integrators and end users will appreciate the advantages of a 3x faster main processor and increased switching and routing capabilities by multiple times. The Fluidmesh 2200 Duo will come with an external LED to facilitate troubleshooting, and two auto-sensing Ethernet ports. – www.fluidmesh.com