IFSEC 2008 - a global approach. According to CMP Information, the organiser of IFSEC, 30,753 attendees visited this year’s show when it took place from 12–15 May 2008 at the NEC in Birmingham. Being more or less a UK show in former years, at IFSEC 2008 more than 30 % of the audience was international. IFSEC 2009 will take place from 11–14 May 2009 at the NEC Birmingham, UK.

As well as providing visitors with a wide variety of the latest products and services to hit the market, the show also presented a comprehensive conference programme for the first time. The IFSEC Conference 2008 tackled the issues of border security, transportation security, surveillance and protection, major incident management and response, within niche, focused sessions for key industry sectors. IFSEC 2008 also included a number of brand new feature areas including

“A Day in the Life of a Smartcard” and the IP Innovation Centre. “A Day in the Life of a Smartcard”, sponsored by HID Global, was a first for the UK security industry and gave a hands-on view of all elements of RFID and smartcard technology in action across a range of market sectors and applications. Run by IP integration specialists Universal Security, in conjunction with the CNL IPSecurity-Center, the IP Innovation Centre offered “an adventure in IP” for installers and security managers alike.

The area featured a specially commissioned installation of security systems to demonstrate how they can be networked via IP technology. “Companies from all over the world were interested in our innovative product, IPSecurityCenter, and we have a number of immediate prospects which we are following through”, stated Beverly Mann, VP Marketing at CNL.

Security Industry Awards

The security industry celebrated its successes at the IFSEC Security Industry Awards at the National Motorcycle Museum. Acknowledging the people, products and technological advancements that have shaped the security industry over the past year, the annual Security Industry Awards are judged by a panel of industry experts.

BSIA Chief Executive, David Dickinson, comments: “Innovation is the very lifeblood of the security industry and this year’s IFSEC award winners show that the future is bright for our industry. Individually, they demonstrate commitment to innovation and excellence and collectively, they show how vibrant and forward looking our industry is. All the winners are to be congratulated on their achievements and should be justly proud of the contribution they are making to our industry.”

The winners of the IFSEC Security Industry Awards were the following:

• Access Control Product of the Year (sponsored by KAC): iPAC – Stanley Security Products 
• CCTV Product of the Year (sponsored by Cieffe): BT Body Worn Video – BT Redcare 
• Communication Product of the Year: Halo Lifecell – Halo Personal Protection Systems 
• Intruder Alarm Product of the Year (sponsored by SSAIB): Professional Series Detectors with Anti-Mask – Bosch Security Systems 
• Physical Security Product of the Year (sponsored by the BSIA): iLoq S10 Locking System – iLoq 
• Security Project or Installation of the Year (sponsored by JVC Professional Europe): St Pancras International IP CCTV Network – Controlware Communications Systems 
• Guarding Service Delivery to Customer: Land Securities Trillium & G4S Security Services (UK) 

Cooperation to Standardise the Interface of Network Video Products  

There were dozens of new product launches and a lot of exciting news at IFSEC, but one news was spread faster than all the others in the NEC halls: It was when Axis Communications, Bosch Security Systems and Sony Corporation announced that they will be cooperating to create an open forum aimed at developing a standard for the interface of network video products. Currently, there is no global standard defining how network video products such as cameras, video encoders and video management systems should communicate with each other. The new standard is expected to comprise interfaces for specifications such as video streaming, device discovery, intelligence metadata, etc.

The framework of the standard, incorporating the key elements of network video product interoperability, will be released in October 2008 at the Security show in Essen, Germany. The main goal of this new standard is to facilitate the integration of various brands of network video equipment and to help manufacturers, software developers and independent software vendors ensure product interoperability. A unified open standard will also offer end-users greater flexibility of choice, enabling them to select products from different vendors in order to develop systems that fully meet their needs.

This standardisation initiative demonstrates the strong commitment of Axis, Bosch and Sony to supporting the ongoing shift from analog to digital surveillance in the security market. A forum set up by the said three companies will be open for all companies and interest groups who would like to participate in the standardisation work. The forum will be established in the fourth quarter of 2008, and will work on further development of the standard and on reaching agreement on how the new technology should be implemented.

“We are very pleased to announce this cooperation between our companies,” says Ray Mauritsson, President of Axis Communications. “An open standard will make it even easier for integrators and end-users to benefit from the many possibilities offered by IP-based video surveillance technology.” “This cooperation represents a great leap forward in establishing an international open forum focusing on network video surveillance,” says Gert van Iperen, Executive Vice President at Bosch.

“For manufacturers of network video hardware and software, the forum and its standard will be an efficient way to ensure product interoperability.” “We entered this discussion based on our common belief that an open standard will provide great benefits for users and everyone involved in the security industry,” says Yoshinori Onoue, SVP, Corporate Executive, Sony Corporation. “Representatives from Axis, Bosch and Sony are now working intensively to develop a framework for the standard and to establish the guidelines for the standardisation forum.”

www.ifsec.co.uk