By Bob Dolph

Mercifully, testing devices are keeping pace with advancing technology.

While it has not progressed at the same pace as IT, physical security is nonetheless surely if slowly heading toward open and interoperable devices and systems. Find out why this is important to the future of electronic security and some of the organizations paving the way.

While discussion regarding high definition surveillance video has overwhelmingly centered around IP connectivity, there is an alternative. HDcctv, an HD-SDI-based open industrial standard for transmitting uncompressed digital video over point-to-point coax links, offers advantages depending on the application.

While radio frequency identification, or RFID, has been around a long time the technology is advancing and migrating into new uses and applications. Learn the different types of technology and how to deploy them in ways that will win over new customers.

Technological advancements in communication protocols and transmission methods are allowing building systems to achieve connectivity and functionality like never before. Learn how to provide clients with total system solutions that optimize the capabilities of security as well as its value proposition.

The Internet is often the first place industry professionals go today to find the latest news and information, particularly when it comes to security products. And yet there are still so many Web sites that miss the mark in terms of what they offer installing security contractors. Find out what to look for along with some of fellow readers’ favorite sites.

The annual ASIS tradeshow has long been considered one of the security industry’s most important events. Discover some of the interesting developments to come out of this year’s event in Philadelphia.

Technology and customer desires are conspiring to create a wealth of sales prospects for those offering central station monitoring solutions. The question is: Are you up for the challenges that cashing in entails? Learn about the hot trends and the view from the top.

How many times have you been in a public place and heard an announcement that was impossible to recognize? What if the message was an evacuation order for assistance in exiting a burning building? Learn the critical facets of speech intelligibility and how to test for it.

It’s unlikely that perfection will ever be achieved to the point where security/life-safety systems prevent humans from ever experiencing any harm. However, sensible standards and practices can substantially reduce the likelihood of that harm.

After many years, promises and false starts, the lofty vision of home automation technology is coming to fruition. Although it has gotten to where automation is almost a bad word, often replaced with controls, there are a number of newer technologies and associated products opening up exciting opportunities for security contractors willing to give it a go.

Wireless technology can be highly beneficial both in spanning hard-to-reach areas and realizing substantial cost savings as an alternative to trenching and long cable runs. Find out some of the basics you need to successfully deploy wireless video surveillance solutions.

The latest and greatest security solutions don’t mean squat if they are too complex for end users to operate. Technological innovation is wonderful, but we must incorporate operational simplicity to achieve security’s peace-of-mind objectives.

The need to determine who goes where when continues to make access control one of the security industry’s most in-demand offerings. Pick up some soup-to-nuts pointers on how to improve your success from initial sale to deploying advanced capabilities.

There is certainly more science than hocus pocus involved in maximizing the accuracy and value of an intrusion alarm system. However, a high level of skill is required for a successful technician or magician, and proper use of sensors and installation methods can produce results no less amazing.

For both safety and compliance reasons, the proper bonding and grounding of equipment and systems is essential. Find out what is required by the most recent codes and how to satisfy picky inspectors.

From a business standpoint, whether in the office or in the  field, just about everything we do is software reliant. All those programs can cost a company a bundle. Fortunately, there are now numerous low- to no-cost options out there robust enough to handle the load.

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