TrendSec Completes Opera House CCTV Review To Optimise Camera Performance.
TrendSec Completes Opera House CCTV Review – TrendSec security consulting has completed a CCTV review for Sydney Opera House.
TrendSec was awarded the contract for CCTV review and enhancement consulted services by the Sydney Opera House security team, which had had recently undertaken a major security systems upgrade project, which included the replacement of all CCTV cameras across the site.
The project included an increase in the number of cameras and a new video surveillance system. Following the upgrade of the cameras and subsequent optimization and fine tuning of camera settings and their field of use, it was observed that a large number of cameras were unable to deliver the required field of view or performance the Sydney Opera House Trust security team required.
As part of its scope of works, TrendSec’s primary objective was to conduct a comprehensive review of the existing CCTV infrastructure and provide detailed recommendations for enhancements. The team’s goal was to ensure that Sydney Opera House CCTV systems were not only up to date with the latest technological advancements but were also capable of addressing security challenges effectively.
The review included technical evaluation, analysing the technical specifications and operational status of all CCTV cameras and associated hardware and to coverage analysis, mapping out CCTV coverage to identify areas that were under monitored or exposed to potential security threats.
You can learn more about TrendSec here or read more SEN news here.
“TrendSec Completes Opera House CCTV Review To Optimise Camera Performance.”
More To Electronic Security Than CCTV – It’s easy to forget that video surveillance is only part of the security manager’s operational matrix – without the support of additional systems and effective procedures, CCTV cameras are reduced to the role of investigative tools – useful but not able to inform security staff in real time, writes Luke Percy-Dove.
Aside from doing the typical security design and risk assessment work that accounts for the bulk of our time at Matryx, over the years we have also audited a diverse mix of commercial properties and acted as expert witnesses in civil suits. It has been both varied and challenging at times. What has been interesting is learning what security means to each of the businesses we have been working with and how they go about securing their properties.
One of the common themes has been a very high reliance on CCTV for property protection which we would strongly recommend against unless the CCTV is supported by other systems and processes. Given this, we thought it was time to explore what security is, how it should be applied to your property or commercial premises and how to determine what you might need aside from CCTV.
What is security?
A quick search of dictionary.com states that security is:
1. Freedom from danger, risk, and safety
2. Freedom from care, anxiety, or doubt; well-founded confidence
3. Something that secures or makes safe; protection; defence
4. Precautions taken to guard against crime, attack, sabotage, espionage.
It is clear from these descriptions that security is intangible. It is not necessarily a product or a service, but more of a mindset. And it will likely be achieved only once a series of steps or precautions have been undertaken.
How do we apply security to a property or commercial business?
Security of a premises will be dictated by the property in question and its individual risk profile. This cannot be guessed or assumed, as each property will be different in some way; differing suburb and local environment, neighbouring properties, traffic patterns, crime rates, accessibility, lighting, parking, trees and foliage; the list goes on and on.
A fellow security professional that I have known for many years and have enormous respect for, once said to me that the level of security required is always ‘just enough’. It’s a principle we have embraced at Matryx and helps us bring perspective to many of the security recommendations we put to our clients.
The very first step that needs to be determined is what ‘just enough’ security actually is, relative to the property we are advising on. The best way to do this is to undertake a security risk assessment in accordance with ISO 31000 for risk management. This will identify the risk profile of the property and determine what risks need to be considered and addressed.
From the risk assessment process, it is common for a whole series of recommendations to be put to the client for consideration. We say consideration, because whatever is recommended to the client needs to make sense and not contradict the theme of the business. For example, you wouldn’t recommend steel bars and roller shutters to a welfare organisation that is heavily involved in community engagement. Security needs to achieve a purpose and typically, will come with a low profile.
Assessing your security performance – How well is your security working for you?
When we are deciding what measures are appropriate, we need to be mindful of what each security treatment is capable of achieving relative to the fundamental principles of security risk management.
These principles are:
Deter – Will the measure provide a level of deterrence?
Detect – Will the measure aid in the detection of unlawful access?
Deny – Will the measure aid in the denial of unlawful access?
Delay – Will the measure delay access into or from the property?
Respond – Will the measure allow an efficient response to a criminal or other event?
Very few security treatments can tick all the boxes and achieve full compliance with each of these principles. More often than not, security will be achieved through a range of treatments that are complimentary to one another.
When recommending a security treatment that has a physical or operational aspect to it, we need to understand exactly what function it will perform. The simple way to do this is to use a table such as we have below to compare treatments and to understand what value each can add from a security perspective. When recommending a security treatment that has a physical or operational aspect to it, we need to understand exactly what function it will perform.
In the table below, we have listed a range of treatments that can enhance security and would be common to many commercial properties. It can also be used to help you determine how well your security is working for your business and if it is meeting your organisational objectives.
a range of treatments that can enhance security and would be common to many commercial properties.
*1. Deterrence is subjective and will be based on the state of mind and motivations of the intruder
*2. Detection would be achieved through improved surveillance of the property
*3. Where video motion detections and analytics have been applied.
In an ideal scenario, you would employ a mix of treatments that ensures you can achieve a ‘yes’ in each of the 5 columns at least once when all the security treatments applicable to the property have been listed. Once you can confidently say this, then you have probably achieved a reasonable level of security.
To improve on that further, we would recommend at least 2 methods of detection are always used. This could be reed switches fitted to perimeter doors and internal intrusion detection. Or intrusion detection and VMD. Or security guards and CCTV. The point here is that if one treatment is bypassed for some reason, then another opportunity for detection still exists.
For high security properties or where risk of loss is greater, we would go further again and ensure that each column has a yes in it at least twice or more. This is good security risk management. If you are not sure how many boxes you can tick in securing your property, or how well your security is working for you, a professional security consultant can show you how. You can read more security articles on SEN news here.
*Luke Percy-Dove CCTP is a physical security and risk consultant and counterterrorism and critical infrastructure security adviser at Matryx Consulting.
“It is clear from these descriptions that security is intangible. It is not necessarily a product or a service, but more of a mindset.”
BGW Technologies Welcomes Melissa Passaris As WA internal sales and operations officer.
BGW Technologies Welcomes Melissa Passaris – Melissa Passaris has joined BGW Technologies as internal sales and operations officer based at the Redcliff branch in Western Australia.
According to Luke Williams (WA state manager, BGW Technologies), Passaris brings a wealth of experience and industry knowledge from her previous roles and joins the business with a proven track record of driving impactful results and fostering lasting client relationships.
“I am thrilled to join the BGWT family,” Passaris said. “This is an exciting opportunity for me to learn from industry experts, while also gaining valuable experience and further developing my skills in sales and customer service. I am eager to deepen my knowledge of our innovative products and solutions.”
According to Williams, Passaris’ commitment to excellence aligns seamlessly with BGW Technologies’ core values of integrity and forward-thinking.
“Mel’s understanding of the security industry trends and its challenges will inject new energy into our sales strategies, ensuring that we continue to deliver unmatched value to our customers – it’s exciting times here in WA,” Williams said.
You can learn more about BGW Technologies here or read more SEN news here.
“BGW Technologies Welcomes Melissa Passaris As WA internal sales and operations officer.”
Dave Healey Joins Leader – Dave Healey has joined Leader Security Electronics in the role of electronic security business manager.
“With over 25 years’ experience in the electronic security, fire, ICT and technology sectors, Dave brings a wealth of knowledge and industry expertise to our team,” said Leader Security’s electronics manager, Chris Burgess.
“Dave’s leadership and experience will be invaluable as we continue to enhance and develop our electronic security solutions and services.”
Leader Security is a Canberra-based full-service security provider that offers alarms, access control, alarm monitoring, CCTV, intercoms, access control, NBN, alarm monitoring, maintenance, executive protection, guards and patrols, risk management, duress systems, K9 services and time lapse video solutions.
The company’s technology partners include Inner Range, Tecom, ICT, Rosslare, Salto, Dahua, Avigilon and many more. You can learn more about Leader Security Electronics here or read more SEN news here.
VSP Partners With Wasabi – VSP is partnering with Wasabi on cloud storage for a range of video surveillance applications, including for Wasabi partners Axis, Milestone, Nx Witness and Vivotek.
“In the surveillance world, video storage needs are growing rapidly due to the proliferation of cameras, increased retention requirements, and higher resolution recordings,” said VSP’s managing director Zaki Wazir.
“Faced with expanding storage needs, leveraging on-site, centralized storage alone is simply inefficient – it’s becoming complex, inefficient and expensive.”
According to Wazir, Wasabi is on a mission to store the world’s data by making cloud storage simple, affordable, predictable, and secure.
“With Wasabi, organizations utilizing surveillance systems unlock the power of scale and offsite protection, while maintaining the freedom to use their data whenever they like without being hit with unpredictable fees or vendor lock-in,” Wazir said.
“Surveillance solutions from Wasabi remove the need to invest in expensive storage hardware upgrades or rip and replace your current on-premise VMS with an all-in-the-cloud solution. Instead, Wasabi’s cloud storage makes it easy to add-on bottomless storage to existing infrastructure, securely and affordably“.
“Wasabi’s surveillance solutions make it easy for organizations to cost-effectively scale and protect video storage capacity, whether the user’s video management system is cloud-enabled already or not.”
Wazir said that organizations in the surveillance space can take advantage of a hybrid-cloud model that allows users to offload video surveillance footage from their local storage environment directly to the cloud without ever running out of capacity.
“This bottomless approach to video storage is vital for the physical security industry which is currently struggling to manage enormous amounts of video in high resolution environments, increasingly large file sizes, stringent regulatory and retention requirements, and analytics applications tied to surveillance,” he explained.
With Wasabi’s cloud storage built for enterprise video surveillance deployments, there are multiple solutions for organizations looking to cloud storage in a simple and cost-effective way. Companies can easily extend the storage capacity of on-premises video management systems and protect valuable surveillance data.
“Wasabi Surveillance Cloud is an integrated solution, combining cloud bridge software with Wasabi’s hot cloud storage service. Users of every major video management system (VMS) can offload video surveillance data from their local storage environment to the Wasabi cloud with no changes to their existing operations.”
According to Wazir, Wasabi hot cloud storage is also the ideal storage target for video management systems already enabled with S3 cloud storage connectivity including the Nx Witness VMS.
VSP Partners With Wasabi 12
“The physical security industry can now meet increased demand from growing camera counts, higher resolutions, and longer retention periods, while also ensuring their solution can scale affordably and securely with cloud storage purpose-built for video,” he said.
“Leveraging Wasabi’s cloud storage for video surveillance provides customers with benefits including increased resiliency, reduced risk, reduced cost and lower TCO, and the ability to ensure you’re never compromising on retention due to a lack of storage“.
“For surveillance integrators, leveraging Wasabi’s cloud storage results in fewer onsite visits, reduced labour costs, automated archiving of data, protection against natural disaster, theft, damage and ransomware, and instant access to data for recovery.”
You can learn more about about Wasabi Surveillance Cloud and Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage by contacting VSP here – you can find more SEN news here.
Visidon Video Noise Reduction Enhances Low Light Images.
Visidon Video Noise Reduction Enhances Low Light Images.
Visidon Video Noise Reduction – New at ISC West this year was Visidon Video Noise Reduction, an AI-based technology that’s designed to improve the visual quality of noisy low-light video streams.
Typically, you imagine this sort of functionality emerging from the video surveillance camera you’re using, but Visidon sits on top and takes your cameras’ best low light effort to the next level.
The Visidon algorithm uses contextual information within a small neighborhood of each pixel of the video frames and reconstructs a noise-less pixel value automatically in real time. The Visidon solution makes no prior assumption of the noise in the image stream, which the company says makes it capable of dealing with different kinds of noise.
Spun out of the Oulu University Machine Vision Research Center, Visidon offers a range of algorithms designed to address complex lighting conditions for embedded cameras in security and surveillance, laptops and webcams, robotics, and drones.
According to the company, its video noise reduction is a CNN-based model optimized for real-time low-light enhancement and significantly improves object recognition.
The way the noise reduction works is by utilizing information captured with multiple normally exposed shots and automatically adjusting images to be clear and sharp with low noise.
Super resolution is another strength. The system’s AI-based technology is designed for embedded NPU hardware with fast and high-quality video upscale, and the algorithm improves output quality and allows higher zooming levels compared to a basic digital zoom.
High dynamic range is another benefit and the system manages this by combining multiple differently exposed images and automatically handling moving objects to avoid ghosting or artefacts – this makes hidden details in shadows and highlights visible.
Meanwhile, frame rate control technology enables the interpolation of movement between shot frames. This increases the frame per second in videos and makes fast movement smoother, as well as allows for slow-motion effects.
Visidon also supports computer vision and face recognition applications – the algorithm can be used for authentication and identification, distinguishing real human faces from photos or video and recognizing their gender, age, and emotion. It’s also capable of tracking a person’s eyes, nose and mouth, and assessing the person’s drowsiness and level of distraction.
Far from being a newcomer to digital processing, Visidon’s technology is already found in more than 1 billion mobile devices around the world.
You can learn more about Visidon here or read more SEN news here.
“Visidon Video Noise Reduction Enhances Low Light Images.”
Red Wolf Wins Metlink CCTV Installation And Maintenance.
Red Wolf Wins Metlink CCTV – Redwolf Security Group has won a contract to provide CCTV installation and maintenance to Greater Wellington Regional Council’s Metlink public transport network.
Metlink operates major bus and train services across the Wellington, supported by one of the largest networked CCTV networks in the region. Metlink’s network includes 5 train lines servicing 48 stations, 1 harbour ferry servicing 5 docks and a bus network of 450 buses serving around 3700 stops.
Red Wolf Security Group is a security integration and security services provider with services ranging from security surveys and technical security strategies to security installation and maintenance. If there’s a solution you need that can’t be found, Red Wolf will build it for you.
Key Red Wolf partners include Gallagher’s, Bosch, Inner Range, Milestone, Pelco and Axis, i-PRO, ICT and Jacques. Customers include the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Reserve Bank of New Zealand, Ministry of Justice, Wellington City Council, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Greater Wellington Rail Limited, KiwiRail, CentrePort – and now Metlink.
You can learn more about Red Wolf Security Group here or read more SEN news here.
“RedWolf Wins Metlink CCTV Installation And Maintenance.”
SecTech Roadshow 2025 Dates Confirmed For All Cities!
SecTech Roadshow 2025 Dates Confirmed! SecTech Roadshow 2025 dates are now confirmed for all cities.
According to SecTech Roadshow organiser, Monique Keatinge, dates are now confirmed for the security industry’s only national exhibition.
SecTech will get its engines started in Brisbane on May 8, motor to Sydney on May 15, head to Melbourne on May 20, open in Adelaide on Thursday, May 22 and finish up in Perth on May 27.
“After a great event in 2024, with the largest attendance ever, SecTech remains a brilliant value proposition,” Keatinge said. “Manufacturers and distributors wanting exposure to 5 Australian markets at very low cost – a 3 x 3 metre stand is just $A23,000, including all logistics, with zero hidden costs.
“As usual, spaces on the 3 SecTech trucks are limited, and they fill very fast, so anyone wanting to confirm their places should contact Monique on 02 9280 4425 to lock this great event in!”
SecTech Roadshow is a touring pop-up expo, which travels between 5 Australian cities each May. Exhibitors in 2023 included Verkada, Permaconn, Dahua Technologies, SecuSafe, Art Of Logic, Motorola Solutions, OpenEye, BGW Technologies, DAS, CRK Security, Stentofon, ASSA ABLOY, Allegion, EKA/EVVA, LSC, Gallagher, VSP, Bluechip, U-PROX, PowerStack, Hikvision, Video Alarm Technologies, Inner Range, ICT, TP-Link, Integrated Products and Security Alliance Australia.
You can learn more about SecTech Roadshow here or read more SEN news here.
“SecTech Roadshow 2025 Dates Confirmed For All Cities!”
Dahua AirShield Wireless Security System – Dahua AirShield Wireless Security System comprises alarm hubs, a myriad of wireless peripherals, and a suite of applications tailored for end users, installers, and alarm monitoring centres.
According to Dahua’s Ardel Moore, Dahua has undertaken continuous innovation of the system to enhance the AIoT experience of the AirShield security system.
“Dahua’s commitment to user satisfaction and technological advancement is evident in its wireless alarm system’s cutting-edge features,” Moore said.
“The RF-HD image transmission protocol ensures prompt reception of high-resolution alarm videos, aiding in swift verification and evidence preservation. Supporting 2.4GHz, 433MHz, and 868MHz bands, it adapts to various scenarios.
“Meanwhile, integrated IP cameras serve as visual detectors, enhancing surveillance. Users can configure these IPC-detector linkages for comprehensive security management, receiving alarm events, activating sirens, and establishing arm/disarm linkages.”
Moore said another strength of the Dahua AirShield solution is its flexible interconnection with CCTV systems.
“The AirShield system leverages network protocols for seamless interconnection with NVRs/XVRs and video intercoms, facilitating automatic alarm-video linkage and remote management via Android devices.
“Dahua AirShield Wireless Security System transcends conventional security paradigms by embracing online connectivity and efficiency. By adhering to standard protocols such as SIA DC-09 and Sur-Gard, the system ensures seamless integration with alarm monitoring centres. This enables swift forwarding of events from hubs to platform software, facilitating timely response and action.”
According to Moore, as well as professional monitoring, the system’s suite of mobile and PC applications empowers end users, installers, and security companies to remotely manage alarm systems and receive real-time notifications, anytime, anywhere.
“This online ecosystem not only enhances operational efficiency but also fosters greater collaboration and convenience,” Moore said.
“As we pave the way for tomorrow’s security solutions, Dahua remains at the forefront of innovation. Stay tuned for our upcoming products, including PIR cams, panic buttons, wireless relays, and more, as we continue to push the boundaries of security technology.”
Dahua AirShield Wireless Security Products
Alarm Kit
The DHI-ART-ARC3000H-03-FW2 KIT is the cornerstone of the Dahua AirShield system and includes:
1 Hub
1 PIR Detector
1 Door Detector
1 Keyfob.
This kit is designed with frequency hopping, 2-way communication, and AES128 encryption algorithms to ensure stable and secure communication. These features help prevent signal interference and unauthorised access.
The DHI-ARD821-W2 Panic Button provides an instant alert mechanism. With a simple press, users can trigger an alarm to notify authorities or security personnel in case of an emergency.
Wireless PIR-Cam
The DHI-ARD1731-W2 PIR-Cam combines motion detection with visual verification. When the alarm is triggered, it captures 2 live pictures and sends them to the DMSS (Dahua Mobile Surveillance System). This feature enables users to verify the alarm event remotely and take appropriate action.
The DHI-ARM7011-W2 Wireless Relay expands the system’s capabilities by providing a dry contact output. This can be connected to a garage door or other devices, allowing users to control them remotely through the security system.
There’s more information on Dahua alarm products here – you can find more SEN news here.
“Dahua AirShield Wireless Security System Delivers High Resolution Video Verification.”
BST Wins Service SA CCTV Project With Avigilon Unity.
BST Wins Service SA CCTV Project With Avigilon Unity.
BST Wins Service SA CCTV Project – Edwardstown-based BST Australia has been awarded a tender for the Service SA CCTV upgrade by the Government of South Australia’s Department for Infrastructure and Transport.
The Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) is a department of the Government of South Australia with an annual budget of $A2.1 billion. Its areas of operation include transport strategy and planning, infrastructure delivery, road and marine services (including Service SA), South Australian Public Transport Authority and more.
“This project involves upgrading the CCTV systems within Service SA centres using the Motorola Solutions Avigilon Unity platform,” said BST’s operations manager, David Rasmussen.
“A big thank you to the Government of South Australia for trusting us with this significant project. We look forward to delivering a robust and reliable CCTV solution that will serve the community and improve the safety and security of Service SA centre.
“Our team is committed to enhancing security and operational efficiency through state-of-the-art surveillance technology.”
BST is a South Australian security integrator with a client base that includes education facilities such as Adelaide University, Flinders University, and TAFE SA, companies such as OneSteel, Bemax Mining and Siemens, and Government departments such as DPTI, CSIRO and the Forensic Science Centre.
You can learn more about BST Australia here or read more SEN news here.
“BST Wins Service SA CCTV Project With Avigilon Unity.”
