According to London’s Observer newpaper, the plan stems from the fear that the area around Big Ben and Parliament are vulnerable to attacks from truck bombs. Since a rash of IRA bombings 10 years ago led to street closures, and congestion led to a charge on private vehicles, London’s City business district has been significantly reduced.

It’s a departure from the usual technique where holes are made in the casing of bombs and then try to use a number of methods to force the explosive out of the casing. The challenge with the forcing process is that it invariably causes some vibration that can lead to an explosion. SAI’s method means there’s no need to approach an
explosive device. As part of the patent Applications, SAI showed steel cylinders being lowered over an anti-tank mine and the cavity filled with missile fuel and an oxidant. Once the mixture was ignited and burned for a length of time the mine was rendered safe.

ASIS will provide Ridge’s department with access to more than 27,000 security professionals in the U.S., many of them responsible for protecting life and property in private corporations and other institutions that are parts of our national critical infrastructures.

This fully operational, cross-agency, cross-sector, cross-discipline program is based on a system developed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), another partner in the venture. It is being deployed in four pilot communities. Dallas and Seattle are the first; Indianapolis and Atlanta will follow in August and September, respectively. ASIS members will not only participate in information exchange with federal authorities; some will be named to “governance boards” overseeing the system’s operations regionally and locally.

“We in ASIS view this program as one of the ‘crown jewels’ in our productive and growing relationship with the US Department of Homeland Security,” said Shirley Pierini, ASIS President. “It is the kind of public-private partnership that we have espoused for a long time, and we particularly appreciate the fact that it links DHS directly with the people in the private sector who most need, and can best act upon, information regarding terrorism.”

The system uses readily available technology, including telephones, computers, faxes, and the Internet. ASIS members in pilot communities will be sent alerts and information on terrorism-related incidents and issues directly through multiple channels depending on the urgency of the threat. This does not mean that every ASIS member will receive every communication; the system is able to target information to recipients in specified critical infrastructures and geographic areas. As one of its priorities, ASIS has over the past two years reconfigured its membership database to make it more responsive to DHS’s needs. ASIS members in areas outside the pilot programs will be integrated into HSIN-CI as quickly as other areas are added to the network.

According to Mr. Howard, ASIO now has greater funding that any time since the Cold War and has doubled in size, while $A872 million has been allocated to improving intelligence. Mr Howard called on private industry to continue spending on improvements in security, saying there was a cost everyone must share in the fight against terrorism. “There is a cost for all of us – there is a cost for you – involved in taking counter terrorism and security measures,” said Mr Howard. “Collectively we do pay a heavy price in economic terms but over…the price that we do pay…has to be put the…disruption and dislocation to our economy…that would occur if a terrorist attack took place in this country.

“It is a challenge to our society, it’s a challenge we haven’t had before – we must simultaneously not become obsessed with it but equally take all the precautions that are necessary.”

“Digital One is a progressive new approach to video security and surveillance systems operation that embodies both existing analog systems products and new digital IP-based systems products,” Panasonic Vice President Frank Abram said in a statement. “It is an all-encompassing philosophy toward product development and systems integration.” Another Digital One goal is to provide end users with cost-efficient ways to upgrade their systems. The initiative is an outgrowth of Panasonic’s Networking Initiative that works to extend the scope of networked devices to include existing analog-based systems.

Supply chains can be thrown into disarray for many reasons. A severe storm can delay urgently needed raw materials. A major dock strike can halt the movement of goods. Then there are low-probability, high-impact incidents such as an earthquake or terrorist attack.

Companies can learn to cope with crises like these and minimize the disruption to their businesses. “Often the issue is cultural—making sure that damage control is built into the very fabric of the organization,” said Yossi Sheffi, professor of civil and environmental engineering and engineering systems and leader of the project.

For example, a few years ago the production of computer chips was halted by a fire at a large supplier. One major customer, cell phone manufacturer Nokia, reacted quickly and found alternative sources of the chips. A competitor was much slower to react and eventually exited the cell phone business.

Nokia was able to recover quickly because part of its corporate culture is to communicate bad news quickly throughout the company. “When the tendency is to hide or delay negative information, the company concerned is generally slower to react when hit by the unexpected,” Sheffi said.

Resilient companies also are prepared organizationally for supply chain interruptions. Part of the Nokia response was to redesign its product so components from other sources could be used. That required quickly calling cross-functional teams of managers into action to make the necessary changes.

“Companies can use vulnerability maps to help them assess their level of exposure to sudden dislocations,” Sheffi said. On such a grid, an airline has a relatively high vulnerability because the loss of a single aircraft to a terrorist attack could have a catastrophic effect on its business. In comparison, fast food giant McDonald’s is less exposed since the closure of a single store or even a group of stores would not close the company’s network of 30,000-plus outlets. But the vulnerability map is changing.

“The risks grow daily as global supply lines stretch, competition stiffens, customers become more demanding and political instability takes its toll around the world,” Sheffi said. “Companies can become resilient by creating flexible supply chains and ensuring that security is part of their corporate cultures.”

The purchase price will be approximately $US5.65 million, subject to adjustments as of the closing of the transaction. The transaction is subject to customary conditions to closing next month. Both companies have agreed to consummate the sale as soon as possible. The two divisions being sold are SecurityandMore and Industrial Vision Source that largely comprise the company’s DSG group. The two divisions had combined annual revenues of approximately $20 million in fiscal year 2003.

SecurityandMore is a leading supplier of “do-it-yourself” video surveillance and security solution applications, including prepackaged solutions and customer designs that turned over $US11 million last year. Meanwhile, Industrial Vision Source, which had sales of over $9 million in 2003, is a leading single source supplier of technologically advanced imaging components and video equipment. IVS is the largest supplier of Sony Visual Imaging Products in the United States, and supplies a wide variety of products from the industry’s other large manufacturers including Hitachi, Panasonic, Elmo, Tamron, Pentax, Fujinon and Navitar as well as its own brand name equipment. The products sold by IVS enhance factory automation, improve video teleconferencing and enable security, monitoring or communication in a variety of other applications such as robotics, distance learning, microscopy, in-car video monitoring, computer imaging and mobile applications.

The Application Market Penetration Leadership Award recognized Recognition Systems’ strong market presence in the biometrics industry and its effective penetration into the physical access/time and attendance segment.

“Recognition Systems is not only a global pioneer and leader in the hand geometry biometrics segment, but has also successfully leveraged its diverse expertise to offer fingerprint products for access control applications,” notes Prianka
Chopra, industry manager with Frost & Sullivan.

“The reliability of Recognition System’s hand geometry technology coupled with its ability to meet the ever changing demands of its customers is reflected in the high degree of awareness and acceptance for its biometric solutions,” concludes Chopra. Recognition Systems also received the 2004 Technology Leadership Award in recognition of its pioneering role in the
development of hand recognition technology and in particular for its development of innovative HandKey and FingerKey systems that are now installed in high profile locations across the world, including airports in the United States, Israel and the Republic of Korea.

“San Francisco International Airport controls access to over 180 doors and has more than 18,000 individuals enrolled in its system, which performs more than 25,000 biometric checks daily,” notes Frost & Sullivan’s industry analyst Michael Valenti. “No other biometric technology has demonstrated this impressive long-term reliability in the aviation environment.”