The Best Security Technology Innovations of 2016

View/download the original article published on Campus Security Magazine here.

The following article originally ran in Campus Safety’s sister publication Security Sales & Integration.

“Gentlemen, you can build it. We have the technologies. You have the capability to build a world-class security business. Your company will be that business. Better than it was before. Better, stronger, faster.”

OK, so there may not be any bionics (although there are biometrics and robotics) involved and fewer than six million offerings, but with all due respect to Steve Austin, our 2016 Top 30 Security Technology Innovations list likewise offers security practitioners enhanced vision, agility, speed, and power.

Although its legacy does not harken back as far as TV’s “The Six Million Dollar Man” show, the Top 30 has actually more than doubled the number of seasons that classic 1970s series ran.

For more than a decade now, SSI’s tech editors have handpicked the electronic security industry’s most unique compilation of products and solutions. And just as Austin was equipped to take on virtually any mission, these annual selections represent some of the most interesting and intriguing market offerings to support installing and monitoring systems providers’ quest for success.

Once again SSI columnists Paul Boucherle (Business Fitness) and Bob Dolph have each identified 15 items that strike a formidable mix.

Boucherle tends to focus more on access control, video surveillance, integration and even end user-oriented solutions. Dolph, on the other hand, favors intrusion detection and fire/life-safety systems with an especially sharp perspective on installation tools and testing gear and even sprinkles in some DIY-oriented fare.

That is not to say they do not individually venture out into the full spectrum of technologies. They both independently tab anything (limited to one entry per brand) deemed worthy based on its value, relevance or interest to security contractors.

The 2016 roll-call of customarily broad VIPs (very important products) includes megapixel cameras, video management and storage systems, network infrastructure devices, security/automation control panels, mobile offerings, wireless gear, cloud-based solutions, field testers, takeover modules, video verification,  solar power, integrated access control, network security, smart locks, and cash handling to boot.

With this year’s list just ahead, you don’t have to survive a near-death experience like our retro TV hero to obtain these fantastic technologies. It is with the utmost enthusiasm that we congratulate all those among 2016’s Top 30 Technology Innovations.

Dolph's Pick: Arecont Omni-Directional Camera

“I want to see it all,” is a demand made by many campuses that are not easy to meet. Fulfilling this wish with quality high-definition video is a reality, however, with the SurroundVideo Omni G2 Series IP megapixel (MP) camera system from Arecont Vision. Now every hallway, corner, and angle can be covered. The camera’s features include resolution of 12MP, PoE capability and an IP66 weather rating. The track design of this system allows four individual 3-axis sensor gimbals to be independently placed in nearly any configuration. The field of view of the system is 270°, making it perfect for the perimeter corners of a building. Installation is a snap with magnetically placed gimbals. The remote focus of cameras can be controlled through the camera’s webpage. Lens exchange is quick and easy since the remote focus mechanism is separate from the lenses.