Last summer saw a spate of illegal raves, reminiscent of those back the 1990s. There have been reports of excessive drinking and illicit drug taking in public spaces and private grounds, for example supermarket car parks. It’s hardly surprising if people have become frustrated by the continued lack social activity, by economic hardship, or by the monotony of home working that offers little in the way of human engagement.

It feels as if we’re all about to emerge blinking into the sun, and after a lost year of pandemic lockdowns and canceled trips, the possibility of a decent summer season is finally just weeks away. For most Americans - almost three-quarters according to one recent survey from CNBC - that will mean taking a vacation in the U.S. and staying closer to home, as concerns remain about traveling overseas.

A welcome milestone has just been reached in the UK with the re-opening of ‘non-essential’ retail, with indoor dining set to return next month.
It’s an important turning point for a sector that has faced such turbulence over the last year, with some major successes in the grocery sector overshadowed by big losses in areas such as fashion and eating out sectors, not least for the thousands of staff whose jobs have gone.

Advanced, remote video monitoring is becoming much more attractive to mid-sized and smaller customers, thanks to recent developments in AI analytics that are transforming the quality of service. What comes next should be even more exciting. At VMI, since 2017, we have been growing our customer base, and we’ve been winning business in sectors a diverse as logistics, and banking, to cannabis, and food processing – the list goes on.

The simplest way to think about metadata is that it’s ‘data about other data’. Where video surveillance is concerned, that means ‘data about video data’ or more specifically: data about changes to video streams.
Metadata provides context to events and allows real-time video and recorded footage – large amounts of it - to be quickly organized, searched, retrieved, and used. The functions enabled, as a result, can be broadly categorized into three areas: searching; alarm triggering and notifications; and reporting.

Security and facilities managers are familiar now with the importance of occupancy and social distancing monitoring, with the goal of improving safety and security for users. The good news is that many existing technologies can be deployed affordably and quickly to achieve both.

British business is about to become much more focused on climate change and the need to cut carbon - to the point where purchasing decisions will be affected. The UK set to take centre stage when the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) takes place in Glasgow later this year. With the summit looming, the UK government is already considering new carbon taxes and calling for coordinated action to meet the Net Zero 30 year-target to decarbonise the economy.

Despite the rapid rollout of vaccines, the impact and ramifications of COVID-19 will be long felt in almost every part of the economy. Many businesses have needed to pivot and adapt quickly to new ways of working.

Waves of infection have spread around the country, with successive hotspots taking hold and varying measures introduced locally to try and suppress them. For security professionals, trying to steer their way through the current crisis to better times - when vaccinations will finally ease the economic pressures – is challenging. Right now, it feels especially hard to see that far ahead.

As Europe’s economies struggle through the most challenging phase of the pandemic so far it feels as if the old saying is right, that the darkest hour is just before dawn.

Despite the current turmoil in the global economy, looking ahead to next 18 months there is reason for optimism in several sectors. In hospitality, for example, the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) believes its target of attracting 100 million annual visitors by 2030 remains realistic, boosted by diversification and reform at new beach resorts.

There are some key video tech trends to look to, as well. These technologies and their applications can translate into more profitability for systems integrators looking to grow their businesses in the New Year.

With Intersec postponed, Expo 2020 delayed until October 2021, and Middle East economies facing huge disruption, some security professionals are feeling pessimistic. But you don’t have to look far to see some promising oases of growth, writes Kwon, general manager for IDIS MEA.

As the holiday season approaches, the U.S. is still in the grip of the 2020 pandemic. Many families have lost loved-ones, and there is no escaping the fact that the death toll will escalate into the winter. But now, with news that Pfizer and BioNTech’s 90%-effective vaccine could start being rolled-out within weeks, spirits and stock markets have soared.

The logistics sector has always been a vital one in keeping the global economy humming, but the COVID-19 pandemic has shone an even brighter light on the pivotal part logistics plays in ensuring the sustainability of the supply chain.