There’s a whole list of reasons why heightened vigilance and improved situational awareness are desirable, and why it’s best provided by tech that’s affordable, long-lasting, and easy to use.
In some states, there’s a particular concern about increasing gun violence, as gun control laws are relaxed, as crime remains high, and divisions in society persist.
Those divisions seem particularly acute right now – a heated dispute is never far below the surface, and with it, the potential for rising tempers. One thing that most Americans seem to agree on is that society is more polarized than any time they can remember. The pandemic also continues to cause concern health concerns for many, while others are frustrated by continued infringement on civil liberties, such as mandates to wear face coverings, which can cause flashpoints.

The last five years have been busy since I joined Hall & Kay. Despite some disruption in the market, we’ve seen our sales continue to grow.
Where has the new business come from? We’ve delivered some significant projects in sectors where we see demand growing further, including social housing and public space video, mixed commercial and office developments, heritage sites and schools.

US security and FM managers have had to deal with a succession of emergencies over the last 18 months - spikes in gun violence, protests and civil unrest, and extreme weather events including flash floods, wildfires, air quality deterioration, and extreme heat incidents - all against the ongoing backdrop of COVID-19.

In the last month alone we’ve seen devastating flash floods in Europe and China, a record-breaking ‘heat dome’ over the northwest US and then Turkey, which has extended heatwaves into Algeria, Tunisia, and multiple countries in Southeast Europe, causing numerous localized extreme weather incidents – and records broken – some that are not even making international headlines.

In our last blog, we looked at the cost advantages that NVR-based on-prem video solutions have over VSaaS. Despite all the marketing hype around VSaaS, the established on-prem model offers better value in key areas including lower storage costs and fairer, more transparent pricing models without prohibitive ongoing license fees that can soon mount up. The advantages don’t stop there. Now let’s look at performance.

There’s been much debate recently about the rise of cloud video. But end-users need to be aware of the hype.
While VSaaS (Video Surveillance as a Service) vendors tout their surveillance models as the future, for most customers it’s likely hybrid models will prove to be the best option. There are many reasons to suggest customers will opt to use a mix of on-premises and cloud-based systems – and many reasons why we’re not seeing anything like the levels of adoption that have been predicted. Although many VSaaS vendors have tried to bypass the security buying chain by selling direct to IT departments, too often we’re seeing myths emerging concerning on-prem solutions.

These days, there’s a growing list of compliance boxes that need be ticked. That’s good news for the video sector, and for customers in particular.
Because regulations are not just about ‘box ticking’, they’re about making sure that our systems are truly fit for purpose and that they don’t fail on a growing list of metrics now regarded as non-negotiable.

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.