This article originally appeared in the December 2024 issue of Security Business magazine. Don’t forget to mention Security Business magazine on LinkedIn and @SecBusinessMag on Twitter if you share it.
Thousands of security professionals flocked to New York City for ISC’s East Coast offering this November. Hot on the heels of a contentious presidential election, no small amount of civil unrest regarding threats both domestic and abroad colored conversations from the show floor to SIA’s education sessions.
Amidst a landscape of geopolitical tensions and rampant cyberattacks, a chief concern amongst exhibitors and attendees was securing critical infrastructure. As even a single disruption can leave millions of Americans without vital resources like water or electricity, discussion shifted toward proactive security. Under the banner of ISC East’s new Critical Infrastructure Pavilion, industry experts gathered to air their worries about drone interference and ransomware attacks and what technologies they might implement to preemptively mitigate the damage.
In lieu of trending technologies like AI-powered video analytics or gun detection dominating the conversation, however—Brivo’s VP of Product and Innovation, Neerja Bajaj, commented that these once-novel innovations are now expected as a baseline by consumers browsing for surveillance solutions—the word of the day was “unification.”
Illustrative of this new direction was the combined Eagle Eye Networks-Brivo booth, a massive, shared space placed front and center on the show floor. This marriage of video and access offerings was a microcosm of the show’s larger atmosphere, where exhibitors prioritized demonstrating how seamlessly their individual solutions could “play nice” within a unified security ecosystem.
Bajaj compared each technology integration to a single sense: your sight, hearing, and touch are your cameras, alarms, and entry control, respectively. While reasonably effective apart, all senses unified produce a more “optimized” human. To Bajaj, this approaching singularity is a “natural evolution” of analytics and AI technology.
Further explorations of this looming convergence were available for attendees in many of the show’s panels and educational events, from the return on investment (ROI) and sustainability benefits of unified systems discussed at SIA’s “Return on Security” breakfast to keynote speeches concerning the practicality of combining radar and video to fend off drone incursions before they occur.
All of this evidence tells us that the winds of change are calling, especially for integrators. Wavelynx VP of Sales Jason Glover urged integrators to brace themselves, citing increasing calls for technology integrations on all fronts as a primary driver. “Every access company is now a video company, and vice versa,” he says. “The definition of the word ‘integrator’ is changing in the security space.”
First Looks from the Show Floor
Among the products featured on the show floor was Axis Communications’ latest innovation, the ARTPEC-9. The 9th generation of Axis’ system-on-chip (SoC) features support for Advanced Video Coding and compressions standards, triples video analytics performance, and doubles graphics speed.
“With its support for AV1, ARTPEC-9 enables more efficient streaming of high-resolution video,” said Johan Paulsson, Axis’ Chief Technology Officer. “It’s really a win for the industry.”
NAPCO ensured that their suite of new offerings this year was viewed by everyone present with a booth positioned squarely in front of the entrance escalators. Making their debut on the show floor this year were the MVP Access Control and Locking System, specialized electronic, mechanical, and touchscreen-operated locks; the FireLink Control Panel for commercial building applications at scale; new accessories for the Prima Alarm System (including a solar-powered doorbell camera); and the StarLink-integrated fire and intrusion reporting radios, StarLink Fire Max2 and Intrusion Max2.
While NAPCO’s StarLink technologies were heavily promoted at the show, every solution was tailor-made to generate Recurring Service Revenue (RSR), according to NAPCO’s official press release. The company also hosted several education sessions to further educate attendees on the RSR-generating capabilities of its new locking systems.
On the residential side, Latch unveiled its new AI-powered leak detector, DOOR Bug. According to Jamie Siminoff, Latch’s former Chief Strategy Officer and future advisor, the unintrusive sensor is meant to serve as a low-cost monitoring solution for multi-family properties.
“The product was inspired by a toilet running in a unit our Property Management unit oversees,” he said. “The monitoring solutions available on the market were price prohibitive, so we made our own.”
The leak detector, which monitors running toilets, sink leaks, and other household problems to alert property managers, will hit shelves with an MSRP of $39.
Leadership Excellence at SIA Honors Night
Wednesday night saw three security luminaries recognized for their “leadership, commitment, and service to the industry” at the SIA Honors Night Gala.
SAGE Integration’s Chief Operating Officer, John Nemerofsky, was this year’s recipient of the George R. Lippert Memorial Award, granted for his numerous contributions as an engaged board member of PSA and SIA and as vice chair of FAST. “SIA’s Lippert Award recipients represent the very best and most dedicated in our industry, with no better example than John Nemerofsky,” said SIA CEO Don Erickson.
WISF chair and three-time Power 100 honoree Alice DiSanto took home the SIA Progress Award for her instrumental role in the success and development of several key initiatives, including the CAN DO Challenge and the PropelHER and UpliftHER subcommittees.
The recipient of SIA’s Insightful Practitioner Award was Scott Gross, Facility Security Officer at Con Edison. His nomination was secured through decades of contributions in critical infrastructure, airspace security, and counter-drone efforts. Gross continues to engage in industry leadership efforts through his membership on the SIA Utilities Advisory Board and as a prominent event speaker.
The show will be returning to New York City’s Javits Center next year from November 18-20, 2025.
