Bits 'n bytes
1 April 2005, News

Securex has come and gone, and what a show it was - by all accounts bigger and better than any Securex show before it. Exhibitors seemed happy with the visitors the show drew, and also went out of their way to show off their products on some pretty state-of-the-art stands - all very geared to attracting the attention of the visitors and I hope that those who exhibited get all the return on investment that they deserve, and then some!

From Securex to SecuTech, which is where I am off to as soon as I have finished penning this editorial. I will be on the lookout for innovative moves and products to report back on in next month's issue. And then on to Ifsec, which is the traditional launchpad for many a new product in the security industry. So much to protect and secure and so many new ways in which to do that.

But innovation and improvement clearly breeds cleverer criminals. With all the car-watch people in and around the streets and shopping centre parking lots as well as the availability of a range of vehicle tracking devices to suit almost every pocket, we can (sort of) safely assume our cars are safe. Then along comes yet another convergence of physical and logical security - a new virus that targets on-board car computers.

According to a report in the Tribune on 6 February ( http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?art_id=vn20050206103 416386C152071&set _id=1&click_id =31&sf=) owners of such vehicles could be in for an onslaught of infections by such viruses following reports from the United States that the on-board computers of certain Lexus models in that country had been infected via cellphones. Figures quoted put the number of infected vehicles at around 150 000!

Glancing through this issue you will notice that we feature a fair amount of feedback from Securex, but we also have our usual dose of opinion pieces, news items and features.

The ever-insightful Dr Craig Donald looks at 'Deciding on the extent of surveillance coverage' and Will Klopper of Sony argues the business case for networked video monitoring. For this and a whole lot more, read on.

Till next month,

Lynne Larsen

Further reading:

• Surveillance culture, good and bad
  May 2013, Technews Publishing, News
  News of the bomb attack in Boston was all over the news last month, complete with some really mindless and careless speculation among TV and print journalists about who did it, who was arrested and ...
  
• Local is lekker the world over
  May 2013, Technews Publishing, News
  Despite facing many problems, South African manufacturers of security products manage to produce goods that are not only successfully deployed in the country, but also throughout Africa and the developed world. Hi-Tech Security Solutions spoke to four successful local manufacturers.
  
• Local manufacturing by the numbers
  May 2013, News
  Hedley Davidson unpacks the realities of local manufacturing by the numbers, having been locally designing and manufacturing electronic access control since 1989. This article focuses on his belief that South African companies have the necessary ingredients to bring internationally competitive products to market.
  
• SIA Gold Award recognises bravery of crime monitor
  April 2013, Enforce Electronics, News
  Enforce crime monitor, Mduduzi Mazibuko, was recognised at the annual Security Industry Alliance (SIA) Awards Ceremony for his bravery and skill in assisting the SAPS in the chase and arrest of a suspect ...
  
• New foam protection system from G4S
  May 2013, News
  In line with its strategy to deter and deflect crime, G4S Cash Solutions South Africa is installing a new foam protection system in all of its cash-in-transit vehicles that carry bulk and high value consignments. ...
  
• ADT appoints Soraya Chavoos
  May 2013, ADT Security, News
  Soraya Chavoos has been appointed as ADT’s technical manager in the Northern Region. She brings over 14 years of experience to the position. Chavoos started her career as a technical co-ordinator for ...
  
• What you see is what you sign
  May 2013, Brand New Technologies, News
  VPSign’s VPad is an electronic document product that captures handwritten signatures and is available locally from Brand New Technologies. It is based on a full-sized LCD tablet computer with an integrated ...
  
• Cathexis to exhibit at IFSEC UK
  May 2013, News
  Following the successful launch of its new CatVision IP Video Management suite in South Africa, local surveillance solutions provider, Cathexis will be exhibiting at the IFSEC show in Birmingham in May ...
  
• Instacom expands service to the Western Cape
  May 2013, News
  Instacom, a South African based telecommunications company specialising in push-to-talk communication has set its sights on the Western Cape. After success throughout Eastern Cape, KZN and Gauteng, it ...
  
• LAWtrust first African WebTrust and Adobe certificate authority
  May 2013, News
  South African cryptographic security provider LAWtrust has become the first provider in Africa to be certified by both WebTrust and Adobe. LAWtrust was certified by global certificate authority WebTrust ...
  
• Guarding sector must come clean
  May 2013, News
  The number of crimes committed against South African business is constantly climbing – and a substantial portion of this problem can be attributed to poor standards in the security guarding segment of ...
  
• Investing in Africa? Is there a choice?
  April 2013, Technews Publishing, News
  It is strange to hear the different opinions people have on the security industry. The most common one I hear is that business must be booming if you have anything to do with security in South Africa ...