Genetec Lays Out Initiatives, Plans for 2015

Genetec executives outline an overall roadmap as well as more specific product goals for the year ahead at its Connect ’15 Press Summit.

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A key new feature is the unified communications capability provided by the integrated Sipelia module, a VoIP-like offering that ties together video and access control via intercom over the Session Initiation Protocol network (or SIP, hence the module name).

“VMS vendors were lacking intercom integrations, ACS and VMS vendors lack multi-vendor support, and the market is lacking open solutions and standards; we noticed no one was leveraging SIP,” says Genetec’s Jimmy Palatsoukas, senior manager, product marketing, who was demonstrating Sipelia and Security Center. “We noticed all these gaps in the market, and that customers wanted to better collaborate with solutions. … What I think makes us unique in trying to change the industry, is one operator being able to call up another operator and have both the video and audio exchange.”

Palatsoukas cites as an example an employee lost card scenario in which the responding access control system operator can visually confirm the person is an employee while on the intercom and then grant access.

Other upgrades with Security Center 5.3 include incident reporting and enhanced investigations (spurred by feedback from Genetec integrators in the gaming and retail space), such as the ability for an operator to create a storyboard by drag-and-dropping sequenced videos within a single tile view rather than exporting a dozen separate video clips.

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For instance; ‘federation’ of independent systems to be centrally monitored as well as selectively shared with authorized users/partners; and higher-performance computing for improved bandwidth and playback of megapixel and 4K cameras especially, in part by offloading data from a system’s CPU to its GPU (graphics processing unit) to free up the CPU for other activities.

Whereas displaying one 4K camera stream on a VMS screen may have previously choked a CPU, Palatsoukas notes, leveraging the GPU allowed in his demo 15 4K feeds to be pulled at once on-screen without hiccups—Genetec can now display five 4K streams per graphics card (with the number of cards varying by computer). An on-screen dashboard gives the user CPU/Memory/GPU/Network percent usage (the 15-camera demo showed fluctuation in CPU usage go as low as 65 percent).

“The computer’s not locked up at all,” he said during the demo, “so a benefit is lowering total cost of ownership for the user, who in the past would need multiple workstations” for monitoring a similar amount of playback while maintaining resolution.

In its 2015 goal to enhance the experience of its roughly 600 integrators, Genetec is aiming at speeding up the purchasing and deployment process. With the company’s recently released SV-32 Unified Security Appliance, for example, a control panel was developed with wizard-based configuration and upgrade capabilities plus pre-installed software to reduce installation time. Additionally, in March the company is expected to name two more U.S. distribution partners in Ingram Micro and CSC available to certified Genetec dealers.

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Along with helping to expedite their buying needs, Genetec launched an initiative that could also drive more potential business to its dealers. During Connect ’15 the company outlined its “Citywise” campaign that takes its hallmarks of “federation” and openness to the municipal level whereby Genetec plans on spearheading the convening and education of city leaders on the impact greater security and safety play in the larger picture.

Key tenets will address the idea of networked security infrastructure, how technology and design together can promote safety, and the human element of creating more attractive, productive and livable places for residents and businesses. Citywise will look to the likes of mobilizers, infrastructure operators, policy makers, end users, consultants, tech partners, urbanists, and thought leaders, and Genetec plans on touring the U.S. in 2015 spreading this message (and pointing to efforts in Atlanta, Boston and Sao Paulo, Brazil, and more as successful examples).

“We don’t just want to deliver more surveillance. It’s how to work with leaders to build more meaningful cities, which leads to networks and effective, sustainable growth,” says Andrew Elvish, Genetec VP, marketing and product management. “Cities drive our business.”

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