G4S buys ISS to become the worlds biggest security company

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Security company G4S has agreed to buy its Danish rival ISS in a deal worth £5.2bn, to create the world’s biggest security and facilities services group.

G4S  has today agreed to pay £1.53bn to ISS,  a privately owned company, and take on  3.76 billion pounds worth of ISS debt. The deal has been agreed and the terms will mean that payment will be made half in cash and half in share options.

G4S shares slumped on the news as they announced that it intended to raise 1.88 billion through a rights issue in order to fund the deal.

The belief is the acquisition will transform G4S’s business model and accelerate the delivery of G4S solutions strategy. This will give considerable value to shareholders.

The takeover will create a business with combined revenue of £15.9bn. Making G4S the largest security company in the world.

It will also provide large growth opportunities but as well as this it will deliver £100m of pretax cost savings year on year by 2014.

G4S has justified the deal by saying that it  expects the deal to deliver “double-digit” earnings-per-share accretion within three years.

 

ADPRO Presidium

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ADPRO Presidium is the new approach to analytics by Xtralis. Perimeter protection has always been Adpro’s forte and they know that preventing problems at the perimeter is the key to reducing losses and crime. Adpro are advocating a combination of technologies in order to maximise detection and minimise false alarms.

Adpro Presidium

Adpro in order to achieve this goal have released iLIDS approved analytics under the name of Presidium. This is a stable platform and having seen a demonstration of this technology in action it is clearly going to help ADPRO sell both the rack mount version and the Presidium mini. As their second line of defence  there is the ADPRO PRO series PIRs. Those previously familiar with the PRO series will know that they always struggled with limited coverage patterns. Not anymore, lots of different coverage patterns generated by precise mirror  technology mean plenty of choice for the CCTV installer.

Adpro mini

A proactive approach is of course crucial in the event of an intrusion. By using Presidium analytics the central station can rely on accurate information and very few false activations. Analytics means that the event must be within the view of the camera however the presidium can be tripped externally by an input from a PRO PIR and this means 100% accuracy from a confirmed alarm.

The Presidium  comes in the form of a rack mount unit purpose built with embedded software. It is in a modular format with 2 independent camera inputs per VM15 unit . Each output displays on screen information of events as they unfold. Confident in their product it comes with a 24 month warranty and of course is networkable.

The Adpro Presiduim is easily integrated with other Adpro products such as fast trace and Fasttrace 2. As we mentioned before the product is i-LIDS approved as a primary system for use in sterile zone monitoring applications this is because the advanced algorithms enable the Presidium to operate in all sorts of conditions and is wind and rain immune.

With other features such as directional object detection this product is ideal when conditions make sensors too expensive or difficult to install . In fact careful analysis may find it is a cheaper solution than PIR detection.

Adpro continue to commit their range to external security and fast reliable transmission devices. They have always been market leaders and other than their “lost period” a few years ago we know  every product they produce is truly rock solid.

Pyronix Enforcer wireless intruder alarm panel

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Wireless intruder alarm panels have been around for many years nows. Scantronic in the dim distant past were pioneers of this technology but to be fair the wireless intruder alarm solution never cut it in the early days. PP9 batteries were the only effective way to power the sensors and these sensors were the equivalent to an electric fire in terms of current draw compared to some of the devices available today. Even so as technology has continued to improve wireless intruder alarms do not seem to have picked up as much of the UK market as perhaps they should. Wireless surveys were always involved and the properties that best suited in terms of a radio solution ie those most difficult to get cables round always seemed to come with thick stone walls meaning radio would not work anyway.

The NSI may also be to blame. Strict criteria in terms of how an intruder alarm should be installed and class 6 radio being the only accepted way of achieving a policed response meant that often , even though it may involve more effort in the first place, a hardwired solution was ultimately better in the long run, for both reliability and easier maintenance and of course no 6 monthly battery changes.

Enforcer wireless intruder alarm

Fast forward to 2010 and Pyronix announce the release of the Enforcer wireless alarm panel. So how would this differ from older less reliable wireless alarm systems? Well the sensors now draw micro amps and battery technology has moved on leaps and bounds, this means at the sensor end at least many of the problems of the early days have been eliminated. With the new Enforcer wireless alarm, Pyronix designed a new two way wireless communication system. This means that the sensor devices are both transmitters and receivers, this eliminates all previous problems such data clashes and means the monitoring of each device is far more reliable.

The Enforcer is a 32 zone panel  and includes 2 hardwired inputs and 3 hardwired outputs. Because the Enforcer uses two way radio links it has a far more intelligent jamming technology detection, something that was a major downfall in earlier wireless intruder alarm panels. The panel has been specifically designed for easy installation and much of the programming has been simplified. The goal Pyronix is trying to achieve is, mount the panel, connect the power, link in the phone line and the system is ready to program, an installers dream really.

So if you are an installer who has had his fingers badly burned in the past by poor wireless intruder alarm solutions that did not work , here is a chance to try the Pyronix Enforcer a new type of wireless technology and a solution that should get installers thinking again about Wireless intruder alarms once again.

Avigilon encoder

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The Avigilon H.264 analogue video encoder has been designed and priced with a view to really encouraging affordable upgrades from analogue to IPCCTV. HD has always been Avigilon’s speciality but they know that by enabling installers to use legacy kit this will be the way to get their products installed, especially here in the UK. Avigilon has seen some remarkable growth over the last two years and their equipment is second to none. During the recent London riots their equipment was responsible for the majority of ID’s of the rioters and viewing footage of the riots the images they managed to capture really is a revelation.

Avigilon encoder
Avigilon encoder

However back to the encoder and with 4 analogue video inputs the Avigilon encoder is specifically designed to integrate legacy analog cameras into a High Definition IP surveillance system. At just 25% of the cost of some of its main rivals this encoder will be selling in its tens of thousands. When you connect an analogue camera into the Avigilon encoder it actually visibly up scales the picture, a fantastic improvement and one end users will love to see. The Avigilon encoder is designed to transmit images over 100BASE-TX. It compresses the images using  H.264 technology, and requires minimal storage for video even at high frame rates. The Avigilon encoder  uses an industry-leading motion adaptive 3D deinterlacing algorithm to produce sharper and more accurate video and includes an RS-485 interface for PTZ support. For those requiring relay switching an external I/O interface is included, this of course is ideal for alarms.The Avigilon encoder also interfaces with Avigilon Control Center NVMS and HD NVRs.

To ensure that the Avigilon encoder can also be used with other IP surveillance systems Avigilon have made the encoder ONVIF compliant. In addition the encoder can be powered by either P O E, 12 Volts DC or 24 Volts AC, and up to 3 units can be stored on a single 1U rack mount space.

The unit also has a privacy zone per channel and 4 audio inputs. Add to this 30FPS per channel and this encoder is going to take a lot of beating.

We cannot recommend highly enough how important it is to get a demonstration of this equipment. Seeing is believing so the saying goes and once you have seen the quality images that an Avigilon encoder and camera can produce then you will be wanting to to get them on your price list at the earliest possibility.

How to get the best out of your CCTV system

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This video highlights all the problems that people find with their CCTV system. The FBI have produced this short film in order to highlight how you need to set up a CCTV system to get facial images that can be used by the authorities. The video also explains some of the misconceptions about CCTV and then helps you by telling you how to get the most from your CCTV system . So if you are constantly frustrated by the  poor performance of your CCTV system watch the video for more information. It does show the importance of proper design and using good CCTV equipment. It clearly proves that cheap CCTV and DIY installations just don’t work

By using a fictional storey about the bombing of a bus the video maintains the watchers interest while describing everything you need to know about CCTV.