Watch for an approaching cyberwave of innovation

Dec 1, 2000 12:00 PM, Larry Anderson

Almost all of us use the Internet every day, both on the job and in our personal lives. In a recent informal survey of our readers, we found that 94 percent of them use the Internet on the job to conduct research, presumably relating to industry trends or product information. An overlapping 90 percent use the Internet for email, and a third overlapping percentage - 84 percent - use it for news. Fewer of us use it for shopping/e-commerce or other uses, although obviously, Internet B2B e-commerce will expand - many companies are betting heavily that it will, anyway.

But the security industry is poised to benefit from the Internet in specific ways that reach over and beyond its widespread utility to the masses. From providing remote access to security systems across the Internet, to video surveillance of remote locations, to improved training courses distributed on the Internet, the possibilities are endless.

Several companies are already in the business of distributing remote-site video over the Internet, including Eyecast.com, iMonitoring.com, and RemoteVideo.com. The technology may be in its infancy, and certainly impressive improvements can be expected in the years to come, but at its heart the idea of streaming video on a Web site is a beautiful thing. It's especially beautiful when you consider the implications to security directors of being able to keep as close a watch over their sites as they want from any old computer anywhere in the world. Applications for these video Web sites are much broader than the security industry, but probably no discipline can benefit more in the long-run than the security industry, which has worked for years to tie together remote surveillance sites. There isn't enough cable in the world to match the remote-site surveillance possibilities that the Internet may soon provide.

Internet-based features are also being offered on more and more products throughout the access control industry. Being able to access a Web site to track lost keys, to check on the status of an alarm or to search a database are among the possibilities. Internet-based features may soon enhance the functionality of hundreds of the industry's products. Already you're seeing many suppliers adopting browser interfaces and network-based products.

A third way the Internet is poised to transform the industry is in the area of training. Facing serious turnover of personnel, the industry is crying out for an efficient way to train employees. Many colleges and universities are already using the Internet for distance learning, and it is certainly an appropriate interactive medium for training the country's security professionals. There is also an opportunity for security systems suppliers to use the Internet as a tool to enhance training in the use of their systems. Some already are doing so.

The networked world is already here, and no one benefits more from being connected than your local security director. The more connected, the better. It's all just a matter of time.

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - Vancouver police say at least three workers collecting fees at Vancouver International Airport ran a scam to steal credit card numbers from hundreds of travelers, according to APBnews.com.

The three workers at a kiosk at the international gate collected airport improvement fees; they have been arrested and charged with fraud. The alleged thefts occurred over a six-week period. According to police, the workers used an illegal device to record the number of a credit card once it was swiped through a legitimate charging machine. The workers would then produce a counterfeit card. Travelers paid improvement fees ranging from $3 to $9. Police believe more than 600 credit cards numbers were stolen.

Tokyo - A Japanese man searching for his stolen Porsche found the car for sale on the Internet at a used car lot's Web site, according to Reuters. The man began his search for the car shortly after the 1997 Porsche Boxster disappeared in September. The man perused the inventories of about 100,000 vehicles before narrowing his search to 20 cars of the same year and make. Police believe members of organized crime may be behind the theft.

Port Clinton, Ohio - A man recently released from prison stole supplies from the local police department so he could go back to jail, according to ABCNews.com. Police say Anthony Wyckoff, 36, a drifter, had no place to stay after he had been released from prison and was living in a field behind the police department. When temperatures dropped to around 30 degrees, Wyckoff resorted to stealing a handgun, knife and empty tear gas can from a police storage locker to get himself locked up, according to police. Wyckoff was charged with theft and criminal trespass on city property. Police say if Wyckoff had told them he had no place to go, they might have been able to help him find shelter.

Baton Rouge, La. - Baton Rouge police made Halloween more trick than treat for several college students. At least eight students were facing theft charges after being caught with more than 350 pumpkins and other Halloween decorations taken from homes in the southern part of the city, according to Reuters. Baton Rouge police arrested the students, believed to be freshmen at Louisiana State University, and charged them with theft and illegal possession of stolen goods. Besides pumpkins, the students took 24 scarecrows, nine ghosts, eight skeletons, one straw broom, and plastic jack-o'-lanterns.

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© 2012 Penton Media Inc.

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