NSCA Expo to feature the latest in fire and life safety
This year's NSCA Expo in Orlando at the Orange County Convention Center on March 15-17 will play host to practical, real-world audio experiences provided by live demonstration rooms. In addition, the expo will feature a new exhibitor area called "Tools of the Trade," which is dedicated to showcasing and demonstrating essential items for every system integrator's toolbox....
Online smart card training course now available
Smart cards are becoming commonplace around the world, used in financial, healthcare, identity, security, transportation and telecommunications applications. It is important for individuals who provide products and services or who may become users of smart cards in these industries to be grounded in the basic fundamentals of this emerging and evolving technology.
To provide this foundation, the Smart Card Alliance has introduced a new online course, Fundamentals of Smart Card Technology, available at www.smartcardtraining.com...
Missouri bill would close schools for elections
A Republican lawmaker in Missouri wants to make public school districts cancel classes on election days to alleviate potential security risks....
Restaurant chain implements credit card security measures
Ruby Tuesday Inc. has announced it is switching to an ultra-secure credit card processing system to protect customers from fraud.
The system, which is expected to be in all the restaurant chain's 900 locations by April, leaves no credit card information at the restaurant and is instead sent to the bank in encrypted form. The system is said to help prevent identity theft....
High-tech forensic video lab unveiled
The University of Indianapolis and the Law Enforcement and Emergency Services Video Association (LEVA) have opened a media analysis laboratory, a facility for training criminal investigators in processing and managing large quantities of video evidence.
The partnership is bringing to the university software and hardware that has applications for a number of academic disciplines, which will enable students to apply classroom learning through video editing, simulations and other hands-on experiences....
Network downtime from attack has companies losing revenue
Large organizations are losing an average of 2.2 percent of their annual revenue -- or more than $30 million -- to network security attacks, according to a study on network downtime by analyst firm Infonetics Research.
The study, "The Costs of Network Security Attacks: North America 2007," additionally shows that small and medium organizations lose about half a percent of their annual revenue to security attacks, which can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars....
Backscatter X-ray technology deployed at Phoenix airport
Backscatter X-ray technology -- which photographs passengers under their clothing -- has been deployed at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix. The technology can find plastic bombs strapped to a terrorist's chest or other hidden non-metal weapons.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began testing the advanced technology last week...
Union seeking to organize casino security
An international labor group is seeking to organize an estimated 2,000 casino security guards in Atlantic City, N.J.'s 11 gaming halls.
The International Union of the Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America said last week that it had filed papers with the New Jersey Casino Control Commission to begin a union drive...
Rail security plagued by lack of funds and training, Teamsters say
Rail employees are inadequately trained to deal with emergency situations, and rail security funding is completely eclipsed by funds allocated for airline security -- despite rail being the more heavily used transportation mode, according to the Teamsters Union....
Nurses on the front lines of workplace violence
According to a recent survey by the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), 86 percent of emergency nurses report having been the victim of violence by a patient or a patient's family member when working in the emergency department.
Workplace violence and a nursing shortage -- combined with increasing use of the emergency department -- can diminish the quality of emergency care for patients.
This week, the nation's leaders in emergency nursing practice and research will convene in Boston at the 2007 ENA Leadership Conference to identify solutions and discuss best practices for improving the emergency department experience for patients and staff. ...
Federal investigation: Patient privacy in jeopardy
The Bush administration has no clear strategy to protect the privacy of patients as it promotes the use of electronic medical records throughout the nation's health care system, federal investigators say.
The Government Accountability Office says in a report that the administration had a jumble of studies and vague policy statements but no overall strategy to ensure that privacy protections would be built into computer networks linking insurers, doctors, hospitals and other health care providers....
Is your company Daylight Savings Time compliant?
Computer firms are alerting their customers of an impending problem related to the change in daylight savings time next month, which could throw computer clocks off by an hour.
The issue stems from the change in dates for daylight savings time. Beginning this year, DST begins on the second Sunday of March instead of the first Sunday in April, and ends on the first Sunday in November instead of the last Sunday of October....
New Yorkers most vulnerable to ID theft
It seems ID thieves are taking a big bite out of the Big Apple. New York has the highest rate of identity fraud, followed by California, Nevada and Arizona, according to research from ID Analytics Inc. The research finds that Wyoming, Vermont and Montana have the lowest rates....
Former FBI director Louis Freeh to keynote CTST
The CardTechSecurTech (CTST) Conference, scheduled for May 15-17 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, will feature a keynote luncheon and book signing with former FBI director Louis Freeh on May 15th....
Researchers develop new worm-stopping technology
Researchers at Penn State University say they have developed anti-malware technology that can identify and contain worms in milliseconds rather than minutes -- greatly limiting how far they spread and how much damage they cause....
Microsoft boosts Windows mobile security
Microsoft Corp. says it has increased the security mechanisms built into its newest mobile phone operating system, responding to the needs of business customers who will use the phones to access sensitive corporate data....
Mobile device security still a top concern of IT execs
Mobility and security are the two most pressing issues facing IT executives in 2007, according to an industry report by The EQUS Group, a technology market research firm.
The study details the concerns of 83 IT executives who participated in exhaustive interviews....
Study identifies 39 ways for malls to combat terrorism
A RAND Corp. report has identified 39 security measures that can substantially reduce the risk of terrorist attacks at enclosed shopping centers.
The study ranks the security measures based on the relative risks of a set of attack scenarios and on the cost and effectiveness of each measure. It identifies a high-priority set of 6-10 security measures that can cut terrorism risk to just one-fifteenth the level it would otherwise be, based on case studies of three enclosed shopping centers in the United States....
NBFAA spring conference to be held during ISC West
The National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) will welcome members and guests to the association's annual Spring Conference held in conjunction with the 2007 ISC West Expo....
Scientists use radio waves for explosives detection
Scientists in Japan have developed a technique to detect explosives such as TNT in landmines or luggage using radio waves.
Writing in Superconductor Science and Technology journal this week, they said the technique is superior to conventional methods of detection such as X-rays, and can identify different types of white powder, from flour and salt to drugs and explosives, Reuters reports....
Video expert outlines ABCs of school security
According to technology research firm Gartner, school districts are using more effective, advanced security technologies in the wake of security breaches and campus violence across the nation.
To help administrators understand video technology issues and campus security challenges and solutions, video surveillance provider Wren Education Solutions has released a white paper entitled "A Guide to Successful Network Video Implementation in K-12 Schools."...
Network video surveillance market surging
A market study from U.K.-based IMS Research has confirmed that the trend from analog CCTV to network video surveillance is in full swing.
The world market for network video surveillance products increased by an impressive 41.9 percent in 2006 and is forecast to continue growing strongly for years to come. By 2010, the combined market for network cameras, video servers and NVRs is forecast to exceed $2.6 billion....
IT security goes mainstream at RSA Conference
The annual RSA Conference is showing evidence of a maturing information security industry with an increasing role for big-name companies. The event has developed into an annual gathering for corporate IT pros and a showcase for hundreds of companies, small and large, that market security products and services to businesses....
Homeland security investor conference draws 300
The inaugural Homeland Security Investor Conference in early December proved a success by attracting more than 300 attendees...
Nuclear plants directed to focus security on containment
Making nuclear power plants crash-proof to an airliner attack by terrorists is unreasonable and it is up to the military to avert such an assault, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) says.
In a revised security policy, NRC has directed nuclear plant operators to focus on preventing radiation from escaping in case of such an attack and to improve evacuation plans to protect public health and safety....
