In the world of cybersecurity, ethical hacking proactively identifies security vulnerabilities before malicious actors (i.e., unethical hackers) can exploit them. By simulating real-world attacks, organisations can strengthen defences, protect sensitive data, and maintain public trust. In the physical security world, ethical hacking can transform cybersecurity of security systems from a reactive struggle into a strategic safeguard. We asked our Expert Panel Roundtable: What is the role of ethical hacking as it relates to physical security?

Next-generation (Next-Gen) technologies are products, services, or infrastructures that represent a significant leap forward rather than a small, incremental update. In the physical security industry, NextGen products are those that enable disruptive change, breakthrough performance, and a fundamental change that renders previous products obsolete. We asked our Expert Panel Roundtable: What is the next generation of physical security solutions, and how will they change the industry?

Emphasising proactive rather than reactive security shifts the focus from dealing with crises and damage control to prevention. Advantages of a proactive approach include cost efficiency, better business continuity, and fewer crises that draw attention away from strategic improvements. Staying ahead of threats is a core mission of the security department, and technology has evolved to enable security professionals to deliver on that mission better than ever. We asked our Expert Panel Roundtable: How are security systems transitioning from reactive to proactive, and what is the benefit?

Multiple technology trends are transforming the physical access control market. There is a fundamental shift away from physical cards and keys toward digital identities — mobile credentials, digital wallets, biometrics, and cloud-native access platforms. These next generation access solutions are radically reshaping how buildings operate, protect staff, and perform functionally. At the same time, AI and analytics solutions are being layered onto these physical access control systems to support predictive threat detection and behavioural insights. Access data itself is becoming an asset for sustainability, space optimisation, and smart building initiatives. Risk, impact operations and experience The annual HID Global Security and Identity Trends Report highlights these and other issues The annual HID Global Security and Identity Trends Report highlights these and other issues. The survey cites improving user convenience as a priority for nearly half of organisations, while 41% are focused on simplifying administration, and 28% struggle with system integration. These are not theoretical challenges, they are day‑to‑day friction points that add cost, increase risk, impact operations and experience, and, of course, must be addressed. HID Global’s commercial focus HID Global’s commercial focus is to help organisations digitise their access control — with mobile identities, biometrics, and cloud platforms — and then to use the data to deliver more value. “We are turning access control from an operational cost into a software-driven asset that improves efficiency, supports Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals and even creates new revenue opportunities,” says Steven Commander, HID Global’s Head of Consultant Relations. The impact of digital transformation Digital transformation is the method of moving access control from hardware and physical credentials Digital transformation is in the process of moving access control from hardware and physical credentials to a software-driven, integrated experience. The transformation strengthens security while also improving user convenience — transforming the “pavement to the desk” journey. HID enables this shift through mobile credentials, biometrics, cloud-native platforms, and solutions that allow third-party applications to run on door hardware. “This helps customers turn access data into operational and commercial outcomes, while also improving the overall user experience,” says Commander.  Digital transformation in access control is not focused on chasing the latest trends. Rather, transformation is about turning software, data and integration into outcomes that matter to customers, says HID. “Security becomes stronger and more adaptive,” says Commander. “Operations become simpler and more cost‑effective. Experiences become seamless and consistent. Sustainability moves from ambition to action. And the financial case becomes clearer as efficiencies are banked and new value streams emerge.” The challenge of futureproofing with long lifecycles Given that physical security technologies will be in place for 15 to 20 years, it is important to plan for how systems can evolve over time. Considering how rapidly security threats, compliance standards, and user expectations change, 15 to 20 years is a long time. The decisions made at the beginning of a system’s lifecycle can either limit flexibility later (which will be costly) or enable long-term adaptability. Support for open standards such as Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP) is therefore important Choosing products and platforms that are open, interoperable, and designed for updates can enable future-proof projects. Support for open standards such as Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP) is therefore important.  In addition, systems built on open controller platforms — such as Mercury — enable organisations to switch software providers or expand functionality without replacing core door hardware. Architectural openness is key to system lifecycles and maximising the return on investment (ROI) from a chosen solution. Digital credentials and mobile access Flexibility and upgradeability should also be top of mind when it comes to endpoints like access control readers. While RFID cards are still commonplace, there is a clear trend toward digital credentials and mobile access. Readers that support both allow organisations to transition at their own pace, without committing to a full system overhaul. A long system lifecycle does not mean technology should remain static. Security, particularly cybersecurity, demands more frequent updates. Technologies that support firmware upgrades in the field extend the value of a deployment while helping organisations keep pace with emerging threats. In that sense, lifecycle thinking is not just about longevity — it’s about maintaining resilience and readiness over time. Applying biometrics and mobile identities Biometrics is becoming mainstream as a credential alternative, strengthening security without adding friction Biometrics is becoming mainstream as a credential alternative, strengthening security without adding friction. Many organisations are now deploying biometrics to support fast, seamless access journeys, with adoption already around 39% in access control according to HID’s recent research.  In addition, 80% of organisations surveyed expect to deploy mobile identities within the next five years. Full technology integration enables tap‑to‑access without opening an app; the user journey becomes faster, safer, and more convenient. “It is where the industry is headed and we are at the vanguard of this,” says Commander.    Ongoing challenge of cybersecurity At HID Global, cybersecurity is embedded into everything, from corporate processes and development practices to the solutions they bring to market. “Our approach ensures that customers can strengthen their overall security posture, not only by deploying secure products but by benefitting from HID’s commitment to the highest industry standards,” says Commander. HID holds multiple globally recognised certifications, including ISO 27001, ISO 14298, SOC Type 2 and CSA STAR, which demonstrate their robust information security and cloud security practices. In addition, HID’s SEOS® secure chipset is independently SEAL-certified, providing one of the most advanced levels of protection available on the market today. “Ultimately, this means organisations are not just purchasing isolated secure products; they are implementing solutions developed and delivered within a comprehensive, cybersecure framework,” says Commander. “When deployed according to best practices, HID solutions enable customers to achieve the highest levels of resilience against evolving physical and cyber threats.” Developing green and sustainable solutions A huge amount of waste is generated from the manufacture of plastic RFID access cards Digital credentials align with the sustainable solutions that everyone wants. A huge amount of waste is generated from the manufacture of plastic RFID access cards. Over 550 million access cards are sold annually. This creates 2,700 tons of plastic waste and 11,400 tons of carbon, based on a PVC card weighing 5 grams.  Therefore, digital credentials self-evidently reduce the reliance on plastic cards (helping reduce carbon emissions by up to 75% according to HID’s research), while leveraging access control system data supports energy optimisation by shutting down or reducing systems in unused spaces. Energy use and CO₂ emissions can be cut dramatically, showing how access systems can contribute to sustainability goals and green building certification. What is the latest in smart buildings? Smart buildings increasingly rely on mobile access control as the backbone for digital services. Real-time access data enables new services such as automated room bookings, HVAC control, lift/elevator calling, e-bike hiring, and so on. Smart buildings increasingly rely on mobile access control as the backbone for digital services The financial upside is clear; smart, digitally transformed buildings can deliver around 8% higher yields per square foot versus traditional office space. Operational savings accrue from reduced administration, the removal of card production and shipping, and lighter IT support. This creates a value cycle — better experiences drive adoption, adoption fuels monetisation, and monetisation funds further improvements. Achieving technology impact in the real world One standout project is One Bangkok – a $3.9 billion mixed used development in Thailand – which demonstrates the scale of what can be achieved when access control data is used for optimisation, particularly when it comes to monitoring facilities usage and occupier behaviours. By switching lights off or lowering the temperature in unused rooms, for example, the One Bangkok building demonstrates this potential with a 22% reduction in energy consumption, saving 17,000 MWh and 9,000 tons of CO₂ annually.  Sustainability is a key factor in contributing to how properties are valued. And sustainability extends far beyond digital credentials having a lower environmental impact than plastic cards.  Buildings with recognised sustainability certifications often command rental premiums of around 6%, and three‑quarters of security decision‑makers now consider environmental impact in their procurement assessments.

System Surveyor, the site survey and system design platform for security integrators and technology managers, announces the general availability of System Surveyor AI Notetaker. Previously available in public Beta, the AI-powered feature captures site-walk discussions, observations, requirements and design notes during collaborative planning sessions, helping users turn customer conversations into an intelligent statement of work draft or a summary of notes to accompany a system design and proposal. Making technology decisions As part of the broader System Surveyor platform, AI Notetaker complements the company’s digital site survey and collaborative design environment, where integrators can import floor plans, place devices, make technology decisions, capture photos and produce professional system documentation in one shared workspace. “Site surveys are the critical first step to a successful project,” said Chris Hugman, Co-founder and CEO of System Surveyor. “AI Notetaker helps integrators capture and document real-time conversations more efficiently, reducing manual work and making it easier to carry critical project context forward into system design and project planning.” Minor usability enhancements Following its public Beta, System Surveyor has implemented minor usability enhancements to AI Notetaker, including the ability to copy AI-generated summaries to the clipboard and an improved audio-recording workflow when closing out of surveys. These refinements make it easier for users to capture and reuse project information as part of their existing workflows. With general availability, AI Notetaker is now available to System Surveyor users on the Scale, Corporate, Campus and Enterprise subscription plans. By bringing AI-powered note capture directly into the site survey and system design process, the feature helps teams reduce manual documentation and maintain a clearer record of project requirements from initial customer conversations through subsequent project stages.

Euralarm has announced the programme for the first European Fire Detection Forum, bringing together experts from industry, research, standardisation and regulation to explore the future of fire detection. The Forum will take place on 2 December 2026 at Koelnmesse in Cologne, as part of VdS-FireSafety Cologne. Under the theme “From reaction to prediction – the next paradigm of electronic fire safety”, the Forum will examine how new risks, technologies and regulations are changing the way fires are detected and responded to. Central to the programme is the question of how fire detection can evolve from identifying the physical signs of an already developing fire towards earlier and more intelligent detection of emerging risks. Detection of emerging risks The programme reflects the breadth of that transition. Following the opening by Euralarm President Peter Mita, Chantal Chalouhi of Jensen Hughes will examine current challenges and trends in European fire safety. Robert Read of Apollo Fire Detectors will then explore the limits of today's smoke, heat and CO detection, while Sebastian Festag of Euralarm will address the continuing challenge of false alarm prevention. Other sessions will examine remote services and self-testing, sustainability, computer vision and Edge AI, sensor fusion and predictive fire safety, and early gas detection of lithium-ion battery incidents. The Forum concludes by looking at an equally important question: whether regulation, standards and certification can keep pace with innovation in fire detection. Predictive fire safety Peter Mita, President of Euralarm, said: “The future of fire detection will not be defined by one technology alone. It will depend on how we combine better sensing, artificial intelligence, new service models and reliable standards to detect developing risks earlier and respond more intelligently. Moving from reaction to prediction is therefore not simply a technology discussion – it is a challenge for the entire fire safety ecosystem. The European Fire Detection Forum brings together the different perspectives needed to address that challenge.” The European Fire Detection Forum is designed to bring together manufacturers, fire safety engineers and consultants, building owners and facility managers, installers and system integrators, regulators, certification and testing bodies, fire brigades, researchers and technology innovators. Combining better sensing The Forum will be held in English on 2 December 2026 at the Congress-Centrum Ost, Koelnmesse, Cologne. The conference ticket also provides access to the two-day VdS-FireSafety Cologne 2026, enabling participants to combine the Forum with a visit to the international fire protection trade fair. The participation fee is € 395 plus VAT, including conference documentation, refreshments and lunch. The complete programme, including speakers, session descriptions and registration information, is available in the European Fire Detection Forum programme flyer on the Euralarm website.

Nutanix, a hybrid cloud pioneer and AI platform company, announces it is collaborating with NVIDIA, Supermicro, and Netris to deliver new AI solutions that aim to simplify the infrastructure required for production AI and help organisations bring new capabilities online faster. By combining Nutanix software with hardware, networking, and silicon technologies, Nutanix aims to help enterprises deploy and operate production AI environments more efficiently at scale. As organisations push more AI workloads into production, capacity constraints and operational complexity can make it harder to move quickly. Nutanix and its partners are working to simplify that path to make it easier to bring AI into production faster and accelerate time to value. Increasingly demanding workloads “Organisations need more than just advanced infrastructure to move agentic AI into production – we believe they need an AI cloud that simply connects intelligence, agents, enterprise applications, and data across CPUs, GPUs, virtual machines, containers, on-premises environments, and cloud,” said Thomas Cornely, Executive Vice President, Product Management at Nutanix. “Through our collaboration with NVIDIA, Supermicro, and Netris, we plan to help customers accelerate deployments of agents and AI services on a unified platform with built-in security, performance, and governance.” As enterprises adopt agentic AI at scale, they are anticipated to require infrastructure that can support increasingly demanding workloads across the full AI environment, not just GPU-intensive tasks. Agentic applications combine inference with tool calls, code execution, retrieval, orchestration, and outcome processing. Advanced AI agents As these workflows scale, CPU performance is expected to become essential for completing the steps between GPU operations, reducing delays, and maximising overall AI-factory efficiency. To help ensure this critical compute path does not become a bottleneck, Nutanix plans to work towards Day Zero support for NVIDIA Vera CPUs, beginning with NKP Bare Metal, to serve highly performance-sensitive AI factory environments, with planned expansion to virtualised Nutanix environments. By pairing NVIDIA’s purpose-built CPU architecture – engineered for high-speed agent execution and reduced latency – and NVIDIA OpenShell to create safe, private runtime environments for agents with NKP, the collaboration aims to give organisations a predictable, high-performance foundation for their most advanced AI agents. Cloud operating model This support is expected to give organisations greater flexibility in how they safely deploy agentic AI while simplifying operations with a consistent cloud operating model. Nutanix and Supermicro Take on Runaway AI Costs with Jointly Engineered System for Private Inference. Nutanix and Supermicro are announcing plans for a jointly engineered AI infrastructure solution built around validated Supermicro server systems. By combining Supermicro servers and NVIDIA GPUs with Nutanix Agentic AI (NAI) and NVIDIA Spectrum-XTM Ethernet networking, the solution is being designed to help reduce custom configuration and integration delays, with the goal of helping enterprises get on-premises GPU capacity and take on runaway AI costs with a jointly engineered system powered by NAI for private inference. High-throughput data workflows As AI requirements grow, the architecture is expected to be able to scale GPU capacity to meet evolving requirements. Nutanix provides an AI cloud control plane and AI storage purpose-built to support workloads with resilient operations and high-throughput data workflows. Customers are anticipated to gain a predictable path to deploy, manage, and scale AI inference workloads without assembling and integrating a complex, multivendor environment. For NVIDIA Cloud Partner reference architectures, multitenancy is designed to extend across AI infrastructure, including the physical network. In dynamic neocloud environments, operators also must be able to automate network access and ensure tenant isolation as customers, workloads, and GPU allocations change. Nutanix and Netris are collaborating to automate this network-layer multitenancy and turn complex GPU infrastructure into secure, cloud-like, multitenant AI services. Virtualised AI infrastructure Nutanix will provide the foundation for compute across virtual machines, containers, CPUs, and GPUs, along with storage, security, Kubernetes, and Nutanix Agent Gateway, model-as-a-service and AI platform services. Netris will provide network automation, abstraction, and multitenancy across the physical network fabric, with hard isolation (enforced on networking hardware) from compute through the physical network. Together, the integrated solution will provide a cloud-like self-service operating experience across bare-metal and virtualised AI infrastructure, helping providers instantly onboard tenants and deliver AI services more efficiently. “Nutanix built its enterprise business by simplifying virtualised infrastructure and more recently containerised workloads," said Don Gentile, Analyst, Data Platforms and Resiliency, HyperFRAME Research. "Now it's extending that expertise to bare- metal AI systems, agent execution, private inference, and multitenant cloud services. Through innovation and targeted partnerships, Nutanix is advancing a common cloud operating model that enterprises and service providers have long wanted: consistent management, automation, and choice across increasingly diverse infrastructure.” Cloud operating model “AI agents need fast CPUs to execute code, use tools and process data between model calls,” said Hannah Coutand, Director of Product Marketing for Vera CPU at NVIDIA. “NVIDIA Vera is purpose-built for this work, and our collaboration with Nutanix will help enterprises bring high-performance agentic AI into production with a consistent cloud operating model.” “Digital and AI transformation is a fundamental pillar supporting the Kingdom’s ambitions to build cutting-edge, resilient, agile, and data-driven public services. Through our collaboration with Nutanix, we look forward to exploring how Nutanix’s platform for hybrid cloud computing across multiple environments can support the adoption of AI technologies and help develop national capabilities in advanced cloud and AI technologies.” – Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

VAST Data, the AI Operating System company, announces a new Agent Sandbox Foundation Stack with NVIDIA, built with NVIDIA NemoClaw and NVIDIA OpenShell to provide the scalable, persistent data infrastructure enterprises need to securely run thousands of AI agents and sub-agents in production. The stack helps enterprises and AI service providers deploy, operate and scale governed agent environments without tying persistent state to ephemeral compute. As enterprises deploy increasingly autonomous AI agents, infrastructure requirements change fundamentally. Agents can spawn other agents, execute tasks and disappear, with fleets creating and destroying thousands of isolated workspaces an hour. Autonomous AI agents Long-running agents may also work across multiple sessions, sleeping, resuming and delegating tasks to short-lived subagents along the way. Whether an agent runs for minutes or across multiple sessions, its progress, working data and memory need to persist independently of any individual sandbox or compute node – remaining available, governed and auditable wherever execution resumes. The VAST Foundation Stack for Governed Agent Sandboxes addresses this challenge by combining NVIDIA’s secure agent runtime technologies with the persistent infrastructure and data services of the VAST AI Operating System. NVIDIA OpenShell provides isolated execution and policy enforcement around agent activity, while VAST provides persistent state, scalable agent workspaces, integrated data services and operational records across the agent lifecycle. Individual compute nodes By decoupling persistent agent state from individual compute nodes, the architecture allows agents to pause, resume or move across eligible infrastructure without losing their progress, working data or context. Together, these capabilities let agent compute stay ephemeral while agent state stays durable. “Every enterprise that puts an agent into production will eventually need to answer what it did and why it did it,” said Alon Horev, CTO and Co-Founder at VAST Data. “An agent might exist for minutes, spawn thousands of other agents and then disappear, but its work has to persist and its actions have to stay understandable long afterward. Together with NVIDIA, we’re showing how the VAST AI Operating System provides the durable foundation underneath secure agent environments, so organisations can scale agentic systems without sacrificing persistence, governance or control.” Providing repeatable implementations “As AI agents take on more complex work, enterprises need infrastructure that can support secure execution while preserving the data, context and state agents depend on across their lifecycle,” said Kari Briski, Vice President of Generative AI Software at NVIDIA. “By combining NVIDIA NemoClaw and OpenShell with the VAST AI Operating System, organisations can build agent sandbox environments that are secure and designed to scale from experimentation to production.” The new Agent Sandbox Foundation Stack extends VAST’s work with NVIDIA to provide repeatable implementations for production AI. Rather than requiring organisations to assemble separate infrastructure for agent execution, data access, persistence and observability, the architecture brings these capabilities together across three layers: Infrastructure Built for Dynamic Agent Environments: The VAST AI OS provides persistent infrastructure underneath NVIDIA NemoClaw and OpenShell environments, supporting the rapid creation and removal of isolated agent workspaces. As new agent tasks are initiated, VAST uses zero-copy clones to rapidly provision persistent storage for isolated OpenShell sandboxes without creating full copies of the underlying data. This architecture is built for performance – designed to operate at the speed of agents by supporting efficient and highly dynamic workflows in which agents can spawn, disappear and reappear as reasoning demands change. Persistent State and Integrated Agent Data Services: Agent compute may be temporary, but its work does not have to be. VAST separates agent execution from persistent state so agents can pause, resume or transfer work across agent environments without starting from scratch. VAST DataStore provides persistent sandbox storage and snapshots, while VAST DataBase and integrated data services provide shared access to agent memory, context and enterprise data – allowing isolated agents to work concurrently from common data without creating redundant copies. Real-Time Observability and Durable Auditability: As agents take more independent actions, platform teams need visibility into both what is happening now and what happened after an agent disappears. The VAST Management System provides real-time visibility into data flows and infrastructure activity across agent fleets, while VAST DataBase maintains a persistent record of agent activity, including tool calls, prompts, tokens, costs and decisions. Together, these capabilities give teams operational visibility into active agent environments and a durable audit trail across increasingly complex multi-agent workflows. Changing compute environments VAST introduced Foundation Stacks to help organisations turn NVIDIA AI Blueprints into repeatable, production-ready AI implementations on the VAST AI OS. Initial Foundation Stacks showcased the use of VAST DataEngine for enterprise research assistance with NVIDIA Nemotron and video intelligence using NVIDIA Cosmos reasoning models and NVIDIA Video Search and Summarisation. The Agent Sandbox Foundation Stack extends that model into the infrastructure required to operate autonomous agents themselves in secure, governed sandbox environments. At NVIDIA GTC Berlin, VAST will demonstrate the Agent Sandbox Foundation Stack through a governed multi-agent workflow running NVIDIA NemoClaw and OpenShell on the VAST AI OS, showing agents dynamically spawning, accessing persistent data services and maintaining state across changing compute environments. VAST also plans to make the automated deployment available through a public GitHub repository, providing a reproducible path for organisations to deploy the architecture in their own environments.

The Sanoat Qurilish Bank (SQB) in Uzbekistan enhanced its security and operations with Dahua’s integrated solution, combining ANPR, under-vehicle scanning, facial recognition, and DSS Pro for centralised management. This improved inspection accuracy, strengthened access control, and enabled faster, more efficient security responses. Overview - SQB is one of Uzbekistan’s key financial institutions, required a stronger, more intelligent security infrastructure to protect its facilities, personnel, visitors, and vehicle entry points. As a banking environment with high daily traffic and strict security requirements, SQB needed a solution that could reduce operational risks, improve inspection accuracy, and unify fragmented security systems under one centralised platform. Key financial institutions Challenges - The bank encountered several key challenges in its existing operations and security systems. Vehicle inspection at entry and exit points was not comprehensive enough, creating potential risks from unauthorised or hazardous vehicles. Manual inspection processes also increased operating costs and were vulnerable to human error. At the same time, visitor control needed improvement, as internal visitors could access important office areas without strict management. The bank’s existing security systems, including CCTV, access control, and under-vehicle scanning, came from different brands, making unified management difficult. Meeting rooms also suffered from low efficiency due to traditional presentation and note-taking methods. Smart security solution Solutions - To address these needs, Dahua provided an integrated smart security solution covering vehicle inspection, personnel access, visitor management, conference room modernisation, and centralised system control. At vehicle entrances, Dahua deployed bollards, under-vehicle scanning systems, ANPR cameras, and gate barriers to support comprehensive vehicle checks and maintain visual records for future audits. This helped improve perimeter security while making inspections smoother and more traceable. For personnel and visitor management, Dahua introduced access control, visitor management, elevator control systems, and facial recognition technology in key areas. These systems enabled accurate identity verification and stricter access permissions, helping SQB protect sensitive office spaces and improve overall site security. Reduced equipment maintenance Dahua also upgraded the bank’s meeting environment with integrated conference room equipment, including electronic whiteboards, lifting screens, and audio and video recording capabilities. This created a cleaner, more efficient meeting space, reduced equipment maintenance complexity, and made meeting content easier to record and trace. A major highlight of the project was the deployment of Dahua DSS Pro, which integrated CCTV, access control systems, and UVSS into one unified management platform. By connecting multiple subsystems, DSS Pro enabled security guards to monitor devices centrally, identify abnormal events faster, and respond more efficiently. Efficient daily operations Results - As a result of successfully implementing Dahua’s Integrated Smart Security Solution, SQB strengthened its physical security, improved vehicle and personnel management, reduced dependence on manual inspection, and achieved more efficient daily operations. The project also demonstrated the value of Dahua’s integrated security ecosystem, combining smart devices, AI-enabled identification, and centralised platform management to meet the demanding security needs of the banking sector.

Genetec Inc., the pioneer in enterprise physical security software, announces that the City of Carmel, Indiana, has deployed Genetec™ Security Center to unify security and operational systems across more than 40 municipal sites, helping city departments coordinate resources, improve emergency response, and manage day-to-day operations more efficiently. Carmel’s public safety teams use Security Center to monitor video, alarms, emergency calls, response vehicles, and IoT sensors through an interactive city map. First responders can access the same information from mobile devices, helping teams coordinate resources and respond more efficiently when incidents occur. Direct first responders That coordination proved especially valuable when a rare tornado struck Carmel. Using Security Center, city teams quickly mapped the storm’s path and assessed its impact across the community. They identified the hardest-hit areas and used that information to direct first responders, utility crews, and public works resources where they were needed most. “By bringing all our departments onto one city-wide platform, we’ve reduced complexity. The result is better decisions for our community, higher response efficiency, and more cost-effective operations that benefit our residents,” said Morgan Rinehart, Network Architect at the City of Carmel. Making informed decisions Beyond public safety, Carmel is using Security Center to support services across the community. With information from multiple systems available through a unified platform, departments can better understand conditions across the city and make informed decisions about how to deploy resources. For example: Engineering and street teams can monitor road conditions, coordinate snow removal, and manage traffic during construction detours without sending personnel into the field to assess conditions Parks teams can monitor crowd levels, facility usage, and safety across the city’s waterpark and trails Public events teams can monitor pedestrian traffic in community plazas and during gatherings The unified platform also gives Carmel’s IT team a centralised view of system health. Teams can monitor device status, identify potential vulnerabilities, review cybersecurity information, and manage firmware and software updates from one platform, helping the city manage its growing number of connected devices. Providing additional flexibility Carmel is also taking a hybrid approach to its security infrastructure, with the cloud-based Security Center SaaS platform providing additional flexibility when temporary projects or large events require expanded video coverage. The city can deploy mobile cameras and connect with systems operated by local schools, sports organisations, and critical infrastructure partners. Looking ahead, Carmel plans to continue expanding the platform as its smart city initiatives evolve. This includes connecting more systems and community partners. By building on an open platform, the city can add new capabilities as its needs change while maintaining a consistent approach to security and operations.

At the Toronto Zoo, every person on site – whether that’s a keeper, security officer, scientist, or volunteer - shares one vision: create a world where people, wildlife, and wild spaces thrive. Thirty minutes from downtown Toronto lies a 500-acre campus that is home to over 2000 animals across 200 species. Welcoming 1.3 million guests each year, Toronto Zoo is a world-class operation on a mission to connect people, animals, conservation science, and traditional knowledge to fight extinction. When Toronto Zoo Supervisor of Health & Safety Services, Graham Birtles, set out to modernise the Zoo’s legacy access and alarm infrastructure, he discovered that the partner he already trusted for animal enclosure fencing was the same one now leading the way in physical security and access control. World-class operation The Toronto Zoo opened in 1974 with a goal that extended well beyond exhibition. Today, its work spans conservation science, breeding programs for endangered species, community education, and climate advocacy. Its Guardians of Wild program extends that belief outward, inviting staff, guests, and partner organisations to champion wildlife beyond the Zoo’s borders: in policy, community relations, and corporate engagement. “My everyday is somebody else’s once-in-a-lifetime experience,” says Graham. “We want every person who comes through these gates to leave understanding what the Toronto Zoo is about, and what they can personally do to make a change.” Delivering that experience safely for guests, staff, and the animals themselves demanded a security platform fit for the job. Rapid emergency response Before Gallagher Security, the Zoo’s access control and alarm infrastructure had not kept pace with the scale of operations. Mobile alerting was unavailable to officers in the field, credentialling hundreds of seasonal staff required plastic cards that were slow to issue and difficult to track, and there was no integration with the Zoo’s video management system to support rapid emergency response. There was also a unique challenge facing the Zoo team: the electric perimeter fencing around animal enclosures - the secondary layer of protection between the animals and the wider Zoo environment - operated as an entirely separate system, disconnected from the broader infrastructure. Following an animal containment incident that was escalated to security leadership, the need to bridge those two systems became urgent. Graham found the solution at a security trade show, when his integrator walked him toward a familiar orange booth. Higher voltage requirements “I said, I already know Gallagher. They’re my fence people. They’ve been taking care of our fencing systems for over 50 years at the Toronto Zoo.” What Graham didn’t yet know was that Gallagher also delivered enterprise-grade physical security, making Toronto Zoo’s path to world-class operations clear. Working together, Gallagher Security and Gallagher Animal Management designed and implemented an integration between Gallagher Command Centre and the Zoo’s Animal Management energiser systems, enabling real-time communication between animal fencing infrastructure and the security platform for the first time. Higher voltage requirements The implementation required calibration for significantly higher voltage requirements than traditional smaller animal environments, ensuring safe and effective management across large species habitats. The Zoo team worked closely with Gallagher’s experts to configure their setup, and the solution is now fully operational within the orangutan habitat. “Now we can see the voltage of our fences at all times,” says Graham. “We can send alerts to our wildlife care team the moment something touches the hot wire so we can make sure the animals are safe.” When an alert is triggered, integrated CCTV allows the wildlife care team to immediately verify the event and assess the situation before responding; a critical functionality for animal safety. The Zoo’s security needs extend well beyond its animal habitats, and the Gallagher platform has delivered. Persistent administrative challenges Mobile Credentials have addressed one of the most persistent administrative challenges on site. With hundreds of contractors and seasonal catering staff requiring access at any given time, the previous reliance on plastic cards was slow and difficult to manage. Now, time-limited mobile credentials are issued on sign-in and revoked automatically on sign-out, removing the risk of residual access. For officers in the field, Gallagher Mobile Connect removed the need to return to base to manage alarms. Officers maintain full situational awareness from their vehicles around the clock, long after the central control center closes. Further integration with 27 Axis intercoms in high-risk spaces - housing venomous snakes, spiders, and other dangerous species - ensure staff working alone in those environments are never out of reach. Restricting workshop equipment “We can monitor alarms throughout the Zoo; not just for traditional break-and-enter or door-open scenarios. We are monitoring life-safety systems, fire systems, animal conditions, and more,” says Graham. What has distinguished the Toronto Zoo’s deployment is not any single feature, but the broad range of problems the Gallagher platform has been called on to solve. New challenges from across the organisation are allowing Graham and his team to unlock more value from their security system. Whether it is monitoring environmental conditions within animal habitats, restricting workshop equipment to trained operators, or ensuring staff cannot access sensitive areas until their training is verified, the answer has consistently been found within the same platform. Conventional vendor relationship “I like that I can call on the Gallagher team and they will work with us to find a solution,” says Graham. “Gallagher has become a house brand here at the Toronto Zoo. It’s integrated with everything we do,” Graham Birtles, Supervisor of Health & Safety Service. The Zoo’s collaboration with Gallagher has not been a conventional vendor relationship. Graham describes it as a convergence of purpose. “When we partner with organisations such as Gallagher, they become Guardians of Wild,” he says. “Because they help me and the Toronto Zoo accomplish our mission.” The Gallagher platform will play a central role in the Zoo’s next chapter. A new Community Conservation Centre, developed with a local university, will soon bring classrooms, laboratories, and a new otter river habitat into a shared community space; with Command Centre managing access for students, professors, and  visiting groups. “Gallagher understands our mission,” says Graham. “They are very helpful, and everything they have put in place for us has worked. The flexibility has been fantastic.” This installation was deployed in partnership with Met-Scan Canada Ltd

Genetec Inc, the pioneer in enterprise physical security software, announces Cairo Bank has successfully deployed the Genetec Security Center platform transforming how the financial institution monitors, manages, and optimises operations across one of Egypt’s largest branch networks. Cairo Bank is one of the largest and oldest financial institutions in Egypt, serving over three million customers through more than 230 branches. The security advancement was driven by new regulatory requirements from the Central Bank of Egypt, alongside Cairo Bank’s broader digital transformation agenda aligned with Egypt Vision 2030. Beyond compliance, the bank needed a scalable operational intelligence foundation to strengthen oversight, improve customer experience, and support long-term expansion and financial inclusion. Necessary operational foundation The implementation unifies video surveillance, access control, and intrusion detection into a single platform, allowing operators to centrally manage more than 6,000 cameras across 122 active branches, with deployment across the full network nearing completion. The platform provides the necessary operational foundation for a centralised Command and Control Room, where operators can monitor branch activity, coordinate response, and support decision-making across the institution. The system also separates operational responsibilities. IT and security teams can monitor device health and system status without accessing sensitive video feeds, supporting strict data governance and privacy requirements. “Unification and scalability were just the starting points. From day one, I knew we wanted functionalities that add value to all aspects of our operations. Security Center delivered everything we wanted in one easy-to-use solution,” said Major General Hesham Tawfiq, Head of Security at Cairo Bank. Enhancing operational consistency Beyond traditional surveillance, the platform introduces automation and analytics capabilities that support both security and operational decision-making across its branch network. These capabilities are now embedded across the entire branch network, helping Cairo Bank strengthen compliance reporting, improve risk detection, and enhance operational consistency at scale. The platform also provides insights into branch activity patterns, customer flow, and operational trends, extending the value of security data beyond incident monitoring while keeping governance and operational control central to the deployment. Existing infrastructure investments Security Center’s open architecture allowed Cairo Bank to integrate best-of-breed hardware while preserving existing infrastructure investments. It also enables the bank to add technologies and expand the deployment over time without standardising on a single hardware provider. “We are honoured to work with a forward-thinking institution like Cairo Bank that continuously seeks new ways to leverage technology,” said Firas Jadalla, Regional Director, Middle East & Africa at Genetec Inc. “By unifying systems, the bank is building a consistent operational foundation for its branch network, allowing it to respond to changing regulatory and operational requirements while retaining control over how its environment evolves.” Providing technical support Integrated Technics, the systems integrator responsible for delivering the project, led the proof of concept, system design and implementation. The company continues to provide technical support and system optimisation as the deployment expands. “The Command and Control Room gives Cairo Bank a real-time operational hub built on Security Center, bringing video surveillance, access control and intrusion detection into a single interface. This enables operators to monitor activity across the branch network, coordinate responses and make faster, more informed decisions,” said Walid Alagamy, CEO of Integrated Technics.