It used to be said that mechanical keys tell no tales. This was because there was no way to determine or prove who may have last used a key, when it was used, if and when it was returned or even where it might be now. Manual log systems were inefficient at best as a record-keeping/monitoring tool and the honor system relied on the integrity (and memory) of the individual.

Physical security for semi-public buildings such as airports, hospitals, university campuses, museums and others tend to have unique challenges. The main reason for this is that semi-public facilities must accommodate a mix of personnel and outside people who have legitimate reason to be on site; patients and family at hospitals; students and visiting faculty on campus; temporary contractors at an airport, etc.

Whether the organizations are large or small, operate as a private enterprise or are municipal in nature, the challenges of fleet management are many and often apply across the board. Regardless of the application, management is always responsible for ensuring that all assets are fully utilized; problems are addressed and resolved quickly in order to maintain a smooth operation; and unauthorized use of company assets are controlled. Finding information quickly and scaling to meet growth demands are additional challenges along with managing all the data that a fleet operation can generate.

As IP surveillance and security systems become the standard across a wide range of applications, integration capability has become an essential element of product offerings. Those that are proprietary or function only as a stand-alone solution don’t fit the design/build mold now preferred by system integrators, A&Es and the end user.

In recent years, the number of film and television studios has increased significantly. The traditional base of studios in California has been supplemented with new facilities throughout the United States and Canada to accommodate the ever increasing demand for productions of screen-based and new media projects.