Benefits of Cisco Small Business Phones

March 16, 2011 by Brian Hyrek

Cisco is certainly the most recognized name in the VoIP/networking hardware game. Cisco has now introduced their “Small Business” line of which, as you may have gathered from the name, focuses on the small to medium sized businesses.

The Cisco Small Business line offers several categories of hardware including:

In short, the Cisco line has you covered for anything your business may need for VoIP/Network/Surveillance hardware.

Alright, so what are the benefits of Cisco Small Business? Let’s take a look!

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VoIP Security – Simulated Hacker Attack

March 11, 2011 by Nathan Miloszewski

Great video from dataviz Australia depicting, graphically, what a hacker attack on a VoIP system would look like.

Visualizing a cyber attack on a VOIP server from Ben Reardon, Dataviz Australia on Vimeo.

With the use of VoIP becoming more and more prevalent, businesses are at risk to lose real money from hacker attacks as pointed out by the Honeynet Project’s mention of this article where an attack cost a business over $120,000.

The good news was that the article does mention that “VoIP systems from companies such as Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco and Avaya were quite good…but were unlikely to be found in very small businesses due to the cost.”

Cisco Security appliances are definately a go-to line to ward against intruders, spam, phishing, spyware, and corrupt websites.  But, have you found them to be out of reach financially or is the added cost worth the protection?

The number of scams are on the rise and the affordability (read: cheap) of international phone calls through VoIP is playing a role in the growth of phone scams.

Consumers can use services like NumberInvestigator.com to protect themselves from suspicious calls, including calls from VoIP systems, but what are you doing to protect your business and have you noticed any uptick in attacks?

New Video Surveillance Calculator

Whether you’re calculating IP camera bandwidth and storage or customizing an IP camera lens selection to meet the challenges of your application, you’d like to know what the end result is going to look like first before making a decision on the products and hardware you’ll be using.

Now, thanks to Gish Technology’s vsCalc you can “instantly calculate Field of View, Angle of View and Focal Length based on the Object of Interest, Visual Acuity Index and Target Distance” for your video surveillance project.

Available for $9.95 from the Apple App Store, the vsCalc™ is capable of determining how sharp the cameras images from a desired scene will be based on objects of interest such as face, license plate, or vehicle.

It provides a reference for identifying usable or unusable image quality based on detection, recognition, and identification.

From Deborah L. O’Mara’s article at SecurityInfoWatch.com:

Want to avoid that glazed-over look when trying to explain pixels per foot on target to potential customers? A new software application offers hope.

End users need to know exactly what they will be getting, aka, what the specification will ‘look’ like, with their camera installation but explaining it can be a challenge. A new visual acuity software application from Gish Technology Inc., Indianapolis, a video surveillance consulting and software company, has been about 12 months in the making and now just released.

World’s Smallest PTZ IP Camera From Axis

March 10, 2011 by Nathan Miloszewski

Axis M50 PTZ

Axis Communications, via BusinessWire.com, is rolling out the world’s smallest PTZ IP Camera for discreet surveillance:

With a sleek and compact design, AXIS M50 cameras are only 5.1″ wide and 2.2″ high, enabling high-quality 360° surveillance (±180Ëš pan, 90° tilt and 3x digital zoom) with HDTV 720p resolution in a package smaller than the average hand (see video). As a complement to its intelligent motion detection capabilities, a built-in microphone also enables audio detection that monitors for unusual noises during off-hours to trigger a security alarm that is sent to the business owner and/or security personnel.

The mini PTZ dome cameras are easy to install on soft and hard ceilings as well as on walls, and can cover an area of up to 4,300 sq. ft. With an IP51 rating, the cameras are dustproof and protected from dripping water, enabling video to be taken even when a sprinkler system is activated. The cameras are powered using Power over Ethernet (PoE IEEE 802.3af), which simplifies installation since a standard network cable – when connected to a switch with PoE support – will carry power, video and PTZ controls.

Youtube Clip
Axis M50 PTZ Resources

World’s Smallest PTZ IP Camera From Axis

Axis M50 PTZ

Axis Communications, via BusinessWire.com, is rolling out the world’s smallest PTZ IP Camera for discreet surveillance:

With a sleek and compact design, AXIS M50 cameras are only 5.1″ wide and 2.2″ high, enabling high-quality 360° surveillance (±180Ëš pan, 90° tilt and 3x digital zoom) with HDTV 720p resolution in a package smaller than the average hand (see video). As a complement to its intelligent motion detection capabilities, a built-in microphone also enables audio detection that monitors for unusual noises during off-hours to trigger a security alarm that is sent to the business owner and/or security personnel.

The mini PTZ dome cameras are easy to install on soft and hard ceilings as well as on walls, and can cover an area of up to 4,300 sq. ft. With an IP51 rating, the cameras are dustproof and protected from dripping water, enabling video to be taken even when a sprinkler system is activated. The cameras are powered using Power over Ethernet (PoE IEEE 802.3af), which simplifies installation since a standard network cable – when connected to a switch with PoE support – will carry power, video and PTZ controls.

Youtube Clip

Axis M50 PTZ Resources

 

Designing and Implementing an IP Paging System – Legacy Paging Systems (3 of 4)

Note: This is the 3rd installment of a four part series detailing the design and implementation of an IP paging (paging over VoIP) system. Click here for  Part 1, Part 2, and Part 4.

More often than not, a customer will say to me, Chris we are implementing this brand new IP PBX and IP phones and we currently have an existing analog based paging system in place we wish to incorporate into the new VoIP solution, how can we accomplish this?

The costs of replacing this equipment may be high (since IP paging equipment is somewhat costly) and the overhead of installing this new equipment may require:

  • New cable runs
  • New mounting hardware
  • Possible modifications to electrical runs

These additions and modifications may not be possible so incorporating existing paging systems into new IP Based solutions is a must.

Lucky for you, Cyberdata offers a few legacy-based paging devices that will help address this need.

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Security Door Camera – The Mobotix T24

March 4, 2011 by Nathan Miloszewski

The Mobotix T24 Door Station IP Camera is a unique product.  Fully weatherproof and rated for outdoor use, this IP camera acts like a sentry to guard and grant access to your entrance way and you don’t even need to physically be there to monitor or interact with people.

Because it’s IP-based and the way it’s designed, you can access the T24’s functions from anywhere you are with a video phone, a computer, or a tablet/iPad.

And with its hemispheric lens that captures a 180 degree, wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling panoramic view, no one can sneak by without you seeing them plus:

  • Two-way video conversation from anywhere in the world.
  • Record with sound.
  • Keyless entry option and remotely open doors.

For a great write-up and detailed review of this door camera I urge you to check out Chris Jager’s post, Mobotix unveils security door camera that can be accessed anywhere in the world, on PC & Tech Authority:

[The Mobotix T24] comes equipped with an integrated doorbell and light-up buttons, is weather-proof and conforms to the international video telephony standard VoIP/SIP and H.264. The door station works in conjunction with an IP video phone, which controls the camera, door locks, lights and video recordings.

When the doorbell rings, an encrypted network connection is established with a VoIP video phone, PC or tablet device; allowing the owner to interact with the person on ther doorstep from anywhere in the world.

Panasonic i-Pro Camera Application

March 3, 2011 by Nathan Miloszewski

Panasonic WV-NW502S i-Pro CameraSourceSecurity.com has nice article outlining a real world application example for:

  • Panasonic i-Pro Cameras
  • Panasonic Network Video Recorders

From the article, “Panasonic i-Pro video surveillance system to enhance security at Clarion University“:

Clarion University depends on Panasonic i-PRO systems to provide IP-based video surveillance throughout its campus in the Appalachian Mountain region of northwestern Pennsylvania. The University’s systems integrator, The Protection Bureau, is enthusiastic about the benefits of Panasonic security systems to Clarion University.

“The proof is in the picture, bottom line; the other specs don’t matter,” said Bob Burket, Senior Security Consultant, The Protection Bureau. “For megapixel cameras, Panasonic has the best picture out there, particularly in low-light situations.”

Click on the link above for more detailed information about how they integrated Panasonic’s solution into their security system.

And if you’re interested in the products mentioned, please give us a call to discuss at 866-583-8915 and check them out for yourself:

  • Panasonic WV-NW502S Megapixel Vandal-Resistant IP Camera
  • Panasonic WJ-ND400 64-Channel Network Video Recorder
  • Panasonic WV-ASM100 Monitoring & Management Software for Panasonic NVR’s

IP Video Storage – RAID

March 2, 2011 by Nathan Miloszewski

I briefly touched on IP video surveillance storage options in a previous post.

Ronen Issac, over at the Security Info Watch Blog, has done a much better job, including some very useful graphics, at explaining the intricacies of the redundant storage system known as RAID.

From his post, Overview of RAID for IP Video Storage:

Storage is a big part of IP video security and so I thought I would start a small series of video storage starting with the basics. Today we will discuss RAID. RAID has been discussed many (x4) times throughout the years but I still get questions about it. What is it, what is the best choice for RAID for my VMS, etc. So here we go.

There are 4 major types of RAID 0, 1, 5 & 6. There are then combinations of two of the above like RAID 10, 50 & 60. We will discuss each briefly.

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