Issue link: https://securitytechnologyexecutive.epubxp.com/i/229956
2013 SECURITY INNOVATION AWARDS WINNERS Collaboration is the key to innovative security projects Diverse projects highlight Security Technology Executive's 2013 Security Innovation Award winners A Security Technology Executive editorin-chief presents the 2013 Security Innovation Awards Gold Winner to Francisco Lantigua, Director of Security Operations for Taino Towers at the SIA Gala Awards Dinner in conjunction with ISC East recently. 12 s technology evolves and becomes more sophisticated, its implementation into complex security projects requires a commitment from all stakeholders. This increased complexity of integration puts pressure on both vendors and systems integrators to supply highly collaborative strategies that will satisfy the expanding needs of their end-user clients. That pressure to perform was characteristic of the four top submissions in the 8th Annual Security Innovation Awards sponsored by Security Technology Executive magazine and the Security Industry Association (SIA). Three of the finalists were honored November 20th at the SIA Gala Dinner in conjunction with ISC East. Don Erickson, president of SIA states: "The Security Industry Association was pleased to support the STE Security Innovation Awards at SIA Honors Night. It was truly remarkable how the mix of awards recipients represented the traditional and developing interests of SIA. The Statue of Liberty project represented a best case example of a government agency working with a security integrator to secure a global icon in the sort of partnership that SIA regularly seeks between pub- SECURITY TECHNOLOGY EXECUTIVE • November/December 2013 lic agencies and private companies. Taino Towers demonstrated success in the evolution of residential security measures—a legacy concern of SIA. And the project at Houston's Memorial Hermann Hospitals addressed concerns specific to requirements in vertical markets, a burgeoning interest at SIA. All of these innovative security projects truly demonstrated best-in-class security solutions. SIA congratulates the winners." The Gold Medal Winner for 2013 as voted by our panel of judges goes to Francisco Lantigua, the Director of Security Operations for Taino Towers and his security team (featured on page 18). The Taino Towers spans an entire city block in New York's East Harlem section, featuring a four-story central building surrounded by four 35-story glass and concrete towers. Built in the 1972, Taino Towers was billed as a breakthrough in safe, affordable low-income housing. But security challenges have dogged the area for decades. Teaming with John Aksoy and his systems integration team from Plugout, Lantiqua and his staff implemented a state-of-the-art IP video surveillance, VMS and facial recognition access control solution that has cut crime more than 90 percent. "Convincing the customer that we could deliver a solution that would meet all their expectations and more was a challenge," says Aksoy, president and CEO of Plugout, who adds that the client had been burnt three times previous by integrators and vendors promising solutions that didn't deliver. "Being a small business sometimes makes it hard to convince the end users. We did a full site survey with Axis rep Adam Colombo during a full day at the site and then delivered the client a blueprint of the entire city block with 3D aerial views, as well as live web camera placements on four of the 40-floor buildings. The customer was able to see the camera placements and a live view snapshot of the specific cameras. This was exactly what they were looking for." Plugout partnered with video solutions providers Axis Communications for the IP cameras, Genetec on the VMS, Cisco for the mesh video network and FST21 for the biometrics. The awards judges were also very impressed with the challenging environment and level of www.SecurityInfoWatch.com