Issue link: https://securitytechnologyexecutive.epubxp.com/i/618378
12 SECURITY TECHNOLOGY EXECUTIVE • November/December 2015 www.SecurityInfoWatch.com 2015 SECURITY INNOVATION AWARDS B y St eve L as k y W hen it comes to successful tech- nology implementation, innova- tion is often the result of well- planned collaboration. That is cer- tainly the case as Security Tech- nology Executive magazine and SecurityInfoWatch. com announce the winning security projects for the 2015 Security Innovation Awards, presented each year for the most compelling examples of innova- tion and collaboration. For the ninth consecutive year, industry experts judged project submitted by end users, systems integrators, PE firms and security solutions provid- ers from every major vertical market. Our judges looked for projects that provided clear evidence of the tight cooperation and work between the proj- ect participants; how an end-user solved a unique security and/or business problem by using one or multiple security technologies; new and innova- tive ways to deploy and use security technology, improve existing systems, or in building a new security infrastructure; and best practices from a business perspective regarding budgets, funding, training, security ROI. These were tough criteria for judging, but the five projects that stood out amongst those submit- ted embraced the challenge. However, one project was so unique in its scope and application that it was a unanimous selection as the 2015 Grand Platinum winner signifying the top overall security project of the year. It also happens to be housed in the host city of Houston, which was the site of the Secured Cities Conference in November and the host of the Security Innova- tion Awards luncheon that was held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Reliant Park. The Houston area UASI district brought together multiple partners to deploy a new technology called datacasting that allows for the speedy transmission of data – communication, voice and other wireless applications – across the entire public safety net- work employing the same technology broadcast television has used for almost 80 years. The need to deliver data, especially video, to mul- tiple users in the field is increasing and public safe- ty networks are struggling to keep up. Dashboard and body cameras, helicopter video, satellite imag- ery, location data and many other sources reflect the increasing requirement to manage data as well as voice. FirstNet will begin to address this concern and may be even further enhanced by incorporat- ing additional spectrum and capabilities. Datacast- ing bridges these two worlds allowing television broadcast signals to deliver secure encrypted and targetable video and other data to first responders. One of the awards judges said the following about the City of Houston datacasting project, "The City of Houston really grabbed the proverbial "bull by the horns" with this project. Rather than simply waiting for FirstNet to come online, Hous- ton took the initiative to advance communications among public safety agencies by taking a truly out- of-the-box approach to leverage existing capabili- ties offered via the city's public broadcasting televi- sion station. We often hear about the need to push greater situational awareness to first responders in the field, but the capability just isn't there for most municipalities." The four Gold Winners for best vertical market sectors included the State of Hawaii for the Best Enterprise-Wide project, the Los Angeles World Airports and LAX for the Best Transit Security project, the California city of Hollister for the Best Public Safety project, and the Port of Long Beach, which was recognized for the Best Critical Infra- structure project. Microsoft and several of its tech- nology partners were awarded a special accolade for the Microsoft Advanced Patrol Platform citing them for Best Collaborative Security project. A brief synopsis of each Gold medal winner follows: State of Hawaii project – Deploying several hundred IP cameras across the state of Hawaii to function in a variety of roles, systems integrator Hawaiya Technologies, Inc. has completed a five- phase project to assist multiple end users in the surveillance of harbors and sites. A project with dis- cussions dating back to 2003, the state of Hawaii applied for a Homeland Security grant to build a system providing maritime coverage across its six main inhabited islands. Up to that point, there was no coordinated or inter-island surveillance avail- able to any government or privately licensed enti- ties. Encompassing multiple factions of the Hawai- ian government properties, Hawaiya was tasked with building an all-inclusive structure to cover an abundance of entities. "The scope of this project goes beyond your typical video surveillance installation as it entailed Out-of-the-Box Solutions Highlight 2015 Security Innovation Award Winners Houston area UASI district brought together multiple partners to deploy a new technology called datacasting to win top project award