Systems integration

  • Transportation leaders warn of U.S. infrastructure woes

    The U.S. transportation system that supports the movement of freight is facing a crisis: in ten years, an additional 1.8 million trucks will be on the road in the United States; in twenty years, one truck will be added for every two today; major highway bottlenecks already are adding to the cost of food and other goods for American consumers

  • Altegrity to buy Kroll for $1.13 billion in cash

    Altegrity, which does a range of contract work, mostly for the U.S. federal government, including security clearance investigations for the U.S. government and training and consulting for police departments at home and abroad, will buy Kroll, the corporate intelligence unit of Marsh & McLennan Cos., for $1.13 billion in cash; acquisition will strengthen Altegrity's business outside the United States

  • Michigan county sees more military, homeland security jobs

    Private-sector employers in Ann Arbor and neighboring Ypsilanti with major defense and homeland security contracts could account for up to 1,500 jobs -- or nearly 2 percent of the combined employed workforce for those two cities

  • ISC Solutions, November 3-4, New York – Security solutions & guidance to apply t

  • Air cargo screening faces difficult test as screening deadline looms

    From 1 August on, all domestic cargo moving in the bellies of passenger planes must be screened; TSA announced in May that 75 percent of air cargo is already being screened, but shippers and forwarders say the remaining 25 percent of cargo yet to be screened is the most difficult; most of the unscreened cargo involves multiple pieces shrink-wrapped in pallets or loaded into containers destined for the U.S. busiest airports; the new law requires that cargo must be screened at the "piece level," either by the shipper, the freight forwarder, or the airline, before it is allowed in the belly of an airliner; the piece-level screening means, for example, that a container must be stripped down and each piece screened before the shipment can be "rebuilt"

  • Experts call for uniform testing standards for interoperable communications gear

    There are no uniform product testing programs for emergency communications equipment; this means that first responders could buy radios they believe are interoperable but fail to deliver during a disaster

  • Air cargo securityTransport Canada turns inspection of air freight over to shippers

    Transport Canada initiates a new air cargo security system requiring all companies involved in a supply chain to be part of inspecting the goods; critics say the program means that companies will be policing themselves; says once critic: "It's like me showing up at an [airport inspection] line and saying, 'Hey guys, there's no change in my pockets and I don't have any fluids, so I'm okay to get on the plane.' I don't think they'd let me on"

  • Border Security Expo, February 14-16, 2011, Phoenix Convention Center

  • Private securityPrivate security companies flourish

    Private security is a booming business in Harris County, Texas; private security experts say guards are better trained, but the job is more dangerous than ever. They often confront the same violent suspects as police but without advanced training and enforcement power

  • Michigan's billion-dollar experiment in diversifying state's economy yields mixed results

    In 2006 Michigan embarked on a bold experiment to save its economy: making loans to fledgling companies, investing money in venture capital firms and awarding millions in grants to university professors and nonprofit groups; the project's record is mixed, and some of the goals are yet to be achieved, but supporters say it is too early to judge the results

  • Symantec to acquire VeriSign unit for $1.28 billion

    Symantec is on a buying spree: in late April the company announced it would buy privately held PGP and GuardianEdge for a total of $370 million in cash; the acquisition will strengthen Symantec-s hand in the encryption market which is expected to reach $1.7 billion by 2013; this week Symantec said it would buy VeriSign for $1.28 billion in cash, bolstering its position in identity-based security for Web applications

  • Onyx targets business continuity acquisitions

    Energetic and acquisitive U.K. VAR Onyx refreshes DRS proposition after recent buy-out and aims for more consolidation; company claims that many disaster recovery packages do not cater effectively for smaller firms, particularly in London

  • Home and business security systems grow in popularity

    There are two misconceptions regarding the installation of security systems to protect your business or home: that these systems are very expensive, and that they are a hassle to use; once people realize that this is not the case, they also find out that these systems have additional advantages: they can protect from other hazards, including fire and carbon monoxide poisoning; and protecting one's assets by installing a security system might save money on insurance

  • IBM opens new business continuity facility in Izmir, Turkey

    IBM has opened a new Business Continuity and Resiliency Services (BCRS) Center in Izmir, Turkey, replacing the former facility, which has been in operation since 1995; Big Blue operates more than 150 business resilience centers worldwide

  • GE sells its Homeland Protection business to Safran for $580 million

    Following 9/11, GE acquired Ion Track (2002) for an undisclosed sum and InVision Technologies for $900 million (2004); the Homeland Protection unit had revenue of $260 million last year, which GE saw as disappointing; CEO of French company Safran: We want to become "a pivotal player in the security market"

Biometrics Consortium Conference and Technology Expo – September 21-23 – Tampa C