STE Executive Suite
Paul Rothman

by Paul Rothman

  • Surveillance video "re-digitized" in Trayvon Martin case
    by Paul Rothman - Tuesday April 3, 2012
    I used to scoff when I would watch security-oriented fictional TV shows like 24 and Law & order and they would take a grainy surveillance video and somehow, magically "focus" it so you could make out fine details. These days, fiction has a way of becoming reality. The most electric, emotionally-charged news story of the past couple weeks has been the shooting death of young Trayvon Martin. Last week, the Sanford Police Department released surveillance video of the shooter, George Zimmerman. While the raw video looks a bit fuzzy, ABC News wanted to get a better look at Zimmerman, so they "enhanced" the video with the help of Forensic Protection Inc. , a California video- and audio-enhancement firm. Check it out here . The ABC...

  • Video transmission and storage from the ISC show floor
    by Paul Rothman - Wednesday March 28, 2012
    Roaming the floor at ISC West, I came across a few companies that were touting new and improved video transmission, networking and storage products – fast-growing segments of the security industry that are being partially fueled by the IP transition. Altronix, a company long known for its video and device power supply products, has entered the video networking space with its eBridge, which can transmit IP video and data over coaxial cable more than 2,000 feet without the need for repeaters. "Customers have been asking for a product like this," Altronix's Kirby Han said. The transmission product spurred a three-way technology collaboration among Altronix, Intersil and Sony to create the hybrid solution. In fact Sony cameras...

  • Convergence gets its own 'Pavilion' at ISC show
    by Paul Rothman - Tuesday March 13, 2012
    Security Technology Executive readers are no strangers to convergence. That why when I received a press release announcing a "Convergence Pavilion" on the floor at ISC West, I knew it would pique your interest!   If you are an avid reader of STE columnist Ray Bernard , or if you are simply interested in learning more about using IT Security solutions in conjunction with your physical security equipment, this should be one of your stops on the show floor.   Hosted by IT products distributor Ingram Micro Inc., and its North America Physical Security Business Unit -- a first-time exhibitor at ISC -- the 20,000-square-foot Convergence Pavilion will feature a number of technology vendors and solutions-oriented demonstration...

  • Friday Funnies: Social media from the grave; stupid criminals; Onion victim
    by Paul Rothman - Friday February 10, 2012
    I'm starting a new tradition in The Executive Suite, the Friday Funnies! It's a quick collection of a few humorous stories I've compiled each week -- sometimes security-related, sometimes just something funny as we head into the weekend. For the inagural edition of the Friday Funnies, I will start with the ultimate in dedication for any social media guru (hopefully, like yourself). I received an e-mail this week from an enterprising company that has created an app that enables you to post to your Facebook wall from the grave ! That's right, set up this app before you kick the bucket, and you can fool people into thinking you are still alive and kicking! First, the pitch..."Maxelerator Ltd. has launched Immortum (www.immortum.com...

  • Humor can Combat Security Ignorance and Apathy
    by Paul Rothman - Wednesday February 8, 2012
    I'm sure every security executive out there knows of at least a few people in their organization who are just plain terrible at protecting themselves – they fall for phishing scams and give out personal tidbits like moms giving out candy on Halloween. They are either ignorant of the risks and the security procedures to mitigate them, or they just don't care.   For many, the way to deal with these people from a security standpoint was through fear. You would probably be thinking something along the lines of, "we will scare them into protecting themselves by showing them all the bad things that can happen."   The CISO at U.S. Bank has taken a different approach to informing his "security constituents" – ie., regular banking...