• Angel investors flee seed and start-up stage in first half of 2010

    Angel investors committed fewer dollars in more deals in the first half of 2010, with seed and start-up stage investing declining to its lowest level in several years, a trend that soon could impact new ventures and job creation; total investments in the first half of 2010 were $8.5 billion, a decrease of 6.5 percent over the first half of 2009

  • ASIS 2010, I: Major market, technology trends

    The four trends we noted on the floor of ASIS 2010: companies are reorganizing after acquisitions; a big emphasis on integrated solutions, more specifically: manufacturers are repurposing and re-grouping products to create specialized solutions for certain vertical markets; three buzz terms this year: cloud computing, whole building integration, and energy management; then there were IP cameras — everywhere, with manufacturers emphasizing education and training

  • PwC recruits cybersecurity talent with online puzzles

    PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) found a new way to recruit IT security professionals; it aimed to dig out U.K. talent hidden under the radar by settling up tests for hackers at different levels of ability, uncovering teenagers and people already working in the IT profession; PwC says that winning these cyber contests is typically an indication of good problem solving, curiosity to learn, and a driven work ethic

  • BATS: Extending broadband communication, I

    BATS system’s tight integration with the radios, along with the performance characteristics of the directional antenna, are used by BATS’ innovative software to create search patterns and predictive algorithms that automatically locate a desired connection point, establish communications, and track whether one or both of the wireless broadband radios are moving

  • U.S. Army tests robot batteries-and-bandwidth war-mules

    The U.S. army remains determined to kit out all its ground troops with portable, wearable networking gear which will provide them with communications as well as an accurate idea of where everyone is; trouble is, when you have to generate your own wireless coverage as you go from the same kit, this means a lot of power — and this, in turn, means a crippling load of batteries; Lockheed Martin has a solution

  • Unease grows as Chinese telecom behemoth gains foothold in U.S.

    China’s Huawei Technologies — a company linked to the People’s Liberation Army, and which has been repeatedly accused of stealing software designs and infringing on patents — is now the world’s second-largest telecom equipment supplier behind Ericsson of Sweden, and with Chinese government backing, it has sewn up major deals in Asia, Africa, and Latin America; a $3 billion in advanced wireless equipment deal with Sprint Nextel will give entry into the U.S. communication market — and this has lawmakers and security experts worried

  • Unisys to expand WHTI license plate-scanning project at border

    Unisys wins 5-year award improves on Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative; WHTI uses automated license plate reader technology to screen vehicles crossing the border, and radio frequency identification technology to confirm the citizenship and identity of travelers carrying WHTI-approved, RFID-enabled travel documents

  • Biometric-driven airport gates gain ground

    Biometrics-driven border controls in the United Kingdom are now well advanced, with a trial at London Stansted so successful, that the technology is now being rolled out at Heathrow Airport; still, biometric-driven airport gate technology is still in its infancy, with only around 1,000 gates in active use worldwide

  • SAIC in $23 million contract for biometric help to U.S. Central Command

    Collecting and registering personnel into biometric databases is key to helping identify insurgents throughout the U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility; SAIC awarded a $23 million contract to help

  • Biometrics to help India keep rural job program honest

    The Indian government launched a rural job program in 2006, aimed at bringing jobs to the poorest of the poor in India; the scheme assures 100 days of manual work annually to at least one member of every rural household; the program is now benefiting 35.2 million households across 619 districts; critics say that the well-intentioned program has been accompanied by fraud, bogus job cards, and ghost workers; the Indian government is now working to correct these through biometrics

  • DHS gives itself 30 days to decide SBInet fate

    DHS has given Boeing a temporary 30-day extension on the troubled SBInet border virtual fence contract; DHS has spent $1.1 billion over three years on the ambitious project, without much to show for it; “one insider says: the question is whether to carry on with a Cadillac version of the network—- or to exchange it for a Chevy model that gets the job done faster”

  • Millions in cybersecurity money go to the usual suspects

    Both the U.S. and U.K. governments committed themselves to spending millions of dollars on enhanced cybersecurity — but industry insiders say that most of the money will not be used to buy innovative security solutions from start-ups, but rather go to the usual suspects; one insider says: “in the U.S., money gets spent on the vendors who spend millions lobbying Congress”

  • Drive-by X-ray vans raise privacy, health worries

    DHS, the U.S. military, and even local law enforcement agencies are buying and deploying mobile X-ray vans that can see into the interior of vehicles around them; the Z Backscatter Van (ZBV), manufactured by American Science and Engineering (AS&E), can be used to detect contraband such as car bombs, drugs, and people in hiding; the van looks like a standard delivery van, and it takes less than fifteen seconds to scan passing vehicles; it can be operated remotely from more than 1,500 feet and can be equipped with optional technology to identify radioactivity as well; the vans, which can also see through clothing and into some buildings, are raising privacy concerns as well as questions about health risks — and what might happen if the technology gets into the wrong hands

  • Bomb-sniffing dogs in Afghanistan, Iraq may not be up to the task

    The U.S. State Department uses nearly 200 bomb-sniffing dogs in Iraq and Afghanistan to protect U.S. diplomatic facilities; the department inspector general says that bomb-sniffing dogs in Afghanistan and Iraq are not being tested properly and may not be able effectively to detect explosives

  • Local resistance to bomb sniffing-dogs training facility

    As fear of domestic terrorism grows, so does the need for explosive-sniffing dogs; company with DHS detection credentials wants to convert a horse barn in New York into a commercial kennel for bomb-sniffing dogs, but the neighbors object