IPfocus - IP UserGroup

IPfocusIP UserGroup meetat StockportThe second IP UserGroup regional meeting held inManchester proved to be just as successful as the firstin London with an excellent level of attendance fromboth Affiliates and Members alike.PresentationTaking place at the Britannia Hotel, Stockportand with an attendance of more than 70affiliates and members, the event started withan end-user application case study fromSiemens and Nexus. Concerning the NewcastleMetro transportation system the presentersMr Luc De-Ceuster, Senior BusinessDevelopment Manager at Siemens in Belgiumand Mr Kevin Boal, from the operators Nexusprovided an interesting and informative insightinto the customer requirements and thesolutions produced to meet thoserequirements. The presentation was anexcellent example of communications andsecurity working hand in hand where the Metrolight railway operator and local authoritypartnered their use of digital technology tosolve operational as well as security andsafety issues.Debate sessionThe second session, “Barriers to Adoption” wasa debate expertly and entertainingly led by MrDavid Petrook from DVTel. The discussioncontent proved to be both thought provokingand enlightening with full participation fromboth affiliates and members. The issues raisedall revolved around the need for education, notjust for end-users but also for installers andintegrators. The group agreed that a concertedeffort to address this one issue will go a longway to removing the mystery that exists,rightly or wrongly, around IP technology.A number of good suggestions were made andinitial plans were to be drawn up. (For moreabout the debate, see page 38)After a break for lunch, the members receivedtwo other presentations. The first, “Perspectiveof an IT Company” was an informative look athow IT giants IBM have helped providesolutions in the transport industry fromJohn Lymer. The second concerned the futuredevelopment of the IP Usergroup and itsquarterly journal IPFocus by Paul Henningsfrom IP Security Events & Media Ltd.“Open House”The final session provided members with theopportunity to learn about the latest productsand services from a number of affiliates in the“Open House”. With a tea or coffee in aninformal environment the members were ableto talk on a one to one basis about theirissues and requirements with some of theleading companies in the industry. Theaffiliates displaying at the “micro show”included, Axis Communications, CNL, DedicatedMicros, DVTel, Fast Video Security (Sigma),IDCS, IIPSEC, PI Vision, VCS and VSK.Next Meeting DateThe next meeting is to take placein the Reading area on Thursday,24th June at the Calcot Hotel andwill include presentation materialconcerning the Retail marketplace.So put the date in your diary now -and keep an eye on the websitewww.ipusergroup.com for furtherinformation concerning venue,content etc.If you wish to participate or haveany questions concerning theReading meeting, please contactAndy on +44 (0) 1983 403693 orandy.hennings@ipusergroup.comNew lookwebsitewww.ipusergroup.comAs part of the drive by the IP UserGroupto improve education for those in theindustry as well as the customers ofthe industry, our website has beenenhanced to provide a greater levelof educational material.The affiliates and members attending thesecond IP UserGroup meeting made itquite clear how important the provision ofgood and easily understood educationalmaterial is to the advancement andadoption of IP technology in the securityindustry. They are determined to ensureeveryone has access to such informationand the IP UserGroup websitewww.ipusergroup.com is theplace to start.With an excellent number of case studiesin the IP in Action section and a library ofwhite papers and information sheets inthe Education section, the site providesmembers with an even better array ofinformation and news concerning IPtechnology in the security marketplace.If you have an article, case study or paperyou would like posted on the website,please forward it toandy.hennings@ipusergroup.comor give him a call on+44 (0) 1983 403693.issue 3_23