“Just as energy is the basis of life itself, and ideas the source of innovation, so is innovation the vital spark of all human change, improvement and progress.” - Ted Levitt quote

Theodore Levitt (March 1, 1925, Vollmerz, Main-Kinzig-Kreis, Germany – June 28, 2006, Belmont, Massachusetts) was an American economist and professor at Harvard Business School. He was also an editor of the Harvard Business Review who was especially noted for increasing the Review's circulation and for coining the term globalization.

Whether over the course of the recent holiday season you were busy shuttling the family around from house to house, stuck working through the festivities, or were one of the lucky ones who spent their time at a beach-laden resort, at one point through it all, we have all surely taken a moment to ponder on our 2008 accomplishments, as well as the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead in 2009. The Genetec team was no different, and as we glance back at 2008, we are proud to testify that our accomplishments could not have been possible without your continued support.

Genetec’s Accomplishments in 2008
Although there have been an assortment of accomplishments realized by our team, here are just a few major achievements we would like to highlight.

New partnerships – With open-platform solutions boasting immense integration benefits, Genetec initiated even more partnerships with cutting-edge technology firms such as Pelco, Object Video, NEC, Pivot-3, iView just to name a few. See entire list of technology partners.

New product releases – The AutoVu Sharp was the first new release of year and took the spotlight at many major events. Following the AutoVu Sharp’s inception, Omnicast saw two new releases with more supported hardware integration and Synergis followed suite with another major release which brought forth new advanced functionalities and even more time-saving benefits.

Sales expansion – Genetec grew into new territories around the world, hiring regional sales reps and additional support team members throughout Europe in France, England and Spain. We also expanded our team through Latin America, and Dubai, and enlisted pioneering distributors in similar areas as well as Australia and New Zealand. 2008 has been another stellar sales year for Genetec and has seen remarkable growth in the EMEA regions as well as in some of its key markets namely transportation, education, gaming and city surveillance. Contact your regional sales representative.

Innovative Solutions – Remaining completely dedicated to the innovation that offers you a pro-active approach to security, Genetec has adopted a new slogan and website that best reflect this. We hope you enjoy learning more about Genetec and our Innovative Solutions. Read our new corporate overview brochure now!

GF38, Grenoble Football Club, Selects Genetec for New High-Tech Stadium

Home to Grenoble’s renowned football team, GF38, the recently built Grenoble Stadium has selected Genetec’s IP Video Surveillance Solution, Omnicast, to compliment the other high-tech solutions, making it one of the most innovative sports facility center in all of France. The Grenoble Stadium is currently using Omnicast to monitor 35 analog cameras that were installed in and around the stadium, and another 30 new IP cameras that are strategically placed throughout the stadium in key areas such as restricted access areas, refreshment bars, and players and delegates’ zones.

Read the full press release >

Venezuela’s Landmark Mega-Complex Selects Genetec to Protect Thousands of Daily Visitors

Centro Ciudad Comercial Tamanaco (CCCT), the largest office and commercial complex in South America, has selected Omnicast to protect the visitors, tenants and owners of the landmark structure in Caracas, Venezuela. There are currently 90 cameras monitoring the elevators and the main accesses to the complex, and CCCT has future plans to expand the network and add more cameras to monitor other sensitive areas of the highly trafficked site which boasts over 450 stores, 20 restaurants, a food court, 800 individual offices distributed throughout a total of five buildings, a 150-room business hotel and a separate indoor parking facility with over 5,000 parking spaces.

Read the full press release >

Recently THE JOURNAL wrote a follow-up article about the second-annual school security index, a report conducted by product and service supplier CDW-G and marketing services firm Quality Education Data in May 2008, measuring how K-12 IT and facilities professionals rate their districts' cyber security and physical safety measures. According to an interview with Bob Kirby, senior director of K-12 at CDW-G, “We're seeing a continuation of trends.”

• 70% percent of districts are now reporting the use of video surveillance technologies, up seven points from last year.
• 33% percent reported that local police have the ability to monitor their schools' cameras in real time.
• 45% percent of districts are using emergency/mass notification systems.
• 31% percent of districts experienced some sort of physical security breach in the last year, up 10 points from the previous year.

For more information, read the follow-up report titled A School Security Outlook for 2009 by THE JOURNAL.

Company profile Founded in 1974, Fargo Electronics is a global leader in the development of secure technologies for identity card issuance systems, including secure card printer/encoders, materials and software. In 2006, the company was acquired by HID Global, the trusted worldwide leader in providing solutions for the delivery of secure identity. With products available in more than 100 countries worldwide, HID Global’s Fargo brand card issuance systems reduce vulnerabilities and potential for loss of time, money and lives by continually improving the security of identity credentials. For more information about HID Global’s complete portfolio of Fargo brand products, visit www.hidglobal.com.
Synergis and Fargo Card Printers As an innovative IP access control solution, Synergis boasts an open-architecture platform that allows full integration with third-party hardware devices such as card printers, for a complete and non-proprietary solution. Likewise, as a HID Global brand, Fargo offers two types of cutting-edge card printing technologies to match a variety of card appearances, functionalities and security requirements. The combined strengths of both Fargo card printers and Synergis IP access control provides the education, government, corporate segments and other industries, a versatile yet highly secure access control solution.

Fargo Printers Now Available for Purchase at Genetec! Read the press release.

Fargo HDP5000 High definition and quality Prints on an HDP film (NOT direct-to-card) USB or Ethernet interface Lamination module optional Most expensive Ideal for: High-end customers, compliance with HSPD-12 and FIPS 201   Fargo DTC550 Direct-to-Card Printer Single or dual sided Fastest printer (workhorse) USB or Ethernet interface Lamination module optional   Ideal for: Systems with large number of cards to print, education (1000s of cards)   Fargo DTC400e Direct-to-Card Printer Single or dual sided All-in-one cartridge with printer ribbon & cleaning roller USB or Ethernet interface No lamination module Least expensive   Ideal for: Small to mid-sized businesses, K-12 schools.

For more information on the above Fargo printers available at Genetec, contact us at sales@genetec.com.

“Beginning in March 2009, Genetec will be offering training for our IP license plate recognition solution, AutoVu, for both fixed and mobile applications. The AutoVu training will be customized for a variety of users as per their needs, offering in-depth training for installation technicians, intermediate level training for system administrators and basic-level training for system operators. AutoVu training sessions can range anywhere from 2 to 5 days, and will be available in both French and English throughout the world.” – Dan Copithorne

Check the training schedule here.

Dan Copithorne is Genetec’s Training Manager. He joined Genetec in 2003 as a tech support representative and moved on to build Genetec’s Training Department which now counts seven members. Dan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.