New York City: The Frontline of Security Challenges

New York City is regarded as one of the world’s greatest cities, the home of millions of people, a commercial center, and the location of first-rate cultural attractions. The prominence of the Big Apple makes it a prime target for criminals, and a proving ground for the latest in security solutions technology. Services like access management and control, alarms, locks, and closed-circuit television (CCTV) are needed in abundance in New York City and similar world capitals.

Urban environments like New York City have distinct characteristics that showcase the usefulness of modern security solutions. One of these qualities is the high volume of people, with crowds of millions living and working in close proximity. The number of people necessitates the use of access management and control technologies, such as turnstiles and card access readers, in high-traffic public locations like office buildings, metro stations, stadiums, gyms, and libraries. Safety in New York City, and other world-class cities like Los Angeles, London, and Paris, depends on the ability to control the flow of crowds in an intelligent and productive way.

In large cities like New York, crimes such as thefts and break-ins can be common in public places like offices, hotels and apartment buildings. The prevalence of theft makes the use of high-quality alarms with sensors like motion and sound detectors important. Experience shows that the presence of an alarm alone may be enough to deter a potential robber from a residential or business area. Another crime deterrent is locks, an essential part of the security plan in fine hotels where thousands of visitors come and go and guests store their precious personal belongings.

No security landscape in the modern urban environment is complete without the presence of closed-circuit television (CCTV) for video surveillance and monitoring. Whether used to track business operations or guard against vandals, a hallmark of New York City and other urban locations is the widespread employment of video cameras to monitor areas around the clock in all kinds of conditions. Cameras are used indoors in businesses and restaurants, and outdoors in parks and popular shopping districts, to make sure an eye is always watching. Should a security incident occur, it is quite likely the act can be reviewed on a digital recording in a big city.

New York City sits at the frontlines of modern security challenges. Millions of people, and thriving residential, commercial and government sectors, make it imperative to develop innovative solutions for peace of mind. Like all world-class cities, New York showcases the unique problems and answers that arise in the twenty-first century urban environment.