Makers of intruder detectors are emphasizing reliability enhancements these days, according to Global Sources, an industry journal. "A growing number of companies are adopting better signal processors and more powerful MCUs and ASICs to strengthen device intelligence and reduce interference."
Infrared optics and microwave continue to be the dominant detection methods, it finds, adding that most manufacturers have mastered both technologies, "but invest in development work nonetheless to uplift quality and competitiveness." R&D, it finds, "is moving toward multisensors or hybrid detection techniques, intelligent signal processing, dynamic environment compensation and optical path optimization."
The more highly integrated designs are aimed at home and DIY users. The majority of units, Global Sources says, "have a compact form factor yet boast an all-in-one solution, including the PIR sensor, host controller, horn and other necessary devices such as a GSM autodialer. A plug-and-play option simplifies installation and debugging." Some suppliers have developed products with built-in cameras for video recording and remote surveillance.
Besides small and compact designs, housings are made to blend in with the environment. A number of suppliers have added black and silver variants to depart from the traditional white casings.
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Verint Systems has announced that defacto.call center & dialog, a vendor of telemarketing and call center services, is using its Impact 360 Speech Analytics, a complement to its existing quality monitoring software from Verint Witness Actionable Solutions.
Defacto.call center & dialog implemented Impact 360 Speech Analytics in November 2009 to "help improve its business processes across the enterprise," company officials say, "as well as reduce costs through call avoidance."
As a result, they say, the product has let the company "further enhance its services, meet client requirements and enhance the customer experience."
Gerald Schreiber, managing partner for defacto.call center & dialog, said "We wanted to gain insight into what was happening across our business and deeper intelligence into all aspects of service operations for the clients we partner with and represent. In our view, speech analytics promises a wealth of new knowledge and potential for improvement, opportunities and ways to enhance both our own processes and technologies, and those on behalf of our clients--including how customers respond to their products, services, offerings and campaigns."
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According to a recent report in Radio Business Report, McCann Worldgroup's MRM split with Home Depot, "nine months after scoring digital and CRM duties," according to an internal MRM e-mail cited by www.RBR.com.
The split was blamed, RBR says, on Home Depot "requesting work beyond the original deal without paying additional compensation, according to an Adweek story." The news noted that currently Home Depot has The Richards Group Dallas handling creative and Initiative Atlanta handling media.
In the internal e-mail sent to Adweek, as reported by RBR, MRM NYC managing director Corey Mitchell wrote that "for reasons based on a fair exchange of services and a mutual inability to arrive at realistic expectations, we are choosing to walk away from our relationship with The Home Depot completely...It is a shame to have to walk away after so much, but it is not a viable business relationship for us."
Home Depot confirmed the split via a publicly-released statement, saying "after a few months of working together we felt it would be in our best interest to end our work with MRM."
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Redcom Laboratories, which sells digital and IP-enabled telecommunications systems, has announced that Alaska Power & Telephone Company has installed a Redcom SLICE 2100 softswitch, serving IP subscribers at Edna Bay, Alaska.
The SLICE 2100 softswitch replaces existing switching systems that have been in place for more than 17 years, according to Redcom officials.
"Powered by Redcom SLICE 2100 softswitch, we are now able to serve IP and analog subscribers" said Tom Ervin, V.P. Senior GM Telecom Operations and Engineering, AP&T.
AP&T currently provides service to communities located in the interior of Alaska, deep in the Wrangell Mountains and throughout the islands of Southeast Alaska, operating in some of the "wettest, driest, windiest, coldest and most remote regions on earth," company officials say.
The Alaska telecom company sees Redcom's SLICE 2100 next-generation softswitch as a way to migrate to IP, "introducing new services to its customers with less hardware build-out, lowering operational costs."
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