You don't need to travel back too far in time to find sophisticated mechanical security in the mainstream. After all, it was only a few decades ago that economics and the availability of technology enabled widespread deployment of CCTV systems. How things have changed since then.

The twentieth century is no doubt the age of electronics, beginning with the inception of vacuum tubes in the 1900s, and culminating with the digital revolution in the 1980s and subsequently the rise of the Internet in the 1990s. During this period, however, security was a phenomenon identified closely with human personnel.

In recent years, we have witnessed seismic turmoil in our social and political landscapes. And we have also watched the science of security adapt as a result. Twenty-first century security is an entirely different proposition—a new paradigm.

We now live in a time where heightened alert and electronic scrutiny are commonplace. To combat rising street crime and terrorism, and even protect intellectual property, we now develop public, corporate and domestic surveillance and access systems that were, not so long ago, considered science fiction.

The catalysts in this development are advances in imaging, sensory and software-enabled automation technologies. And the pace of change is fast. Today, security touches every part of our lives. Check in at any international airport and you are monitored by the most sophisticated systems. Even entry into the office environment is often barred by advanced biometrics.

To celebrate this inflexion point and better serve our community of buyers across the world, Global Sources is launching a brand new magazine: Security Products. Global Sources, along with CMP Media Inc., owns eMedia Asia, the publisher of EE Times-Asia and sister publications EE Times-China, EE Times-Korea and EE Times-Taiwan.

As the industry changed its course during the past two decades, so has the coverage of security products in Global Sources publications. About 12 years ago, we had a magazine serving this industry, but back then, we had an entirely different security situation. So much has changed since 1995. Aside from the exhilarating pace of the digital evolution, we have witnessed the rise of the network, which added a whole new dimension to the electronics-centric security landscape.

The new magazine will offer in-depth product insight to different types of buyers—retailers, importers and distributors—on top of special content packages for new target audiences such as installers, contractors and system integrators. The packages will include special reports and features on cutting-edge product developments, standardization, and integrated security and safety solutions from Hong Kong, mainland China, South Korea, Taiwan and the rest of the world.

Even in EE Times-Asia, security products design has steadily gained prominence in recent years. Asian manufacturers are venturing into security-related hardware and are thus looking for dedicated silicon solutions and reference platforms. These security chips are to be embedded into standard platforms such as Linux and Pentium. Another key challenge is to meet the demands of end-to-end security specialists for more efficient system solutions.

From merely offering standalone security products, Asian manufacturers are now moving toward cooperation with system integrators to facilitate broad security settings. To deliver effective product designs, they will certainly need and welcome all the support they can get from chip vendors.

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