"We have tried to bring a broad scope of current technology trends and information on legislative matters to the fore in the content of the seminar topics. All of our speakers have extensive experience in the industry and bring a wealth of knowledge to the table," says Joshua Low, Securex Event Director at show organiser Specialised Exhibitions Montgomery.

The seminar programme runs over the three days of the exhibition, which is being held at Gallagher Convention Centre from 12 to 14 May.

Day 1 (12 May):
•    Installer workshop (SME business success): Abie Ali, owner and Director, Frank Street Trading. This presentation will encompass an interactive, engaging discussion surrounding pertinent factors that highlight success and business continuity for privately owned security companies.
•    Zipstream workshop: Roy Alves, Business Development Manager MEA, Axis Communications. Axis Communications introduces Zipstream technology, allowing customers to benefit from reduced bandwidth and storage requirements without having to invest in new cameras or software. Axis' Zipstream technology is fully compatible with the widely adopted H.264 compression standard and has been developed specifically for video surveillance applications to lower bandwidth and storage requirements by an average of 50% or more.
•    A holistic approach to all industry legislation: Costa dia Vastos, Managing Director – Security Division, Servest SA. This presentation encompasses an in-depth, detailed overview of all of the legislative structures influencing the security industry. Don't fall short of the law!
•    Legislation. The Private Security Industry Regulation Amendment Bill: Mpho Mofikoe, Deputy Director: Communications, Registrations (CRM) & Training, Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA). The Private Security Industry Regulation Amendment Bill is controversial because it aims to force foreign-owned private security firms to sell at least 51% of their companies to South Africans. Imposing restrictions on the ownership of security companies may discourage investment into this sector and could jeopardise jobs and general security. What are the ramifications for the South African Security industry – should this bill be approved?
•    Adherence to fire standards. Choosing a compliant installer: Bevan Wolff, Technical Manager, FPASA. The fire/smoke and gas detection and/or suppression industry has undergone a radical shakeup in the past few years, with more stringent control over installers being put in place to alleviate substandard workmanship. This presentation features the reality of understanding the application of standards in the South African fire market, what skills and certifications are required and what end users should do to adhere to these standards.
•    The changing face of biometrics: Walter Rautenbach, Managing Director and founder, Neametrics. The large-scale rollout of biometrics has a positive effect on consumer acceptance and creates a myriad applications and possibilities. With this rapid expansion comes the need to explore the challenges of privacy and how these systems fit into the ‘Internet of Things' and the ‘Identity of Things'.

Day 2 (13 May):
•    Installer workshop: Craig van Rensburg, MD & National SAIDSA Executive committee member, Star Alarms. By-law no. 5 installation practice: Standard installation specification for intruder alarm systems for domestic, commercial, retail and industrial installations.
•    How to select a compliant security services provider: Tony Botes, Secretary and Administrator, SASA
•    Security trends in 2015 and beyond: Andrew Seldon, Editor of Hi Tech Security Solutions
•    State of the industry: current statistics – PSIRA: Mpho Mofikoe, Deputy Director: Communications, Registrations (CRM) & Training, Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA).
•    Synergistic guarding support and labour relations: Danie Schoeman, Commercial Director, G4S. The private security sector in South Africa employs more than 445 000 people in more than 9 300 registered security businesses. With such large numbers of both certified and non-certified security officers, it is imperative that companies support and streamline guarding operations and efficiently manage personnel. Gain an understanding into the means and strategic systems utilised in synergising guarding support and valuable methods employed during difficult labour relations issues.

Day 3 (14 May):
•    Potential implications for the private security industry of ownership restrictions on foreign providers: Peter Draper, Director, Tutwa Consulting. Should President Zuma sign the Private Security Regulation Amendment Act into law, overnight foreign private security providers will be obliged to yield 51% of their shares to South African citizens. This would have substantial diplomatic, trade and investment consequences, not just for the industry but also for the country. Similarly, it would destabilise ownership patterns in the industry itself, leading to unpredictable rearrangements of current linkages, alliances, and business arrangements. Some contours of these potential impacts will be addressed in the talk, and recommendations for the industry as a whole will be proffered.
•    2015 African security review: Security trends: Richard Rohman, Sales and Marketing Director, Centurion Systems. Gain an in-depth understanding of the perspectives that help shape security policy and practice on the African continent. This presentation will enlighten visitors on the current security trends, human security issues, including security sector transformation, civil-military relations, crime and justice, corruption and governance, small arms control, peace support initiatives and conflict management. A link between economics, politics, society, culture and human security will also be highlighted.
•    Africa: tapping into growth opportunities, challenges and strategies: Jeff Blackbeard, Africa Strategy Advisor, Moore Stephens CJL. Africa is one of the world's fastest growing economic hubs. Nine of the world's 20 fastest-growing economies are from the African continent. Africa's development shows characteristics that represent ample opportunity for the future - six major trends have been reshaping African economies and turning them into promising investment opportunities for the world's largest consumer business companies. Gain an understanding into how these opportunities are meaningful for the African security industry.
•    Funding for security SME's: accessing DTI grant rebates and finance for your capital investment: Rishad Ahmed, CEO and founder, Incentives SA. How do end users and developers finance their security installations? The Department of Trade and Industry has made available incentives to assist South African companies with their capital investment into machinery and related services. Over R5-billion has been disbursed to qualifying companies. A rebate of between 30 and 70% is granted to companies that meet the criteria. For example, if you wanted to purchase a machine that costs R10-million, you may qualify for R5-million back from the DTI. Incentives SA has been advising companies on how to access these grants as well as accessing finance from the IDC at a low interest rate with flexible payment terms. Find out how to apply and how your company may benefit from this incredible opportunity.
•    Cyber security: a pertinent business risk: Manuel Corregedor, operations manager, Wolfpack Information Risk. As the frequency and costs of security incidents continue to rise, research indicates that many organisations have not updated critical information security processes, technologies, and employee training needs. In some cases, it appears that information security programmes have weakened due to inadequate investments in information security. At the same time, the financial costs of investigating and mitigating incidents grow year over year. Compromises by insiders—current and former employees, as well as third parties with trusted network access—continue to rise, but many organisations have not implemented processes and technologies to address internal incidents. No matter how secure an organisation's network and data, it will be open to compromise if third parties do not employ equivalent security and privacy safeguards. Find out what basic security safeguards businesses can implement to manage today's elevated threats.
•    The role of electronic locks in the access control world: Victor Hage, general manager, Salto MEA. Electronic wire free and wireless locks is the technology of choice for millions of people worldwide. See first hand the simplicity, reliability, security and cost effectiveness of electronic locks and their many uses in the access control world.

Some information on the speakers:

Walter Rautenbach is an entrepreneur and qualified software engineer who enjoys solving problems. He has been involved in software development since 1992 and has focused 20 years of his career on biometric solutions which have touched in excess of 40 million biometric identities through social grant, government, criminal clearance and driving license projects.

Costa dia Vastos has worked in the private security industry for the past 15 years. He is an executive director at the Security Industry Alliance (SIA), the President of the Security Association of South Africa (SASA) and a trustee and Investment Committee Chair of the Private Security Sector Provident Fund (PSSPF). Costa has been the chief negotiator for private security employer organisations in the National Bargaining Forum since 2008 and has led various advocacy initiatives for compliance and regulation in the security industry

Manuel Corregedor is the operations manager of Wolfpack Information Risk. He has been involved in a number of research and advisory projects targeting organisations, industry sectors and various countries. He has also overseen and worked on a number of IT/cyber security related projects for large financial/government institutions and multinational organisations. He was previously a full time lecturer at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) where he specialised in the fields of software engineering and information security. He has done a significant amount of research in the area of malware and anti-malware techniques. He holds a BSc IT degree, BSc Honours IT degree and an MSc IT degree (Information Security) from the University of Johannesburg. He is also a Professional Member of the British Computer Society (MBCS).

Andrew Seldon started off with a BSc in Computer Science, and his IT career included programming and running a support department before joining the world of technology journalism in 1995. Since then he has been an editor of various publications in South Africa and Germany, where he was also a guest lecturer in Total Quality Management (TQM) at the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich. In 2014 he was awarded a MBA in Leadership & Sustainability from the University of Cumbria. He is the editor of South Africa's premier security technology magazine Hi-Tech Security Solutions, based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Pre-registration for the exhibition is now live online at www.securex.co.za. For more information on Securex 2015, visit the website at www.securex.co.za.

To book a stand, contact Sven Riddle or Zelda Jordaan on: svenr@specialised.com or zeldaj@specialised.com