John Deere Wants to Connect its Tractors and Other Machines to Satellites

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Published by Fierce Electronics, Sept. 29, 2022

John Deere technology officials met with 60 representatives from various satellite communications providers at a test farm here on Thursday to issue an RFP to set in motion a satellite communications network connected with its Deere tractors and other smart field machines in 2024.

Deere already has terrestrial cellular connections to hundreds of  thousands of its machines producing crops globally, but many parts of the world lack the broad connectivity required to make quick adjustments in the field for spraying fertilizers alongside young plants or to adjust a huge combine machine to deliver precise measurements in real time for maximum grain yields.

Satellite connectivity would help with precision guidance using AI and sensors, Deere officials told a small group of reporters gathered at a research farm as satellite reps from Hughes Satellite and other companies heard conditions and opportunities in the RFP.

“SATCOM will unlock significant opportunities for agriculture by enabling farmers to take advantage of innovative technologies that rely on real-time information and communication,” said Lane Arthur, vice president of data, applications and analytics at John Deere.

The company is on track to provide driverless tractors to paying customers this fall and those machines would benefit from real-time communication through the John Deere Operations Center as farmers control them via smartphones or tablets to start and stop them, monitor a particular job being executed and to determine what to do when the machine encounters a tree or fence or other obstacle.

Deere may work with a vendor or set of vendors to connect new and retrofitted machines through satellite service and ruggedized terminals atop each machine. Ultimately, the goal it to increase food and fuel production for a growing population.

The company said satellite vendors stand to benefit financially and would gain experience by collaborating with Deere.

Deere sees a $150 billion total addressable market in 2030 for connectivity to the agriculture community, officials said. Deere now connects over terrestrial cellular to 500,000 machines around the globe and hopes to grow that number to 1.5 million in 2026. Up to 5,000 new machines could be connected over satellite each year, with the potential of retrofitting 40,000 existing machines.

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Jahmy Hindman, CTO at John Deere, said the eventual SATCOM network could be a hybrid of various low-earth and geostationary satellites that would need the ability to interconnect with 5G and other cellular networks. The focus initially will be on satellite connectivity in North and South America, but global connectivity is a goal. The US and Brazil are the largest producers of crops and the US has up to 85% cellular coverage nationwide, while Brazil has only up to 30%.

On some farms in Brazil, two tractors may work a single large plot but at distances far apart. Today they most likely could not communicate over cellular, but satellite would assist in coordination.

“Imagine if your business depended on a connection as it does for most farmers in Brazil,” said Arthur. “They are flying blind and can’t see what’s happening.”

[Eye Opener] The FBI Warns Against a New Cyber Attack Vector Called Business Identity Compromise (BIC)

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Shared from CyberheistNews Vol 12 #40, October 4th, 2022

The FBI warns that synthetic content may be used in a “newly defined cyber attack vector” called Business Identity Compromise (BIC).

Imagine you’re on a conference call with your colleagues. Discussing the latest sales numbers. Information that your competitors would love to get a hold of.

All of a sudden, your colleague Steve’s image flickers somewhat. It draws your attention. And when you look at it, you notice something odd. Steve’s image doesn’t look exactly right. It looks like Steve, it sounds like him, but something appears to be off about him. Upon a closer look you see that the area around his face looks like it is shimmering and the lines appear blurry.

You write it off as a technical glitch and continue the meeting as normal. Only to find out a week later that your organization suffered a data leak and the information you discussed during the meeting is now in the hands of your biggest competitor.

Ok, granted, this sounds like a plot from a bad Hollywood movie. But with today’s advancements in technology like artificial intelligence and deepfakes, it could actually happen.

Deepfakes (a blend of “deep learning” and “fake”) can be videos, images, or audio. They are created by an artificial intelligence through a complex machine learning algorithm. This deep learning technique called Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN) is used to superimpose synthesized content over real ones or create entirely new highly realistic content.

And with the increasing sophistication of GANs, deepfakes can be incredibly realistic and convincing. Designed to deceive their audience, they are often used by bad actors to be used in cyber attacks, fraud, extortion, and other scams.

Mind you, deepfakes also have more positive applications. Like this video of President of Obama which was created to warn viewers about fake news online. Or this one of Mark Zuckerberg created to bring awareness to Facebook’s lack of action in removing deepfakes from its platform.

The technology has been around for a couple of years and was already used to create fake graphic content featuring famous celebrities. Initially it was a complicated endeavor to create a deepfake. You needed hours and hours of existing material. But it has now advanced to the point where everyone, without much technical knowledge, can use it.

Anyone with a powerful computer can use programs like DeepFaceLive and NVIDIA’s Maxine to fake their identity in real time. And for audio you can use programs like Adobe VoCo (popularized back in 2016), which is capable of imitating someone’s voice very well. This means that you can go on a Zoom or Teams meeting and look and sound like almost anyone. Install the program, configure it and you are done. Choose any of the pre-generated identities or input one you created yourself and you are good to go. It really is that simple.

That is one of the reasons organizations are so wary of deepfakes. The ease of use. Combine that with the realistic content and it can become scary, very fast. How would you like it if a scammer used your identity in a deepfake? In today’s digital age where business is just as easily done though a phone or video call, who can you trust?

And this is one of the fundamental dangers of deepfakes. When used in an enhanced social engineering attack, they are intended to instill a level of trust in the victim. It is because of this danger that the FBI has a sent out a Public Service Announcement and issued a warning about the rising threat of synthetic content, even going as far as giving these attacks a new name: Business Identity Compromise (BIC).

So, what can you do to protect yourself from deepfakes? Can you actually defend against a form of attack that is specifically designed to fool us? Yes, you can, but with the pace of the advances in the technology, it isn’t easy. Things that are designed to fool your senses, generally succeed.

[CONTINUED] with tons of links and Top 5 Deepfake Defenses at the KnowBe4 Blog:
https://blog.knowbe4.com/deepfake-defense

Axis Communications Opens 13th Experience Center

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Axis Communications is celebrating the opening of its newest Axis Experience Center (AEC) in Houston.

The Houston AEC is Axis’ 13th innovation center within the Americas, and its opening comes just weeks after the unveiling of the company’s new Greater Toronto AEC location.

The Houston AEC is designed to provide customers, partners, and business leaders with localized resources and hands-on opportunities to test cutting-edge security technologies in a simulated environment.

In recognition of the city’s deeply rooted connection to the space industry, the new 4,800-square-foot facility embodies a ‘Space City’ theme, according to Axis.

As a focal point, the state-of-the-art facility features a ‘Launch Pad’ with a large circular truss system that displays Axis’ core suite of end-to-end solutions, including the latest innovations in video, access control, audio, and intercom, all working together on AXIS Camera Station software platform.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to view and test the latest in high-performance network cameras and other edge devices – as well as emerging artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, analytics and IP-based security technologies.

With over 10 million residents, Houston represents the fifth largest metropolitan area in the United States. Among those residents are many existing Axis customers across key industries such as manufacturing, critical infrastructure, healthcare, and SLED (State, Local and Education) government agencies, according to the company.

As Axis expands its footprint in key geographies, it says Houston is a natural extension of the company’s growth trajectory and vision of innovating for a smarter, safer world — joining Dallas as Axis’ second, Texas-based AEC.

“As a global company, Axis Communications fully realizes the importance of building relationships at a local level. It’s important to meet customers where they live and work, and to provide them with hands-on opportunities to test the latest technologies that are driving the security market forward,” says Steve Stanberry, business area director, South Central, Axis Communications. “Axis has a long history with the City of Houston and the diverse range of industries it supports, and we are excited to further strengthen our commitment and deepen our roots here with this new AEC opening.”

With plans to unveil additional facilities before the end of the year, current Axis Experience Center locations include New York City, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, San Jose, Washington D.C., Toronto, Mexico City, and Sao Paulo.

The Houston AEC is located at 750 Town and Country Blvd., Suite 950, Houston, Texas 77024.

Jewelers Mutual® Group Named to Deloitte’s 2022 Wisconsin 75™ for Fourth Year

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Jewelers Mutual Group announced it has been once again included on Deloitte’s Wisconsin 75™, a ranking of the 75 largest private companies in Wisconsin. This is the Group’s fourth year receiving the distinguished honor and credits the recognition to its continued focus on its customers by creating innovative, forward-thinking solutions for their evolving needs.

“To be recognized by Deloitte for the fourth consecutive year is an honor and testament to the progress we are making to leverage data, technology and human capital to anticipate our customer and business needs,” said Scott Murphy, Jewelers Mutual president and chief executive officer. “We are transforming how we work together as an organization and as a partner in the industry to maintain our position as one of the most trusted names in the market.”

Deloitte’s annual list salutes Wisconsin-based companies that play a key role in the state’s economy and communities.

“For the 20th year, Deloitte is proud to recognize the economic and community impact of the largest 75 private companies in Wisconsin —the Wisconsin 75. This year we will not only celebrate the individual successes of each of these organizations, but also the collective impact of private companies in powering Wisconsin’s economy and community,” said PJ DiStefano, Wisconsin managing partner of Deloitte LLP.

With a rich history that expands 109 years, Jewelers Mutual Group continues to give back to its communities and is a cornerstone of the jewelry industry, providing leadership, guidance and world-class products and services to the customers it serves.

ABOUT DELOITTE’S 2022 WISCONSIN 75

Deloitte’s annual Wisconsin 75 list salutes the largest privately held Wisconsin-based companies. These companies play a key role in the state’s economy. Wisconsin 75 award winners are selected based on annual sales revenue.

To be eligible for Deloitte’s Wisconsin 75 recognition, companies must have a majority ownership by an individual(s), family, employee stock ownership plan, or private equity firm. Public companies are eligible when greater than 50 percent of the value or vote of the shares are owned by individuals, family, an employee stock ownership plan, or private equity. Additionally, companies must have annual sales revenue of at least USD 50,000. The Wisconsin 75 excludes cooperatives and accounting, tax, legal, and consulting service companies.

TMA Welcomes 114th ECC to its ASAP-to-PSAP Service

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On Thursday, September 29, 2022, the Kenosha County Joint Services ECC in Wisconsin became the 114th ECC in the United States and the 2nd ECC in the state of Wisconsin to implement the Automated Secure Alarm Protocol (ASAP). The Kenosha County ECC went live on Thursday, September 29th with Vector Security, Rapid Response Monitoring, Johnson Controls , Stanley Security, Protection One, Security Central, Guardian Protection, United Central Control, National Monitoring Center, Affiliated Monitoring, Brinks Home Security, Alarm Detection Systems (IL), Securitas, Vivint & ADT. This was achieved despite personnel from at least two companies being directly impacted by Hurricane Ian during the Go-Live.

This implementation was managed by Glen Parnell.

SightLogix Introduces New Line of Thermal-Color Smart Cameras

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SightLogix has introduce a compelling new line of thermal-color detection cameras, specifically designed for the mainstream perimeter security market.

The SightSensor TC4 is a dual-imager smart camera that combines the power of thermal detection and visible color to detect targets with exceptional reliability over critical, industrial, and commercial perimeters.

Featuring a 384×288 high-clarity thermal array, the TC4 offers 44% more pixels and a higher resolution than standard 320×240 thermal cameras, delivering economic benefits as well. Long-range and wide area detection means fewer cameras are needed to protect large outdoor areas. And combining thermal and visible in one device means one camera on the pole instead of two, with a single network drop, one mounting bracket, and simpler installation overall.

“The new SightSensor TC4 line solves the most pressing challenges for outdoor security, delivering outstanding performance, high reliability, and ease of use, offering an extraordinary value for our customers,” said John Romanowich, SightLogix president and CEO.

Like all SightSensors, the TC4 works at the edge and includes integrated video analytics, automatic stabilization, and a toolbox of filters to manage application conditions, analyzing the scene for security threats, and communicating alerts and video of the event in real time. TC4 is IP66 rated and built for high reliability and longevity in harsh environments.

Unlike other dual-imager security cameras, SightSensor TC’s thermal and visible imagers are optically aligned to create a rapid, real-time assessment tool. This also empowers Dual-Sensor Analytics (DSA), a SightLogix innovation that analyzes detected targets from both thermal and visible sensors simultaneously for improved detection accuracy and reduced false alarms. By placing a red alarm box on both thermal and visible streams, users get comprehensive details about the intrusion and can make a quick and informed response.

SightSensor TC4 is available now, with three models that detect inbound targets at 50 meters (164 feet), 110 meters (360 feet) and 160 meters (525 feet). Both thermal and color video streams are viewable through a wide range of third-party VMS systems.

Visit https://www.sightlogix.com/products/sightsensor-tc/ to learn more.

.For more information on SightLogix perimeter security and outdoor surveillance solutions, call +1.609.951.0008, email info@sightlogix.com or visit www.sightlogix.com.