With 2012 now upon us, what are the top three Physical Security Information Management (PSIM) considerations those in the public sector should keep in mind to improve safety and security efforts while staying within their budgets?
Security professionals should bear in mind the need to leverage technologies in order to drive efficiencies, remember to expect the unexpected and look at mitigating overall risks. Let’s examine each of these in turn.
Leverage technology to drive efficiencies, glean intelligence from existing technology investments… and reduce spending
Last year there was a 25% average budget reduction across most departments in the UK’s public sector. These cuts forced public safety and security organisations to do more with less, and identify ways to maximise their existing investments.
However, despite looking for ways in which to do more with less, emergency services are still responsible for protecting people and property without jeopardising the safety and security of the public when financial resources may be limited.
PSIM software is one example of technology that enables public safety and security agencies to do more with existing security devices and systems by aggregating all of their data and creating one common operating picture that offers better real-time intelligence to ensure the fastest and most effective response to an incident.
With one centralised view, organisations are not only able to collect and correlate data from a variety of sources, but also generate an enhanced level of actionable intelligence that can achieve an unprecedented layer of security.
As a result of PSIM, public safety and security organisations are able to effectively reduce false alarms, increase efficiencies among existing technologies and enable operators to have better situational awareness allowing them to remain focused on real threats, versus responding to – and wasting human and financial resources on – false alarms.
Expecting the unexpected
Arab Spring, UK riots and international Occupy Wall Street protests this past year – along with natural disasters like the flooding in Thailand – highlight the frequency with which unexpected events unfold.
Cities across the globe are re-evaluating how they protect their people, assets and community. Advance preparation for these and other types of security and safety situations is critical.
As they say in sports, the best defense is a strong offense. By arming first responders (police, fire, ambulance, etc) and city safety and security personnel with the tools that allow for the most efficient and effective response possible, cities are best prepared to handle any unexpected event.
Technology like PSIM ensures that first responders throughout the city are able to share real-time information as a situation unfolds, which can help prevent a situation from getting worse, out of control, more costly and, in some cases, from losing lives.
This includes mobile applications that extend PSIM software’s field collaboration capabilities designed specifically for first responders.
Additionally, PSIM allows various public agencies to communicate with each other so as to maximise a timely and efficient course of action.
For instance, imagine the fire department is responding to a fire at a public building. While en route, personnel at the fire department are able to pull up the latest visuals and glean intelligence from the police security cameras in and around the building.
In addition, operations centre personnel can pull up pertinent data from the police database via a PSIM common operating pane and see information such as the locations of the security alarms throughout the building, sprinkler systems and HVAC systems.
Additionally, they can view floor plans, real-time video feeds, gauge water pressure and stair pressurisation, and report and co-ordinate the response with the fire brigade before they even arrive on site.
In this collaborative process no intelligence is siloed. First responders, safety and security professionals have crucial contextual information to be more effective in responding to an unexpected event as it unfolds and thus quell the situation before it escalates.
Mitigating the overall risk
With the 2012 Olympic Games fast approaching, one can imagine the fanatical level of pro-active safety and security measures that London is taking to protect its iconic city, the large crowds expected to attend and the public at large.
There are many risk benefits to be gained in adopting a PSIM system for city-wide security. The appropriate personnel have a unified view of what’s going on and have the right resources in place to respond accordingly. Whether it be a natural disaster or a riot, or a false alarm, public and private security and safety agencies are best equipped to act accordingly in the most efficient and effective way possible.
To reiterate how PSIM would mitigate risk around the upcoming iconic Games, consider how this past autumn PSIM was used during the celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial in Washington DC.
The District was faced with the extraordinary demands of providing top-level security to protect President Obama, other Government officials and world dignitaries, and tens of thousands of visitors. By leveraging technology and security investments already in place, including a PSIM system, the United States Park Police (USPP) was able to tap into a variety of data sources for real-time intelligence from around the city.
As a result, the USPP and the city were able to mitigate risk with its ability to more easily distribute information to first responders and collaborate with other agencies in real-time for improved situation management.
As we kick-off the New Year, then, these PSIM considerations should help those in the public sector keep in mind how PSIM might strengthen current safety and security initiatives.
PSIM technology helps ensure that the safety and security of a city’s people, places and assets are not jeopardised even when budgets are cut, or amid a large event like the upcoming Olympics, an unexpected outburst from a riot or a natural disaster.
Darren Chalmers-Stevens is director (EMEA) at VidSys
To learn more about PSIM or VidSys send an e-mail to: [email protected]
