Victor Hugo once said: “Nothing is more imminent than the impossible, and that what we must always foresee is the unforeseen”
Let’s be frank. Sometimes, security can seem like a ‘no-brainer’ to the layperson. You keep an eye on the grounds or facilities, keep track of anyone who isn’t supposed to be there and respond as needed when an event or attempted security breach occurs. Right?
Well, while we in the industry know it’s nowhere near that simple, at the core it’s true to say that many of the most significant differences in security from one organisation to another tend to be based on dissimilarities in procedures and technological capability.
The trouble – and, ultimately, the confusion – stems from a single word. Integration.
As organisations everywhere strive to protect their assets in a world increasingly rife with complex digital and physical equipment and operating systems, one of the greatest challenges is the integration of newer, sleeker, cutting-edge technologies that all-too-often prove incompatible with their more cumbersome, less ‘intelligent’ legacy technology cousins.
What’s needed is a solution that can bridge the gap without breaking the bank.
Addressing the incompatibility issue
One solution being adopted to address this incompatibility is Physical Security Information Management (or PSIM) software.
PSIM software correlates, analyses and presents vast amounts of data from disparate technologies (including network management applications critical to business and building operations) into one common operating picture. With these capabilities, it’s fair to say PSIM has transformed real-time security communications, operations and collaboration.
In our discussions with clients and partners, three primary trends surface as being responsible for driving the current interest in PSIM integration and the associated purchasing discussion. They are situation management, identity management and building management.
On that basis, let’s explore the background to – and specific examples of – each of these trends.
- Situation management integration
PSIM’s unique ability to integrate systems and provide a complete, real-time picture enables organisations to monitor and swiftly respond to even the most complex of situations both efficiently and effectively.
It also helps operators follow pre-set company procedures to ensure a positive, safe and secure outcome, be it averting an actual physical attack or protecting an intangible – such as the share price or brand – through mitigation of potential negative publicity because of a data breach or IP loss.
PSIM further aids security operators in matters of compliance, providing the on-the-spot information and tools to enable appropriate responses within set rules, regulations or policies.
Its after-action reporting capabilities even provide means to, if necessary, prove beyond reasonable doubt in a Court of Law (or to C-level corporate governance) that the organisation followed the correct process and procedures in terms of safeguarding personnel and property.
- Identity management integration
One great step already taken by many organisations to safeguard personnel and property is the management of multiple IDs from a logical and physical perspective. Yet, despite this, the question remains: ‘What specific actions should be taken when an event or alarm is raised by the identity management systems?’
By integrating existing identity solutions with PSIM, organisations can ensure their policies are enacted and procedures followed to stop or prevent security breaches or ID theft.
More specifically, logical and physical security convergence enables operators to cross reference individuals’ access control requests with their VPN log-in status, avoiding situations in which unauthorised persons find (and attempt to gain building access by using) a card that doesn’t belong to them.
Combining physical-logical identity and access integration with strict policy reinforcement can also eliminate the act of ‘tailgating’, whereby someone slips into an organisation behind someone else badging in (either by accident or on purpose).
Even in the most chaotic of scenarios, such as a fire evacuation, PSIM is able to collate and draw from vast amounts of data. That data can serve to calculate an accurate headcount of on-premise visitors, contractors and employees to help emergency personnel better understand and manage the situation.
For example, the fire brigade may only send two engines to a building with five people stuck inside. However, if PSIM software helps detect 150 people inside, the response of the fire brigade would alter drastically and, potentially, many more lives would be saved.
- Building management integration
While PSIM is known for its situational response capabilities, it also has broad applications for day-to-day organisational operations.
One of the often unsung attributes of PSIM is its capacity for building management system (BMS) integration. Since PSIM is intended to integrate and provide a complete view across multiple systems and technologies, it’s uniquely capable of interfacing with existing BMS solutions to manage facilities’ operations, up to and including the advancement of ‘smart’ buildings.
Some everyday examples of PSIM/BMS functionality include:
- monitoring of alarms and events ‘out of hours’ to free up staff for proactive tasks such as maintenance and physical patrols
- adjustment of heating or cooling based on usage levels by integrating access control and the BMS through PSIM
- implementation support and monitoring of energy efficiency or ‘green’ building initiatives
- Smart buildings with lighting, HVAC etc that fluctuate based on actual occupancy and usage
Helping operators to take control
If a situation does arise, PSIM helps operators take control: providing verification and resolution capabilities (procedure and policy for guards and engineers to follow) to BMS alerts and events by integrating with collaborative tools from security systems. For example:
- checking to ensure that flow controllers are shut during a fire evacuation
- providing situational awareness around BMS alerts such as a broken down lift (in this scenario, PSIM could aid operators by providing access to the lift camera and auto-activating the lift intercom to allow audio reassurance to those stuck inside)
As organisations and agencies across the globe continue to grow and evolve, it’s abundantly clear that keeping pace with technology development to maintain and secure their assets has to be a top priority.
Rather than purchasing a full new system at every turn, those with purchasing power are looking for solutions that will integrate with their existing technologies and extend their value while providing solutions to their situation management, identity management and BMS needs.
The future is clear. PSIM is both the bridge and the solution.
Darren Chalmers-Stevens is vice president (EMEA operations) at VidSys
*To learn more about PSIM or VidSys send an e-mail to: [email protected]
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