The Importance Of Integration And Interoperability In The Search For Event-Driven Intelligence
By Steve Birkmeier, Arteco
Today’s modern customers are challenging product and solutions providers to create technologies that deliver the utmost user experience typically found in consumer technologies. Security and business leaders seek more robust interfaces on which to see and interact with data and real-time events. Platforms must be easy-to-use and operate, and integrate with other security functions for efficient event and notification management.
The ability to leverage a platform that centralizes events and data points from many different types of devices is critical in today’s evolving risk environment. Today’s businesses are driven by technologies due to the rise of the Internet of Things, which has changed how the world connects. At the same time, global businesses are becoming more mobile and executives demand information from wherever they are at any given time. With so many network-driven systems and devices being used and the number only expected to grow, organizations have to find a way to manage all this data and quickly locate what is most salient.
Integrating video security, access control, intrusion, fire detection, even building automation, traffic control, and parking management provides security operators with a universal language to follow and when, represented on a single view, drives a more intuitive user experience. Business and security leaders require platforms that enable operators to quickly identify events to ensure high levels of awareness, which promotes a proactive security stance.
A large amount of the collected data is not useful for security operations as video cameras are there to capture everything that takes place through the lens. Remember that efficient security is focused on that one event, so with hours and hours of recorded data just sitting around, it could literally take days, sometimes months, to sift through it; therefore, if an incident does take place somewhere within the recorded data, in some cases, it’s almost too late to take the proper steps to remedy it.
When it comes to efficient security, it’s all about the event — knowing exactly what is going on as the scene unfolds. Intelligence that is based around high-priority activity empowers end users, making them part of the event by enabling them to see exactly what is taking place from many different perspectives. For example, imagine the power of utilizing video surveillance to actually see someone not only enter a facility, but actually follow their steps throughout via strategically placed video cameras.
Taking that a step further, integrate parking management to control the ebb and flow of people coming and going, and this creates a powerful security tool for people management and, in essence, comprehensive facility security. Open integration with various devices and platforms is the definition of interoperability, permitting endless combinations when crafting overarching security protocols and giving the customer the ability to ensure total visibility and situational awareness.
The world of physical security is standardizing everywhere you look, and true innovators will continue to offer a new standard for easy, open integration and new ways to facilitate interoperability of many different types of sensors and subsystems. It’s a new age. Open your eyes (and your cameras) to endless potential of empowering your customers to work closely with you to create a customized security solution for situational awareness based specifically on their security needs. By specifying open platform solutions, you’ll be well positioned for success.