By Steven Titch · February 22, 2008
Network-centric systems have an important role in the design and operation of effective perimeter security, according to two Houston-based security professionals.
Speaking at a breakout session on physical security and access control at the Industrial Fire, Safety and Security (IFSS) 2008 Seminar and Solutions Expo earlier this month in the Bayou City, Benjamin Butchko, president and CEO of Butchko Security Solutions, a systems integrator, and Walter Hansen, president of Scepter Security, a consultant, discussed ways to incorporate network platforms into perimeter and access security, which itself must be seen as a component of sound risk mitigation strategy.
While protection measures incorporate management processes, including risk assessment, business continuity and training, the technology component must effectively combine situational awareness, access control and intrusion detection, said Butchko.
Networked security automates and combines functions that were ineffective because they were previously isolated or subject to human error, Butchko said. These include alarm systems without methods to immediately assess the nature of the problem, the use of people as "detection devices," and cameras without triggers.
To a greater degree, enterprises are combining access control, alarm systems and surveillance in order to provide rapid detection, assessment and response. This can be as simple as the connection of an outdoor sensor to a camera. The camera does not even have to be on at the control center. In fact, Butchko said he prefers the screen is blank in default mode. "But as soon as there is an alarm, the picture comes up," Butchko said, immediately grabbing the attention of security personnel.
When deployed correctly, the technology enables users to assess the situation, dispatch appropriate responders, and coordinate and communicate among responders in the field and commanders at the control center, added Hansen.
More sophisticated systems combine video, access control and forensics. Butchko related the example of a parking lot of a high-end country club that was being plagued by car thefts. The club installed infrared and thermal imaging cameras with on-board analytics. These were networked with parking lot access systems. The system is able to detect a car thief, track the stolen vehicle as it reached the gate, read the license plate, mine the data, transmit all that information to the local police, who are usually able to respond before the car gets off the club property.
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Steven Titch
Steven Titch is editor of Network-Centric Security magazine.