FOCUS SECURITY
28 JULY 2019
Genetec’s Nick Smith argues that integrating access security
into one unifi ed system provides simpler and more eff ective
facilities monitoring and management
Businesses of all sizes spend
considerable amounts of time, energy
and capital to safeguard their facilities,
to ensure they operate e
iciently and
are being properly maintained. While
the central task in facilities management
is keeping the company’s physical
properties operating smoothly, it also
requires the flexibility to adjust to fresh
demands and security challenges, in order
to respond appropriately.
The systems that make up the building
environment o en require varying levels
of intervention to run optimally. This alone
raises several challenges, ranging from
simple daily interventions to complex
solutions that involve multiple parties.
The key to tackling these issues lies in
enhancing the situational awareness and
responsiveness of facilities managers and
security operators – but to do so they require
the right technology.
A central responsibility for FMs is to know
who is accessing the building. The way in
which people get into the workplace has
changed dramatically over recent years,
having evolved from a simple key-lock
system to personalised photo-badges and
finally to fully fledged biometric access
control. This evolution has been necessary,
especially in today’s threat-filled climate.
A modern access control solution not
only ensures designated people can enter
the building, but also that the right people
have access to the right areas. Employees,
customers and maintenance sta‡ may all
have business to do in the same building, but
should by no means have access to the same
areas. Advanced access control not only
enhances the security of the building but
significantly improves operations, making
it as seamless and e‡ ortless as possible. A
good access control solution should work
unnoticed, allowing visitors of the building
to come and go where they need to –
uninterrupted, and with minimal delay.
When an individual requires access
to the building or when an emergency
arises, decisions and actions need to
happen quickly. However, this is currently
challenged by outdated and siloed systems
which present data separately, leading
to significantly slower processes and lost
time. With many operations increasingly
moving to the cloud, running multiple
systems separately becomes complicated
and can cause issues; all this information is
needed from both physical and digital siloed
systems, which then need to be assembled
into one clear picture.
We argue that a unified security
solution, comprising access control,
video surveillance, intrusion detection,
communications, and whatever else a
company may require, is key to overcoming
this issue, as it can provide a complete, realtime
picture, enabling facilities managers
and security o‡ icials to react to situations
and incidents more e‡ iciently.
A UNIFIED SYSTEM
Integrating all operations into one unified
system with a single interface provides
much simpler and more e‡ ective facilities
monitoring and management. Having one
monitoring application at a workstation or
in a security operations control room allows
system operators to oversee the entire
building and surrounding area they are
responsible for, ensuring greater awareness
and operational insights right before
their eyes. This not only saves time, but
significantly improves decision-making and
reaction time, augmenting the safety of the
premises and the people occupying them.
While e‡ iciency is obviously important,
functionality is too, as use experience
goes a long way in contributing to a secure
network. When selecting an appropriate
solution, you should look at how well it
integrates with other systems. Security and
IT professionals are o en keen to migrate
to an IP-based access control solution, but
feel this isn’t an option due to previous
investments in security hardware.
What many fail to realise is that the access
control industry is currently moving away from
closed proprietary systems which only work
with specific manufacturers whose hardware
is only compatible with one so ware platform.
Instead, the trend is towards supporting an
open infrastructure, where the latest so ware
can be installed to existing hardware, enabling
upgrades to be made as needed – without
having to sacrifice current hardware.
A modern, IP-based access control system
must be compatible with the wide variety of
hardware on the market, and, as mentioned
earlier, also work with older hardware.
This infrastructure allows for flexibility in
choosing systems and the ability to upgrade
both so ware and hardware as needed,
and according to budgetary restrictions. By
supporting the ever-growing collection of
open architecture access control modules,
readers, controllers, and electronic locks,
an access control system safeguards the
long-term viability of your access control
investment.
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