Are You Ready for Convergence 2.0?
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1. Lack of integration of disparate physical security systems utilizing a single protocol that crosses platforms — This is true convergence as we define it. Businesses need to bring every physical security, fire, HVAC, lighting, video, access control, alarm and IT security system together such that the data set originating out of them is commonly understood by all systems seamlessly. The user should be able to monitor systems and set policies in real-time without worrying about underlying systems technology.
2. Inability to standardize rules and policies within and across the physical security environment — Most corporations have very location-specific physical security applications and tools. A cardholder who works in a building in Topeka, Kan., cannot use his or her card to enter another corporate location in Madrid, because they have two separate access control systems. Terminated employees’ access may still be active in locations outside their home base. Policies need to be centrally determined, deployed and managed in real-time from a single Web-based dashboard.
3. Lack of automation of processes across the enterprise — Since the physical security environment is both location specific and characterized by myriad noninteroperating technologies and vendors, business processes also become localized, not connected and manual in nature. As a result, the system is plagued by human error, higher cost of operation and maintenance with no way for corporate management to review and oversee what is actually happening across all its locations from one dashboard.
Processes like new hires, terminations, changes in roles, security events, compliance management, etc., have sub processes in IT as well as physical security domains. These should be seamlessly connected and converged, with periodic reports summarizing events and offering the opportunity to make any needed policy changes.
4. Noncompliance with corporate governance standards — The government is watching corporations more closely than ever, and corporate heads are well aware of the new regulations requiring disclosure and transparency to prevent fraud. In addition, these standards require certain methodology to be followed in the design and deployment of physical security infrastructure. Any business can become a target of audits at any time, and data forensics will ultimately show every transaction and event that has occurred in a given period of time.
In short, companies have to stay clean, and without complete control that is managed at a top executive level, this is practically impossible to accomplish. At the
minimum, a policy-based system should provide an ability to conduct change/configuration management and infuse segregation of duties within physical security infrastructure.
Software Layer Is Key to Achieving True Convergence
There has been a growing involvement of IT management across all business operations, including communications, finance, sales, etc., and executive management has seen this as a means to achieving the interoperability to address the pain points above.
While this would seem to be a natural evolution, as the IT backbone runs across all facilities and operations at an enterprise level, without the ability to communicate with dozens of disparate protocols across multiple platforms there is no way to implement this solution fully.
Furthermore, the challenge of creating the software to do this job is far beyond the scope or capabilities of a typical IT department. Particularly for growing corporations, the risk exposure increases exponentially each time a new satellite, office or system is put into place.
The solution? Big-picture convergence will ultimately be accomplished in the form of a software layer that covers every physical security event, operation and transaction across all locations of a corporation, in a unique policy-based paradigm.
As it is clear that the need for compliance, risk management, interoperability and financial accountability will continue to grow, strategic security management systems that are policy-based will become essential to businesses of all sizes in the future.
Substantial research and development is being expended in favor of this philosophy and figures to make true convergence, or Convergence 2.0, reality sooner rather than later.
Ajay Jain has more than 20 years of experience in the IT and security industries, and is currently president and CEO of Milpitas, Calif.-based Quantum Secure Inc. In 2002, his start-up, Mokume Software, was acquired by Versant Corp. Jain can be reached at [email protected].
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