Open Security & Safety Alliance Aims for Standardized Security Platform
The global alliance was formed in reaction to a security market characterized by the continued evolution of the IoT and the aggregation of data.
Open Security & Safety Alliance board member, l to r: Jean-Marc Theolier, CEO, Pelco by Schneider Electric; Owen Chen, chairman, Vivotek; Bjørn Skou Eilertsen, CTO, Milestone Systems; Gert van Iperen, representative from Bosch Building Technologies; Jonguk Kim, director of R&D center, Hanwha Techwin.
SAN RAMON, Calif. — Bosch Building Technologies, Hanwha Techwin, Milestone Systems, Pelco by Schneider Electric and Vivotek are founding members supporting the launch of the Open Security & Safety Alliance.
The Open Security & Safety Alliance is a nonprofit, non-stock corporation that brings together like-minded organizations in order to outline specifications for a common standardized platform for security and safety solutions which are accessible for everyone, according to a press release.
The Alliance was formed in reaction to today’s market characterized by the continued evolution of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the aggregation of data. Security and safety solutions are fragmented due to a lack of collaborative approach to common challenges including cybersecurity and common operating systems. This is holding back innovation and seamless integration, the Alliance states.
The newly formed Alliance will focus on building standards, specifications, best practices, references and implementation guidelines.
Many market players are competing on technical topics that do not necessarily make a significant difference for customers, the Alliance states. Hence, the market needs a new direction, a framework that will enable the industry to focus on innovation and developments that add real value for customers.
“It’s been clear in recent years that our industry needs an initiative such as the Open Security & Safety Alliance in order to put in place commonly-agreed standards and specifications to support an improvement in the services and solutions offered,” says Bosch’s representative on the Alliance board, Gert van Iperen, who recently retired as president of Bosch Building Technologies.
Iperen continues: “Although the members of this alliance are competitors, we collectively owe it to our customers to raise the bar when it comes to areas such as data security, performance, quality of product and solution, and to drive a new level of innovation. We want the security and safety market to be a secure and attractive environment for investment for the future and believe the Alliance can play an important role.”
The Alliance’s stated goal is to bring together organizations that recognize the need for a new market direction and who are willing to contribute to the framework, providing standards and specifications for common components including an industry specific operating system, IoT infrastructure, collective approach for data security and privacy, and a drive for improved levels of performance.
This framework will help the market and parties involved to focus on the aspects that really add value for their customers and open up new application possibilities, even beyond security and safety. The key tasks of the Alliance are:
- create and promote the use of commonly-agreed standards, best practice and specifications
- address commonly-agreed challenges shared by the players in the industry, like data security and privacy
- enable market players to focus on innovative solutions which their customers find of higher value
Members will see accelerated innovation, more commercial opportunities, and an enhanced level of trust for security and safety solutions, Alliance states.
Over the last year, the founding members have been working closely together and discussing with more than 50 companies, varying from early adopters to established technology companies, to verify initial concepts. System integrators and distributors have been consulted to ensure that the Alliance covers the needs of all relevant parties. This initial input will help shape the standards and specifications that will eventually be consolidated in the Alliance framework.
Starting off with the five founding members — along with early adopters including Ambarella, Anixter, AndroVideo, Kings Security Systems Ltd and NetApp — the Alliance will focus on building standards, specifications, best practices, references and implementation guidelines. Together, the members of the Alliance can combine knowledge, expertise and experience in order to achieve mutual goals and create a new approach to the market.
Membership is now open for organizations interested in joining the Open Security & Safety Alliance. For membership details and more about the activities of the Alliance, visit opensecurityandsafetyalliance.org.
If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!
Related Content
Security Is Our Business, Too
For professionals who recommend, buy and install all types of electronic security equipment, a free subscription to Commercial Integrator + Security Sales & Integration is like having a consultant on call. You’ll find an ideal balance of technology and business coverage, with installation tips and techniques for products and updates on how to add to your bottom line.
A FREE subscription to the top resource for security and integration industry will prove to be invaluable.
