Security Industry Opens Up to Standards

December 31, 2008 SSI Staff

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One of the group’s biggest attempts at standardization has been the Open Systems Integration and Performance Standards (OSIPS) framework. This standards document and framework define methods for manufacturers to develop products that can smoothly integrate with other products at all levels of connectivity, from the most basic I/O to the actual user interface. OSIPS addresses areas such as device scheduling, authentication of devices and event reporting.

Another area SIA has made great progress is in the area of training. Traditionally, training courses have been held by manufacturers, and in those cases are usually product specific. SIA has created a series of general education courses designed specifically for the security systems technician.

Currently offering online courses such as Electronic Security Systems Technician and World of Electronic Access Control, as well as Project Management and Control Station Monitoring, and the soon-to-be-released Video Security Systems Technician, SIA is pushing hard for this industry to become standards governed.

Other Players Join the Movement

SIA is not the only group trying to establish standards, however. One of the technologies with the biggest need to have set standards is IP video cameras. Currently, if a recording system manufacturer wants to record a certain IP camera’s video stream, they must write a software driver based on the camera manufacturer’s application programming interface (API).

The main problem with this process is that a different driver needs to be written for every manufacturer of IP video cameras. In fact, even within some manufacturers, different camera models require a different driver.

Currently, there are no standards that govern whether the MJPEG, MPEG-4 or H.264 compression algorithm is to be used. And while each of those is a standard in and of themselves, manufacturers are free to modify the codecs to create their own implementation. There is also debate on who should write the drivers, the recorder manufacturer or the maker of the camera.

In an attempt to remedy this situatio
n, two organizations have emerged with competing projects, hoping to establish standards for IP video systems interoperability.

The Physical Security Interoperability Alliance (PSIA) was formed by representatives from IP video companies such as DvTel, GE, Verint and Pelco; product distributors/integrators such as CSC, ADT and Adesta; as well as networking/computing giants Cisco and IBM. PSIA has created an open API that IP camera manufacturers can design their products around, allowing other systems such as recording, building management and access control, to integrate seamlessly and smoothly.

Similarly, the Open Network Video Interface Forum (ONVIF), started by Bosch, Sony and Axis, has developed a standards document based on XML that sets down how IP devices share information with one another and core systems.

As in all standards and format wars, the market will determine which set of rules survive. We will need to wait and see.

Steve Payne, who is MCSE and CCNA certified, has spent more than 15 years in the security and law enforcement industries. He currently is a network/security system sales engineer and trainer for Warren Associates, a manufacturers’ rep company, and can be reached at [email protected].

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