To IT and Beyond

Security experts should see themselves as convergence visionaries

When many industry observers talk about how IT is changing security, the discussion typically reverts to the concept of hanging 30-year-old panel technology onto 10-year-old Ethernet backbones. It’s an effective strategy—but not exactly visionary. One might even say it’s primitive, considering that there are four emerging technologies that will change the industry more than many are willing to bargain.

A Gradual Change
To appreciate what is happening today, briefly step back in time. For centuries, the mechanical lock and key was the only choice for access control. Amazingly, most openings today still use the same core mechanical technologies for security.

About 30 years ago, advances in microprocessor, computer and credential technologies allowed the birth of the online access control system. These early systems were expensive and difficult to install, manage and maintain.

The rise of the personal computer and launch of Windows® 95 created a tipping point in the industry, and by 1996, the cost of an online opening had fallen considerably. Thanks to this innovation, online access control became affordable and relatively easy to manage. Proximity cards became the standard in the industry, and electronic locking devices were reliable and affordable.

Mechanical and electromechanical technologies have coexisted for many years, but looking at security statistics, one would think electronic access control was still in its infancy. Despite widespread availability, only 3 percent of doors today have online access control, with the other roughly 97 percent having either no security or mechanical key systems. This price point and performance have been huge, and until recently, the channel and manufacturers for each solution have been largely separate, such as ASIS and ALOA.

What these statistics say is that the industry needs to go further to launch technologies that connect the opening to the outside world. This can be accomplished through greater use of plug-and-play technologies based on open standards that make installation easier and lower the cost of the opening.

Fortunately, technological advances allow this goal to be reached faster than ever before. For example, processors and memory are becoming so inexpensive that intelligence can be built into each opening. Routers that sell for $100 have as much power as many $1,000 panels, and the availability of high-speed, secure building networks means the opening can be looked at as one more appliance on the network.

Trends and Innovation
These developments are driving four recent technology trends that will create fundamentally new ways of securing openings.

The desire of end users to secure more openings with a single credential has created the opportunity for credential convergence, which bridges mechanical and electromechanical technologies. An electronic cylinder can operate off a credential that incorporates a mechanical key and an RFID chip, thus enabling the end user to combine a traditional lock and key system with a card access system without having to issue multiple credentials. The result is an easy, low-cost retrofit to any existing mechanical lock with much higher levels of security.

New locks are being launched that drastically lower the cost of near-online or online access control by leveraging the existing IP network infrastructure in a building. This network convergence eliminates the need for expensive, redundant security system wiring. It also spreads intelligence and decision-making abilities to the edge of the network, allowing IP-based solutions, such as access control, video, time and attendance, and building automation, to be integrated into the enterprise.

One of the quieter technology trends that makes life easier for the integrator is component convergence, which blends two technologies into a hybrid product. New, innovative locking products integrate the card reader and several door functions into one component.

Consolidating these components into a single device actually widens choices for integrators by allowing them to easily incorporate multiple technologies into a security platform. Now, integrators can look at an application and decide whether to carve out a wall and door frame to install a separate reader or to maximize aesthetics by installing a single lockset with dual functionality. Component convergence can significantly reduce installation complexity for the installer and save money.

The final trend, information convergence, is blazing a path to a highly intelligent opening. Rather than building a single, smart component that serves as the nerve center of the opening, each piece of hardware is given a brain in the form of a chip. This gives the security network feelings right down to the fingertips, with the ability to sense the status of every linked device. In essence, each component becomes a synapse in the entire nervous system that makes up a building’s security network.

The driving force behind information convergence is the need to make all devices compatible with one another through USB connectivity. This will make installations significantly easier, as all components are plugged together with four wires and a standard connector. This technology goes further by having the intelligent components interact with each other to ensure the opening is operating correctly and can actually warn the end user of maintenance needs before the door system fails.

User Benefits
The net result of these convergence trends is there are many more options to secure each opening than there ever have been—all at different points along the price and capability continuum.

In the end, it’s the end user who benefits most from these convergence trends. For any given security budget, the right level of security can be chosen for each opening. Using technologies that lower installation and maintenance costs, end users can look forward to implementing more security for any given budget.

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