To IT and Beyond
Security experts should see themselves as convergence visionaries
- By Martin Huddart
- Feb 01, 2008
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.