Collaborative Partnerships

Customers are driving changes, the open platform has become the industry standard

Integrated security solutions have become standard within the security industry, but recent years have seen a shift in the way companies want to manage their integrations. This trend has been driven by customers, who want to see security companies working in collaborative partnerships to create systems that offer the right functionality for them.

These integrations have traditionally been focused on bringing functionality into the security or access control system. Security companies have brought on board integrated functionality while ensuring their software remained at the center of the integration.

While this approach has allowed customers to increase the functionality of their security system, simplify interactions for security system users, and consolidate audit trails, it doesn’t necessarily cater to the unique requirements of each customer’s site.

THE RESEARCH SHOWS

Customer research has shown they want the ability to run their security systems through the platform that most effectively meets their needs. For example, sites that utilize access control and manage large areas of freely accessible public space, such as shopping malls, sports stadiums, and supermarkets, and whose site monitoring is primarily through their video management system, have indicated they would benefit from having some form of access control integrated into their video management system.

This integration would allow them to quickly and easily manage access control in response to live video footage. We’ve had similar indications from the fast-growing cannabis market across North America, where close integrations are vital in ensuring operators meet very specific compliance needs.

Where an access control system is the primary system for maintaining site security, such as at university campuses and hospitals, sites want the ability to integrate functionality like elevator control, video management, or complementary security products like wireless access control into their access control system. Security manufacturers have been challenged to step away from aligning integrations around their own products, and instead identify the core functionality required by customers, in order to push or pull information into the applicable systems and create the right solutions for each customer.

Customers and manufacturers both benefit from this approach. Collaborative partnerships, where companies are working together at the manufacturing level, encourage cooperation and information sharing, and carry opportunities for joint marketing initiatives.

Customers benefit from shared product knowledge between the companies, which provides them with a valuable solution that utilizes the best technologies across systems, and, if a fault arises, these companies have the business relationships to enable a collaborative approach to resolve the problem.

SECURITY INTEGRATION

In addition to driving a change in the way security companies integrate with one another, customers are also managing their own integrations through the application of open interfaces.

Security manufacturers are commonly providing a standard integrating platform which developers can use too quickly and cost effectively allow a site to integrate their disparate systems. These interfaces need to comply with modern programming standards, providing a generic, efficient, and – most importantly – a secure platform for integrating partners to develop upon.

An important aspect of these platforms is to ensure they are “forward compatible,” meaning once the integration is written, it will continue to operate with future versions of the security platform. These qualities give project managers and enterprise architects confidence in judging the risk and effort required to integrate the desired functionality, and subsequently increase the uptake of those using these integrating platforms.

This practice is becoming increasingly common; over the past 12 months, Gallagher has seen a 300 percent increase in the uptake of programming interfaces. This increase is typically driven by larger sites writing their own integrations to create a fit-for purpose security system unique to their organization.

There are numerous reasons why a site would choose to do this, rather than adopting an ‘off-the-shelf’ integration. It could be to improve operator experience and simplify training by having all systems running through a single platform, to simplify administration by integrating data for a single source of information, or to push alarms through to the correct department to respond to – for example, sending server and network related alarms to the I.T. department, or site lockdown alarms direct to a police dispatch system.

With customers driving changes to the way integrations are managed in the security industry, it’s clear the product-centric approach traditionally used by security manufacturers is no longer relevant. Enduring, collaborative partnerships and an open approach to managing integrations is the key to creating security solutions that truly meet the needs of our customers.

This article originally appeared in the May/June 2020 issue of Security Today.

Featured

  • Accelerating a Pathway

    There is a new trend touting the transformational qualities of AI’s ability to deliver actionable data and predictive analysis that in many instances, seems to be a bit of an overpromise. The reality is that very few solutions in the cyber-physical security (CPS) space live up to this high expectation with the one exception being the new generation of Physical Identity and Access Management (PIAM) software – herein recategorized as PIAM+. Read Now

  • Protecting Your Zones

    It is game day. You can feel the crowd’s energy. In the parking lot. At the gate. In the stadium. On the concourse. Fans are eager to party. Food and merchandise vendors ready themselves for the rush. Read Now

  • Street Smarts

    The ongoing acceptance of AI and advanced data analytics has allowed surveillance camera technology to shift from being a tactical tool to a strategic business solution. Combining traditional surveillance technology with AI-based data-driven insights can streamline transportation systems, enhance traffic management, improve situational awareness, optimize resource allocation and streamline emergency response procedures. Read Now

  • The Progress of Biometrics

  • Next-Gen AI for Smart Cities

    The future of smart city technology is not being shaped in Silicon Valley — it is taking root in Dubuque, Iowa. With a population of about 60,000, this mid-sized city has become a live testbed for AI-driven traffic management thanks to a unique public-private collaboration led by Milestone Systems. Project Hafnia demonstrates how cities can transform urban mobility and safety through Responsible Technology—without costly infrastructure overhauls. Read Now

New Products

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions.

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.