The convergence of physical security with IT and other enterprise systems has become a reality. No longer content monitoring and managing separate access control, fire alarm, video surveillance, factory alarms, and HVAC control systems, corporate management wants to consolidate and integrate various disconnected security and facility management systems. The IT Department is leading the initiative. Security management must quickly decide whether or not it wants to be part of the solution or part of the problem.
The major trend that will permeate physical access control now and for the foreseeable future is the growing connection between physical access control and IT security. Because of this, there is growing demand by organizations for migration of all computer-based systems to a common software platform. Leveraging technology breakthroughs and a need for increased security, companies will also begin to rapidly adapt smart cards, biometrics, and intelligent video into their access and overall systems. As a result of all the above, we will be faced with greater system complexity and forced along the pathway of integrated business solutions. These have become inarguable facts.
The GE Interlogix Facility Commander integrates security and facility management into one system. All applications, presently disjointed, can be viewed within a single, common, easy-to-use interface. All hardware, even video, alarm, and printing equipment, works seamlessly within its framework. The ability to enter security and facilities data just once, and have the framework synchronize with existing legacy systems automatically, is now a reality.
Facility Commander provides a comprehensive alarm management system with graphical maps and video clips and a high-level command and control interface to Digital Video Recorders (DVRs). For access control, Facility Commander interfaces with GE Interlogix Picture Perfect™, which performs all access control, alarming, and reporting tasks. Traditional electronic security gathering systems can now simultaneously send critical real-time data into a system capable of instantaneously processing it with live video for a proactive response.
This security integration platform is a central focal point for information from diverse security technologies from a variety of vendors. In addition, the Alarm and Event Viewer functions collect events across multiple Picture Perfect implementations. The product incorporates sophisticated time zone support.
The product's open architecture allows for easy integration with additional related security technologies such as intrusion, fire, building management, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), human resource databases, and others. To support these efforts, GE Interlogix has created a developers program that enables third parties to write their own drivers. The program includes a software developer's kit (SDK), a published application programming interface (API), sample code, system simulators, and full documentation.
"Post-9/11 placed more stringent security initiatives by the FBI, and Homeland Security agencies to better secure our cities' critical infrastructure, operations, and personnel," said Pam Miles Ray, corporate security manager for Austin Energy, a municipally owned electric utility. "The integration ability inherent to the (Facility Commander) system provided an option for enhancing existing technology, while adding proactive tools to allow us to prevent, respond to, and investigate security breaches."
