Cool Confidence
- By Eli Gorovici
- Jun 01, 2009
In these economic times, everywhere we turn, jobs
are being lost, budgets are cut and resources
are continually being evaluated. The effects of the
economic downturn on the state of the banking,
retail, construction and automotive industries are
felt in every quarter, including physical security.
But all is not doom and gloom, and as the saying goes, necessity is the
mother of invention. When put to the test, we must band together, whether as
a country, a community or an industry.
So, as an industry, how can we work together to become more economically
resourceful and to move forward?
Over the past few years, we’ve seen a coming-of-age for IP-based
physical security solutions. This development has provided a big boost to the
physical security industry with the development and delivery of an amazing
amount of innovative hardware and software, and it has made some major
players stand up and take notice of the many opportunities available.
As an industry, to be economically resourceful, we must continue to look
to technology as a sustained path of growth.
Why IP and Why Technology?
When using IP-based solutions, customers immediately begin to realize
the cost benefits through reduced installation, training and lifetime service
costs. The use of commercial off-the-shelf equipment means lower initial
investments and ongoing maintenance costs, while intuitive user screens, wizards and
productivity plug-ins mean there is no need for expensive operator training for positions
with high turnover. Systems that are built on rules-based engines, with API and SDKs
readily available, allow for easy integration with other business solutions.
The foundation of any solution should be a proven return on investment. It is critical to
ask, is this IP-based solution in strict adherence to open IT standards, thereby eliminating
proprietary hardware, software and legacy infrastructures? As such, a standards-based
solution is an integral part of business continuity planning and procedures, and it
measurably enhances the overall corporate operation.
The Superior IP Platform
A pure IP platform provides superior investment protection by supporting all the latest
IP technology, including IPV6, Windows 2008, smart phones, WiMAX and GIS. It also
embraces the latest high-definition camera technology, advanced H.264 video compression
and megapixel technology.
IP-based solutions also allow for customization to meet end-user needs. In today’s demanding environments, it is essential to quickly respond to security
threats and breaches. Situational awareness and agility are
often accomplished through dynamic workspace solutions, which
bring together multiple software and hardware systems from
multiple vendors. They also customize software in one, easy-touse
graphical user interface so it works in the way the customer
needs, instead of the customer working to fit the software.
IP physical security solutions with a software platform are
often called services-based. The solution orchestrates all devices
and assets within the system to perform as a set of services across
one or more physical servers. This set of services operates virtually
across the network, otherwise known as virtualization. This
allows for a greater degree of automated fault tolerance than a
typical server-centric approach. Network-wide visibilty and resource
control is the key to a strong service delivery environment.
IP Is Green, Too
Everyone is becoming more conscience of his or her carbon footprint.
How can deploying IP-based solutions help in this fight?
By continuing to employ state-of-the-art technology.
As the industry marches into the future, the wave of energyefficient
IT technology becomes available to customers from day
one. COTS products are all being designed for reduced power
consumption, which means when you use cutting-edge technology
solutions, you are capturing the power of greener technology.
These are just a few of the many reasons to look to technological
innovation to guide us through these tough economic
times. Although we’re facing major challenges, with technology,
our future remains very bright
This article originally appeared in the June 2009 issue of Network-Centric Security.
About the Author
Eli Gorovici is the president and CEO of DVTel Inc.