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On the IP front line

On the IP front line

This month I had the pleasure of putting together our Biometrics & Access Control Source Book, enabling me to spend more time delving into two topics: the convergence of logical and physical security and IP access control. What struck me during my interviews is how much impact government mandates are having on this market. Thanks to Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 and FIPS 201, technology that many in our industry considered science fiction--bringing together IT security and building security--is beginning to happen. By Oct. 27, 2006, all federal government employees and employees of companies with certain government contracts will need to have a common credential for both IT access and access into a building. The government is speeding up a process started by the Open Security Exchange two years ago, when the organization formed to create open standards. Unlike our counterparts in the computer industry, the security industry is years behind in creating technology that enables different systems to work together, like bringing the IT world together with the security world. That's where Internet comes in. With this technology, it seems like the sky is the limit on the security front. With an IP-based access control systems, systems integrators can install a security system that can change from requiring just an access control card to get into a building to requiring both a card and pin number. And, it only takes a few seconds. And that clunky streaming video that people want to send over their network is now easier to manage, too. Instead of having to send hours of video to find a particular incident, when video is married with access control those hours of video turn into 30 seconds before someone enters a door and 30 seconds after. The future is bright for the security industry. There are real technological advances happening in our market. We're seeing fewer and fewer widgets made, and more of a focus on solutions and software. But with all this great technology comes the education end, and here is where the systems integrator needs to get up to speed. Sure, many of you already know how to install a network-based security system, but there is still a large group of you who do not. It's time to come up to speed and join in the security industry's technological revolution. I hope to see you Feb. 26-28 in Savannah, Ga., at TechSec Solutions, our conference on IP-ready security technology. This is just one way to learn about this market and give you the opportunity to speak with your peers and those on the front line.

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