Moving data: the future of security management

Card readers, CCTV and intrusion detection, like locks and bolts before them, are simply means to an end. Today and tomorrow, security management and access control are and will continue to be driven by data. The core function of access control involves the movement of large amounts of data, and the company that moves data best will enjoy the most successful security management function. Since software and its application are the heart of security, the logical major emphasis must be on open architecture to facilitate moving data. Security and access control must easily interface with facility management, human resources and all the other systems integral to the enterprise environment. In fact, ease of integration with other systems is the benchmark of the data-driven system. In the future it may operate through an industry-standard language structure In this environment, the workstation will be essentially obsolete. Data may enter the system through websites, e-mail, paging systems and by direct import from other systems. The optimum architecture for such a security management system will be object-oriented, component-modular and fully scalable. It can begin with stand-alone applications and work upward in building block fashion through server-based to full-enterprise applications with virtually limitless expandability. The end user of access control/security management, whether large or small, is looking for problem solving: a secure facility, traffic control for the reliable movement of people, logging and movement of data. The security systems of the future will optimize the technology solution to security needs with end-to-end solutions for all users, from modest sized installations to huge complexes. Sophisticated software will combine with components that are packaged and applied to obtain optimum functionality for the customer’s advantage, through multi-levels of distributed processing and intelligence. Jim Trani is the new vice president of engineering at Compass Technologies, with oversight for research and development, hardware and software development and quality assurance. To contact Trani, you can contact him via email at [email protected].