Open the door to global standards in access control

Today, offering a truly integrated, long-lasting security solution requires more than cutting-edge technology from a single vendor. It involves finding a way for today's systems not only to communicate with each other, but also with the systems of the future. End users want the flexibility to determine which product best meets their security needs, both for their current purchases and for future enhancements, without having to be restricted to using solutions from a single manufacturer.

Various industry initiatives have sought to design a single global interface for the interoperability of IP products. This common protocol, regarding the way network video devices exchange information, would allow installers to integrate products from different manufacturers into a single system. The standard will also help software marketers to ensure that their products are compatible with different brands of networked products. For product manufacturers an open standard ensures interoperability with other manufacturers.

In this environment systems could be upgraded or upgraded with products from a range of different manufacturers, rather than being restricted to the product lines of a single manufacturer. With more than 470 member companies, ONVIF is one of the largest organizations participating in this initiative, in terms of membership and market penetration, with more than 4,000 products available that meet industry standards.

While the growing popularity of IP video has captured most of the attention in this burgeoning world of security industry standards, other market segments such as access control system are beginning to feel the benefits of the global standards approach.

The technology employed by the existing ONVIF specification in the network video and web services industry is equally well suited to other technologies, such as physical access control, an area in which ONVIF will soon release an expansion of the specification's functionality., known as Profile C.

ONVIF introduced the concept of profiles to allow end users to more easily identify the functions supported by a device or a client, without the need to determine compatibility between versions of the ONVIF specification. The first release was Profile S for video and audio streaming, PTZ, relay output control, video encoder settings, and multicast. The launch of Profile G, which includes recording and storage functionalities, and Profile is scheduled for early.

Integration possibilities for physical access control with video systems

For video companies, a global network interface allows manufacturers to extend their product capabilities with access control functions using the same ONVIF foundation that governs their video technology. For end users and system integrators, breaking free from proprietary hardware and software in access control - one of the market segments where there are traditionally more proprietary products - will allow them more freedom of choice in terms of technology, it will reduce integration costs as well as the overall total cost of ownership of access control systems.

Although access control has always had different subgroups of standards, in particular the Wiegand and OSDP interface between the card reader and the door controller, the interface between the controller and the access control management software has been the point at where manufacturers normally had proprietary communication protocols. Today, for the first time, Profile C will allow IP gate controllers from different companies to become compatible with each other.

Profile C will provide a common language that will enable a system that allows IP door controllers to search for devices, create a list of reader types and connections, and subscribe to a card reader and door controller events. The same profile would also be used to control system outputs, such as networking field devices on and off.

The Profile C concept will also assist in the configuration of a security management system that monitors cameras, other network video devices, and IP door controllers and will enable device discovery and event management, while the management system seamlessly receives motion events from cameras and door events from IP gate controllers. Physical access control systems integrated with network video devices would use the standard to locate a PTZ camera, dome type, to record the passing of a card at a particular door, activate the recording of network video at the passing of a invalid card or control and coordinate access rights and schedules of integrated network video devices and the access control system.

The establishment of open standards in the video industry is already helping drive the migration from analog to digital solutions, offering anyone the benefits of available network video, along with interoperability, flexibility, quality, and customization. future changes.

By expanding the scope of the ONVIF specification to include access control, the industry is moving one step closer to facilitating the integration of IP technology security with security devices using an open global standard.

Security solution addressed to the needs of small and medium-sized businesses

When it comes to crime, size doesn't matter. Criminals are waiting for an opportunity and it is just as likely that it will present itself in a small or medium-sized retail or commercial company as in a larger one.

Around the world, small businesses can be in a particularly vulnerable situation, as they often do not have the resources to protect themselves from crime. Research carried out by different institutions shows that petty thefts in stores have begun to be attractive in all Latin American countries.

Ant theft, a problem worth million

There are some shocking examples. In Mexico, supermarkets and department stores lose $ 1,305 million dollars annually due to this type of theft (also known as ant theft). This problem has increased over the last five years and the companies affiliated with ANTAD, the National Association of Self-Service and Department Stores, invested close to $ 691 million dollars in the implementation of measures to address these problems.

However, crime that affects small industries is not a problem unique to Latin America. In the United States, where there is supposedly more crime control, headlines abound with stories of small businesses that have been the victims of opportunistic criminals. In a recent wave of robberies in two states across the country, thieves attacked dealerships, and stole the tires and rims of dozens of vehicles. Although it is not known what type of security systems these establishments had in place, if they did, this example shows how vulnerable small businesses can be. This streak of robberies also took a heavy toll, as the cost of these crimes was estimated at hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Security options

To cope with this situation, businesses like these dealerships typically look to install a combination of video, intruder alarms, and even access control systems that give them the ability to react in real time or, at least, to respond after after the event with video material that the police or alarm monitoring center can use to identify criminals or help initiate a legal process when the thieves are arrested.

The downside, however, has been that small companies in Latin America or the United States do not usually have specialized personnel to monitor the video system, respond to alarms, and be attentive to the latest developments in the systems themselves, much less responsible for training others. The same person in charge of security may also be responsible for selling the vehicles, receiving clients, writing the loan agreements, or even running the business.

And when it happens that a business invests in security - installing some analog cameras aimed at the new car lot, setting alarms on the doors or putting an access control system so that employees must swipe a card to enter the building - the systems by They are usually not integrated, so if a problem arises someone will most likely have to sit down and manually view the video, then separately access the system data with cards or the alarm information and compare the record of time to understand how it all fits together.

Another problem is that all this information is often stored on a PC that is vulnerable to viruses and computer attacks. It can also be the same machine that is put into everyday use by employees who may not be trained to understand the details of the security software that is also stored there.

So, what alternatives do those who run small and medium-sized businesses have?

One option is to invest in the same corporate range solution that large companies have adopted. But this is generally excessive for businesses like car dealerships, three-story drug store chains, or even a small town with two or three school buildings that need protection. These organizations are not managing hundreds of cameras or arming thousands of doors or granting access privileges to an army of workers. Consequently, the investment may not be adequate for current or even future needs. And this also does not solve the need for a solution that can be easily handled by one or more individuals who have also been entrusted with other responsibilities.

Attending to the needs of small and medium-sized industries, there are currently technology platforms on the market that address the main concerns: ease of use, minimal training, and the possibility that security systems grow and evolve with the business.

Returning to the example of the dealership, or that of a small computer store in a Latin American city, the main requirements are to find a way to monitor the facilities, respond to alarms when they are generated or after the event has occurred, and allow access to employees (ideally all from a single platform).

Having a single platform for video control, intrusion protection and access control means that there is only one system to learn to operate and only one device to deal with, which is not a PC, but a device exclusively dedicated to safety. Although it brings together three different systems, the individual or individuals responsible for security at the facility can customize a dashboard so that they can easily navigate between different software applications, viewing cameras or recorded video, locking and unlocking doors or requesting reports when they need it.

And because the software can be accessed from a phone or tablet app, these individuals don't have to be on site at a desk or in front of a laptop to perform these tasks. If an alarm goes off in the middle of the night, the dealership owner doesn't have to rush to his office to see what's going on. Instead, you can connect to your mobile device and handle the situation in real time.

Does an employee need to return to the company premises after working hours? The owner can unlock the door. Does a new employee need an access card created for her? This can also be managed remotely so that the manager does not have to be present on the premises to carry out the task. Does an event occur, for example, that a door is being forced, which triggers an alarm? The manager can attach the event to the associated video and quickly replay it to see what happened and take appropriate action.

While initial training is required to get a true understanding of how an integrated system like this works, the focus of developing these new products for small and medium-sized businesses has been to keep the need for training to a minimum and a very simple level operation. This way, even if someone hasn't created an access card or developed a new report in weeks, the procedure is intuitive enough to go through the entire process easily without having to seek help from the integrator or call technical support.

In this way businesses such as the dealership do not have to invest in all levels of security to obtain the benefits of this type of system. Initially, the user may focus on developing a video surveillance solution for their business, but this integrated product also has the ability to migrate to access control or intrusion alarms when the time is right. And if you expand your lot to have more vehicles, the integrator can add more cameras with minimal effort.

The need to implement security devices at all business levels is growing, and there are currently solutions on the market that can allow companies to develop an integrated system that is right for them.