Integrated Systems

In general, the integration of different systems helps a company to be more efficient and save time on individual tasks, which a well-designed integrated system can do.

A simple example of this would be an integration between a time tracking system and a payroll system. The advantage is that the data from the time recording system is sent to the payroll software, which then creates the payout for the employee. This saves time for the individual employee, since no time-sheet has to be submitted, and it also saves the clerk time entering the employee's time-sheets into the payroll software.

Integrating various standalone security systems into one platform is no different. It gives the security personnel an easier overview of the security status of the facility and a more efficient response to eventual security breaches or even threats to staff and/or visitors or the facility itself. In addition to the greater efficiency that an integrated security solution brings to the organization, it also improves the security of the premises, as each system represents an additional layer of security that must be breached by an intruder in order to successfully enter the premises. The longer it takes for an intruder to penetrate the facility's security layers, the less time the intruder has before someone responds to the intrusion. This in turn could deter the intruder from even attempting to enter your premises, or at the very least the intruder will be interrupted and most likely flee the scene, thereby mitigating the damage and/or theft.

The most common and important components of an integrated security solution are:

      - Access control / Intercom

      - Intrusion Alarm System

      - Video Surveillance

      - Fire Alarm System

A typical application of an integrated security solution is a combination of an access control system and a video surveillance system, where a card reader is installed on a door to restrict access to a specific area of the premises. A camera would monitor the people entering and exiting this door. When a card, key fob or other credential is presented at the card reader, the access control system would initiate a recording of the person entering the door. The security personnel can then match the video recording to the cardholders photo that appears on the screen to see if they match. This can prevent an employee from being able to give their card or key fob to another to enter that door. Or if an employee has had a card or key fob stolen, this solution allows the security personnel to identify the thief.

Another solution could be for the access control system to initiate a recording only when someone uses a card or key fob not authorized for that area, while notifying security personnel so they can respond in a timely manner.

Another example may be a setup where a license plate recognition camera sends a signal to the access control system to open a parking garage in an apartment building complex. This ensures that only registered vehicles can enter the parking garage. Management would save a lot of time and money as they don't have to worry about lost key fobs from their tenants and the tenant doesn't have to deal with management and wait for a new key fob. This is a typical win-win setup.

There are many more possible uses with an integrated security solution, even to the point where the solution to the security requirements can provide time savings in a business process, which in turn saves the organization money.