Health Care Institutions Unify Safe Access to Information and Places

Editor / Provider: a&s International | Updated: 6/1/2011 | Article type: Commercial Markets

Unseen dangers such as identity theft and infant abduction are often shadowed by the busy and buzzing atmosphere found in health care facilities. As security concerns in health care facilities increase, more and more institutions are combining their physical access control and logical access control systems for better management of their patients, staff, visitors and assets. In converging different access control systems, smart cards and biometric credentials are becoming the necessary tools to clearly track foot traffic and enforce authorized access to information and places, as they offer high-level data security and identification accuracy. Health care complexes often span across several buildings and campuses, adding onto the security management complication which can now be facilitated by effective physical access control and logical access control systems.

Securing public spaces is a tricky business. Health care facilities are no exception, where patients, visitors and staff openly interact on a daily basis. Three areas need to be reviewed to provide a solid safety assessment, said Kenneth Mara, President of World Wide Security. "First, the safety of patients and staff should be considered by limiting the amount of people who can or should have access to certain areas. Second, access to medical records and medicines need to be controlled. Third, health care facilities should be designed in a way to keep

Kenneth Mara, President of World Wide Security

patients from wandering the premises," he said. "The last consideration is especially important for psychiatric centers and patients with Alzheimer's or other dementia illnesses."

In health care settings, a card system combining physical and logical security has become the main access control method, for everyday administration and operation. "In health care, there are staff members that may shift roles depending on the time of day, or the location access is requested," said Derek Botti, IT Architect for Tivoli Industry Solutions — Health Care, Electronics, Manufacturing and Smart City Industry Lead, IBM. "Many do not have different physical access controls for the different roles, but do have different logical access controls for the different roles."

"The challenge often arises when the staff member in this capacity chooses the access control for one role when actually performing a secondary or tertiary role,” Botti added. “Add in a constant state of flux as it relates to volunteer staff, temporary staff and educational staff; and the security and IT departments typically face issues that are not seen in other industries or facilities."

Physical-Logical Integration
Building a reliable and fluid physical-logical access control system that contributes to operational, financial and clinical effectiveness is a necessity for many health care facilities. "As health care institutions expand their technology infrastructure and deploy multiple systems, they inherently produce an environment with separate access control systems, with multiple credentials issued and managed through duplicate processes with limited interoperability," explained Dave Cullen, Director of Business Development for Health Care, Lumidigm. "The result is an expensive process of credential management and an institution that is exposed and at risk for security breaches, resulting in expensive penalties and fines. More importantly, frustrations with system access will ultimately have a negative impact on the user and, in turn, on the quality of patient care."

The process of accessing areas and information is expected to become simplified by integrating the physical and logical access control systems into one. “IT and security departments are hoping to leverage n-factor authentication solutions to clinical systems and workstations that are able to use the same badges used for physical access to the buildings and nursing units themselves," Botti said. "In that regard, the IT and security departments are facing a desired integration of birthright provisioning, such that access to physical spaces and logical systems are granted through the same process."

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Industry regulations and demands are pushing for convergence of physical and IT access control as well. "The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) legislation requirements are pushing health care organizations to facilitate increased security levels for patient and other critical information," said Lisa Pryse, President of the Health Care Division, Old Dominion Security. "Though bandwidth is scrutinized to provide for multiple secure uses, more security systems are centralized into one area as well as coordinated with the IT department."

Challenges
When the physical and logical access control systems are installed by different integrators, the foremost problem faced is compatibility between the two systems, as the installers might not be trained on both systems, said Eric Assouline, Export Sales Manager, CDVI Group.

Another problem is that the systems would run separately and likely would not read each other's credentials, nor would a smart card carry a biometric template that helps lower network traffic and provide greater privacy for the employee, Cullen said. "Interoperability of the systems delivers a flow of critical information from disparate systems to the right person at the right time. Communication systems enable visibility of information up- and downstream, avoiding costly bottlenecks."

Most often the problem is the lack of open standards in health care IT solutions, Botti said. "If the vendor of choice uses a closed system with proprietary or little API support, the integration between logical and physical access systems becomes a cumbersome and often expensive customized effort. There would also be issues with correlating data between the disparate systems, because there is no real free exchange of data between these solutions. The integration done is for a very narrow band of use cases and tends to miss backend analysis and correlation, which results in additional lengthy and expensive integration efforts."

Teamwork
Ensuring smooth integration between physical access control, logical access control and other security systems is not the sole responsibility of the systems integrator. Security managers and CIOs acting on behalf of the institutions should also thoroughly understand both the existing systems and potential new systems to get a clear idea of how convergence works.

Typically during integration, solution providers have tried to investigate what existing security solutions are in place and where to leverage existing infrastructure components, such as badges or identity stores, Botti said. "If

Dave Cullen, Director of Business Development for Health Care, Lumidigm

possible, instill an interface as part of the implementation of a logical system that provides a single source provisioning solution between the physical access and logical access identity stores."

A converged physical and logical access control system often falls under the CIO's jurisdiction, with the security manager reporting to the CIO. In health care facilities, however, it is often divided between two distinct management chains, pitting physical security against logical security, Botti said. To avoid this standoff, both the CIO and security manager should understand both physical and logical systems to optimize performance, Assouline said.

"CIOs develop the long-term strategic direction of the hospital, and IT is at the core of reducing health care costs and establishing efficient processes," Cullen said. "Protecting these investments is also the responsibility of the CIO and included in this plan should be a strategy for streamlined physical and logical access controls. Streamlining backend identity and access management systems is only the first step to an efficient security infrastructure. It helps when the CIO understands both worlds, but it is equally important that the security manager likewise understands both types of systems."

"More CIOs now partner with security managers in order to manage a complete physical and logical access control system," said Brian Stemp, PM of Access Control in EMEA, ADT Security. "The responsibilities of each position could be influenced by the budget provided for each department, yet the two sides need to establish close ties in order to deliver efficient and solid work."

Drivers
The drivers for the convergence of physical and logical access control systems in health care institutions are reduced cost, increased security and reliability in the installed system. New platforms used for physical access control open up possibilities to integrate with logical access control faster and easier, while costs have decreased due to a wider selection of solutions, Assouline said.

Converged systems are driven by the desire to reduce operating costs and redundant components when examining the solutions from an enterprise-level view, Botti said. "In some cases, it is to reduce the overall complexity of the entire ecosystem — reducing the number of badges such that physical and logical access can be controlled with the same token."

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"In other cases, it is driven by a desire to reduce the operating costs — reducing the total solution footprint by integrating solutions and eliminating redundant components that are performing the same task in an isolated fashion," Botti added. "In some other cases, it is a function of providing better regulatory compliance auditing — having a single source of the truth, which simplifies attestation, birth righting and sun setting of identity."

"Health care facilities are recognizing that they have a responsibility to protect patients, staff and property," Cullen said. "A good integrated security schema can have great impact on the cost of insurance for a hospital. Protecting the physical well-being of staff and patients has always been important, but as more patient information becomes electronic and interoperable, it is critical that this information is only available to those with appropriate permissions. Patient information falling into the wrong hands carries expensive penalties and fines, and can negatively impact the marketability of that facility."

Utilizing Smart Cards
Smart cards are useful for many functions: access control, payroll and attendance systems, among other tasks. Contactless cards in particular help limit and control infections in health care settings. Sensitive areas like the intensive care unit or pharmacy require dual-factor authentication, combining biometric verification with the assigned smart card.

Biometrics
Biometric deployments in health care facilities have traditionally been problematic, as conventional systems fail to operate reliably in harsh environments and situations, Cullen said. "Frequent hand washing, heavy use of

Eric Assouline, Export Sales Manager, CDVI Group

chemicals and cleaners, the wearing of latex gloves and a wide range of demographic issues make biometric enrollment and authentication quite difficult and challenging."

Newer biometric techniques enable fingerprint scanning even when hands are gloved. "Multispectral fingerprint scanning, which has the unique ability to scan beneath the surface layer of skin, handles the environmental factors that can affect fingerprints," Cullen said.

As well, with a decrease in pricing and an increase in ease of use and maintenance, biometrics is becoming more and more adopted in access control systems at health care institutions, said Mike Grimes, President of Integrated Biometrics. "Some of the most dramatic changes are the increased security that comes with no longer having a PIN code, which can be shared, and cards, which can be lost, shared or stolen."

"Contactless smart cards minimize overhead when dealing with biometric template management and distribution," said Dan DeBlasio, Director of Business Development, Identity and Access Management, HID Global (an Assa Abloy company). "Rather than storing biometrics on a server and distributing them over a wired network, a contactless smart card-based system allows biometric templates to be carried by the card holder, offering a stronger level of authentication and security commonly referred to as ‘match on card.'"

Visitors
The convergence of physical and logical access control systems is largely restricted to staff and patients. However, effective monitoring of visitor access, especially during after-hours, ensures overall secure access in health care facilities. A common way to guard restricted areas is to program access points, permitting only authorized personnel with identification cards to gain entry or exit. “Some health care institutions may also want to integrate intercoms into access-controlled doors so that visitors can communicate with staff during after-hours,” said Philip Verner, Sales and Marketing Manager, CEM Systems (a Tyco International company).

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Adding video to two-way audio can instruct unwanted visitors they have entered an area they should not be in, Mara said. "Video and audio communications allow for interaction with a perpetrator in a possible crime in action and elevate it to a more serious response level for first responders. This can be important during after-hours, when guard services need a complement, or in place of guard services in remote areas as well."

Industry experts agree that relying on temporary access cards plus an existing access control system might be cost-prohibitive and insufficient in managing after-hours visitor access. On-site security personnel would still be needed, although manpower can be reduced and redistributed to high-risk areas. "The enforcement of visitor badging requires the direct involvement of the security personnel," said Mark Thummel, Account Manager of Security & Fire in Building Efficiency, Johnson Controls. "They may not be needed at the location where the badging process takes place, but their presence is critical at key entry points, such as the main elevators or main lobby entrances to other facility areas."

Visitor crime and theft occur in health care facilities due to the openness of the premises, although petty theft is more prevalent compared to serious crimes. The most costly crimes are committed by employees, such as stealing equipment, supplies and pharmaceutical substances, Cullen said.

"Theft is a serious issue within these facilities, because many of the assets are portable, expensive and difficult to track," Botti said. “Implementing real-time location services integrated with physical building controls has become a rising trend, as more health care facilities, especially around the emergency department, try to curb the loss of this equipment. Unfortunately, these initiatives are typically done outside the scope of either physical access control or logical access control and are instead often managed by supply chain management initiatives, which create yet another tower for these solutions."

Advancing with Technology
Technology brings both efficiency and risk to the table. For instance, tablet computers are useful tools for instant data retrieval and can be carried by medical personnel on rounds. However, data security and patient privacy are open to new threats.

Usability versus manageability is always a tough challenge for the enterprise, Botti commented. "In health care, the choice has been managed both ways in our experience. There were cases where no devices were allowed on the facility networks that were not directly managed by the IT department, including smart phones. In other

Philip Verner, Sales and Marketing Manager, CEM Systems (a Tyco International company)

cases, the policy allows any device to attach to the network, with the employee community required to sign documentation stating they accept all responsibility for the management of the device and understand any breach or exposure created by the device becomes the responsibility of the individual."

"New technologies like this will surely add onto the threat level and data leakage risk," Stemp said. "To counter these issues, the security and IT departments must work together to formulate extra encryption for harder access to important information by unauthorized persons."

To fill in the gap between the two extremes, physical security is able to assist in securely locating the assets at all times. "Assets could be tagged so that an alarm would sound when the assets leave the premises," Assouline said. "Flexibility of asset management integrated with access control, combined with a good knowledge of the system integrator with a well-educated end user, will enable better processes in securing the assets and personal resources of the hospital."

Biometrics can help too. Access to data networks that have sensitive information can be tightly controlled, as can physical access to the computer rooms or the rooms that hold paper files by implementing biometric scans, Cullen said.

Dual-factor authentication can be added to access portable computer devices which contain patient or business information, Pryse said. "The data housed on the equipment should also be encrypted to prevent unauthorized access in the event of a lost or stolen tablet computer or PDA. The end users should weigh the cost of securing the access and providing adequate firewall protection against the speed or efficiency of patient data entry or retrieval in a live environment."

HID Provides Access Control to US Insurance Company

Editor / Provider: HID Global | Updated: 5/31/2011 | Article type: Commercial Markets

As a mutual insurance company, Employers Mutual Casualty Company (EMC) serves policyholders and independent insurance agents and prides itself on comprehensive protection, superior service and financial stability.


In 1995, EMC built a 20-story corporate office building in Des Moines, Iowa. EMC worked with Johnson Controls, a security systems integrator, to design, install and service their building equipment and security. At that time, they installed a Westinghouse system for access control, an IFC fire alarm system, and a building automation system.


Fifteen years later, the security system was basically the same as when it was first installed, it was in dire need of an upgrade in order to perform the functions EMC needed.


As an established leader in the insurance industry, EMC has the responsibility to have a secure access control system twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. As a standard aspect of its business, the company has files containing personal and confidential information. The office building also houses a law firm, so EMC is obliged to keep this tenant's confidential client files secure as well. To help maintain its leadership position, EMC needed to update its security with the latest technology and resources.


"Our security system was definitely the weakest link of our systems," said Scott Gooch, Control Center Supervisor at EMC. "The highest-risk system was the card access and security."


Upgrading the Westinghouse system was not an option. Support was almost extinct because Westinghouse had moved on to newer systems. In addition, Westinghouse stopped making the older system's field devices, so if EMC added any buildings, the Westinghouse system would not support it. As the Westinghouse security system became obsolete, EMC feared that it may become vulnerable to security risks.


EMC needed an access control security system that could eliminate security risks and serve the company well into the future. The company started searching for a security system that would support its whole corporate campus: six buildings, two parking lots and one parking structure in Des Moines, and an additional building in Ames, Iowa.


EMC naturally turned to their systems integrator of more than 30 years, Johnson Controls, for expertise. Johnson Controls worked with HID Global to create a solution for EMC.


"HID was a natural choice," said Troy Marshall, of Johnson Controls. "HID products have a widespread reputation throughout the industry for high quality and flexibility."


By contrast, an issue with the previous system was that only proprietary Westinghouse cards and products could be used. The interoperability of HID's products allows EMC to use a variety of card technologies and not be tied to one supplier.


And while the Westinghouse system could provide location-based authentication, it required the addition of multiple readers, one for entering and another for exiting, it was cost prohibitive to do this with the existing system.


Johnson Controls recommended solutions that would alleviate the limitations of EMC's previous system: The security management system integrated with combination cards with HID readers buildings and long-range readers for parking garages.


"The HID solution is exactly what we need," Gooch said. "It's flexible and adaptable for the future, and most importantly, provides security where the Westinghouse system was vulnerable."


To make sure the entire campus is secure at all times, the joint Johnson Controls and HID solution was installed in phases over eight weeks.


Johnson Controls installed an access control system that encompasses the entire campus. 160 of the readers have 64-bit authentication keys, and require matching keys to function. All data transmission between the card and reader is encrypted using a secure algorithm. These readers also have custom keys that provide the highest level of security, with cards and readers that are matched to individual sites or customers.


To keep the two parking structures secure, EMC went with 12 of the readers from HID. These readers combine the longer read-range of contactless technology with the power and heightened security of smart-card technology.


While the new readers were being installed, EMC simultaneously took photos and made badges for 1,800 employees. For less than four weeks, some employees had to carry both their old and new badge, but otherwise day-to-day operations were barely disrupted during the installation. The 1,800 photo badges were printed over one weekend using two printers on site and distributed to employees over the following two weeks.


These photo badge cards recommended by Johnson Controls for EMC are HID contactless smart cards. Optimized to make physical access control more robust, EMC's 32-bit photo badge cards provide high-speed, reliable communications with high data-integrity to further secure the company's campus.


With field programming, it's easy to add or subtract employees, or change their access. This way, someone in corporate security in Des Moines can program a card for someone in Ames, or anywhere else within the system. EMC also has the ability to add applications to the cards, including cashless vending, time/attendance and logical access.


The entire installation of the integrated security system was completed within eight weeks.


With the Johnson Controls access control system in place, the security of EMC staff, buildings and everything they contain has improved. All of the system's information is centralized in an environment that uses current technology.


"The significant return on our investment is the cost-avoidance strategy," Gooch said. "We wanted to proactively replace the security system rather than wait for a catastrophe."


The Johnson Controls and HID solution also integrated securely with the IT backbone already in place at EMC. Since the field network controllers are IP addressable, EMC can easily add controllers wherever the security system network expands.


"Because of this integration, lots of hours of labor are no longer necessary," Gooch said.


Employees are also seeing a benefit from this new technology, making the elevators faster. Upon entering the elevators, the photo badge is automatically read and gives secure access to the floor they need. With the old Westinghouse technology, employees had to wait for the reader to verify the cardholder and then grant employees access to a specific floor.


"It's unusual for employees to experience the benefits of a new security system," Gooch said.

Agent Vi Video Analytics Streamline Logistics Work

Editor / Provider: Agent Vi | Updated: 5/31/2011 | Article type: Commercial Markets

Founded in 1991, KDL Trans is a globally-oriented logistics provider that specializes in electronic and computer equipment, offering services such as air freight, ocean freight, packing, storage, customs brokerage and more. The company is based out of a new 11,000-square-meter facility close to Brussels airport, which offers access to important trans-European highways. The facility is home to a fleet of some 100 trucks and vans, and includes a range of loading docks, storage warehouses and areas for sorting and other logistical activities.


KDL Trans sought to provide the highest level of security at the new premises, and therefore offers the best service to their range of customers, comprised of both local and international high-profile businesses and organizations. Recognizing that the high value of the goods passing through the facility could attract intrusions by thieves, KDL Trans looked for the way to undertake early detections of unauthorized people in their facility. KDL Trans sought a perimeter detection solution that connected with its monitoring station, to cut down costs associated with employing multiple guards stationed around the premises on weekends when the site is less busy.


After testing for an optimal solution, KDL Trans decided to deploy Agent Vi's real-time video analytics solution, with Axis cameras. The challenging environmental conditions, among them outdoor areas with natural vegetation, harsh weather and extreme changes in lighting, led to a decision to employ Axis thermal cameras, which eliminate these parameters to a large degree. Together with Agent Vi's analytics, the thermal cameras offer range and deliver accurate detection results.


Specifically, the site's eight Axis thermal cameras, which are strategically located around the building's perimeter, were enabled with Agent Vi's embedded video analytics component to allow the following real-time detection rule to be active on each camera: Person moving in an area to detect and alert to unauthorized personnel entering the premises and moving freely in restricted areas.


KDL Trans employs Milestone VMS recording and viewing application, which is integrated with Agent Vi's software. Therefore, events detected by Agent Vi's platform generate an alert which is displayed in the Milestone video management.


The deployment at the site has lifted the level of security by allowing the early detection of intruders entering the site. In fact, a number of perimeter intrusions have been picked up by theolution, and the lead time gained by these early detections enabled a more effective response by the security guards.


The added layer of security offered by the system has been instrumental in KDL Trans' efforts to build business relations with new and existing clients, as they can point to the superior level of security offered at their site.

"We are very happy with Agent Vi's real-time video analytics solution. The integration with Axis thermal cameras offers detection rates at all times of day, and in all lighting conditions," said Jurgen Laet, Operations Manager at KDL Trans. "The real-time alerts generated by the system and sent to the monitoring station have allowed us to decrease the number of security guards stationed around the perimeter, effectively cutting our costs without lowering our level of security."

"We tested a range of solutions, including active IR beams, radars and video analytics, to identify the option for the site. We compared the products, level of security offered, added value and price. On all levels, video analytics had the highest score," said Toon Eeckelaert, Co-owner of ESSC.

CEM Access Control System Shops at New Zealand Department Stores

Editor / Provider: CEM Systems | Updated: 5/27/2011 | Article type: Government & Public Services

CEM Systems, part of Tyco Security Products, announced that the CEM security management system has been selected to secure fashion department stores in New Zealand. The stores are part of New Zealand owned Farmers Trading Company, (or Farmers) and CEM system will be installed by reseller, Vitag Security Solutions.

Established in 1909, Farmers Trading Company has nearly 4000 staff and more than 65 stores across New Zealand. To secure and protect fashion department stores, Farmers required a quality IP security management system that could be installed at remote sites and with maximum efficiency to minimize the requirement for cabling and power supplies. Farmers also required the system to be linked with a company-owned office block in Wellington, where 23 office floors would be fitted with lift and door control.

“The CEM system was selected to meet Farmers requirements as it has been installed at sites throughout the world where security really matters”, said Andrew Fulton, Business Development Director for CEM Systems. “As a new reseller, Vitag has been trained and accredited to install CEM products throughout New Zealand. We are delighted to be part of this security project.”

Farmers Trading Company required a flexible solution that could support multiple reader types based on the level of security required at each controlled door. To meet this requirement a selection of CEM IP card readers and CEM PoE two-door controllers were installed.

The CEM two-door controller utilizes CEM PoE technology to power readers and heavy-duty maglocks on two doors, using a single Ethernet network cable. This created sizable cost savings on the Farmers project as it eliminated the need to fit mains power supplies above each door. The CEM PoE solution is unique to the industry as it can deliver up to two Amps to power an entire door set, including access control readers, heavy duty maglocks and associated items, all over one CAT 5/6 Ethernet cable. As CEM was the first to introduce a PoE access control solution to the market in 2007, it is indeed leading the industry as the PoE solution of choice.

CEM IP card readers are also installed on critical doors throughout Farmers department stores. Readers feature LCD screens to provide staff with instant feedback on the system such as ‘Wrong Time Zone' and ‘Card Expiring' . With the added benefit of a keypad staff can also enter PIN codes for additional security. The reader offers the highest level of reliability as it features an internal database for offline card validation. This means that should communication be temporarily lost with the host server, staff can still validate cards using the card records stored in the reader's internal memory.

The CEM system offers Farmers Trading Company an integrated security management system with a host of security applications that enhance site operations such as the CEM Alarm Event Display (AED) application for central monitoring of the system. AED provides a dynamic graphical representation of transactions and events from the various department stores and when actually they occur in real-time. The application can be used to acknowledge alarms, generate detailed reports and trace card holder movements through the system as well as be used as a single user-friendly front end for the integration of video systems.

A major factor in Farmers decision to install the system was that their existing American Dynamics surveillance system could be easily integrated into CEM AED workstations”, said Ric Weede, Director, Vitag Security Solutions. “As an integrated real-time solution, Farmers will have a central view of what's going on during alarm activation with associated surveillance video linked to access control alarms.”

Network Connections Build Safety in Growing Cities

Editor / Provider: Submitted by Cisco Systems | Updated: 5/26/2011 | Article type: Hot Topics

As more people move to cities, the need to protect citizens increases. Dennis Charlebois, Director of Safety and Security Solutions at Cisco Systems, discusses how smart networked communities can ensure the safety of people and assets.

Today, every community in the world faces ever-increasing threats of natural calamities and man-made disasters. No one is immune and far too often these threats lead to unpredictable and tragic events with catastrophic impact on our lives, property and sense of well-being.

Recent examples include the Mumbai terrorist attack, Hurricane Katrina, the 7/7 London bombing, 9/11, the San Diego fires, the Virginia Tech shooting, the Haiti earthquake and more. These events cause ripple effects in communities all over the world, and they shine a bright light on shortcomings of effectively dealing with these events. A terrorist event in Mumbai, India could affect the daily lives of people in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

Dennis Charlebois

A shooting on the campus of a local university takes more than four hours to neutralize, resulting in innocent people being killed or wounded in the process. Understanding how this is possible is essential. More importantly, communities must consider what they can do to ensure their citizens, employees and assets are safe and secure.

According to several sources, approximately 500 million people will be added to the world's cities over the next five years. By 2050, 100 new cities will each beinhabited by more than a million residents. With world populations shifting tourbanareas , community leaders face challenges of overcrowding, pollution and budget resource constraints. They need to create safe, efficient environments to attract businesses and compete in global markets. This demands better use of resources, stronger infrastructures and better living standards.

Smart Cities
With the pervasiveness of network connections and the increasing intelligence of the network as an application platform, communities are looking to build their infrastructures to support integration and interoperability of anything connected to the network, essentially forming a smarter city. These Smart and Connected Communities provide a forward-looking blueprint leveraging network infrastructure to achieve greater levels of social, economic and environmental sustainability.

1. Social sustainability:
The services provided on the network enable citizens to enhance their quality of life and increase their standard of living by creating a healthy and interactive environment.
2. Economic sustainability:
Smart and Connected Communities facilitate new job opportunities for citizens. As new businesses and key industries flourish, they help drive economic growth.
3. Environmental sustainability:
Smart and Connected Communities help reduce the environmental impact caused over the years due to the improper management of resources.

Part of the promise of Smart and Connected Communities includes next-generation approaches to delivering health care, education, energy management, transportation, and safety and security. The interoperability enabled by the network breaks new ground on how communities collect and use information.

For safety and security, this means the network enables better detection of events, better assessment and situational analysis. Response scenarios can be more collaborative and ultimately more effective at protecting lives and mitigating damage. Cisco is working with city governments, police and fire departments in the cities such as Holyoke, Massachusetts; Incheon and Busan in Korea; Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam; and Lavasa City, India. For each location, urban agencies aim to provide a broad range of technologies, including integrated video surveillance, access control, incident dispatch, radio interoperability, mass notification, digital media display and other solution elements to support the effective detection of events and deployment of first-responder services.
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Infrastructure
An architectural approach to safety and security begins with the network. Use cases will determine what technologies need to connect, but the underlying network infrastructure should always remain consistent. Network design should be borderless so that the user experience is transparent, whether they are tethered to a workstation in a security operations center (SOC), moving in a vehicle or roving around a city campus.

That infrastructure should ensure secure and reliable communications. It should also provide a level of scalability that accommodates growth as the community expands. That infrastructure should be shared so that community services are enhanced and cost-reduced. In essence, the network enables technologies to peacefully interact, not just as a path for data, but as a platform for interoperability.

Consider the devices as IP end points. In safety and security, end points are typically network cameras, access control readers, alarm input devices, digital and analog radios, displays or GPS sensors. End points that conform to industry standards will help with initial interoperability and ensure the integrity of the solution remains validated throughout the solution life cycle. Without standards, updates of individual solution elements can wreak havoc on the integrity of the overall system. Standards such as ONVIF or PSIA are useful for devices, but standards by which applications share data are conspicuously absent.

Ideally, the network can act as an intelligent fabric between devices that deliver information to the network and the user interfaces that pull information off the network. The more intelligent the network, the less work needs to be done by the end points and the applications. Imagine the network containing a broad set of services above and beyond those today. If they were used by manufacturers, they would obviate the need to build heavyweight applications or end points. Scheduling, messaging, secure transport, analytics, transcoding and more could become part of the network. This would drive down the cost and maintainability of the applications and end points, enabling overall system intelligence to exist in the network. The result is faster innovation, more affordable products and richer content for consumers of information. An example where this works is with medianet.

A medianet architecture is a way to help customers build a scalable, reliable and cost-efficient infrastructure. Consider video surveillance, which can be particularly demanding on a network. HD cameras running 24/7 can consume significant bandwidth. A medianet approach adds a layer of intelligence to the network, the end points, the servers and potentially all applications. This enables the network to effectively manage requests for bandwidth based on availability and dynamic conditions. The significance of this is the cameras can be automatically configured on the network, reducing the time needed to configure cameras once they are plugged into Ethernet switches.

Designing Stable Networks
The network itself can present a challenge for many customers. Far too often the network is considered ubiquitous and its inability to support additional network traffic is overlooked.

Video is frequently the culprit when networks become oversubscribed, so a great way to start is with a video surveillance readiness assessment. This assessment helps customers properly plan and migrate to video technologies and applications, as well as networked safety and security solutions. It also ensures the technologies selected can be installed with the least amount of disruption.

This creates a win-win-win situation for the system integrator, the equipment manufacturers and the end user. The system integrators win because they have an opportunity to add value and differentiate by offering this assessment as a service. Manufacturers win because they are less likely to be dragged into customer support situations that are not product-related. The end users win because they are able to know up-front if their infrastructure can support the traffic; if not, they can properly plan to upgrade the network elements so their deployments are trouble free.

IP App lications
With increased levels of interoperability, application developers can build more compelling user-facing applications. They can have richer content and provide better information for efficient and effective decisions. Physical security information management is a good example where, through integration, end users can visualize situations consolidating data from multiple sources, correlating that data and adding layers of business intelligence. Qualified system integrators are able to offer better solutions with more value.

So with all this interoperability and seamless data flow, what are some of the examples on how communities might benefit? One example might be a city subway station, where a camera containing video analytics monitors the platform area with virtual trip wires to detect people intentionally or unintentionally wandering into restricted areas. If a person crosses the virtual boundary, an alert is created and sent to the SOC. Automatically, cameras can be positioned to zoom in on the GIS coordinates detected by the trip wire.

Video from critical cameras are given priority in the network so that operators can accelerate resolution and frame rate. Simultaneously, the system may lock down certain doors or gates to prevent unauthorized entry to sensitive areas.

Transit police can be dispatched with a description of the alert, as well as receive snapshots and video clips of the person activating the trip wire. Radio-cellular phone-IP phone communications are patched together to help responders. Should operators determine that the suspect is a known threat, evacuation instructions can be sent to platform digital displays.

Today, city authorities are looking at how to do more with less: to effectively coordinate and deliver services to their communities and give citizens better access to those services. Providing a safe and secure environment is the foundation for these communities to be successful. Thus, the network is critical for enabling communities to create this environment.

Axis Network Cameras Provide After-Work Service for Chinese Pharmaceutical Company

Editor / Provider: Axis Communications | Updated: 5/24/2011 | Article type: Commercial Markets

The management of Beijing TongRenTang Health Pharmaceutical wanted to create a visualized management for staff office and security monitoring after office hours. In order to achieve that, the project required an integrated digital video security system that is reliable and easy to operate. At the same time, it had to be comprehensive and expandable. As a result, the visualized management platform has high requirements for image quality, compatibility, stability and reliability.

The main requirement of the system was to monitor locations such as elevator cars, office areas, elevator lobbies, main exits, meeting rooms, corridors, parking lots and various major stores.

Beijing VideoComm has more than 10 years of research and development experience in visualized management platforms, and has worked together with Axis since they entered the Chinese market. VideoComm's integrated visualized management platform has gained the approval of customers. The model chosen for the Beijing TongRenTang Health Pharmaceutical visualized management system is a network video monitoring system that is integrated from both Axis and VideoComm. There are a total of more than 150 Axis network cameras connected through Internet cables to the local area network inside the building, with a back-end management platform doing centralized management.

Axis network video cameras directly transmit digital video images based on IP networks. Users can browse high-quality real-time monitoring images of resolutions up to 800 by 600 from any network computer anytime and anywhere. Visualized management is achieved, and system diversity is increased. A brand new monitoring network has been constructed in a simple and flexible manner, with great expansion qualities.

“The solution provided by Axis has achieved network interconnection and digitization. It is easier to manage and carry out system integration compared to traditional video monitoring systems, and it completely meets the modern corporate management needs of TongRenTang,” said a customer.

Nice Converges Security Operations for Portuguese's Private Bank

Editor / Provider: Nice Systems | Updated: 5/20/2011 | Article type: Commercial Markets

Nice Systems announced that Portugal's private bank, Millennium bcp, has launched production of the Nice situation management solution to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of its physical security monitoring and response. The solution is enabling the bank to reduce operational costs and optimize the alignment of its corporate physical security policies, standards and procedures across hundreds of branches in Portugal. NIice partner Diebold Portugal is the system integrator for the project.

“Deployment of the Nice solution allows Millennium bcp to fully integrate and centralize the bank's various physical security systems. Our new control room operation was built through the integration of Nice platform in our IT systems architecture and implementing smarter situation management solutions,” said Vitor Monteiro, head of Physical Security at Millennium bcp. “There are many benefits. This integration provides us with important operational cost savings. At the same time, the solution's workflows and rules enables us to reduce the number of false alarms, for greater efficiency and effectiveness. Thanks to the system we are able to track and enforce compliance with the bank's policies and regulations, provide reports to the management and support constant improvement. We have been consistently impressed with the excellent support we receive from the Nice team.”

The security situation management needs of banks are many. Among these are intrusion, invalid access control and tampering, robberies, alarm panel communications failure and ‘rarly disarm' and ‘late arm' situations. With Nice, Millennium bcp addresses these situations by receiving automatic alarms with information on what has occurred. The solution does this by leveraging the existing alarm panel infrastructure and extracting additional intelligence from already available data. The solution also automatically connects a call between control room personnel and the appropriate individual at the relevant branch. It also automatically places calls to external agencies if needed, such as local city police. Furthermore, it presents step-by-step instructions to the bank's security personnel on how to handle the situation.

For Millennium bcp, Nice solution is deployed on Millennium bcp's corporate network and monitors approximately 900 branches and other buildings throughout Portugal. The solution is integrated with a wide array of bank sensors and security systems, including video surveillance, access control, intrusion and fire alarm panels, fire detection systems as well as VoIP, text messaging and email gateways. NIice merges data from these sensors into a common operating picture, analyzing and correlating this information, then applying standard operating procedures and automated response plans.

Axis Network Cameras Watch over Brazilian Mining Company

Editor / Provider: Axis Communications | Updated: 5/18/2011 | Article type: Commercial Markets

Minera Vale is a private Brazilian mining company that trades in the stock exchange, and is an iron ore producer worldwide. Currently, it has more than 100,000 employees and offices in Brazil, Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Switzerland. As a result of the beginning of phosphate production in the Peruvian mine located in Bayóvar (Piura) with a production capacity of 3.9-million tons of rock a year, including a phosphate concentrating plant that has a 32-kilometer highway, transporting rails and a maritime terminal, the mining company decided that in order to have full control and monitoring of the activities that take place in these environments, they would implement a comprehensive electronic security project, including surveillance and access control.
Prosegur Tecnología, a division of the multinational company Prosegur, with 29 years of experience in the Peruvian market providing comprehensive security services, implemented the project and proposed a solution that uses IP video products from Axis. A total of 66 units were installed together with the management software that allowed the integration of the different integrated technologies for this large project, under the direction of Axis partner, Lenel. This experience implemented in Peruvian territory will be copied in other countries in the region where the mining company is located.
Minera Vale can now control, monitor and store images that come from each and every one of the cameras located at different sites of the mine and the port. Both control centers are able to access live or recorded, and use them for two purposes: to support the security area of the mine and the port as well supporting the police and fire departments, so that they can act in the event of problems or accidents.

“Our choice of Axis was based on the knowledge that it is one of the TOP suppliers in its line, with excellent quality and an ensured three-year guarantee. In addition, it was endorsed by Lenel because the products worked successfully on the Skypoint platform,“ Gino Valenzuela, GM for Prosegur Tecnología Perú.

VidSys and Quantum Secure Security Management Command New York Complex

Editor / Provider: VidSys | Updated: 5/17/2011 | Article type: Government & Public Services

VidSys, a provider of Physical Security Information Management (PSIM) software that allows organizations to resolve business and security situations in real time, and Quantum Secure, a provider of enterprise software to manage and streamline security identities, compliance and events across disparate physical security systems, announced that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has selected the companies' PSIM and Physical Identity and Access Management (PIAM) technologies, respectively, to manage the complex security operations of the new World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City.

The joint solution will deliver an integrated, holistic approach to site-wide security, providing visibility and common correlation of identities and situations across the entire campus.

Functioning as its own connected city, the WTC is one of the most complex security challenges in the world. More than 16 acres, it features six towers, a major transportation hub, the 911 Memorial Museum, a performing arts center, a vehicle security center and retail stores.

To manage overall security and ensure collaboration across multiple stakeholders, the WTC security team is building a site-wide operations coordination center that connects individual command centers within the campus. Operations and security personnel will work collaboratively with members of the New York Police Department, Port Authority Police Department and the Fire Department of New York to enable complete situation awareness and management across the entire WTC site, ultimately ensuring the safety and security of city residents, tourists, first responders and critical infrastructure.

Quantum Secure's software suite for integrated physical identity and access management will unify employee, contractor, visitor and vehicle identity management in one integrated console and auditable database. By monitoring all identities and their assigned access privileges against predetermined port and city policies, the solution will ensure that everyone accessing all areas of the WTC campus have proper authorization to gain access to the areas and buildings throughout the campus.

“Today the best security strategies begin with the positive identification and proper authorization of the people who have access to your property and assets,” said Ajay Jain, President and CEO at Quantum Secure. “The centralized database of identities and access privileges, coupled with the automated workflows made possible, will ensure that personnel are provisioned with proper access privileges per WTC policies.”

The VidSys PSIM system will bring together all of the disparate security and building systems throughout the WTC for continuity and real-time situational awareness. It will enable the integration and correlation of data from multiple video assets, devices and sensor systems, including access control, surveillance, fire, CBRNE, elevator, building management systems and HVAC. The VidSys software will proactively apply analytics and intelligence to the data in order to present security personnel with all the information necessary to verify a situation, and then provide the instructions and tools to coordinate activities across agencies and organizations to resolve the situation quickly.

“Our PSIM solution provides the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey with the ability to proactively manage disparate security devices and systems via one intelligent operating system. As a result, security operators across public safety and private organizations within the WTC are empowered with quick access to information on situations, increasing overall situational awareness and enabling security personnel to respond to incidents faster,” said Chuck Teubner, CEO, at VidSys. “Together with our partner Quantum Secure, we're providing a platform that makes managing the security across this heavily trafficked and highly complex urban campus a reality.”

The VidSys and Quantum Secure integrated solution creates a holistic approach to situation awareness, correlating not only situations but the identities associated with the situation, allowing the WTC to automatically respond to physical security incidents and situations in the most expedient and effective manner.

Colombian University Deploys Axis Network Cameras

Editor / Provider: Axis Communications | Updated: 5/16/2011 | Article type: Education

Sabana University was founded in 1979 and has been growing steadily to become one of the most prestigious higher education institutions in the country, receiving the High Quality Institutional Accreditation (Acreditación Institucional de Alta Calidad), in 2006. The institution has also strengthened its physical environment which has a campus in Bogota's savannah (among other locations), equipped with a wide range of human and technical resources. These include the Octavio Arizmendi Posada library, with more than 79 thousand titles and the development of two new buildings with a total constructed area of 8,161 square meters. This wide campus required an appropriate overview, which initially consisted of analog video surveillance, with some issues to centralize the information and monitor the different areas.

That is how the search for a solution that enabled the optimization of the resources and the development of a more efficient control of the entire campus began. The implementation of IP video surveillance cameras was suggested integrating company SDS, contributing with great benefits to this basic need.
After choosing Axis as the video solution provider, 108 cameras were placed with the following distribution. These cameras are incorporated with an Axis video server for the existing analog cameras, which also offers important image quality.
Results have been very positive, after using an analog system which is highly complex in its administration, the implementation of Axis network cameras has been made through a more efficient IP channel. This provides easy administration, monitoring and scalability. Furthermore, costs are reduced and it is now possible to obtain a more accurate control of the entire campus, resulting in a more accurate surveillance system to monitor eventual risk situations; with a proactive and more careful approach.

“Among the opportunities attained through the implementation of the network cameras and Axis surveillance, we can highlight a wide flexibility and integration with other platforms of the Axis cameras, which also offers integration of the monitoring center in a simple way as required,” said Michel Van Brackel, SDS, GM, Sabana University.