Needless to say, physical security has become more and more IP-based. Against this backdrop, more and more relevant tasks and responsibilities are placed on the IT department, which must ready itself for a more active role in the end user organization’s security.
Needless to say, physical security has become increasingly IP-based. Against this backdrop, more and more relevant tasks and responsibilities are placed on the IT department, which must ready itself for a more active role in the end user organization’s security.
It goes without saying that increasingly, security is networked and connected to the internet. A major benefit of this connectivity is it allows better integration.
Access control and video surveillance residing on the same network can allow for better integration between the two on the management system. Video integrated with intrusion alarms or PA systems is under the same principle.
Stronger demands result in more and more network-based security systems. According to IHS Markit, a total of 70 percent of all security cameras shipped in 2018 were
network cameras, The study further mentioned HD CCTV cameras, also known as analog HD cameras, which capture things in high-definition yet still transmit video over traditional coaxial cables. It pointed out that global shipments of HD CCTV cameras fell in 2018.
Amid this trend, an end organization’s IT department will inevitably become more integrated with security, which entails the capture, transmission and storage of relevant data over the organization’s IT network. To better work together with security, there are certain things IT can do, which are summarized as follows.
Know the technologies
According to a
blogpost by Stanley Security, there are various types of security devices and software that run them, and getting an understanding of them helps. “What is a multisensor camera? What are
camera analytics? Not unlike the IT world, the physical security world is chock-full of hardware devices and software applications. What are the capabilities of these devices and what protocols do they use? You don’t need to have an in-depth knowledge of all the components, but a broad understanding of the technologies and how they are managed and maintained will go a long way,” it said.
Understand the physical security environment
An understanding of the physical security environment is also suggested. “Some questions to consider: What areas are being monitored? Is the monitoring reactive or proactive? How many days of video retention are cameras getting and how many do they require?” the post asked. “Talk to your physical security counterpart and understand the goals of the physical security environment.”
Get involved in the planning
According to the post, when physical security projects are being scoped and planned, the IT should participate in that process. “Build a relationship with your physical security counterpart and with your organization’s physical security partners so you can be involved in the process early, and so you can understand what’s being planned and what impact it could have on the IT infrastructure,” it said, adding that if the IT manager can’t be involved in the planning him-/herself, then an IT liaison should be designated to work with the physical security team.
Share information
Sharing information can be beneficial both IT and security departments, the post said. “Is IT planning a server patch or database upgrade that will affect physical security systems? If this is the case, reach out to the physical security team and let them know or work with them on outage dates. Or, maybe IT is running new network cables to improve the Wi-Fi in a certain area. In this case, reach out to the physical security team beforehand to see if they need any cable runs done in that area as well,” it said.