Why can CSIM provide even more situational awareness

Vidsys has evolved its business strategy from physical security information management (PSIM) to a converged security management system (CSIM).

Vidsys, a U.S.-based security software provider, is differentiating itself with its converged security information management (CSIM) software platform. By taking physical security information management (PSIM) to the next level, the company is evolving its business with CSIM to provide even more situational awareness to its customers.

Why CSIM

With CSIM, Vidsys is bringing in both physical security and virtual aspects such as social media, big data analytics and IoT.

“Social media, IoT these are all other data elements that can also feed information into our platform,” said Maurice Singleton, President of Vidsys. “This allows us to do filtering and correlation that is part of the core of what we deliver and also extend situation awareness and situation management to our customers.”

CSIM has the ability to correlate things happening on social media that might impact end users. “Let's say for example a protest is being planned and is going to impact a major retailer. Having visibility and awareness of that allows them to strategically plan for it, whether it be for how that might impact their brand or how that might impact their facilities, in terms of creating a public nuisance or hazard,” Singleton explained.

While PSIM may be more known, over the years Vidsys has taken on the mantle of educating the public as to what both PSIM and CSIM are all about. This has helped give users a better understanding of what these systems do and how they work — now they are looking to find out how to best leverage it in their environment. 

“What are some of the things we should be paying attention to in terms of integrating technology into the CSIM platform? What technologies are you capable of integrating and how does that really benefit me? Those are the questions we are being asked today versus the what,” Singleton said.

Correlating different data

Currently, the company is focused on corporate enterprises and public safety entities, sectors where there are likely to be threats — this includes both cyber and physical. 

“Cyberthreats, for example, those data elements can come into our platform where we can lever-age cyberattacks that might be targeted to a particular customer's environment,” Singleton said. “Physical assets can also be leveraged to give more situational awareness to what might be going on.”

Take for example an employee’s lost or stolen ID badge. If someone tries to swipe into the office with that badge, but that employee is telecommunicating from home that day and is logged into the network from their home laptop, Vidsys’ software has the ability to correlate that the owner of the badge being swiped at the physical location is not there. 

In this case, the information from the access control system is coming into the Vidsys platform, as is the cyber information. The platform correlates the two and is able to distinguish someone physically being present versus being remote. The software can then be configured to alert the office's security staff so that they can act appropriately.

Smart cities and future expansion

As a combination of IoT devices, physical and virtual security, smart cities are an excellent candidate for CSIMs. Currently, Vidsys is engaged in a number of smart city projects internationally. This includes in Singapore, Malaysia, as well as the U.S.

“We have a number of bids in already for some smart city projects and there are many more that are out there that will follow, but those are long-term projects. Those are not projects that you go and install and you’re done, those are five- to 10-year projects,” Singleton noted.

Projects such as these are helping the company to expand beyond its main markets in the U.S. and the Middle East. The company is just starting to engage in the APAC market and has a number of projects in its pipeline. In the future they also hope to grow their Europe and Latin America markets as well.