Tap into integration Pt 2

In this article he focuses on medium to high level systems and outlines the new opportunities available to installers...

Historically, large security systems' integration projects have been few and far between, and whilst generally highly attractive in revenue terms, often the delivery has been far more complicated than initially expected.

Frequently these projects have a very high dependence on the knowledge and expertise of the installer/systems integrator, working closely with the manufacturer(s), to deliver a solution that meets the customers' often evolving security requirements.

In some cases systems have been basically duplicated, to allow the access system to monitor doors during the day, and the intruder system to monitor them at night. Generally, however, these installations have been built using standard intruder, access and CCTV systems, interfaced via relays and pulled together from a user point of view by infinitely flexible, high-end systems, such as Honeywell's Maxpro product, or consultancy-driven, specialist third party SMS (Security Management Systems) software packages.

For many average sized installers these projects have simply not been viable. Most of you do not have the funding required to support involvement in such large projects, cannot take the risks associated with the penalty clauses normally involved, and cannot afford to tie up your technical resources on such draining installations. So where does that leave you?

Opportunity for you

Given the amount of stand-alone intruder, CCTV and access systems now installed in the UK, I believe there is an increasing opportunity for installers to offer their clients upgrades to more integrated systems, using existing components already installed and tying them together through the new wave of integration software available.

New technologies are allowing installers to integrate stand-alone systems without the high cost of specialist equipment, software or consultancy. The end user also gains major benefits from enabling their independent systems to work together.

Drew Aitken, Commercial Product Leader EMEA for Honeywell Security and Custom Electronics (Intruder) has seen a major increase in interest in integration between intruder, access and CCTV systems.

He told me that during their recent seminar programme on the new EN50131 regulations, integration and the need to offer clients more than just intruder systems was a constant theme coming from installers at every meeting.

New technology also opens up opportunities to integrate beyond the standard boundaries of physical security. This helps security installations to be seen as a key management requirement instead of a grudge purchase.

Widen your horizons

The opportunities for integration are no longer limited to just CCTV, access and intruder. Within the CCTV arena you now have the opportunity to link DVRs to EPOS (electronic point of sale) terminals as part of a retailer's loss prevention systems, or as a marketing tool, to offer managers enhanced feedback through people counting and customer monitoring.

IP systems can also enable managers to monitor staff and systems remotely, with much greater power and flexibility than ever before.

Electronic visitor management (EVM) is one of the fastest growing areas in the market as the moment. At a recent security forum in the City of London, 25 per cent of delegates specifically highlighted visitor management as an area of interest for their businesses (City Security Forum, November 2005). EVM offers an enhancement to security systems as well as supporting compliance with health and safety regulations and presenting a much more professional approach to visitor management.

New products allow you to tap in to this lucrative, complementary market on the back of integration with access control and CCTV.

Smart cards are another huge growth area, which tie in neatly with integrated access control and takes security activity into the wider aspects of business management. Security systems can be integrated with cashless vending, time and attendance and logical access systems, amongst others. Smart cards can provide your clients with not only improved security systems, but significant non-security benefits, which they can build-in over time. The vision of integration which you can now offer is therefore significantly wider and easier to deliver than say five years ago.

The advent of TCP/IP means that although the relay, as a means of interfacing different security systems is not defunct, it is now only part of the solution. Increasingly manufacturers are using TCP/IP for high level integration between different systems, to deliver real integration benefits. While this may not give you the total integration flexibility, of say a Maxpro type system, it allows you to provide integration upgrades to existing systems, which give your end users real 'value for money'.

Hopefully this will generate increased loyalty from clients - who see you as bringing them real security and non-security benefits - and increased revenue for you, because you are now able to continually sell a range of complementary services to your key clients.

What’s the cost?

Clearly there are some major benefits for end users from these types of upgraded integrated systems - improved security through better cross-checking and verification, and new functionality and future proofing through EVM and smart cards. So what is the cost to you, the installer?

Surprisingly it is relatively small, because most of the integration capability is increasingly being built into the technology. In many cases you may even get it for free as part of the normal cost of your access control software or DVR, or only have to pay a relatively small charge to have it released in the software. Even smart cards and readers are now available at proximity technology prices, so cost is no longer a real argument against upgrading.

As I mentioned last month, the key for you as an installer is to look at the range of manufacturers and decide which ones are there for the long term, and who you want to work with. After that, it is a case of signing up for detailed demonstrations and training, and away you go.