By: Brigham Scully
You can maximize the effectiveness of multiple alarm management applications by making use of versatile systems. Access transactions, videos and associated alarms can be viewed simultaneously, eliminating the need to access different systems or jump to different screens.
You can include integrated digital video management, visitor management and alarm charts. Different hardware offerings can also be integrated and standalone, networked, wireless and wired access devices can be included.
Today's typical security management system is a compilation of different systems that typically operate independently and come from different manufacturers. They offer unsynchronized databases and very often use inconsistent user interfaces. Systems like these are often inefficient and require a group of people to manage.
Today there are numerous systems that detect and report alarm events. The problem is that those who can do something to respond to the alarm are often not notified in a timely manner, if at all, which undermines the fundamental purpose of an alarm management system.
Today's organizations should consider acquiring alarm management systems that are compatible with other security systems such as video monitoring and access control. The system must offer a single interface that, in turn, is a gateway to the entire operation. Similarly, you must provide a centralized user interface to manage alarms and security and facility events from any location in the company.
Advantages of a centralized system
Local alarm management practices can sometimes make it difficult to implement a global alarm management system. However, centralization can support and promote local control. For example, it makes sense to create multiple separate alarm management systems in a company for management purposes and still retain the ability to do central control and/or surveillance.
For example, a company headquartered in Taiwan may want to split its security management system to allow its facilities in Amsterdam, New York and Sao Paulo to operate independently while maintaining, at the same time, a central repository of global activity for monitoring and reporting purposes.
At each of the global company's facilities, the local team in charge of security management can set up their own entry permits, manage their employees and access control, as well as integrate alarms and report preparation within their regions. Alarm and event interfaces can be designed for each system operator, by function or by location, displaying the most important information for that particular individual or group.
Such interfaces would allow operators to filter information for their respective facilities so that they display only the information they require, such as the location of an alarm, the change in the status of an alarm and/or specific instructions for responding to an alarm. At the local level, such adaptation to specific needs would reduce the complexities of the interface and the speed of response.
Start from the beginning
When designing an alarm management system, it is best to start at the door and then move on to the rest of the premises, as the door is usually the main focus of security. Alarm management systems are incorporated into entry points with a variety of access control devices.
From electronic locking systems to wireless systems, alarm management systems can be incorporated into almost any door control application. An optimal system is one that is designed not only to work with existing technologies, but also to grow and evolve with a facility when safety management requires changes.
Beyond Access Control: In most large companies, it is no longer enough to create an access control system that only controls and monitors the activity of the access card user.
Transaction tracking — for example, a person attempting to enter through gate X with an unauthorized card at 1:00 a.m. — is a staple of access control, but in conjunction with video and alarm management, this event could trigger a variety of responses. For example, the alarm management system can simultaneously send an alarm to a monitoring station, send a command to a PTZ camera to change positions and focus on the location of the alarm, and send text messages to security guards via their cell phones.
To achieve optimal control, the ability to integrate alarm events and required actions with access control and other security management systems is essential. In the case of many corporate systems, it is also possible to incorporate the display of graphics or images to alarm events, thus allowing those in charge of the response, quickly locate the alarm and activate the appropriate response system.
Digital video and alarm monitoring: With an integrated video recording and alarm monitoring system, users can view live images from cameras associated with alarm events, PTZ control functions and live video display.
They can also search for saved video clips by time and by date with default parameters for recording pre- and post-alarm events. Alarms can also be triggered by motion detection (video) or by camera saturation. With the introduction of video analytics, alarms can be triggered by a number of conditions such as the detection of missing objects, the absence of movement or human behaviors, such as running or falling.
Portable video systems and real-time alarm monitoring: Nowadays more and more companies are starting to use portable video systems, usual in school buses and public transport vehicles. Today, portable video systems go beyond recording activity for later playback.
High-quality portable video systems support advanced cellular technologies such as GPRS, CDMA and 3G, enabling the transmission of high-quality video and live voice to monitoring stations, cell phones, PDAs and PCs, and simultaneously recording incoming video signals. These systems also offer remote control of PTZ cameras, event-triggered recording, notification by phone line or email to the server, pre- and post-alarm logging, as well as video motion detection.
Integrated alarm management at doors and beyond: An integrated alarm management system allows users to maximize the effectiveness of various security applications with one powerful system. The most important transactions from multiple systems can be viewed simultaneously, eliminating the need to move from one module to another or jump from screen to screen. While integrated alarm management with access control and video is nothing new in high-security facilities, it is quickly becoming a fundamental part of security management systems for a wide variety of institutional and commercial applications. A system that integrates digital video management, visitor access control management and alarm monitoring will not only improve efficiency, but will also represent a true return on investment for the end user.
A world if it ends
Alarm management is a world of unlimited possibilities. Unfortunately, most of the systems that exist today are under-used or based on outdated technologies.
There is a new generation of security management systems that incorporates electronic access control devices such as wired or wireless locks and sensors, as well as a wide variety of alarm and video management solutions.
The essential thing is to learn about all the options available on the market and specify the multifaceted systems and those that are designed for interoperability. By doing this, the systems you use today will become a true asset, as they are designed to evolve and grow with the end user for many years to come.
For more information, please contact the following web address:
http://www.brighamscully.com
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