Everybody knows that a disparate system is an inefficient one, and never is that more the case than where corporate security is concerned. There’s simply no way to get on top of ever-evolving threats if your attempts to safeguard operations are so siloed that suspicious behavior is about as difficult to spot as Waldo. Let’s be frank: with a system like this, you might as well just open the doors and invite threats right in.
This has become especially the case as criminals have evolved to target companies on all sides. Forget the odd criminal chancer, businesses now face risks from fully organized teams of criminals, who operate as one unified team to target everything from a company’s data to its systems and beyond.
To face these risks, businesses also need to prioritize unification, and fully integrated security systems are the best way to do that. In this article, we’re going to consider what integrated security looks like, how it works, and why businesses could benefit from getting on top of the trend.
What is an integrated security system?
An integrated security system is simply a centralized solution that enables various security technologies to function as a comprehensive unit.
Let’s say that, right now, your company is operating with disparate solutions. Your CCTV does not correlate with your control access solution, so it’s far easier for criminals to slip through the net and gain access to your offices.
By comparison, an integrated system means that your CCTV will be fully linked with your access controls and will, therefore automatically flag unauthorized personnel, along with their real-time location and any cross-referenced information about who they are from elsewhere in your database.
How does security integration work?
Security integration ultimately works by connecting and automating individual elements within your security landscape. These elements can then cross-reference information, flag security risks, and assess the need for interventions.
Integration can significantly improve the outcomes of security breaches, thanks to things like the automated locking of doors in the case of an identified intruder or by automatically contacting emergency services if required. CCTV software may also be fully integrated to record any criminal activity and send it straight to a company lawyer to be filed as immediate evidence.
Integrated security can operate either in one corporate office or across multiple locations for larger businesses.
Components of security integration
Ultimately, the components of your integrated security system will vary depending on your requirements, but common components that can work well together as part of a whole include –
- CCTV and surveillance: CCTV and video surveillance integration makes it possible to utilize technologies like AI to recognize threats like weapons. These capabilities become even more effective with integrated solutions that can also cross-reference access controls, trigger alarms, and automate real-time alerts.
- Access controls: Working with access control system vendors is more important than ever in an age where businesses are handling sensitive information that’s very much on a must-see basis. Integrated access control solutions make it possible to automatically lock doors to sensitive areas when unauthorized personnel are detected, as well as monitor entry and exit at all times to be fully aware of who’s in the building.
- Alarm systems: Alarm systems have been integrated with emergency services for years at this point, but businesses should also ensure alarms that integrate with broader systems for benefits including automated threat response and a significant reduction in disruptive false alarms.
How integrated security stands to change office life
Change is always risky in business, especially if it concerns security systems that you might have come to rely on over many years of use. However, even the highest-quality disparate security solutions are set to become obsolete in a few years. Integration is the only way for companies to keep on top of ever-evolving threats.
Keep on reading to discover just a few of the benefits you can enjoy by making the integrated security switch-over.
# 1 – Faster Processes
When security systems operate in a silo, introducing new procedures like enhanced access controls will inevitably create delays in the working day. Luckily, that’s not the case when you integrate your security setup.
Fully integrated systems are designed with efficiency in mind and can even eliminate delays like the need to show ID at the gate. This is especially true when processes like license plate recognition integrate with access controls that can send an alert whenever an unauthorized vehicle is present.
Integration also significantly simplifies manual tasks for a security team, which can achieve complete oversight from one screen, even if they’re monitoring footage from more than one business location. This ensures far more effective, fast-acting security protocols at all times.
# 2 – Company savings
On average, companies spend around 13.2% of their IT budgets on focuses like cybersecurity. While you might assume that more efficient systems will only increase that number, that’s simply not the case where integration is concerned.
Think of it like this – an integrated security solution might be able to do more to protect your business, but it does so with fewer elements, thus, your system can cut costs in itself. And that’s not the only way integration can save you money. Many insurers are willing to offer discounts when you have a high-efficiency integrated security system. Integrated system upgrades are also more affordable and will see you paying once instead of having to fork out to update every security component. And, of course, integrated security saves you money on the losses that theft might cause you otherwise.
# 3 – Enhanced threat detection
Threat detection and response are the name of the security game, and they’re a whole lot easier with the real-time, informed insights that integrated systems provide.
Let’s say you don’t integrate your systems. A threat is detected on CCTV, but there’s no way to check whether that person should be present, and your security team has missed the warning video footage. That person can pretty much do what they like. Now, let’s say you do integrate your systems. Suspicious video activity is immediately cross-referenced with access controls to identify an unauthorized presence. Your CCTV system can then automatically start recording, as well as automating door locks and sending out an alert in real-time. The thief is then stopped before they can do a thing.
This real-time situational awareness, and the automated responses that come with it, can significantly reduce the risks of escalating, or unchecked security threats at all times.
# 4 – Fully scalable safety
Safety scalability can be the bane of any manager’s life, especially when it comes to disparate security systems that often require complete rewrites to cater for things like new employee permissions. If businesses are also opening up new offices in different locations, they’d have to pay for standalone security systems all over again.
Security integration bypasses all of that, making it easier to alter and oversee permissions and video surveillance across multiple locations at any one time. This ensures security that grows alongside your company, and which can easily cater for even global expansions without additional costs.
Conclusion
Corporate security systems need to change to ensure safety in the face of modern threats, and integration is the best option. Disparate solutions and the errors and oversights they invite simply aren’t up to the challenge any longer.
Instead, companies should seek the best integrated security systems they can find, which come complete with automation and cross-checking capabilities without human input. Only then can they remain fully protected against every risk.