PSIA Demonstrates Interoperability Across Security Ecosystem and Beyond

From: Physical Security Interoperability Alliance

Leading  access control, intrusion detection, managed service providers, physical security information management (PSIM), video,and video storage vendors demonstrated the “plug and play” interoperability of their Physical Security Interoperability Alliance (PSIA)-compliant systems today  during a series of demonstrations at ASIS 2012.

The demonstrations showcased the utility of PSIA’s newest specification, Area  Control version 1.0.  This specification provides a common and comprehensive way to harmonize and share data among access control, intrusion and other systems. In turn, that interoperability provides users with optimized security management, enabling them to easily deploy integrated  policies, UI consoles, reports and dashboards, and incident management.

“Enabling  systems that have traditionally been proprietary and disparate, and allowing  them to integrate and share security data across platforms is a significant  breakthrough and benefit in the development of the PSIA standards,” said Ryan Taylor, CEO, TRUSYS, Inc., an international security consultancy.  “Organizations that invest in integrated  electronic security solutions can now interconnect any PSIA-compliant software or product. The results are greater flexibility integrating different  technologies across their enterprise, less dependence on a specific  manufacturer, and more sourcing options, which drives greater price competition in the market.”

Use  cases for PSIA specifications demonstrated included:

• Automatic discovery of equipment and systems
• Plug ‘n’ play integration between PSIM and different access control systems, intrusion detection devices and sensors, cameras and video storage and  retrieval systems.
• Hosted service provider systems interacting with access control panels for real-time access decisions
• Web-based  access control system interacting simultaneously with two PSIM systems
• Wireless  intrusion detection sensors triggering situation management events in a PSIM system,  including video camera control and image retrieval
• Security  systems, including controllers and access control, interoperating with an IP-based software framework to integrate enterprise and building automation systems.

Companies  participating in the demonstrations included:

Industry  leading companies, including ASSA ABLOY, Honeywell, Inovonics, Lenel, Mercury  Security, NICE, Stanley Security (Sonitrol), UTC, and VidSys, all collaborated  on creating the Area Control specification through PSIA’s working groups.  Commercial products and services compliant  with various PSIA specifications to be available this year include offerings  from Honeywell, Inovonics, Kastle Systems, Lenel, Mercury Security, Proximex  and UTC.

PSIA  now has released seven systems specifications built with broad industry  support. Taken together, these specifications enable interoperability among  systems across the security ecosystem and beyond, including access control, analytics, surveillance, PSIM, intrusion detection, video storage and retrieval  and building automation and enterprise systems.

Interoperability with additional enterprise systems and devices, such as building automation controls, tablet PCs and IT systems is more easily achieved with PSIA-compliant systems because they embrace clear and common definitions about security data  and events and how to share that data.

“With  leading companies exhibiting a range of PSIA-compliant systems and products at ASIS, PSIA specifications rapidly are becoming the standards for exchanging  data and intelligence across the security ecosystem,” said David Bunzel,  executive director, PSIA.