Discover the cost-saving potential of a unified physical security system

Thinking about investing in a physical security system soon? Explore some of the key differences between integrated and unified security approaches below. Understanding this now, can save you time, money, and headaches later.  

Understanding integrated systems and their inherent costs 

An integrated security system connects standalone solutions such as access control, video, and automatic license plate recognition from various vendors. Since this is done using a software development kit (SDK), the communication between each system is usually limited. So, while   you might be able to receive intrusion or access control events within your video system’s interface, the activities remain siloed: interactions with information from each system takes place in independent tasks and are presented separately. In principle, these activities are co located – but, in reality, the actions, reporting, investigation, and maintenance take place on their own, with little crossover. 

What are the cost implications of an integrated system? Here are some  things to consider: 

• If your operators are still jumping between applications to find all relevant information from your physical security systems, how much does this delay in reaction time expose you to increased risk? How much will these additional liabilities cost you in the long run? 

• If you upgrade one system and run into compatibility issues with another integrated system, how much time and money will it cost to get things back to normal?   

• How does each system’s workflow differ for cybersecurity?  Can your cybersecurity strategy be impacted by these differences? What could that cost your organization?  

• How much time is spent by your operators learning about new features and functionalities? Consider the time and resources that would be saved if all of this was learned within one familiar interface. How many maintenance agreements do you need to renew every year? What is the total amount of time and money that you’re spending on maintenance agreements renewals? Are there other areas of your security operations that could benefit from that budget? 

 

Initially, trying to piece together separate components from different vendors might seems like the more economical route. When you really take time to think through how the management and maintenance of separate security systems can affect your team’s time, processes, and budget, you might realize it’s more than you bargained for.

Breaking down the cost-efficiencies of unified physical security  

A unified security system offers a suite of physical security products developed as one solution. Whether you start with access control or video surveillance and eventually add other systems such as intercom, analytics, or intrusion, you can manage all your security systems and data in one comprehensive solution.   

Working from a unified security platform ensures your operators experience a standardized and consistent approach across all security tasks. This includes everything from alarm management and investigations to maintenance and cybersecurity updates.   

Choosing a unified approach doesn’t mean you’re choosing a closed one. Unified systems that use an open architecture allow you to choose the devices and systems that fit your needs, while presenting them together in a unified fashion. 

All things considered, unification can be the most cost-effective choice for your organization. Here are a few key examples of how unification delivers more value for your money.

 

 

Easier maintenance and streamlined processes  

Keeping your systems up-to-date and optimized requires regular maintenance. Since unification blends your different security components into one platform, you can easily update and upgrade your security systems and devices, without worrying about compatibility issues.   

Managing devices in one spot also helps you stay up to date. You can prioritize your maintenance tasks by pinpointing which device’s firmware require updates. This helps you keep on top of your system updates – whether its resolving critical security flaws or simple incremental improvements. You can also automate system health checks and device status reports or use other built-in tools to identify opportunities that can enhance your cyber resilience. The unified view makes it easier to manage all maintenance tasks across your entire security installation.   

Less operator training time and costs   

With a unified platform, your team is managing all their security tasks from a single solution. This minimizes the training they’ll need and streamlines the learning experience. Operators can also learn gradually with select courses to get up to speed on what’s new, which is much less disruptive and costly than taking your operators away from work for intensive full-day training.  

Whether your team is managing two or 10 security applications within the unified platform, all the basic tasks are in a similar interface. No matter the technical skill of your operators, they’ll quickly become familiar with common workflows. Soon after, they’ll feel confident in navigating the platform autonomously and require little to no supervision in handling day-to-day activities.   

How does this impact your security operations? When your operators feel in control of the security environment, they can work more efficiently and make better decisions. With an optimized workforce, your team can spend some time addressing other important objectives or critical tasks.   

Better long-term business value and ROI 

When you have multiple physical security systems under one platform, you’re collecting a lot of valuable data. With unification, you can use this data to enhance your business operations. As your needs evolve, you can easily turn on different business intelligence modules within the platform and use your security information to inform operational decisions.   

For instance, your automatic license plate recognition system can show you how many vehicles enter your property during a given time frame. Your facilities team could use this data to adapt traffic flow through your property or enhance parking capacity.  

As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, some businesses are leveraging video and analytics solutions to manage new health and safety requirements. Within the unified platform, this is enabled through a built-in occupancy management module which alerts operators when capacity limits have been reached.    

These are just a few examples of how a security team can extract more value from a unified system over time. These new business applications not only offer the potential for higher returns on investment; they also help c-suite executives understand that the right physical security technology can enable new ways of working, well beyond your security department.  

Thinking unification is the right move?

Learn more about how our unified security portfolio helps you bring your security and operations together.