The 4 stages of unification: unlocking the long term value of unified security

Most companies know long-term investments make good business sense a good security plan is no different. Focusing on the short-term and investing in proprietary independent solutions can throw a wrench in your operations when your needs outgrow your physical security system.

Moving to unified security can make all the difference in helping you achieve greater long-term value. That’s because a unified security platform gives you the flexibility to build and evolve your physical security operations, one component at a time. Choosing an open-architecture platform further ensures you can adopt new technologies and hardware as your business and security needs change.

All systems are all managed from a common infrastructure, making system functionality consistent across all your tasks. This means when you’re ready to add a new system, change out hardware, or update software and firmware, everything will be simpler.

 

 

#1 When is the right time to think about unified security?

The starting point is usually modernizing one core system like access control or video surveillance. You might be looking for solutions to address your immediate needs, but the decisions you make from the start determine how you’ll be able to evolve your system architecture in the future. Integrated systems might look like the simple solution to solving a specific function, but in the long run, they can be a costly and inefficient way to manage your security operations as your demands change. 

When selecting a security product to protect your business and people, you need to consider how the solution you’re investing in will be able to adapt to your business needs moving forward. A unified physical security platform could prove to fulfill today’s requirements while ensuring easier and more efficient opportunities for growth tomorrow. 

For more about extending the lifespan of physical security through unification, check out our whitepaper.

#2 Change is good – is your system designed to evolve? 

Maybe you’ve already invested in a core access control or video surveillance system and now you want to connect more systems to your platform. At this stage, so much depends on your system’s ability to make connections with other vendor solutions. And this is where integrated systems struggle.  

Custom integrations are very costly and difficult to maintain and adding new technologies, whether software or hardware, is not always possible. In many instances, you’re either forced to accept these limitations or replace your entire system.

A unified security platform removes these limitations because core systems have been designed to work together and compatibility is always maintained. There’s also over 900 integrations and third-party add-ons that you can choose from, so you’re never locked into any technology. Since applications are embedded in a single platform with one intuitive interface, operations, upgrades, and maintenance are streamlined.

Even hardware and software configurations happen in one central place within your platform so your team will always have a smooth experience. All data from your sensors feed into the same user-friendly interface, ensuring your operators can view alarms and access other information from your systems in a few mouse clicks.

#3 Why are centralized and normalized data a big deal? 

When data from all your systems is centralized, your operators can work more efficiently. For example, you can standardize your reporting and consolidate your security data in daily, weekly, or monthly reports. This gives you a bird’s-eye view of what’s happening in your environment, so you don’t have to worry about searching through different systems or sensors to find the information you need.

Even during a live incident, data flows freely between systems, giving your operators the full picture. This speeds up response and ensures your team can get things back to normal faster. Within the unified platform, you can also automate response protocols and other security-related workflows which minimizes operator overload and increases your team’s productivity.

How does this differ from an integrated system? Limited interoperability affects your team’s ability to access and understand your security data. Operators will have to jump around between systems to get the information needed to make effective decisions and remain compliant. Ultimately, this slows them down, amps up their stress levels, and weakens your security efforts.

Want to know the difference between a unified vs integrated physical security solution? Check out our infographic. 

#4 Unification – much more than just security 

Another big difference between unified and integrated security is the ability to use your investments and expand your operations beyond security.

The security data you collect can provide incredible insights into your operations or even streamline processes outside the security department. But as mentioned earlier, integrated systems have inherent limitations that hold you back from adding new technologies or implementing new applications. Without the right levels of system interoperability and data consolidation, you may not be able to maximize your security investments for new corporate objectives.

On the other hand, a unified system blends your entire technology stack, not just security, in one place, allowing you to derive insights and improve business operations. Harnessing the power of centralized data makes it possible to transform raw information into invaluable business intelligence across a multitude of departments. This helps you identify new business opportunities, share security upgrade costs with other business entities, and get more value from your investments over time.

Check out our customer stories to learn why over 13,000 customers chose Genetec™ Security Center.