Every part of your security system – including the cameras the access control, the NVRs, servers, and other components – is essential for protecting your site. But the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. That is to say, when you integrate your security devices into a unified platform, you unleash their true potential. And that of your staff!
The benefits of integrated solutions go far beyond the ease of operation and management. They usually deliver lower costs, higher efficiency, and a host of often unexpected improvements beyond security. And these benefits matter, especially to SMEs who are size-constrained and need to manage multiple t sites spread across whole regions.
Better security and improved safety
Simply put, integration adds additional layers of protection to your system. For instance, a camera can verify alerts of unauthorized entry attempts triggered through the access control system. And they can record the scene for forensic purposes. Disparate systems don’t do this. They create gaps in security whenever operators struggle to switch between them.
Such benefits are not limited to external threats, either. Integrated systems can detect insider threats too – for instance, by watching out for any increase in the number of entries to critical areas such as server rooms.
Integrated systems can also boost safety levels in the event of a critcal incident: with a centralized alarm system you can accurate information on who is inside a building, and you can even know approximately where they are, by tracking their access control credentials.
Lower costs
Integrating different solutions simplifies their control to a single interface, which, in turn, reduces the amount of training that employees need to go through. A unified, automated solution also simplifies the management process, reducing the number of people required to manage it.
Most platforms also allow remote operations through mobile devices, making out-of-hours administration easier, especially for SMEs, which often don’t have many employees or encourage home-working.
Higher efficiency
Platforms that manage integrated systems may also offer automated visitor management, especially in multi-tenanted buildings, using ANPR and QR-code based temporary IDs that can confirm that every entry is authorized. In the event of an emergency, security operators will be better placed to help first responders with better information if they have access to all camera footage and door control.
Integration also provides comprehensive control for multi-site businesses. A retail chain, for instance, can keep track of activities in all its outlets from a single place. As well as using ANPR, verticals like retailers now have the option to easily integrate other analytic tools, such as people counting, into their security systems, helping them gain new insights into their business operations.
Makes compliance and risk management easier
Finally, security requirements at different locations, and even different parts of a single building, can vary significantly. For instance, a hospital or pharmacy may have to follow regulatory requirements that are different from that of a manufacturing site or retail store. In the same way, the way you protect an electrical room will be different to the measures you put in place for a reception area or lobby.
An integrated solution helps you get the mix right, complying with complex variations in requirements more easily. This is because you can assign specific risk levels to different areas and set up the security systems accordingly.
In other words, the current generation of flexible, scaleable integrated security solutions removes complexity, and lets you be more nimble in tackling every level of risk.
