Issue link: https://securitytechnologyexecutive.epubxp.com/i/530736
18 SECURITY TECHNOLOGY EXECUTIVE • May/June 2015 www.SecurityInfoWatch.com managers, but there are other benefits as well. Lawrence says new technology allows for users to go from passive monitoring to pro-active con- trol of facilities. "For example, a hospital cus- tomer had a problem with inventory shrinkage and came to us for help. Items from bandages to wheelchairs to expensive medical equipment were disappearing across their large campus," he said. To counter this, CM3 provided the hospital with tracking tags and proximity devices to locate missing items. Although this is expensive, time spent locating items causes loss of productivity and staff cannot work efficiently when they don't have all the tools necessary for their jobs. Another example L awrence sites is the expansion of security alarms as tools to estab- lish accountability and drive personnel actions. Instead of an alarm merely sounding when an incident occurs, such as detecting that a door is ajar, cameras fix on the open door and the image is immediately displayed on monitors in the secu- rity center. Images show both the alarm incident and real time views of the site. Next, staff is required to indicate they are aware of the prob- lem. Then, the system provides specific instruc- tions to resolve the issue, such as to investigate the area that has been accessed and close the door, and prioritizes how urgently these actions must be taken. The system provides an audit trail of the incident and actions taken and establishes accountability for how the incident was handled. A s new technolog y comes available and increases in popularity, costs typically go down, making advanced systems more cost effective and available to more users. As demand increases for integrated systems that can handle both routine building management and unique and one-off situations, open protocols, such as BACnet, are crucial to enabling the most integration between various sub-systems within the building, says Bennett from Control Services. IT and FM Staff Unite Ironically, as integration of all the systems in a building is becoming a reality and as more facil- ity staff want and need global access to system controls and data, the biggest obstacle to integra- tion is often an enterprise company's IT depart- ment, say both Bennett and Lawrence. Success- ful, secure and accessible integration, however, requires cooperation between the IT and facilities staff. Historically these two groups have been at odds and neither department was very good at speaking with the other. Both have typically been separate departments with separate reporting structures and each is protective of its specific networks and devices. This arrangement has suit- ed both groups fine. IT staff hasn't wanted the BAS and all its associated third-party products on the IT network and facility staff has preferred autonomy over their network. The time for this division to end is now, notes Bennett. "IT networks are more hardened and secure than the typical BAS network has been and the IT infrastructure is also more robust and resilient, so it is much more efficient to use this network as the backbone for the whole facility," he says. Because an IT network uses an encrypted virtual private network (VPN) it automatically has the appropriate level of security to safely support the access users want on mobile devices, which facilitates providing this level of access. This heightened security offers protection for the entire integrated building network as well, so both IT and facility staff can be confident in the safety of their equipment. Communication between the IT and facility staff is key to bridging the divide and must start as early in the process of developing an integra- tion project as possible, according to Lawrence. "Waiting until the project is underway and asking IT staff for access to a network to add equipment creates conflict. IT staff may reject equipment, believing it has not been thoroughly vetted for its security." But when the IT staff works in con- junction with the facility staff everyone can have more confidence that the integration won't open the network to up to vulnerability. Future Trends Some of the basic parts of the BAS will not change—there is little chance of revolutionary new damper technology coming on the mar- ket—but that doesn't mean we won't see many technological innovations in the future for building operators to take advantage of as they integrate facilities. Future integration technol- ogy will change how and where that damper is activated and provide more information about how that activation impacts the facility. Today, operators want access to facility data on mobile devices such as tablets and phones. Wearable technology is the newest trend and eventually the demand for building control via BUILDING AUTOMATION SYSTEMS All the diverse systems within buildings—from HVAC, to access control, to lighting, to life safety—matched with varied demands of each building's users means that the integration needs of facilities are wide-ranging.