Page 8 - Campus Security & Life Safety, October 2018

UNIFIED SOLUTIONS
to the areas they should not? Identity and access management systems can help you put procedures in place that grant access to specified areas for specified times. Break it down by identity, and get as detailed as pos- sible. For example, only nurses and doctors should have access to the pharmaceutical closets while the custodial staff should not.
When a new employee is hired, many departments are involved in the onboarding process including HR, IT, and the security team, and they all have different procedures and need to communicate. Sending several emails and managing spreadsheets is cumbersome and ineffi- cient. It also takes days to process one new employee. An identity man- agement system streamlines that process using workflows that close gaps. All departments can log in, fill in their information and the employee is onboarded in minutes.
A record is kept for auditing purposes. It’s reporting capabilities help healthcare institutions meet HIPAA compliance requirements. This saves time and money while mitigating risk, and improves busi- ness processes across the organization.
VISITOR MANAGEMENT
How are visitors managed? Paper logbooks are ineffective and provide no useable data. Most often, security managers are concerned with employees, visitors and contractors, but in campus environments, add patients and students to that list. Who poses the biggest risk? Cloud- based visitor management systems engage faculty and employees and create a more secure environment. Visits are scheduled and temporary access cards can provide access to specified areas during the scheduled visit time only.
Information is provided to the visitor in advance of their arrival. Important information about where to park, for example, can help make a visitor feel more welcome, providing a positive experience and creating a good first impression for your brand.
VIDEO MANAGEMENT
Once you’ve figured out what you need to protect, you can determine how many cameras you will need and how you want to manage your video system. See events in either real time or after the fact to investi- gate alarms and incidents. When integrated with an access control sys- tem, more information is provided to the security team so they can make better, more informed decisions about how to respond and you provide a safer environment to your patients, students and staff.
ACCESS CONTROL
The access control system is often the heart of the security system. Your risk assessment will determine where access is most needed. Bud- get usually drives this process, and often access control is completed in phases. The most critical doors receive card readers first, such as phar- maceutical closets, office areas and laboratories in healthcare facilities, and residence hall perimeter doors, research labs and professor offices on university campuses. Corporate campuses focus on perimeter and office doors.
Phase two can start securing the next set of doors. There are always more doors that need access. Plan out the phases and budget accordingly.
INCIDENT MANAGEMENT
Security officers add another layer of security to any campus environ- ment. Equipping security officers with the right tools helps mitigate risk. An incident and case management system can help security officers investigate, analyze and document incidents so companies can make informed decisions. Incidents happen every day, and proper tracking of them can help a company determine if maintenance is needed or if a
certain employee always seems to be present during a slip and fall.
In a campus environment, a lot of time and money are spent dis- patching security officers or maintenance staff to investigate incidents: leaky roof, burned out lights, slip and falls, etc. Tracking incidents can help a company better allocate its resources, saving money. An inci- dent and case management system can integrate with your access con-
trol system to mitigate risk and enforce compliance.
In public environments, an incident management system can pro-
vide an efficient way to communicate among the security officers. Sus- picious individuals can be flagged in the system and communicated to staff between shifts to be on the lookout.
COMMAND AND CONTROL
While operating all these systems may seem like too much to manage, it’s not. Larger campuses should consider investing in a command and control software system to manage all systems. The software allows you to manage most systems from a single window. Rather than jumping from application to application to respond to an alarm, users can see everything from the one window. Manage not only the security func- tions, but HVAC, water, BMS, intrusion, etc. The security operator is more efficient, can respond faster and provide better security.
UNIFIED SECURITY PLATFORM
Choosing a unified system from one company provides many benefits. First, the systems are designed to work with each other, which helps mitigate risk. This also eliminates integration issues or “breaks” the different upgrades often produce. Security staff only needs to learn one operating system, which saves training time and money.
Second, choosing a unified solution means going to one place for support. If you have a site support agreement with your manufac- turer, that manufacturer should commit to providing technical sup- port for your entire system, including any third party systems. This is a huge benefit for the customer. There is one number to call, one company to deal with and one relationship. Finger pointing between manufacturers is eliminated. And best of all, the customer only receives one bill. There is nothing worse than getting nickeled and dimed for support issues. This allows the customer to better budget their resources and save money.
Third, companies will also save money when they choose a unified solution because they are working with one company. It’s easier to negotiate better pricing when committing to one manufacturer for your unified system. They understand your overall security needs, goals and plans, and should have a vested interest in your success.
Overall, deploying and operating a unified system mitigates risk, saves money and helps an organization meet compliance.
FUTURE PROOF
Plan out your security system for five to 10 years and phase in solu- tions as budget allows. Choose technologies that can grow and expand as your organization grows. Watch pricing structures and understand product road maps before committing to a project of 10 years or more.
Select a manufacturer who wants to be a true partner. You are mak- ing a long term investment and commitment,
therefore the relationship is important. Under-
stand your manufacturer’s company culture and
get to know who you will be working with on a daily basis.
Kim Rahfaldt is the Director of Media Relations at AMAG Technology.
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