Page 10 - Security Today, January/February 2019

Unlocking the Benefits
Internet of Things solution promises greater connectively and organization insights
BTy Jimmy Palatsoukas
he Internet of Things (IoT) promises greater connec- tivity, which, when properly leveraged, can provide in- valuable insight into our organizations and our opera- tional environments. In the security sector, increased connectivity between sensors and systems gives us ac-
cess to more data than we thought possible even just a few years ago. We have long been able to connect an access control system (ACS) with a video management system. This integration is used to validate the authenticity of events against associated video. It is what allows se- curity personnel to verify that a forced door event is not a false positive. Today, we can also connect to a wide and diverse array of systems, including intercom, perimeter intrusion detection, gunshot detection, and automatic license plate recognition (ALPR). In addition to pro- viding greater situational awareness, our increased connectivity also allows us to effectively automate decision-making and help guide per-
sonnel in their investigations. And we can do more.
Beyond security, access to more data gives us the opportunity
to collaborate and create new ties with other teams, including op- erations, marketing, and human resources. By tapping into security infrastructure, these teams can use analytic tools to derive valuable insights from a wide variety of data to make improvements that can positively impact a business’s bottom line.
Retailers in brick and mortar stores, for example, now have access to real-time information on their customer’s experience. With this timely information, management and marketing teams are able to see how shoppers move through their environments, determine when
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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 | SECURITY TODAY
and where people linger, which displays generate the most interest, and when check-out lines get too long. Working with this knowledge, they can implement changes in the store’s layout and displays as well as increase or decrease personnel on the floor to ensure that they are providing the best possible service. They can also work together to fine-tune the process and ensure that the right balance between safe- ty, loss prevention, and customer service is being met.
While we continue to discover even more benefits of increased connectivity, it is clear that the IoT comes with its own specific set of challenges. The first is figuring out how to actually connect all our sensors and systems. Then, how do we keep from overwhelming people with too much data? Finally, how do we ensure that, as we add more devices, we don’t increase the vulnerability of our networks?
How to Work Well Together
The first challenge is how to connect systems and sensors over the IoT in a way that works. Making sense of all the data we’re collecting from the ever-increasing variety of sources can be a significant hurdle to unlocking insights. Simply hooking up new sensors or systems to an existing network does not mean that they will be able to commu- nicate nor that the information they’re gathering can be understood in the same way.
To get an idea of what is involved, we can look at one of the most common IoT sensors being installed by DIY home automation enthusiasts: motion sensors. Adding a motion sensor to a network might seem like a simple task, but it requires a compatible hub, which
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