The convergence of physical and electronic security

Abstract

An all seeing eye Cisco has announced that it is to buy a video surveillance company - SyPixx Networks for $51 million. With the acquisition, it plans to connect video cameras to the IP network. The merging of the technology would potentially allow for a video to be more rapidly searched than if using analog. In addition, there will be no need for analog viewing central control room onsite, claims Cisco. Video could be speedily shared between different locations. The network giant reckons that the market will be worth $2 billion by 2007. The small acquisition of SyPixx, which has only 27 employees, could be sign of a bigger shift towards convergence for the industry as a whole. Cisco plans to get customers from retail, transport, banking, financial services and gaming markets. All of the big surveillance companies are moving towards IP. In addition, companies are starting to have the IT security and physical security functions both reporting into the same boss - the Chief Security Officer (CSO). Infosec is concerned with watching what we do virtually and physical security monitors what we do physically. A combined picture would be more powerful. Many solutions to information security problems have been stolen from the physical security approach. The idea of protecting the physical castle perimeter with walls is akin to the firewall protecting the soft vulnerable network. But the network no longer follows the fortress-like ideology. The opening up of networks for mobile access will need a rethink for guarding blurry boundaries. In the physical world, the boundaries are much clearer. Infosec may not be able to learn from physical secuity practices to fix that one. People have always been concerned with their physical security. But security of information is a more recent phenomenon. Both types of security have been traditionally disparate. But with phyiscal security moving towards electronic mechanisms - surely both can be converged? Dr Andy Jones discusses.