What:
Physical security information management (PSIM) is a category of software that provides a platform and applications created by middleware developers, designed to integrate multiple unconnected security applications and devices and control them through one comprehensive user interface.
How:
It collects and correlates events from existing disparate security devices and information systems (video, access control, sensors, analytics, networks, building systems, etc.) to empower personnel to identify and proactively resolve situations.
Why:
PSIM integration enables numerous organizational benefits, including increased control, improved situational awareness and management reporting. Ultimately, these solutions allow organizations to reduce costs through improved efficiency and to improve security through increased intelligence.
Features of PSIM platforms:
A complete PSIM software system has six key capabilities that help to distinguish it from other forms of integration:
1. Collection – Device management independent software collects data from any number of disparate security devices or systems.
2. Analysis – The system analyzes and correlates the data, events and alarms to identify the real situations and their priority.
3. Verification – PSIM software presents the relevant situation information in a quick and easily-digestible format for an operator to verify the situation.
4. Resolution – The system provides Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), step-by-step instructions based on best practices and an organization’s policies, and tools to resolve the situation.
5. Reporting – The PSIM software tracks all the information and steps for compliance reporting, training and potentially, in-depth investigative analysis.
6. Audit trail – The PSIM also monitors how each operator interacts with the system, tracks any manual changes to security systems and calculates reaction times for each event.
What PSIM does:
Beyond the time-saving and efficiency benefits of automation, PSIM enables modern business processes that are essential to any modern security department. For organizations, this includes regular reports, incident logs, continuous process improvement initiatives, training drills, system healthcare checks, and much more.
Verification of Threats:
Many of the alarms and alerts that come into the security environment are not really threats. These need to be prioritized according to risk, such as time of day, location of personnel and a whole range of other critical factors. ‘Dynamic alarm management’ is required to find the ‘hot’ ones which indicate that some action may need to be taken. Connected systems and automation of processes such as key personnel alerting, video verification, and Service Level Agreements (SLA) will help to enable situational awareness and ensure alarms/alerts are followed up quickly and in a relevant manner.
Creating Centralized Security:
PSIM is enabling companies such as yours to create centralized security infrastructures, some of the advantages this provides includes:
- Complete situational awareness
- Consistent levels of security across all sites, so no weak links
- Cost reductions through reduced manned guards
- Cost reductions through fewer control rooms
- Better use of remote monitoring
- Reports and dashboards covering the entire security estate
Extracting Security ROI:
PSIM has become the perfect catalyst for this transition from systems, which are reliant on constant monitoring and input by security personnel to information based systems which proactively manage the increasing volume of information in the control room. To further drive value from the security departments of a company, PSIM data mining and analytic capabilities can be utilized to create highly specialized reports for other department heads.