By J. Matthew Ladd, The Protection Bureau
Security is an important investment to protect not just employees who work in a building, but also anyone who may visit that specific facility. Regardless of the exact dollar amount spent, many end users have similar expectations – they want to make sure they can continue to leverage the benefits of their newly installed access control or surveillance system two, three and five years into the future.
However, with technology rapidly changing, what steps can an end user take to future proof their security system?
System Maintenance
Invest in regular system maintenance of both your access control and surveillance systems. Most manufactures have a publish update schedule on a quarterly basis or semi-annual basis. However, even though a manufacturer will issue software updates to either enhance a system or to fix a bug, never allow an update to be done to your system without first verifying the update with your systems integrator. It’s important to have a valid software agreement so you can be notified when there’s an update and when it’s completed. You also want to make sure any software updates are proven to be stable.
Reputation and Capacity
When buying a new access control system, it’s important to review the technology being installed to determine whether it is reliable and from a reputable company. While installing cutting-edge technology from a start-up access control company may be exciting, the viability of that company in two or five years should be taken into consideration. Also, make sure that the system you are implementing can grow as your business grows. For access control systems, keep in mind the system’s reader capacity and card holder count.
Network Infrastructure
Before beginning any installation project, make sure to review your network infrastructure. While your network might have an appropriate amount of bandwidth to handle a small load of surveillance cameras, what would happen if you needed to add five or even 10 high-definition cameras in the future? A common problem in the residential market today is that many homeowners are adding surveillance cameras to their networks, but their low-cost internet service cannot handle the data upload requirements for these cameras. The same can happen in the business world, where a network can quickly exceed capacity due to a lack of knowledge about its limitations.
By taking a few simple steps, in conjunction with working with your security systems integrator, corporate security directors can protect the investment they are making in their security system by ensuring it has the proper foundation to handle future needs.