Friday, August 9, 2013

Big Data Gives Standards-Based Security Big Opportunities



by Larry Lien, chairman, the PSIA; vice president, product management, Proximex

“Big Data,” which is a hot business topic, is made up of vast quantities of “little” data from an amazing array of sources. In the security realm, video images, people counts, door events, sensor readings, card swipes, biometric readings, RFID tags, alarms and alerts—taken together, these and more comprise the Big Data our industry generates.

Sophisticated data analytics can parse physical security data combined with other data to reveal valuable patterns and correlations. A city’s tourism bureau might combine historic weather data, video images and crowd counts from various venues on specific dates to understand tourist behavior patterns better and how to tailor discount offers to send to smart phones. Meanwhile, a security director might use the same data to scale resources more efficiently across different venues based on predictive analytics forecasts of trouble spots.

In short, security systems gather unique data that can be used to generate additional business value beyond securing the enterprise. PSIA members building our specifications into their tools and systems will be well positioned to be part of the data revolution. Standards-based systems integrate faster with enterprise IT infrastructure and its tools; share data and intelligence more easily across many platforms; and eliminate the need for expensive and difficult-to-maintain custom interfaces.

During the upcoming ASIS annual show, the PSIA will again be demonstrating how our Working Groups are anticipating and acting on security, IT and business trends. Members adopting our specifications are positioned to deliver business value alongside better security solutions. You don’t need Big Data analytics to know that’s a winning proposition in today’s markets.

(Please join us at the PSIA's Enterprise User Interoperability Showcase at ASIS on September 23. Register here to reserve space for you and your colleagues.)