DALLAS--On Feb. 28, just two days after giving the keynote address at
TechSec Solutions, a conference focused on the impact of IP technology
on the physical security industry, David Bunzel, managing director of
Santa Clara Consulting Group, convened a group of 20 industry
manufacturers and integrators to discuss standards creation. At the end
of the day, the group had formed the Physical Security Interoperability
Alliance, with a goal of working to promote the interoperability of
IP-enabled security devices.
"Standards
will become more critical in the physical security industry as IP
devices grow in importance," said Bunzel. "The involvement of important
industry leaders will be essential to getting industry adoption of
standards. The future activities of the PSIA could provide the
foundation for standards that will support significant growth and
development in the physical security industry."
At this initial meeting, those present decided standards for device discovery and video compression are the most pressing.
Companies
involved include: Adesta, ADT, Anixter, Axis, Cisco, CSC, DVTel, GE
Security, Genetec, HID Global, IBM, IQinVision, Johnson Controls, March
Networks, Milestone, Orsus, Panasonic, Sony, Texas Instruments, Pelco
and Verint.
Representatives from these firms will meet again at ISC West.
Currently,
the most active body working on standards for the security industry may
be the Security Industry Association, which recently released ANSI
standards for control panels with features for false alarm reduction
and for digital communication/IP event reporting. Recently, public
comment ended on the Open, Systems Integration and Performance
Standard, which, according to the SIA Web site, seeks to define "how
security components may interoperate with other security components ...
The Framework is six interfaces and additional fundamental elements
that define the elements that are shared among all OSIPS interface
models. They are Component Connection, Capabilities Exchange, Event
Reporting, Authentication and Authorization, IO Point and Schedule
Exchange."
Monica Vago Rigano, director of SIA standards, said
she was encouraged to hear about the new PSIA. "Any increased level in
interest in the concept of standards is a good thing for the industry,"
she said.
SIA would look to harmonize with any
standards-making body in security to avoid contradictory overlap, she
said, but the lack of very many standards in the first place makes
confusion or competition unlikely, she reasoned.
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