Home » Magazine Archives » February 2006
Security Technology Executive
Most Read
Most Emailed
E-mail Article
Print Article
Is Outsourcing Right for You?
Avoid missteps in choosing your method of access controlThe Latest from SIW
Mace to launch dealer program, acquire central station Basics of establishing an employee ID badging system The security week that was: 1/02/09 The top 40 security stories of 2008 Homemade bombs force evacuations in Aspen, Colo. Toronto wraps up municipal surveillance pilot project
I am frequently asked my opinion as to who has the best security system or solution. As a consultant, I have to answer that no one manufacturer or provider has the answer for all security challenges.
A truly unbiased consultant learns to look for the most appropriate solutions for each challenge. In my many years of developing security solutions for my clients, I can honestly say that not one has been identical to another. Like a fingerprint, each program has been unique, with unique threat and vulnerability issues, preferences and cultural challenges.
All security programs should be developed to address the threats and vulnerabilities identified in an assessment. Mitigation strategies should be developed based on this assessment.
One of the early decisions to make in the development of a security program is whether to use an in-house security management program or to outsource this function.
What Are Your Options?
Many of my clients have opted for an in-house security program. It provides them a sense of comfort and control. They are willing to make the investment in staff, and they have often already implemented traditional access control technology as a capital investment. But what about outsourcing the technology? Outsourcing access control?
Central stations have been contracting to monitor intrusion and fire detection systems for many years. Companies that cannot justify maintaining their own a security staff have often relied upon central stations to provide alarm monitoring services.
Successes and Failures
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, some central stations began offering access control components—basic card readers—in their systems. The reader programming and reporting was typically executed locally, but a few central stations began to bring the programming and management into their own shops, calling it outsourced access control service. The entire concept grew more complicated than anticipated for some of these firms, and many eventually dropped the offering. There is still at least one national firm—and there may be more of which I'm unaware—that has been successful in providing this service.
