The Open Security Exchange, a cross-industry association dedicated to addressing interoperability between disparate systems and recommending best practices for the convergence of physical and IT security, announced three new work initiatives to forward the mission of the organization. The initiatives were among several discussed at the first meeting of the Convergence Council held February 9, 2005.
New initiatives recommended by the Convergence Council in collaboration with OSE Advisory Members include:
1. The OSE should become a "knowledge broker" in the area of IT and physical security convergence. By forming a work group to review available documents from many cross-industry sources, the OSE will pull these documents together to assist end users in quickly researching topics of interest and identifying resources that can assist in problem-solving.
2. There is a need to simplify the credentialing and de-provisioning of a combined physical and IT credential. A new work group will begin to address this topic by combining the real-world experience of the Convergence Council members with available technologies and best practices offered by industry.
3. There is a need to synchronize the multiple "people systems" (i.e., individual databases used for human resources, physical security, IT, etc.) used in enterprise and government today. A work group will look at how this synchronization is done today and what improvements are possible.
"The OSE process provides an avenue for open discussion between partners (both industry and government) to enable new, efficient processes based on the convergence of identity and access control. The Defense Manpower Data Center is pleased to be invited to participate in this forum," says DMDC's Mike Butler.
Steve Hunt with A4 International comments that "the specific initiatives gleaned from the OSE Convergence Council meeting represent the most beneficial projects from the point of view of the end user - and that's what sets the OSE apart from other industry groups focused on selling products".
The OSE Convergence Council is comprised of security professionals including: Michael Butler of the Defense Manpower Data Center, Adam Stanislaus of First Data Corporation, James Connor (formerly) of PeopleSoft, and Jon Hodgdon of Procter & Gamble. Advisory Members include Sandy Jones of Sandra Jones & Company and Steve Hunt, security industry analyst with 4A International.
For more information about the Convergence Council or to apply to join, corporate security professionals are invited to send inquiries to [email protected].
