What if security were smarter? What if it were seamlessly integrated with IT? These wishes are coming true thanks to the emerging concept of Physical Security Information Management (PSIM).
The purpose of PSIM is to turn previously disconnected data from various security applications and subsystems into a single-interface to provide well-organized, well-integrated security intelligence. With PSIM, security can be managed via the network, leveraging multiple data points to allow more proactive and nuanced execution of security.
Not only does security get smarter with PSIM, it also becomes much more personal. For example, when an employee swipes his or her access card to enter a secure section of the facility, they are not only confirmed or denied access, but all of their personal information—from his or her salary, position, security clearance level, even personal things like Facebook accounts—is immediately available via the network for the perusal of security or IT personnel. If there’s a problem, security professionals now have access to a great deal more information than they did in the past, allowing them to make more informed decisions in order to resolve situations more quickly and accurately.
It all adds up to what security pros call increased situational awareness. “PSIM empowers personnel to identify and proactively resolve situations,” says Larry Lien, vice president of Product Management for PSIM provider Proximex. “Organizations looking to increase control [and] improve situation awareness and management reporting are great candidates for adopting PSIM technology.”
Lien says PSIM is rapidly growing due to an increased interest in integrating information through the power of the IT network. Cost efficiencies in our changing economy are also a factor. “[Organizations] want to be able to better utilize new security technologies but often with limited operational staff,” he says. “PSIM solutions allow information from these systems to be integrated in an automated fashion to provide improved awareness of incidents, minimizing risks, managing compliance and reducing costs.
In addition, as security applications expand, it’s more incumbent than ever to have them fully integrated. “Enterprise-level organizations with robust security operations centers are no longer relegated to traditional intrusion alarm, access control alarm management or video surveillance, but instead are taking on additional facility management and operational tasks like handling power outages, water main breaks, public demonstrations and more,” says Lien. “PSIM technology like [our] Surveillint [system] allows these enterprises to quickly and seamlessly centralize existing systems to be monitored via a single console, without the expense of complicated integrations and increased staff resources.”
“The idea of having a centralized management console for important security controls just makes sense,” says Tamar Newberger, vice president of Marketing at Catbird Security. “One or two security devices alone do not tell much about a specific security event. [For example,] a firewall will report on the status of a connection, but not on the content related to that connection. An IDS [intrusion detection system] will report on an active exploit, but not on details of the attacker. The key to painting a detailed picture of an organization’s security posture is to combine multiple operational messages from within the infrastructure, which is what PSIM accomplishes. PSIM or PSIM-like solutions are essential to any organization holding proprietary information, such as financial institutions, healthcare organizations and government entities.”
To sum up, the core functions of a PSIM system are as follows:
- It collects data from numerous security subsystems.
- It analyzes the data and figures out what the situation is and how much attention it needs.
- It presents those results in a clear, understandable way for security and/or IT personnel.
- It explicitly advises the security operator what to do to resolve a situation.
- It compiles reports for the purposes of analysis and compliance.
- Because every action is recorded, it allows you to check up on the efficacy and performance of your security personnel.
On paper, PSIM is the consummate marriage of policy and security. It’s not as simple as one might hope, but it is an extremely worthy goal in today’s connected, data-driven world. Our slideshow gives you six things to think about when considering a PSIM solution.
If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!
Leave a Reply