The four stages of unification: Unlock the long-term value of your physical security platform

CHECKLIST

When is the right time to think about unifying your security system?

The starting point is usually modernizing one core system, like access control or video surveillance. You might be looking for solutions to address your immediate needs, but your decisions will determine how you can evolve your system architecture in the future.

Integrated systems might look like the simplest solution to solving a specific function, but in the long run, they can be a costly and inefficient way to manage your security operations as your demands change.

When investing in a security product to protect your business and people, you need to consider whether the solution will be able to adapt to changing business needs. The good news is that it’s possible for a single physical security platform to help you meet current requirements and support future growth.

WHITE PAPER

Change can be scary—but is your system designed to evolve?

Maybe you’ve already invested in a core access control or video surveillance system and want to connect more systems to your platform. At this stage, so much depends on your system’s ability to connect with other vendor solutions. And this is where integrated systems struggle.

Custom security system integrations are costly and difficult to maintain, and adding new technologies, whether software or hardware, is not always possible. You’re often forced to either accept these limitations or replace your entire system.

A unified security platform removes these limitations because core security systems—such as video surveillance, access control, and communication—have been designed to work together, so compatibility is always maintained. When you choose a unified platform like Security Center, you benefit from over 900 security system integrations and third-party add-ons, so you’re never locked into any technology. Since applications are embedded in a single platform with one intuitive interface, your operations, upgrades, and maintenance are streamlined.

Even hardware and software configurations happen in one central place within your platform, so your team will always have a smooth experience. All data from your sensors feeds into the same user-friendly interface, ensuring your operators can view alarms and access other information from your systems in a few mouse clicks.

BLOG

Why are centralized and normalized data a big deal?

When data from all your systems is centralized, your operators can work more efficiently. For example, you can standardize your reporting and consolidate your security data in daily, weekly, or monthly reports. This gives you a bird’s-eye view of what’s happening in your environment in a single pane of glass, so you don’t have to worry about searching through different systems or sensors to find the information you need.

Even during a live incident, data flows freely between systems, giving your operators the full picture. This speeds up response and helps your team get things back to normal faster. Within the unified platform, you can also automate response protocols and other security-related workflows, which minimizes operator overload and increases your team’s productivity.

How is this different from an integrated system? Limited interoperability affects your team’s ability to access and understand your security data. In an integrated system, operators still have to jump between platforms to get the information they need to make effective decisions and remain compliant. Ultimately, this slows them down, amps up their stress levels, and weakens your security efforts.

Unification—much more than just security

Another big difference between unified and integrated security is the ability to use your investments and expand your operations beyond security.

The security data you collect can provide incredible insights into your operations or even streamline processes outside the security department. But integrated systems have inherent limitations that hold you back from adding new technologies or implementing new applications. Without the right levels of system interoperability and data consolidation, you may not be able to maximize your security investments to help achieve new corporate objectives.

A unified system blends your entire technology stack, not just your security, in one place. By centralizing data, you can convert raw information into actionable insights to improve operations in multiple departments. This helps you identify new business opportunities, share security upgrade costs with other business entities, and get more value from your investments over time.

Today, organizations must prioritize long-term investments in their physical security infrastructure. Relying only on short-term fixes or isolated systems can reduce efficiency as your security needs grow. Embracing a unified security platform offers the flexibility to develop and adapt security operations incrementally, ensuring sustained value and seamless integration of new technologies.

BLOG

The four stages of unified physical security

A unified security platform consolidates various security systems—such as access control, video surveillance, intrusion detection, and communication—into a single, cohesive infrastructure. This integration streamlines management, enhances functionality, and provides a consistent user experience across all security operations.

Opting for open and flexible deployment options also ensures greater compatibility with emerging technologies and hardware, allowing your physical security system to evolve with organizational requirements.

Stage 1: Modernizing core systems first

Unifying your security often starts by upgrading a main system, like access control or video surveillance. It’s important for your new system to address immediate security concerns, but you should also assess whether the solution can adapt over the long term. Integrated systems may offer quick fixes for specific functions, but they can become costly and inefficient as demands grow. That’s why it’s vital to select a security product that not only meets current needs but also has the scalability to adapt to future challenges.

Stage 2: Ensuring system evolution and compatibility

As your organization grows, you might need to add more systems to your security setup. Successful integration depends on whether your existing systems can work with solutions from different vendors. Integrated systems often face challenges in this area, with custom integrations being both expensive and difficult to maintain.

A unified security platform is designed for seamless interoperability, offering a wide array of integrations and third-party add-ons. This design ensures that you are not confined to specific technologies and can easily update hardware and software configurations from a centralized interface.

EBOOK 

Stage 3: Centralizing and normalizing data

Centralized data management is a cornerstone of a unified security platform. With data from all security systems aggregated into a single interface, your operators can standardize reporting and generate comprehensive insights within the security environment. This holistic view eliminates the need to navigate multiple systems, expediting incident response and facilitating the automation of security workflows.

Integrated systems often suffer from limited interoperability, compelling operators to manually compile data from disparate sources—a process that can impede decision-making and compromise security effectiveness.

BLOG

Stage 4: Leveraging unification beyond traditional security

One of the most significant advantages of a unified security platform is its potential to extend benefits beyond conventional security applications.

With centralized data, you can uncover insights that improve operations across your departments. For example, analyzing access control data can inform space utilization strategies, while surveillance analytics can enhance customer service in retail environments. This flexibility helps you get the most from your security investments, discover new opportunities, and share upgrade costs across different parts of the business.

Transitioning to a unified security platform is a strategic decision that offers substantial long-term benefits. Bringing your systems together makes it easier to manage data in one place and scale security as needed. This not only improves security but also gives you useful insights to make better business decisions.