The quick answer is “nothing” if you ask a security system installer and “may be” if you ask an information system service provider.  Would someone say “yes” with absolute confidence?  In order to appraise the validity of the confidence expressed by the yet to turn up someone, we shall review why the first 2 parties gave us different or hesitative answers.

Traditionally security system installers are electricians or have a cabling background.  They obtain their skills through hands-on experience and some of them have reliably performed for many years.  Some are smart enough to catch up with advancement of technologies and are capable of installing IPVS (Internet Protocol based Video Surveillance) systems.  However, this does not mean that they are capable of integrating an IPVS into an information system network. This is because security system installation is a different trade to IT as a discipline.  It is possible to learn IT but this will be a steep learning curve.

IT people are mostly involved in installing computers, hardware, software, applications, storage, backup, data networks, Internet connections, and in maintaining the host of services for customers.  The scope is in fact very large.  Technologies advance fast at this stage.  Most IT practitioners do not really have time to catch up all advancements not to mention learning something called video surveillance outside the large traditional IT scope.

By now, we understand that the issue is in integrating IPVS to IT and not the other way round.  In practice, engineering is the key for integration.  Integration can surely be done if we have the essential background experience and if we have engineering skills to make things work.  By design, CNZ is such a new player.  CNZ will assist security system installers and IT practitioners to step into this brand new engineering integration bandwagon over time.

In a medium to large size company, physical security is in the portfolio of the admin manager whereas IT would be assigned to a dedicated IT manager or one with good knowledge of data systems.  These companies have 2 types of internal resources and have called on 2 types of external resources for 2 systems.  With integration, these companies can reduce internal resources as well as external.  This is from a cost point of view only and they will acquire more benefits from a functional point of view too.  A senior manager will get access to information such as the state of the warehouse or production line any time he wants to for instance. The increase of productivity, operational efficiency and strategic information flow is limited to imagination and will surely lead to higher competitiveness of the company.  Would you agree with the This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ?