The Changing Landscape
As with any major shift or trend in an industry, it's interesting to watch the change in the overall landscape of that industry. The traditional analog-based landscape is made up of experts in physical security. Just last week I spoke with a gentleman whose title is Director of Security at a firm specializing in research services. Included in his past resume is a long stint as a member of a U.S. law enforcement SWAT team in the mid-west. (He shared with me that he believes he has lost some hearing after being so close to gun shots while on duty.) The traditional integrators also come from this area of expertise (physical security). They bring a wealth of expertise in securing and protecting environments from public places to private enterprise and government entities.
With the movement to the IP network, there are new participants entering the landscape. Some you would expect to be interested in video surveillance on the IP network. Others that surprise even me! I'll discuss this more in future posts. But, suffice it to say that some of these new entrants are those traditional players who have extensive expertise in IT (information technology) and the data center. These are the software and hardware engineers who design and build network infrastructures that are prevalant around the globe. And, of course, companies such as Sun Microsystems whose DNA is built on IT and the IP network.
You might want to check out what the Lund University, School of Economics and Management, is doing to study the phenomena resulting from the convergence of physical security and IT. I am a participant in that study (it's a five-year program and we're two years in). Check out their website to get their perspective on the marketplace and how alliances are changing. (Page down on the site to see the reports they have published thusfar.)
My primary contact at the university conducting this research is Paul Pierce (paul.pierce@hermes.ics.lu.se). Hopefully, I can entice Paul to post some comments regarding his research!
