In addition to the cameras, the company introduced an IP-based physical access control solution, which supports a single door or thousands of them. One component in the new offering, the Cisco Access Gateway, works with existing door readers, locks and biometric devices. The Cisco Physical Access Manager software manages the hardware and can be integrated with the Cisco Video Surveillance systems. Cisco has been able to gain customers trust with its network and security products despite the fact that they are often higher priced than competitors systems. Consequently, the vendor is in a good position to become a key supplier of physical security products.
The companys announcement underscores a couple of changes in the security market. Increasingly, physical security systems are becoming less physical and more intelligent. As these products gain smarts, they are being integrated into corporate networks. In addition, vendors are shifting their attention to physical security products as other markets, such as computer hardware and network equipment, continue to reach commodity status. Also increasingly, physical security is shifting from an area that was under the bailiwick of the facilities department to the IT department. And small and Medium businesses are funneling more and more money into security products. While the risk of a break in and someone stealing a computer with sensitive information is miniscule, companies still need to protect themselves from such possible intrusions. The net/net is small and medium businesses need to pay more attention to developments in this market now more than ever before.
Who is in charge of physical security at your company? What products have you installed? What new products are you looking to deploy?