Pushing Intelligence To The Edge

Dec 1, 2005 12:00 PM, By James Gompers

WHY IS THE SECURITY INDUSTRY showing increased interest in building control and automation? How do such systems relate to what we recognize as standard access control systems, but which are evolving into more advanced management control platforms?

With heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems accounting for nearly 40 percent of the energy used in commercial buildings in the United States, they are clearly an important opportunity for greater control of both cost and performance. Like all formerly standalone systems, ubiquitous access control systems are converging and integrating into new and expanded areas of control and facility management, including HVAC. This new integration paradigm offers advantages and efficiencies that are now becoming apparent, thus prompting considerable investment.

A new and innovative form of network communication is promising greater efficiencies, flexibility and future-proofing, as well as reduced costs. There are many ways of moving from panel or controller-based systems and applications to truly converged solutions that use the network to push some of the intelligence to edge devices.

As intelligence and capabilities migrate to edge devices, a period is emerging in which we can integrate and control just about every aspect of a business — telecommunications, network and internet access, HVAC control, elevator control, physical access and video surveillance. The list is limited only by the end-user's needs and the designer or integrator's knowledge and abilities. Pushing intelligence to the edge devices will be the future of convergence in the security sector.

This article will review some of the improvements this new paradigm is enabling in terms of enhanced building automation.

Converging with IT/IS for ROI

Security is increasingly challenged to create solutions that are both cost-effective and provide much-needed ROI (return on investment), while also reducing the total long term investment in the overall security operation. Security system integration and convergence into the IT/IS (information technology/information systems) space have made a dramatic impact on creating these efficiencies and enhancing the overall capabilities of the security operation. For some time, there has been integration at basic levels to the building control and automation systems by using mechanical and some serial interfacing. But the increased pace of convergence into the IT/IS space and the use of TCP/IP as a form of communication have opened a new world of possibilities and provided a mean to streamline cumbersome and costly tasks.

System integration with access control

Let's take a closer look at some of the systems that can be further integrated into existing access control interfaces:

HVAC

In a security operation, one shuts down air handlers in the event of fire alarms or possible contamination from chemical and biological agents. For this reason, security has a major stake in the control of HVAC systems. End-users can spread out and reduce costs by integrating the access control system into HVAC systems to control heating and cooling during after-hours. By tying in access control, one can automatically adjust the temperature of an office or space within a facility to allow personnel to work comfortably and to turn down the heating and air conditioning when no one is present. Such enhanced control represents huge operational cost savings.

Lighting

Here's another familiar area of integration. With the convergence of security onto the network one can interface easier and more efficiently into these control systems. Such integration gives the users the capability to increase lighting in a parking lot for late-night departures and then to automatically reduce the lums (amount of light given off) when appropriate, to save on energy costs as well as bulb life and maintenance. One can also tie in access control to perform similar functionality within the building — turning on and off various offices or parts of the facility according to a need and automatically turning lights off based on a predetermined time or by lack of motion within a space.

Elevators

Elevators have been another integration point for years by using card systems and keys for access to different floors. With security now on the network, these systems can seamlessly talk to one another to give the user greater flexibility and more control over the elevators. Triggered by access control, elevator cabs could be opened for awaiting personnel to take them to their designated floors from a parking facility or other entry point. This creates convenience and efficiencies in moving people in a facility. What about cards with priority levels so that when the owner or senior manager gets in the elevator it takes them to their floor first? By incorporating weight sensors, one could determine if unauthorized personnel get off on a floor and alert security of an area violation.

Water systems

Here's a relatively new area for access control interface. Some facilities may be at risk from contamination of the water supply and may need to monitor and control the input of water to the facility. For example, what if a bottled water plant's product were contaminated? This could affect a large office population. In these cases, integrating chemical contamination sensors into security management systems at the water facility and/or the office building enables both to generate an alarm from monitoring sensors and also to shut down the water supply to the facility and the plant operation itself.

A typical day for access control

We have examined, in isolation, several new and dynamic ways to leverage access control integration with building management. Now let's put everything together in a typical day or night, when personnel enter a facility after normal business hours.

Personnel enter the facility either through a surface lot gate, parking structure or underground parking by using an electronic card to access the parking area. The access control system is configured to turn on or up the lights to help safely park the car and show the access route to the building entrance. If there is an elevator, it could be called so that it is ready and waiting at that level upon arrival. The card reader in the elevator allows personnel access only to those floors for which they have authorization. The card reader in the elevator sends signals to activate the lights needed to get personnel to their office or work area, and the heating or cooling can be turned on or adjusted while they are present. If the video surveillance system is also integrated into this system, it can pop-up video of the whole scenario to allow security personnel to monitor the activity. It may sound simple, but it is by no means commonplace today. Such integration into an overall access control interface creates much higher levels of security and significant cost efficiencies. To review, all this convenience and enhanced cost management happens by integrating the following systems over the network: access control; elevators; HVAC; lighting control; and video security surveillance

For relatively low investment, the end results are quite impressive, such as safer, more secure environment; lower energy costs; enhanced convenience for staff; and a record of facility usage.

Now taking the scenario above, let's look at added integration with RFID (radio frequency identification) technology. If the facility were configured with RFID access points we could not only perform all the functions above automatically, but one could also know the physical position of personnel at any given time and automatically follow them through the facility while opening doors and elevators, adjusting heating and cooling and shutting areas off instantaneously as appropriate. It all sounds very sci-fi, but it is in fact well within our reach today. Such RFID integrations makes for much more dramatic cost saving on lighting, heating and cooling and gives the user a higher level of comfort and convenience in addition to the security implications of knowing where personnel are at all times.

Access control: You have only just begun

We have seen just one extended example of how physical security and building control and automation can provide substantial cost, security and convenience benefits. There are other benefits from automating these processes such as scheduled maintenance of all security and building control systems. Maintenance personnel can keep all equipment current, working and up to date — thus ensuring that maximum return on investment, lower operational costs and reduced system downtime.

With HVAC systems accounting for nearly 40 percent of the energy used in commercial buildings in the United States, this an important opportunity to push the bounds of integration and to leverage the advantages of system control over the network. By doing so, almost any business or facility has the potential to realize significant savings by improving its building control, automating operations and enhancing the efficiency of how systems operate.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JAMES GOMPERS is founder and President and CEO of Gompers Inc., which is made up of Gompers Technologies Design Group (GTD Group), Gompers Technologies Testing and Research Group (GTTR Group) and the Gompers Alliance. The Gompers Alliance pools talent from top consulting firms in the security, communications and data industries to provide total solution plans and services to clients in North America and around the world. He has more than 20 years of experience in the security industry. Want to share an example of your own integration experience? E-mail questions or comments to him at jim@gompers.com

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