Brief poll leading into ISC west identifies biggest physical security pain points and funding obstacles
VidSys, the leading provider of Physical Security Information Management (PSIM) software that allows organizations to resolve business and security situations in real time, today unveiled findings of a recent survey on safety and security issues facing senior-level IT and physical security professionals from both public and private organizations. Designed as a mid-year follow-up to its first annual Safety and Security Survey conducted last fall, the condensed survey revealed that organizations continue to face similar challenges created by the complexities of their security and safety environments.
Biggest physical security pain point: Consistent standard operating procedures
The biggest physical security pain point for security executives right now according to those surveyed is the need for consistent application of standard operating procedures. This is in line with the previous VidSys survey, which found that 37 percent of respondents planned to invest in technology to address this challenge in the next 12 – 18 months. This concern was closely followed by the need for greater collaboration across their organization or with other organizations, the need to create a common operating picture across all security systems or command centers, and the desire to transition to a risk management culture. These challenges were consistent with the previous survey, suggesting that organizations continue to face multiple pain points that relate to sharing information easily and quickly to respond to a situation.
Biggest funding obstacle: Quantifying ROI
The biggest funding obstacle, according to 40 percent of surveyors, is the need to quantify return on investment (ROI) before making a purchase. An additional 34 percent reported that having no budget was their largest funding obstacle. The lack of budget was a top concern in the previous survey.
Security devices and systems management: The ongoing challenge
Once again, security and safety professionals are managing a lot of devices, with 91 percent of those surveyed reporting that they manage security devices or systems from at least two different manufacturers. Of those surveyed, 26 percent manage security devices or systems from 10 or more manufacturers.
“After conducting this short survey to determine if the top safety and security concerns have changed over the past six months, we found major consistencies as senior level security professionals continue to deal with fragmented environments composed of numerous systems from multiple manufacturers,” explained David Fowler, senior vice president, marketing and product development, at VidSys. “Not surprisingly, their primary concerns are centered on improving operations and overall safety and security, which are limited by financial constraints. This data speaks to the need for PSIM software that’s designed to integrate disparate technologies and improve situation management and collaboration while lowering operational costs.”
About Vidsys
VidSys is the leading provider of Physical Security Information Management (PSIM) software that enables organizations to reduce operational costs and improve situation response times while reducing risks and increasing safety, security, and asset protection. Its award-winning Open PSIM PlatformTM and multi-vendor video and situation management software, VidShieldTM and RiskShieldTM respectively, are running in numerous command centers including three of the top four cities in North America and a number of Fortune 100 global companies. Named winner of the PSIM System category in the 2010 GSN: Government Security News Homeland Security Awards, VidSys is also the founding member of PSIM Trends, a thought leadership site dedicated to discussing the PSIM industry. Privately funded by Atlanta Equity, Flybridge Capital Partners, JVax Investment Group and Motorola Ventures, principal offices are located in Marlborough, Massachusetts and Vienna, Virginia. For more information, please visit http://www.vidsys.com/.
