In the past, security systems were often designed as ‘siloed’ systems, kept separate from other technologies and away from the network. The degree to which this approach was implemented often resulted in even the video surveillance, access control and alarm management elements of a system being separate. This approach was more costly, and resulted in systems which could not leverage data captured by other technologies.
Today’s systems are hugely different. They are designed to meet the needs of an increasingly dynamic business world, and as such unified solutions have become the norm. Genetec Security Center is a well-proven and robust unified security platform, and its latest incarnation, Security Center 5.10, ensures the security needs of businesses are met in a cost-effective and efficient way.
As new technologies are implemented, many established platforms suffer because of the use of APIs and interfaces created to manage integrations. While this approach was common in the past, the reality is single-use application programming interfaces can be cumbersome as system requirements expand.
Security Center takes a different approach. Genetec designed its platform to unify all captured data (both from security systems and other sources) allowing users to efficiently manage security policies, monitor events, run investigations and realise the highest levels of situational awareness, thus enabling actionable information which facilitates effective and timely decision making. It allows access to a growing ecosystem of over 900 systems, sensors and applications.
Security Center’s extensive ecosystem allows businesses and organisations to expand and upgrade systems as needs change and new risks emerge, enabling the use of the latest technologies to mitigate new threats. As the platform is not focused on one narrow set of tasks, it accommodates new data types seamlessly.
Security Center is a collaborative platform which delivers advanced video surveillance, access control, alarm handling, site management, automatic numberplate recognition and business intelligence, all via one unified interface. Users can add operational functionalities as required, and federation enables multi-site monitoring and control.
Genetec Security Center 5.10 brings together on-premises systems and cloud-based services to allow a flexible approach when designing and operating solutions. It also boasts a more powerful web client, and enables the deployment of the Genetec Sipelia communication module in the cloud.
While many are looking to the cloud for the implementation of services, a significant number of end users have legacy systems, many of which may be mission critical, and shifting these to a virtual environment overnight is not simple. Equally, a number of companies might require infrastructure upgrades which must be implemented before a shift to cloud-based services is practical. For these users, Security Center 5.10 enables a gradual approach to platform migration.
Security Center 5.10 enables users to take advantage of Omnicast Cloud storage, a connected service for video management which extends on-premises storage. Users can alter capacity, upwards or downwards, to meet their needs.
The updated web client delivers a seamless experience from any computer, tablet or mobile phone without the need to load client software. Security Center 5.10 enables complete management of access control credentials and access permissions, and makes use of extensive administrative features, such as the Synergis Evacuation Assistant which helps monitor and coordinate emergency evacuations.
The final headline takeaway is the inclusion of Sipelia, Genetec’s communication management system that centralises SIP-based communications, as a cloud-based service. It enhances awareness by unifying incoming calls with the security system. When incidents require swift action, Sipelia allows coordinated responses across the entire communication infrastructure.