IPfocus - IP UserGroup

IPfocusMega trendsHow to Work with IT toEnsure Installation SuccessFor several years the IP UserGroup teams in the UK and Europe and the USA havebeen taking a very close look at where there is direct convergence between whatthe Security and Safety Sector and the IT and IP infrastructure players.IP UserGroup USA Vice President Susan Brady takes a look at the issues from aState-side perspective.Twenty years from now security professionalswill refer to 2010 as “the simpler days,” just astoday when you think back to how you soldand installed security systems in the 1990s.Technological enhancements bring greatimprovements but not without a price. Nolonger can you walk into a client site and goabout the business of running cable andhanging panels in an isolated environment.Electronic security installations have becomemore and more intricate with the convergenceof physical security and IT.“I recall my first sales call. I had been with mycompany for over three years, had extensiveproduct knowledge, and understood what wasrequired to protect buildings, equipment andpeople,” states security industry veteran, GarySlavin, and co-keynote of the IP UserGroupUSA’s IP-in-Action LIVE Tennessee.“As I walked a site to assess what was needed,I was looked upon by the prospect as asecurity expert, and my evaluations were wellreceived. Turning my plans over to engineeringwas a simple process and we were well on ourway to making a sale” Slavin comments,adding, “Well, that has all changed.”Almost all vendors are offering digital IPsolutions, bringing the much-publicizedconvergence of physical security and IT to theforefront of our industry. This has definitelycaused sales people and installers of electronicsecurity solutions to reminisce about thosesimpler days. The salesperson is no longer thesole security expert. The roles for sales people,designers and installers all have changed.Today, more than ever, security and ITprofessionals need to engage in an opendialogue with the end user prior to systemdesign. An understanding of projectmanagement practices, classic systemsanalysis and design, and some type ofSystems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) isessential in order to develop and installnetwork based security systems that interfacewith IT and IT security.“IP installers can no longer look at IT as anecessary evil but instead should considerthem as a team player with the commonobjective of an effective and problem-freeinstallation,” says Paul Ingevaldson, former Sr.V.P. and CIO of Ace Hardware Corporation andalso co-keynote at the IP UserGroup USA eventin Nashville, TN.Assessing physical security requirements andinstalling a networked based solution is now acorporate project requiring a project manager.IT must be brought into the project from thebeginning, and the end user needs to take amuch more active role than in the past.Traditional project management methodologiesare required to ensure all parties are involvedand are aware of how this new system willaffect their environment.Whether the project manager is from IT,physical security or the end user, everyoneinvolved with this project must be keptinformed every step of the way. Milestones,risk assessment and all the other projectmanagement practices must become a part ofyour everyday process if you are going tocontinue to deliver, design and install highquality systems that meet or exceed customerexpectations on time and within budget.Clearly this is a development that we shouldALL take very seriously, both from atechnological and commercial view point. Overthe coming editions we will continue to look atareas of synergy or conflict between thesecrucial business requirements and investigatehow the two industries can work together.Working with IT:Focus of Tennessee Event"How to Work with IT to Ensure InstallationSuccess" is the keynote presentation at IPUserGroup USA's, IP-In-Action LIVE Tennessee, onMay 11, 2010 at the Willis Conference Center,Nashville, TN.Security, IT and the end user need to engage inan open dialogue prior to system design. Joinour co-presenters, Paul Ingevaldson and GarySlavin, as they offer tips from both the IT andSecurity sides of the industry on how to makesure all parties come to the table.Paul M. Ingevaldson wasthe Senior VicePresident ofInternational andTechnology for AceHardware Corporationfor 25 years and hasover 40 years in the ITbusiness.Gary Slavin has workedin the security industryfor over 13 years inmarketing, sales andproduct training. Slavinis also the author ofPlan Your Success: TurnYour Dreams intoReality.IP-in-Action LIVE Tennessee, May 11, 2010, WillisConference Center, Nashville, TN.24_issue 27