PSI July 2019

Open Door
You are the
future of security
The security industry is
changing. It’s digitising.
Customers are more tech-savvy than ever before.
Security installers need to add more value and be
more efficient just to keep up. To face this
challenge head on Texecom has created the
Texecom Academy.
Designed to help security professionals get
ahead of the curve, Texecom Academy redefines
what it means to be a ‘security professional’. It
does this by providing the skills, tools and
mindset that will define the future of security – for installers and their customers.
The first courses will be aimed at those just entering the security industry or new to Texecom equipment. Texecom has
partnered with industry-leading training provider Tavcom to provide a BTEC Level 3 course in Perimeter and Intruder Alarms.
This interactive online course gives installers the underpinning knowledge and understanding required to be able to design
cost-effective alarm and perimeter detection systems that conform to current international and national standards.
With no prerequisites to join, it’s perfect for those who are entering the intruder alarm industry for the first time or looking to
improve their skills and gain an industry recognised qualification. After completing the course, installers should have a basic
knowledge of all the component parts which go together to make a successful intruder and hold-up alarm system and, more
importantly, the pitfalls to avoid.
In addition to the BTEC Level 3 course, there is also a free ‘bitesize’ course on Detection Devices. Also commonly referred to
as sensors, detection devices utilise a wide range of technologies and must be capable of reliably detecting intruders while also
having a high resistance to false activations. They may be passive, such as a basic switch or contact, or they may be powered
active devices that have onboard signal processing to determine whether an intrusion
is taking place. This free course will help installers understand everything they need to
know to get started with these devices.
Visit: www.academy.texe.com/
Does your access control system offer
robust cyber security too?
Access control systems are a huge asset for security, offering
integrated and intelligent responses to events on site. But the
best access control systems guard against cyber as well as
physical threats to ensure more robust safety and security for
people and places. Inner Range General Manager Tim
Northwood blogs on the Inner Range Open Door platform
about what to look for in your access control system to ensure you have robust cyber as well as physical security in place.
Secure communications are paramount for cyber security, whether that’s via in-house private communication networks or
between access control system controllers, servers and door modules, or when the core system integrates with third-party
products, such as CCTV. A robust level of end-to-end encryption across all these communications channels and interfaces is
vital. Data encryption ensures secure LAN communications at all times and continuous monitoring will detect any fault or
attempted module substitution. Ensuring the communications network is isolated also helps reduce the risk of interception.
Sandboxing is a software management strategy that isolates applications, such as your access control system, from critical
system resources and other programs, such as other products integrated with your core access control system. It provides an
extra layer of security that prevents malware or harmful applications from negatively affecting your access control system.
Without sandboxing, an application may have unrestricted access to all system resources
and user data on a computer. A sandboxed app, on the other hand, can only access
resources in its own ‘sandbox’. An application’s sandbox is a limited area of storage space
and memory that contains the only resources the program requires. If a program needs to
access resources or files outside its sandbox, permission must be explicitly granted.
Read the full article at www.innerrange.co.uk/does-your-access-control-system-offer-robust-cyber-security-too/
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