Unified Security: The Payoff...The Pain

The benefits of running a unified security operation are real. CSOs say they can lead their functions to be more effective and save money at the same time. But getting there is tough.

By Todd Datz

Page 7

One area that's generating savings is technology convergence, the intersection of physical and information security. That's what Telders at Pemco Insurance has found.

Telders has put smiles on the suits at Pemco by replacing proprietary systems with a centralized, IP-based security management system for both field offices and headquarters that encompasses closed-circuit TV, door controls, access card controls, sensors, alarm monitoring and panic buttons. The system has obviated the need for local security guards; instead, guards monitor the system 24/7 from a central location. Burglar alarm monitoring is also done from that location, so outside contracts with third parties have, for the most part, become unnecessary. And video recording takes place on server disks, not on local digital video recorders. "If a DVR goes out, it could cost five grand. If a disk goes out, it costs $150," he notes.

Telders says the system saved Pemco on the order of $2 million in the first year. (Most came from eliminating the guards; bringing burglary and security monitoring services in-house saved more.) The company can also use the surveillance cameras in the various locations to hold teleconferences at no additional cost. And Pemco has tied building control systems such as HVAC and lighting into the centralized system, which allows the real estate staff to remotely manage some building systems, largely freeing them from having to install their own network or wiring.

Stephen Baird, vice president of corporate security at United Rentals, North America's largest equipment rental company, is similarly using CCTV improvements to reduce costs. Baird joined the company last July and has become the single point of contact for security. (Previously the top security role wasn't as clearly defined.) He reports to the company's president and CFO. Since coming on board, he's been working on upgrading the company's digital CCTV systems to make them motion-based. That will save his staff major chunks of time when conducting investigationsusing the old system, watching the DVR could take hours; now it takes minutes. He plans on rolling it out in the company's corporate facilities first and hopes to roll it out in stores eventually. He's also looking to save money by standardizing DVRs across the company and by buying those DVRs in bulk.

Another technology Baird is exploring is global positioning systems, or GPS, which the company was prototyping before he arrived. One application would involve putting GPS systems on large pieces of equipment, such as light towers. United Rentals has more than 600 types of equipment, including 4,200 light towers. GPS systems would allow security to track where the tower is, how long it's been there and even if it was turned on. And, of course, it would function much like a LoJack auto antitheft device (a tool they've also used) to make sure customers aren't walkingor drivingaway with equipment. And lest one think that light towers, backhoes and skid steer loaders don't disappear, guess again. "We've had theft of everything," says Baird. But rolling out a GPS system won't happen automaticallyas with any big project, Baird will first assess the risks and the costs before he and his fellow execs give a thumbs-up or thumbs-down.