Two years ago, physical security appeared to be the sole domain of the traditional security organization. Maybe it is me, but it seems that in small and large organizations alike, I am seeing the IT organization as the prime mover in access control... and often surveillance. In the just the last week, I have visited a hosting company for 40,000 realtors, the company responsible for 80% of all transmissions of digital cinema films and one of the oldest large residential communities in Los Angeles.
In each case, the Technology Director, the Network Administrator or Facilities Technician (in the IT department) has been the primary point of contact. Two of these companies are part of very large organizations that have traditional security, yet it is as though they do not exist. What does this mean?
It seems to be the beginning of a trend. It seems to me that while the physical security professionals get comfortable with the concept of convergence, the IT professionals are filling the void of indecision. In my opinion, all that has to happen for physical security to re-establish its rightful place is to understand that IT wants to be the custodian of the access control system and they want security to be the owner of the data. This can be an easy arrangement to negotiate and one that serves both professional communities.
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