INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS

The incorporation of computer intelligence and network connectivity into devices and systems—the basic convergence influence—allows systems to be of greater and greater real-time benefit to the systems users. The widespread deployment of personal computers and networks has resolved, for all practical purposes, the connectivity barrier. Driven by relentless customer
demand for improved systems, a number of standards and technologies have been developed over the past 10 years or so to address the interoperability barrier. Interoperability doesn’t necessarily mean that any device or control panel from one manufacturer can be substituted for a similar device from another manufacturer, in mix-and-match fashion. A more practical definition of interoperability would be the ability of equipment or systems from different manufacturers to share information for the purpose of daily operation.

For security systems some examples of this information are:
• viewing and editing schedules for monitoring and access control
• receipt and acknowledgement of alarms and access events
• access privilege status for access tokens and associated biometric data
• real-time status of alarm and access control devices and their networks
• user status information such who is “in” or “out” of an controlled area or building
• real-time and recorded audio and video streams
• historical report information (alarms and access events) To exchange such information requires common standards and protocols.