User Manual

34
6 System integration and
management
6.1 What are the needs?
What technical infrastructure does a university, technical
college (or even large school complex) really need to
manage its multiplicity of subsystems and fulfill the brief
of providing optimal protection in the most cost-effective
manner? In addition to the fire protection systems many
such institutions will also have intrusion protection,
CCTV supervision of critical areas and access control to
restrict access to high-tech and language laboratories,
libraries, etc. Let’s take a look at the individual needs of a
security manager in a university environment.
Campus security
The high-tech infrastructure in modern universities (e.g.
computers, diverse electronic equipment, audio systems
etc.) automatically brings a risk of theft or even
vandalism. Obtaining affordable insurance against such
risks makes the installation of a burglary alarm system
effectively mandatory. And the additional expense of
CCTV surveillance can often be justified by the reduced
risk of interruptions to research projects cause by the
theft of critical equipment.
Although not in the focus of this document, university
campuses around the world are increasingly making
headline news for security reasons (e.g. shootings,
terrorist attacks, etc.). Extending the surveillance
infrastructure to provide supervision of all critical points
of the university campus needs careful consideration.
Overall efficiency could also be considerably improved
by integrating the management of the fire protection
systems with the management of the security-based
systems.
System monitoring
The first thing that security managers need to know is
that everything is working correctly. Should a fire alarm
be activated, then this must of course be displayed
immediately and prominently, so that the appropriate
verification and remedial activities can be initiated.
The system also needs to provide a clear summary
indicating the number and location of any faults present
in the system; a technician can then be dispatched to fix
any such problems or report back if the faults cannot be
cleared. Recognizing and correcting faults quickly ensures
that the system is always providing the maximum
protection.
Similarly the presence and location of any temporarily
isolated supervisory devices should be indicated, together
with the reason and the expected duration. In this way
the security manager can always maintain close control
over his entire system.
Maintenance
Regular maintenance of any system is an essential pre-
requisite for ensuring trouble-free operation and is of
particular importance for safety and security systems.
A useful aid for the system manager would be a
scheduling service, which would remind him when the
various maintenance activities are due and to record the
successful completion of such activities (including a
record of the work performed, the components replaced
or any adjustments made etc.).
Reports and statistics
The security manager is constantly trying to improve the
service and checking that the current behavior is
appropriate. To analyze what happened in any particular
case it is essential that all the facts are recorded correctly
and in the correct chronological order.
It should also be possible to generate periodic reports
(e.g. quarterly or annually) that will allow the security
manager to identify any long-term trends or recurring
problems. These reports may be required for numerous
purposes, for example:
 For demonstrating system availability
 For maintenance budget discussions
 For the planning of modernization projects
 For false alarm rate monitoring
6.2 Centralized monitoring
For larger sites and in particular those where security
systems are also installed (e.g. intrusion, CCTV or access
control) a centralized monitoring system can fulfill all the
above-mentioned needs (daily management of the
individual elements; optimized handling of emergency
events; planned maintenance and statistical analysis).
Supervision
Supervision is about being aware of the current status at
all times. Modern technology can be of great assistance in
making this information readily available to the relevant
staff and in a form that is easy to digest. Being able to
recognize the current state of all supervisory elements
and being able to change the state of all control elements
allows detailed management of the systems, while
maintaining a coherent overview of the entire site. For
example, fire detectors may have been temporarily
isolated in a particular area while welding work was being
carried out. Being aware of the situation prevents such a
“degradation” of the system being forgotten and all such
actions will automatically be stored in a log file.
Any faulty devices will also be indicated on the
management system. Such problems will show up
automatically on a monitor in the technical service
department and the appropriate corrective measures can
be initiated. If the fault is not cleared after a predeter-
mined period of time, then this can also be flagged on the
centralized workstation where the facility manager can
determine why the problem has not yet been solved.
Mobility (remote access)
It is no longer essential that facility managers are
permanently stationed in a control room. Modern
technology also allows them to “keep their finger on the
pulse” whether they are on-site or off-site. Of course news
of any emergency situation could also be automatically
transmitted to the smart phones of all relevant staff
members.